7.1.16 Grilled Bok Choy with Miso Gochujang Butter
I’ve got to say, our CSA, has been absolutely wonderful for many reasons. One of my favorite things though has been has been the challenge to be creative with our weekly produce. The fact is, our CSA has been a key player in pushing me to develop some pretty awesome recipes.
Take for example, this grilled bok choy. First off, I love bok choy - I love the greens, I love the texture of the stalks - I’m a huge fan of the stuff. But I’ll admit, for the longest time, I’d been in a bit of a bok choy rut. I’d get some bok choy and it would inevitably be made into… stir fry. Don’t get me wrong, stir fry is great. But there’s only so much stir fry one can take. After we got like 4 heads of bok choy from our CSA, I knew one thing: I could not handle any more stir fry. It was time to try something new.
First of all, I knew a grill was going to be involved. Grilling, after all, being my number one choice of cooking method when weather permits. I had already planned to grill some Korean style chicken thighs, so gochujang - the funky, spicy, Korean fermented chile paste that you absolutely should have in your refrigerator - was on my mind. Mixing it with two of my other favorite condiments (butter and miso paste, obviously) just seemed smart. The resulting spicy, savory, umami bomb of a sauce was the perfect thing to slather on my bok choy before tossing it on the screaming hot grill to achieve smoky, slightly charred, and completely delicious perfection. This is the simplest of recipes, yes, but the results taste far from simple. With some sort of grilled meat, rice, and a side of kimchi, it’s a feast.
If you’re like me, this recipe - while insanely delicious - is probably not enough to get you through the semi-ridiculous amount of grilling you’ll be doing over the upcoming 4th of July weekend. So to ensure you enough recipes to keep you grilling all weekend long, several other Whisk members and I have teamed up to bring you a BBQ themed blog hop. Check out the links at the bottom of this post for some more summer recipes from other local Wisconsin bloggers, and get grilling already!
Grilled Bok Choy with Miso Gochujang Butter
Serves 2 generously as a side
Don’t have Gochujang on hand? I highly recommend picking some up at your local Asian grocery store as soon as possible. This Korean fermented chile paste is great to have on hand for many reasons, and will keep practically forever.
- 1 large head of bok choy
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp miso paste
- 1 Tbsp gochujang (in a pinch, sub sriracha)
1. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to high heat.
2. Cut the base off the bok choy head and separate into individual stalks. Lay stalks out in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3. Mix the melted butter, miso, and gochujang together until completely combined. Brush mixture evenly over the surface of the bok choy stalks. Pro tip: some of the miso gochujang butter will inevitably drip off of the bok choy before it makes its way to the grill. Don’t let a bit of that tasty stuff go to waste - toss it with the grilled bok choy after it comes off the grill for extra deliciousness.
4. Transfer bok choy stalks on the hot side of the grill (perpendicular to the grill grates), and grill until stalks are tender and leaves are beginning to char, about 5-6 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
5. Return grilled bok choy back to the baking sheet, making sure to mix it with any of the butter mixture that dripped onto the pan before grilling. Serve bok choy in stalks, or chop into bite sized pieces.
