Home » Recipe Type » Salads » Bok Choy Salad with Sesame-Almond Crunch
5 from 5 reviews
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This bok choy salad recipe has become an early summer staple when the bok choy begins arriving in our farm share. The dressing has that salty-sweet dynamic, which the slightly bitter bok choy welcomes. The sesame-almond crunch is addictive!
Last summer I learned that Swiss chard, like kale, can be eaten raw and is especially delicious with a lemony dressing and toasted garlic breadcrumbs.
You would think this revelation would have opened my mind and inspired experiments with other greens I had assigned to the cook-only category. It did somewhat — mustard greens and broccoli rabe, I learned, do well with that same treatment — but these discoveries were not enough to reform me completely.
On Sunday, for instance, my friend emailed me her “tried-and-true” bok choy salad recipe, and I couldn’t help but think: Shouldn’t bok choy be cooked?
It turns out bok choy makes an excellent salad, its crunchy stalks and sturdy leaves capable of enduring a bold, salty-sweet dressing. A slightly sweet dressing, in fact, is just what slightly bitter bok choy needs. My particular head of bok choy — the largest I had ever seen with tough greens begging to be braised and big, watery stalks — brightened under this assertive dressing. The whole salad, moreover, kept well in the fridge.
The most fun part about this recipe, however, is the sesame-almond crunch, a mix of melted sugar, toasted almonds and sesame seeds, that comes together in a flash and disappears about as quickly. Warning: Do not in an effort, say, to get a jumpstart on dinner make the crunch ahead of time. It will not, I promise, last five minutes.
When the sugar looks like this, add the almonds and sesame seeds:
Thief!
Bok Choy Salad with Sesame-Almond Crunch
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
5 from 5 reviews
- Author: Alexandra Stafford
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 to 4 servings as a side dish
- Diet: Vegan
Save Recipe
Description
Adapted from Charlene from Table of Gratitude
Bok Choy: Bok choy tends to be really dirty, so it’s best to soak the leaves in water before using: Cut off the very ends, separate the leaves, chopped them into ½-inch pieces, and let them soak in a bowl of cold water till the dirt settles. Scoop the leaves out and transfer to a colander to drain. Pat dry with towels — no need to make sure the leaves are completely dry.
Sugar: The original recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of sugar in the dressing but I find 1 tablespoon of sugar to be enough. I suggest making it once with the 1 tablespoon of sugar; then adding more (or cutting back) the next time around based on your experience.
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds bok choy, thinly sliced and soaked in cold water to allow dirt to settle, then drained—it’s OK if a little water is clinging to the greens
for the sesame-almond crunch:
- 1 cup slivered or sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup sugar
- ⅓ cup sesame seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, or 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
for the dressing:
- 1 to 3 tablespoons sugar, see notes above
- ¼ cup grapeseed oil or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 6 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- If you haven’t prepared the bok choy, slice it crosswise into ½-inch pieces. Place it in a large bowl, and cover with cold water. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- Place the almonds and sesame seeds in a large, dry skillet set over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally (watching like a hawk) until golden brown. Transfer to a small plate or sheet pan to cool.
- Sprinkle the 1/4 cup sugar in an even layer over the same pan and set over medium heat. Line a plate with parchment paper. The moment the sugar is completely liquefied and beginning to turn brown, add the almonds, sesame seeds, and sea salt. Stir with a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon until the nut-seed mixture is evenly distributed. Do this quickly, so that the mixture does not burn. Immediately transfer the nut-seed mixture to the plate to cool.
- In a small saucepan, bring the dressing ingredients to a boil, using 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Whisk until sugar is dissolved. Once the mixture comes to a simmer, turn off the heat. Add the sliced green onions, give the pan a swirl, and set aside. Dressing can be used while warm or cool.
- Scoop the bok choy from the bowl of water and transfer it to a colander. Dry in a salad spinner or by simply using a large towel — it doesn’t have to be completely dry. Transfer bok choy to a salad bowl. Pour the dressing over top and toss. Taste. Add a pinch of sea salt if necessary. Just before serving, add the nut mixture and toss well.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian, American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Vegetarian Sauces and Dressings Vegan Dairy Free Bok Choy Salads Side Dishes Lunch
« Previous PostCSA Week 2: Simple Creme Fraiche Dressing, Turnip Burgers,and Bok Choy — Help?
Next Post »Summer Vegetable Strata | CSA Week 3
Buy My Cookbook!
Recipes for no-knead loaves and meals to savor every slice.
Want to Chop Like a Pro?
Get your free 8-video tutorial
Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe
cheri —Reply
What a delicious looking salad, I would of never thought to eat bok choy in this manner.
alexandra —Reply
I had never thought to either — so good to know, right?
Christina —Reply
Yum! I would never have thought to use boo choy in a salad either, but I’m so glad I saw this, because I love the stuff! The crunch reminds me of a salad my mother in law makes with peppered, caramelized pecans- they are to die for! Can’t wait to try this!
alexandra —Reply
Oh yum, sounds so good. This crunch is addictive!
Charlene —Reply
Ali, you are such a sweetheart to feature this! And as usual, your photos are gorgeous. Love those chubby little fingers reaching for the almond crunch. 🙂 xo!
alexandra —Reply
Thank you for the recipe, Charlene!
mila furman —Reply
Ohhh yummy!!! This looks so wonderfully fresh!!! Great for the summer!
alexandra —Reply
🙂
Kirsten —Reply
This looks delicious! Do you think the dressing and almond crunch would be good with any other veggies?
alexandra —Reply
Hi Kirsten! The almond crunch would be good with anything but it needs salt on its own — when it is mixed with the soy dressing, the salt from the soy provides the salt to make it irresistible. As for using the dressing on other vegetables, make sure you use it on firm, tougher vegetables if that makes sense. I had some leftover dressing and used it on some greens (a mix of mustard greens and others…not sure, but some sort of braising mix that was still somewhat tender) and it was too sweet and overpowering — it needs to be paired with cabbage-like vegetables. Hope that helps!
