Coconut Rice Bok Choy Bowls with Chicken, Edamame and Sweet and Spicy Sauce

Inspiration and thoughts

This recipe was inspired by my boyfriend Eli from a dish he made us one night. On one of our date nights he made us a great dinner with ingredients that he got from one of the many amazing Asian markets here in San Diego.  That night he made a delicious and very extra stir fry all with fresh ingredients from the market (and I didn’t lift a finger!).  He even got us a delicious sake and got me a ceramic sake set with a serving bottle and two little cups!  It was a perfect date night dinner. 

One of the many ingredients in that meal was bok choy.  I love bok choy but don’t use it very often, and I thought it would be fun to try a stir fry of my own with this yummy and beautiful ingredient that is a lit less extra as Eli’s, but just as delicious! And to spice it up with my special sweet and spicy sauce of course. 

Also, I absolutely love coconut rice.  I don’t eat rice very often but if it’s coconut rice, I’m in.  The coconut milk makes the rice so delicious and rich and goes so well with this dish.  For this recipe I wanted to make a stir fry but I didn’t want to make it with noodles.  I always have coconut milk on hand and I love coconut rice, so I thought it would be the perfect combo with the veggies and chicken.  I also made this delicious sweet and spicy sauce that I wanted to incorporate into this recipe, and this one is so good!  

How it’s made, notes, and substitutions

First make sauce. Just mix the soy sauce, garlic chili sauce, brown sugar, and lime juice together in a little bowl or small container and mix or shake it up.  Add more garlic chili sauce if you like it spicier, or more lime if you prefer that too.  Set this aside and then start on the rice. 

Coconut rice is also great because it is so easy to make. All you have to do is add the jasmine rice, one full can of coconut milk, and salt into a pot and bring it to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes.  You know the rice is done when most of the coconut milk is absorbed by the rice.  15 minutes is usually perfect for me, just make sure to not overcook it.  And don’t forget – the best way to test this out is to taste it!  When it’s done, let it cool a few minutes and then fluff it up with a fork before you serve. 

While it’s cooking you can work on the chicken and veggies.  First the chicken.  I like to use a wok for anything stir fry related, so I used a medium sized wok for this recipe.  Use one if you have it, but if you don’t it is totally fine to use a large saucepan or cast iron skillet.  I have a great wok my mom gave me that I like, and my boyfriend has a larger wok that I also use. Add a few spoonfuls of coconut oil to your pan or wok and get it nice and hot. 

Cut the chicken breast into bite sized pieces and add a bit of salt and pepper to them too. Then add them to the hot wok or pan.  The coconut oil gives such a great flavor to this dish and it compliments the coconut flavor in the rice too, so use that instead of regular oil if you have it.   Cook the chicken for about 6-8 minutes, mixing occasionally, until everything is nice and browned but not completely cooked through.  You’ll be cooking the chicken a bit more with the veggies later, so make sure you don’t overcook it at this point.  Set the chicken bites aside and let’s go on to the veggies. 

Add your aromatics – the garlic and green onion – to the same pan or wok and cook until browned.  Now for the bok choy.  The best way to eat this veggie in a stir fry, in my opinion, is to keep the leaves long and not cut them into smaller pieces.  This not only makes the veggies look gorgeous when plated and fun to eat, but it also allows the bok choy leaves to cook through without overdoing it.  Bok choy only takes a few minutes to stir fry, so if you cut the leaves into smaller pieces you might overcook them.  The leaves are most delicious when they have a bit of a crunch to them, and if you overcook them they get soggy and wilted, especially when you add the sauce.  Cut off the ends of each bok choy bunch and separate each leaf.

Add the bok choy leaves to the garlic and green onions and only stir fry for 1-2 minutes, just until the leaves are cooked through and turn a delightfully bright green color.  Now turn the heat down to low, add back the chicken and pour the sweet and spicy sauce into the mix.  Save a bit of that sauce to drizzle on top at the end, too.  Cook for another few minutes, just to incorporate that yummy sauce into everything, and then you’re done!  

To plate, pour the coconut rice onto a plate and add a generous pour of the veggie mix on top.  Add the reserved sauce and sprinkle with edamame beans and toasted sesame seeds.  Enjoy!