Stewed Bok Choy and Potatoes with Caramelised Red Onions

This quick and easy side dish pairs the sweetness of caramelised red onions with pungent hing (asafoetida), to flavour mild and tender baby bok choy and potatoes. It is a great accompaniment to steamed or grilled fish, and equally delicious as a cold, day-old salad.

Ingredients
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
4 whole Dried Red Chillis
1 tsp Hing (Asafoetida)
1 small Red Onion, thinly sliced
1 lb [700gms] Potatoes, washed and cut lengthwise, skin-on, into 8 pieces each
Salt (to taste)
½ cup Water
1 lb [700 gms] Bok Choy, washed and with the ends of the stalks trimmed off

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or frying pan over high heat until smoking. Add dried red chillis and stir briskly for about a minute until the chillis start to blacken. 
2. Lower heat to medium, add hing, and sputter for about a minute. Add red onion and fry for 3–4 mins till well caramelised.
3. Add potatoes and stir fry for 2–3 mins until lightly golden. Add salt and water, and continue cooking, covered, for another 5 mins, until the potatoes are fork tender. Add bok choy and stir briskly till the leaves are wilted. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 mins before serving.

Seared Bok Choy with Nigella and Blackened Chillis

Bok Choy, a Chinese cousin of the Western cabbage, is one of those wondrously mild and supremely versatile green leafy vegetables that takes easily to strong seasoning. It is also simple to prepare—just separate the individual segments and rinse well. If using baby bok choy, then the stems are tender enough to be cooked whole with the leaves. If using a more mature bok choy, then separate the harder stems from the leaves by chopping into smaller pieces. This recipe maximises the mildness of the vegetable, which is a perfect foil for the amazing smokiness of blackened chillis and musky nigella seeds.

Ingredients 

1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
6–8 whole Dried Red Chillis
1 tbsp Nigella seeds
3–4 cloves of Garlic, cut into thin slivers
1½ lbs [700 gms] Bok Choy, washed and with the ends of the stalks trimmed off
Salt (to taste)

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or frying pan over high heat until smoking. Add dried red chillis and stir briskly for about a minute until the chillis just start to blacken. Remove chillis and set aside. 
2. Lower heat to medium, add nigella seeds and sputter for about a minute. Add garlic and stir for about 2 mins until they are lightly golden.
3. Increase heat to high, add bok choy and stir fry for 5 mins until the ends start to char. Add salt and blackened chillis, and continue to stir for another 2–3 mins. Turn off heat, put a lid on the skillet and let sit for 5 mins before serving.