Phoebe @ Feed Me Phoebe —Reply
So brilliant!! I am the most boring with bok choy. Can’t wait to try this. xoxo
alexandra —Reply
Thank you, Phoebe! xo
Claudia | The Brick Kitchen —Reply
This is such an interesting way to use bok choy! In the past I have only blanched it and sautéed it, so next time may give this a go – love using almonds as well. Also tried your blueberry scone recipe the other day (the Tartine Bakery one) – turned out really well! It seemed a bit dry so I added more buttermilk and was a little worried about the blueberries starting to turn the dough purple (I hardly ever make scones so it was all new to me!!) but they transformed in the oven and were totally gorgeous! Thanks 🙂
alexandra —Reply
Claudia, me too — I had only ever cooked bok choy. I loved this preparation.
And I know re scones — I always have to add more buttermilk to the dough. I really need to adjust the recipe because the same is true for Tartine’s currant scone recipe — it always needs a few more tablespoons of buttermilk. So happy you liked them and that they turned out well in the end!
Meg —Reply
This was amazing! I was out of green onions and subbed 2 garlic scapes in their place. This recipe earned itself a real paper recipe card:). Thanks!
alexandra —Reply
Yay! So happy to hear this, Meg! Love the idea of using garlic scapes…great tip for CSA subscribers.
Jo —Reply
Superb! I omitted the sugar part of the almond crunch and simply toasted slivered almonds and sesame seeds, which I was very happy with.
What a fabulous way to enjoy the choy! Thank youalexandra —Reply
Wonderful to hear this, Jo! Glad to know the sugar can be omitted.
Karen —Reply
We loved this! Using bok choy raw was such a nice change. I did make a few modifications. I toasted the almonds in the same pan as everything else, first, then removed them while I melted the sugar and followed the rest of the recipe. Much more practical for me to use stovetop when it’s a 100+ degree day and I do not want to turn on my oven. 🙂 Plus it’s faster. Easier to burn that way though! I also was missing green onion, so I followed another commenter and put one clove of crushed garlic in the dressing. I would absolutely do that again – love the garlicky flavor. Definitely, a hit of a recipe, will make again!
alexandra —Reply
Love this modification! Thanks so much for sharing—I’m totally going to do this next time. Thanks for writing in!
Kit —Reply
I made this salad a few weeks ago and it was delicious. The almond crunch was gone before the salad was done so I had to make another batch. Oops. Thank you very much for sharing such a new creative way to eating bok choy…
Cheryl —Reply
Made this with dinner tonight and it was very well received! You have the most delicious, creative dishes and we Love them!
Thank you!
alexandra —Reply
So happy to hear this, Cheryl!! Thank you for the kind words, too. Means a lot 🙂 🙂 🙂
Susan Oher —Reply
This is on frequent rotation starting tonight, absolutely delicious. There are exclamations of joy as each person takes a bite. Thanks so much for another wonderful recipe.
alexandra —Reply
Oh yay! Wonderful to hear this, Susan 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing.
Kate —Reply
Loved it. We ate it ALL. Made it exactly as was instructed and served it over brown rice. Thanks 😊
alexandra —Reply
Wonderful to hear this, Kate! Thanks for writing!
Linda Hartlaub —Reply
Never had raw bok choy before. This was awesome and the dressing can be used for so many other salads.
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
So great to hear this, Linda! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Tanya —Reply
Just got my bok choy from the farmers market and can’t wait to make this. If I know that the whole salad won’t be eaten right away how should I prepare. Only dress what will be eaten or can the whole thing refrigerate and be just as tasty the next day? Thank you!
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
I would dress only what you think you would eat! Leftovers are good not great 🙂
Ellen Best —Reply
I was so tired of cooking bok choy the same way for decades with garlic, ginger and sesame oil!
This was plenty sweet with 1 T sugar in dressing! May even try scant T.
Video was helpful – I don’t usually follow the videos but I started and stopped it as I followed the recipe – like how brown the nut mix got.
Thx!Alexandra Stafford —Reply
So nice to read this, Ellen 🙂 🙂 🙂 And I’m with you… I’m sure I would be fine cutting back the sugar even more as well. So glad the video was helpful. Thanks for writing!
By the way: my olive oil arrived, and it is FABULOUS!!
Ellen Best —Reply
I added leftover spaghetti and heated it slightly for a second round the following day! The dressing slightly takes the raw edge off of the bok choy. In fact, I like the salad option for it better than cooked, since it so easily gets mushy after being cooked…. and leftover cooked bok choy is never as good as fresh. BUT the leftover “salad” bok choy was even better the second day!
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Oh yay! Love this idea Ellen. It always feels good to be able to stretch a meal a little bit farther. Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Alison —Reply
It looks like you’re using sliced almonds, not slivered, correct?
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Yes, correct! Sorry for the confusion here.
Alison —Reply
We tried this tonight and it was SO GOOD. My spouse raved about it and insisted on taking the leftovers, though there wasn’t all that much left! Will definitely have to make again.
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Great to hear, Alison! Thanks for writing 🙂
Suzanne Kennedy —Reply
Looks marvelous, can’t wait to make 🤗
Marysa —Reply
I would have never thought to eat bok choy raw. Definitely good to know! Your recipe sounds tasty and delicious!
