Looking for a bok choy recipe? Make a quick batch of kimchi with baby bok choy, fresh chilies, and sweet apple.This quick bok choy kimchi takes 30 minutes of brine time and only 15 minutes to assemble.

Bok choy kimchi made with fresh chili shows its vibrant red color in a bowl.

I love making a simple kind of kimchi with different types of vegetables. This bok choy kimchi is one of the beloved kimchi recipes that is so easy and straightforward. I make it again and again.

It’s wonderful to see Asian vegetables are widely available in many grocery stores in the United States these days. And people look for various bok choy recipes to enjoy this wonderful green.

What is Bok Choy?

Bok Choy, also spelled as pak choi, bok choi, or pak choy, is a variety of white Chinese cabbage (but not to be confused with napa cabbage). Bok choy leaves are light to dark green, and the young tender stems are usually white to light green. All parts of bok chop is edible. The size can vary from 4-12 inches tall. Many Asian dishes stir-fries bok choy with a little soy sauce and garlic. It’s a staple vegetable in many Asian cooking.

Which Bok Choy to use

Bok choy is a very tender cabbage, which means it’s perfect to make kimchi with.

Just like there are different types of cabbage, there are different kinds of bok choy as well. Fortunately, you can use pretty much any bok choy with this recipe. I used baby bock choy, which is shorter than most bok choy and has deeper green leaves.

You will love the crispness of this kimchi, and the mild flavor is perfect for those who are new to Korean kimchi.

Bok choy cabbage are tossed in kimchi seasonin and served in a stone bowl.

Ingredients for Baby Bok Choy Kimchi

  • baby bok choy – other types of bok choy
  • coarse sea salt
  • fresh red chilies (fingerlong chilies)
  • sweet apple
  • onion
  • garlic
  • ginger
  • Korean anchovy sauce (fish sauce)
  • sea kelp stock (optional)
Ingredients to make Bok choy kimchi are presented.

Recipe Tips

  • Add fresh chili – In order to make your kimchi more refreshing, I recommend adding fresh red chilies such as fingerlong chilies. They are mildly spicy chilies that create a lightness to the flavor. They also add a beautiful bright redness to your kimchi.
  • Sweet apple makes the kimchi more fruity and delicious. By doing so, you don’t need to add sugar to balance the flavor.

Geotjeori: Bok choy kimchi is not ideal kimchi for a long fermentation like the authentic cabbage kimchi. Usually any quick kimchi (geotjeori) is made for a rather quick consumption, which means, you will want to consume this kimchi within 2-3 weeks. So make a small batch unless you need to feed a crowd.

How to Make Bok Choy Kimchi

Baby bok choy is halved or quartered with a knife.

This is baby bok choy. Cut them lengthwise in halves or quarters depending on their size.

Korean coarse sea salt is a key ingredient making salt brine for making kimchi.

Dissolve the coarse sea salt in water. If you can’t find Korean coarse sea salt, you can use kosher salt, but reduce the amount in half.

Bok choy is soaked in salt brine in a bowl.

Put bok choy in a large bowl, and pour the salt brine over it. Let it soak for 30 minutes. Rinse the bok choy once and drain well.

A piece of dried sea kelp is used to make sea kelp stock.

Meanwhile, make sea kelp stock. Adding stock to the kimchi enhances the flavor. It’s an optional ingredient but I highly recommend it. If necessary, use plain water instead of stock.

To make the stock, simmer a piece of dried sea kelp in water for 4-5 minutes. Discard the kelp and let the stock cool down.

Chunks of fresh red chili are added to onion garlic puree in a blender.

In a blender, puree onion, apple, and garlic with 1/4 cup of sea kelp stock until smooth. Add the sliced red chilies and pulse the mixture until the chilies are processed into small pieces.

Korean chili flakes are added to make kimchi filling in a bowl.

Put the pureed mixture into a medium mixing bowl. Add the Korean chili flakes, anchovy sauce, and ginger puree. Mix well.

Bok choy kimchi is hand tossed to coat with kimchi filling in a bowl.

Toss the bok choy with the kimchi seasoning paste. Be gentle when you are coating the bok choy with the paste so that you don’t bruise them.

Kimchi Fermentation and Storage Tip

Store your bok choy kimchi in an airtight container. You can let it ferment at room temperature for one day if you like a fermented taste. Otherwise keep your bok choy kimchi in the refrigerator at all times. It will still ferment but slowly. This kimchi should be consumed within 3 weeks.

Bok choy kimchi is served with a bowl of rice.

If you try this quick bok choy kimchi recipe, please take a moment to leave a rating and comment below. I love hearing from you, and it helps other readers, too.

Freshly made Bok Choy Kimchi is served in a stone bowl

Quick Bok Choy Kimchi

Make a quick batch of kimchi with baby bok choy, fresh chilies, and sweet apple. This quick bok choy kimchi takes 30 minutes of brine time and only 15 minutes to assemble.
4.90 from 19 ratings

Ingredients

For kimchi filling:

Instructions 

  • Place clean bok choy in a large mixing bowl.
  • Dissolve the sea salt in water and pour over to bok choy. Let it sit for 30 minutes, then drain.
  • To make the kimchi filling, puree onion, apple, and garlic with 1/4 cup of sea kelp stock in a blender until smooth. Add the sliced red chilies and pulse the mixture until the chilies are processed into small pieces.
  • Put the pureed mixture into a medium mixing bowl. Add the Korean chili flakes, anchovy sauce, and ginger puree. Mix well.
  • Toss the bok choy with the kimchi seasoning paste. Be gentle when you are coating the bok choy with the paste so that you don't bruise them.
  • Store your bok choy kimchi in an airtight container. You can let it ferment at room temperature for one day if you like a fermented taste. Otherwise keep your bok choy kimchi in the refrigerator at all times. It will still ferment but slowly. This kimchi should be consumed within 3 weeks.

Notes

To make the sea kelp stock; simmer a piece of dried sea kelp in a cup of water for 4-5 minutes. Discard the kelp and let the stock cool down.
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