Bok ___

CHOY

This leafy green is a staple in Chinese cuisine, often stir-fried with garlic or added to soups for a mild, slightly bitter flavor.

"Bok ___" is a partial fill-in clue pointing to "bok choy," a leafy green vegetable commonly used in Asian cooking. The blank hints at the second part of the name, which is "choy," derived from Chinese dialects. Since crosswords often use familiar terms, this one relies on recognizing the full name of the veggie.