Bok Choy with Oyster Sauce

Name: Bok Choy with Oyster Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 lb baby bok choy; 1 tablespoon peanut oil ((or vegetable oil)); 2 dried chili peppers; 2 teaspoons ginger (, minced); 1/2 teaspoon sugar; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 2 tablespoons oyster sauce

By Maggie Zhu

• Published Feb 13, 2026

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This 6-ingredient bok choy with oyster sauce only takes 15 minutes to put together and is on my weekly dinner rotation. Ginger and oyster sauce pair perfectly to bring out the natural sweetness of the baby bok choy, adding a touch of umami. It’s an easy and satisfying side dish that adds color and nutrition to your meals.

Chopsticks lifting bok choy coated in oyster sauce

Bok choy with oyster sauce is one of those everyday dishes I grew up eating at home, the kind that quietly anchors a Chinese meal without calling attention to itself. It’s quick and simple for weeknight cooking, often put together while a soup simmers on the stove and a pre-made meat dish reheats in the steamer.

I enjoy cooking with baby bok choy because it is fast to cook and has a nice crisp-tender texture. In the past I shared recipes for baby bok choy with mushrooms and garlicky baby bok choy stir fry, which I cook very frequently. Today I want to share another version – this version blooms ginger and dried chili pepper in hot oil, creating a smoky and fragrant base. It’s then cooked with oyster sauce and a touch of soy sauce and sugar, creating a quick sauce that is savory and mildly sweet.

The key is to treat the stems and leaves differently. By searing the white part first over high heat, you develop flavor and keep it juicy, then by finishing the greens just long enough to wilt preserves their fresh taste and vibrant color.

Bok choy with oyster sauce served in a plate

Ingredients

You only need six simple ingredients to make bok choy with oyster sauce.

Baby bok choy: I like to use baby bok choy because it is tender and has a sweeter taste. The ones I used were around 6” (15cm) long.
Neutral oil: Peanut oil adds a nutty flavor to the dish. But you can use any neutral oil with a high smoking point. Avocado oil is another great option.
Dried chili pepper: It adds fragrance and smokiness to the dish.
Ginger: Ginger adds a peppery fragrance and balances the rich sauce, giving the dish a natural sweetness and livening up the sauce.
Sugar: It helps the vegetables to sear better and works with the oyster sauce to bring out the taste of the bok choy.
Soy sauce: It adds a rich umami and saltiness.
Oyster sauce: The main ingredient for the sauce,it adds a deep umami and richness to the dish.

My favorite way to prepare baby bok choy

Baby bok choy comes in different sizes. The most common ones are medium heads that are around 6” (15cm) long. This is my favorite way to prepare it:

1. Cut off the ends and discard them. This way the outer bigger leaves naturally come off.

2. Soak the bok choy in cold water for a few minutes, then rinse thoroughly. The soaking helps remove fertilizer and pesticide residue, a method my mom uses for all green leafy vegetables. The dirt and dust come off more thoroughly now that outer leaves are separated.

3. Slice the white part into thin pieces, and slice the greens into large pieces. This helps the white part to cook faster and have a better texture. I like to keep the green part larger, because it shrinks a lot during cooking.

How to make

Make sure you’ve cut and prepared everything ahead of time and have all the ingredients ready near your stove, since things move quickly once the cooking starts.

1. Bloom the aromatics: Heat up your wok until smoking, then quickly cook the ginger and dried chili peppers in the oil to infuse it.

Ginger and dried chili blooming in hot oil

2. Cook the bok choy whites: Add the white part of the bok choy and quickly stir to coat it well with oil. I like to spread out the whites and let them sear. By stirring less, they brown better and it allows the wok temperature to come back up. Cook until the white part just starts to wilt.

3. Cook the bok choy greens: Add the bok choy greens and sprinkle with sugar. The sugar helps to char the vegetables and bring out their flavor. Only cook the greens briefly because they cook very fast once you add the liquid seasonings and will overcook easily.

4. Add the seasonings and finish up: Add the soy sauce and oyster sauce, and immediately mix everything together to finish up. Once you add the liquid, it also steams the bok choy so it cooks very quickly. Make sure to use high heat the whole time and keep your wok hot, so some of the liquid evaporates. Once the greens are wilted, immediately transfer everything to a plate. The bok choy will cook a little more in the residual heat and release some liquid, which is normal.

How to serve

I like to serve bok choy with oyster sauce as a side dish along with my main dish, usually a protein dish, and steamed rice. For a full dinner spread, consider adding a soup and another cold vegetable appetizer. Some of my favorite main dishes to serve together with this include braised pork ribs and braised chicken and mushrooms because I can cook them ahead of time, usually on the weekend. A quick simple egg drop soup and spicy cucumber salad will complete your dinner.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use regular bok choy instead of baby bok choy?

Yes. Separate the stems and leaves, and slice the thicker stems slightly thinner so they cook through at the same rate.

Is this dish spicy?

No. The dried chili peppers are used mainly for aroma. You can remove them entirely for a completely mild version.

Can I make this ahead of time?

This dish is best served immediately after cooking. Bok choy releases water as it sits, which can dilute the sauce.

Can I add garlic?

Absolutely. You can replace half of the ginger with garlic, or use both, depending on your preference.

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