Pak Choi with Ginger & Oyster Sauce
Kitchen-tested
The quickest green side there is: pak choi steamed in the container with ginger, finished with oyster sauce and a few drops of sesame oil. Stems glossy and just tender, leaves wilted and still green.
Ingredients
- — All in —
- 250 g pak choi, halved lengthways — big ones quartered — and washed well between the leaves
- 10 g ginger, sliced
- 1 tsp neutral oil, spooned in
- 2 tbsp water, poured from a measuring jug
- 2½ tsp oyster sauce, spooned over off the heat
- — Finish up —
- ½ tsp sesame oil, spooned
Method
- Everything except sesame oil goes into the 1.6 L container: pak choi, ginger, neutral oil and oyster sauce. Pour the water in at the side. Cooking lid on loose.
- Set the heat once: medium — about 6 of 9 on a fitted induction hob, level 2 on a portable hob (see Heat below) — and set a timer for 15 minutes. Then leave it: one setting, one timer; steam from the lid gap is the sign it is working.
- When the timer goes off, lift the lid (it is hot) and check: the stems are glossy and translucent with a little bite, the leaves wilted but still green. Not there yet? Lid back on loose; set a timer for 2 more minutes and check again. Looks dry before tender? Add 30 ml hot water first.
- Off the heat: sesame oil over the top. Serve from the container.
- To reheat from the fridge: storage lid off, cooking lid on loose, add 30 ml water if the sauce has set firm, and use a gentle-to-medium heat — about 4–6 of 9 on a fitted induction hob, level 2 on a portable hob. Set a timer for 4 minutes; stir, then give it 2 minutes more until it is bubbling all over and piping hot right through.
Heat
| Stage | Heat into the pan | Induction hob (settings 1–9) | Portable induction hob | What to look for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook — one setting, start to finish | about 195–450 W (medium) | about 6 of 9 | level 2 (the 285 W setting) | steady steam from the lid gap; a little liquid always in the base |
| Reheat from the fridge | medium-low | about 4–5 of 9 | level 1–2 | steaming and hot right through |
Hob settings are not standard — the same number means different heat on different hobs. The power figures show how hard the pan is actually being heated. The settings shown are for a typical fitted induction hob with settings 1–9, and for a plug-in portable induction hob with power settings. Go by what you see in the pan, then remember the setting that gave it on your own hob.
Cook’s checks
- the stems are glossy and translucent with a little bite, the leaves wilted but still green; a little liquid still in the base.
- Dry before tender: add 30 ml hot water, lid back on. Still firm: 2 more minutes, lid on.
- Cook with the cooking lid loose or vented; never heat with a friction-fit storage lid sealed. Container and lid get very hot — cloth or oven gloves.
Nutrition
| Serving | Calories | Protein | Fat | Saturates | Carbohydrate | Sugars | Fibre | Salt / sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 62 kcal | 2 g | 4 g | 0.4 g | 5 g | 1.4 g | 1.2 g | 0.3 g sodium (0.9 g salt) |
Nutrition information is provided for general reference only. Values are estimates based on typical ingredient data and will vary with brands, cuts, portion sizes and preparation. They are not intended as precise nutritional, dietary or medical guidance.