Bok Choy with Mushrooms.
Bok Choy with Mushrooms is wonderful comfort food: bite into the tender mushroom and the delicious braising liquid pours forth. We assumed it was Cantonese because of the emphasis on fresh vegetable flavor, but Woks of Life says it’s actually a Shanghainese banquet dish. But don’t wait for a banquet because this is too good and also easy to prepare. Serves 4-6 with an assortment of other dishes.
Ingredients:
Half a dozen small bok choy, total 1 to 1 ½ lb
A generous handful dried shiitake or Chinese mushrooms
½ c or more sliced fresh mushrooms (or use all dried if you prefer)
2 ½ T neutral oil
1 t salt
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 T ginger, grated
¼ c Shaoxing cooking wine
2 T soy sauce (light or “regular”)
¼ t dark soy sauce (if you have it)
1 T oyster sauce
1 ½ t sugar
½ t sesame oil
¼ t white pepper
½ t MSG (optional)
Method: soak the mushrooms in 2 c water which you have brought to the boil for 20 minutes or until softened and cooled to handling temperature. Squeeze the liquid out of the mushrooms back into the soaking water. Slice the mushrooms into ½ inch pieces, discarding the stems.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add 1 T oil and 1 t salt. Clean and trim the bok choy but do not cut them apart. Plunge into the boiling water and blanch for a minute after they return to the boil, until wilted but still crisp. Transfer to a colander or sieve and pour over cold water to stop the cooking process.
Prepare the sauce: strain the soaking liquid and transfer 1 c to a bowl with wet seasonings, sugar, pepper and optional MSG. In a separate small bowl, mix cornstarch with 1 T soaking liquid and mix until smooth; stir into sauce mixture.
Heat 1 ½ T oil in a wok and sauté garlic, ginger and mushrooms until just tender, maybe 5 minutes. Mix in sauce and stir briefly until thickened; taste for seasoning and add a bit more soaking liquid if you like. Add bok choy and heat briefly, then serve.
Serving note: Woks of Life has a beautiful serving suggestion photo of the bok choy arranged in a circle with the mushrooms piled in the center. We didn’t go that far but do think it’s a good idea to serve the vegetables whole if the leaves are tender enough to be pulled apart with chopsticks. You can also cut them into bite size pieces if you like.
