The Braised Chinese Mushrooms with Bok Choy My Dad's Made 100,000 Times

Step 1: Wash & soak mushrooms

Prepare the dried shiitake mushrooms (3 oz) by washing them twice. Scrub gently to clean off any dirt and debris. Then, soak in a bowl of warm water (40-50°C) for 30 minutes.

Instead of using warm tap water, it's safer to mix heated drinking water with cool water to soak the mushrooms. Also, since the mushrooms will float at first, you can put something heavy on top to push them down into the water.

Step 2: Prepare bok choy

Trim the bok choy (1 lb) by cutting off the hardened, dirty ends. If you have rather large bunches of bok choy, cut a large slit to split the stem side of the bunch, then pull apart the rest of the plant by hand.

Then, wash the bok choy to get rid of any dirt and critters. Soak the bok choy in a bowl or basin of water while you’re prepping the ingredients in the next step.

Step 3: Cut aromatics

Peel the garlic (3 clove), trim off the hard ends, and slice each clove into 3-4 pieces. Cut the ginger (4 slice) into thin slices, then cut each slice in half.

Step 4: Drain bok choy

The soaking time will have loosened any dirt and debris on the bok choy, so it should be easy to get them clean at this point. Gently grip the bok choy by the stem and swish it around in the water, agitating the plant to get any sand and debris off. Normally, in leafy plants like bok choy, dirt tends to collect at the base of the stem, so check in there as you wash the bok choy.

When you've swished all the bok choy, pour out the dirty water and give them all another quick rinse.

Step 5: Prepare rehydrated mushrooms

Using either kitchen shears or a knife, cut off the stems from the rehydrated mushrooms and discard. Squeeze excess water out from the mushrooms and put them aside. Keep the soaking liquid for later.

Step 6: Create sauce

Prepare the sauce by combining oyster sauce (2 tbsp), light soy sauce (1 tbsp), dark soy sauce (1 tsp), sugar (1 tsp), salt, and cooking wine (1 tsp). Mix well.

If you'd like to make this dish vegetarian, use a vegetarian oyster sauce.

Step 7: Cook bok choy

Heat a wok on medium heat. Add oil (1 tbsp).

Add half the garlic and half the ginger to the wok, and stir-fry until fragrant, or about 90 seconds. Then add boiling water (6 cup) and salt. Increase the heat to high so the water can come to a rolling boil.

When the water has come to a boil, add the bok choy. Cook the bok choy for about two minutes, until the leaves are vibrantly green and the stems just begin to soften. Of course, you can cook for longer for a softer texture or cut the cooking time a bit for a crisper bite. While the bok choy is cooking, prepare a bowl of ice water.

Transfer the cooked bok choy into the bowl of ice water to shock them. The temperature drop will halt the cooking process so that the vegetables won’t continue to cook in their own residual heat.

Discard the water from the wok. Drain the bok choy. You can let it sit in a colander so that excess water can continue to drip off.

Step 8: Braise mushrooms

Dry the wok with a quick wipe, but there's no need to clean it thoroughly. Heat it on low heat, then add oil (1 tbsp) and the rest of the ginger and garlic. Fry them until fragrant, or for 40-50 seconds.

Add the mushrooms and stir-fry until fragrant, or 50-60 seconds. Add cooking wine (1 tsp) to enhance the flavor of the mushrooms. Add 2 cups of the mushroom soaking liquid to start braising the mushrooms.

Add the sauce and turn the heat up to high to bring everything to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat to low and braise the mushrooms on low heat for 10-15 minutes. While the mushrooms are braising, plate the cooked bok choy.

Plate bok choy

To make a beautiful wreath, use a circular dish. Place each bok choy so the stems face out and the leaves turn into the center. Later, you'll plate the mushrooms over the leaves so they can soak up all the delicious sauce.

Continue braising

Test the mushrooms for doneness by piercing with a chopstick; if the chopstick goes through the mushroom easily, it's ready.

Give the sauce of the braised mushrooms a quick taste; we'll be adding salty and savory seasonings, so you'll know here whether you need to adjust the amounts to your liking. Add chicken bouillon (0.50 tbsp). If you are making this dish vegetarian or plant-based, you can either omit this or use a pinch of MSG instead.

Mix up a quick slurry of cornstarch (1 tsp) and mushroom soaking liquid (approximately 1:3 ratio will work great) and stir to dissolve. Make sure the heat is on low, then slowly pour the slurry in as you stir the mushrooms.

Turn the heat up to medium or high and bring it back to a boil, then add sesame oil (1 tsp) for a fragrant, savory boost.

Step 9: Plate mushrooms

Plate the braised mushrooms in the center of the dish, right over the vibrant green leaves. Arrange the mushrooms cap-side up to maximize visual impact. Remember to pour the rest of the succulent sauce over the mushrooms. Enjoy!