Prepare the meat stuffing by combining in a bowl these ingredients: ground chicken, chopped onions, yellow curry powder, Chef’s salt powder, egg, Panko bread crumbs, hoisin sauce. Mix well and form into 2-inch sized meatballs. Place on a tray and refrigerate the meatballs for 30 minutes to an hour to firm up.
Meanwhile, on a large skillet, over medium high heat, add the vegetable oil. When oil is hot enough, add the onions, garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes till onions are transparent.
Pour the tomato sauce and broth into the skillet and lower heat to a low flame. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes till tomato sauce tastes slightly sweeter and less tart.
Take out the ground chicken meatballs from the refrigerator. Wash and separate the bok choy leaves from the stems. Place a chicken meatball into each bok choy leaf, on the hollow part of the stem. Cover with another bok choy leaf, wrap to encase the meat ball well. Tie the whole meat-filled bok choy leaf with butcher’s twine. When done tying, set aside for a few minutes till ready to add to skillet of broth.
To the skillet filled with simmering tomato sauce, add the fish sauce, coconut cream and curry. Stir and blend well. Add the chef’s salt and blend broth well. Try to maintain a low heat so that the coconut cream does not curdle. Stir slowly now and then so coconut broth does not stick to the bottom. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.
Slip in the bok choy rolls into the skillet with the simmering broth. Cover and cook for 25 minutes more till meat is fully cooked. We had extra chicken meatballs uncovered and added them to the simmering stew as well, to cook at the same time.
Garnish with chopped scallions. Serve hot with boiled white rice.
Cook’s Comments: If preferred, use ground beef or ground pork for this recipe. It is just as delicious and easy. And if regular cabbage is more convenient, feel free to use as a substitute ingredient.
Recipe Notes: I used baby bok choy for this recipe. If you prefer, you can use the regular bok choy or Chinese cabbage which has larger leaves.
Photography credit : Thanks to Constante G. Quirino