Glazed Bok Choy and Fake Crab

Many years ago, when I was an exchange student in Taiwan, there was a little Cantonese restaurant near my dormitory. I loved that restaurant, especially the bok choy, tofu, and dried scallop stir-fry. After my return to Japan, I came up with my own version. Fake crab makes a cheap and colorful alternative to scallops, but fake scallops are a good choice as well. I make this dish a lot.

I happened to have chopped scallions on hand, but these are optional.

First, wash and chop the bok choy. This is easier if you soak it.

The seasonings are sesame oil, five spice, and Okinawan mixed spice. Start by adding the garlic, tofu, and fake crab to the skillet with the seasonings.

Pile the scallions and bok choy on top, put on the lid, and steam on low heat. It's done when the bok choy starts to wilt. If you want to simulate a glaze without the oil and the calorific guilt, suspend arrowroot powder into some cooking sake, and keep stirring the dish in the skillet to get that glazed look and feel. This kind of fake glaze looks and tastes like the real deal while it's hot, but as soon as it cools down it tends to congeal into sad lumps. Just like Cinderella and her midnight curfew. OK, maybe not.

☆Epilogue☆

The sauce tends to be runny, so this dish does not work well for packed lunches, but if you put it over rice, you get a sort of semi-chop suey that does nicely for dinner.