Pak choy and braised shiitake mushroom

This nutritious recipe pairs saucy, umami-rich and earthy shiitake mushrooms with a rich braising oyster sauce, flavoured with ginger, garlic and Shaoxing wine. Boiled pak choy brings a welcome freshness for balance. Try this with steamed rice, or as a vegetable side dish to complement your next Asian-themed dinner!

• serves

  4

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 15 dried whole shiitake mushrooms (good quality)
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil (including 2 tbsp for the pak choy)
• 3 slices ginger, bruised
• 2 garlic cloves, bruised
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• salt
• 2 tsp cornstarch mixed with ½ cup of cold water
• 3 bunches pak choy, quartered

Soaking time: 30 minutes

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, cover the dried shiitake mushrooms with 1 litre of hot water. Soak for 30 minutes until softened. Trim and discard the stalks and reserve the caps and the steeping liquid.
2. Heat a wok over medium heat and add 1 tablespoons of the oil. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for a few seconds until toasted. Add the shiitake caps and fry for a few seconds. Add the wine, oyster sauce and the mushroom steeping liquid and bring to a simmer.
3. Cover and simmer for at least 10 minutes, but up to 45 minutes. The longer you simmer the more flavourful and tender the mushrooms will be, but if you're in a rush 10 minutes is fine. Taste and adjust seasoning, then stir through enough of the cornstarch slurry to form a silky sauce.
4. For the pak choy, bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add some salt and 2 tablespoons of oil. Boil the pak choy for 1 minute, then remove from the water. Drain well and arrange on a plate. Arrange the mushrooms around the pak choy and pour over the sauce to serve.

 

Photography by Kitti Gould.

Want more from The Cook Up?

• Stream free here at SBS On Demand.

• Get the show recipes, articles and more here.

• Cook more Adam Liaw recipes here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.