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Everything about shanghai pak choi

What every professional kitchen needs to know about Shanghai pak choi: origin, flavour, preparation and storage.

What is shanghai pak choi?

Shanghai pak choi (上海青) — also called Shanghai bok choy, green pak choi or ching chiang pak choi — is a compact, green-stemmed variety of pak choi with round, spoon-shaped leaves and a mildly sweet flavour.

The name refers to its popularity in Shanghai, although the vegetable is widely cultivated throughout China. The dark-green leaves are slightly thicker than those of mini pak choi and contain more moisture, making them perfect for quick high-heat preparations.

上海青Shanghai pak choiShanghai bok choygreen pak choi

Origin & tradition

Shanghai pak choi is a Chinese selection from the brassica family, cultivated for centuries in the Yangtze Delta around Shanghai. Today it is one of the most widely grown leafy vegetables in China and an export product used in Asian restaurants worldwide.

In the Chinese home kitchen, Shanghai pak choi is indispensable: quickly stir-fried or steamed, always present alongside rice or noodles. Restaurants use it for its uniform appearance and rapid cooking time.

Flavour & texture

The flavour is mild and slightly sweet, without the bitterness of kai-lan. The stems are juicy with a fine crunch; the leaves turn soft but retain volume. That contrast makes the vegetable versatile in the kitchen.

In Chinese cuisine, pak choi is the most widely eaten leafy vegetable. In Japanese cuisine it is a standard ramen topping — blanched and halved in the bowl. In Vietnamese cuisine it is added to soups and noodle dishes. In Indonesian cuisine it is a popular wok vegetable in mie goreng and nasi goreng. In Korean cuisine it is stir-fried as banchan.

Kitchen applications

Ramen topping in Japanese ramen — halved, blanched, served in the bowl
Stir-fried in the wok with garlic and oyster sauce — Cantonese base preparation
Vietnamese soups and noodle dishes — added in the last minute
Indonesian mie goreng and nasi goreng as a wok vegetable
Korean banchan: stir-fried with garlic, sesame oil and soy sauce
Steamed and served alongside steamed fish or seafood

Storage & freshness

Store at 2 to 4°C in an open bag. Shanghai pak choi loses moisture quickly. Do not store near the fan or next to strongly scented products.

Use within 2 to 3 days. The stems go limp as soon as the vegetable dries out, but they can be revived by placing them briefly in cold water before use.

Professional kitchen tip

Halve larger heads lengthwise so stems and leaves cook through at the same time. Very small heads can be thrown into the wok whole.

For an even glaze: sear the cut side on high heat before adding the sauce.

Fresh Shanghai Pak Choi delivered daily to your kitchen

Choina delivers fresh Asian produce every morning to restaurants and wholesalers across the Netherlands and Belgium — Rotterdam, The Hague, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Antwerp and Brussels. No minimum order.

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