Baby bok choy is one of my favorite vegetables and I have shared quite a few recipes for it in the past – Stir Fried Bok Choy with Tofu Puffs, 4-Ingredient Baby Bok Choy Stir Fry, and Bok Choy Soup. Today I want to share another super simple and delicious recipe for your weekday dinner.
A twist on the classic bok choy and mushroom dish
Bok choy and mushroom, or 香菇菜心, is a classic Cantonese dish that is quite popular in China. In the original version, the dish uses blanched baby bok choy as a bed, topped with shiitake mushrooms smothered in a brown sauce. The rich taste of the mushrooms works with the blanched bok choy, and the presentation is quite beautiful. However, I am not a big fan of using shiitake mushrooms in this dish, because they have a very intense flavor and sometimes a rubbery texture. You can use fresh shiitake mushrooms instead of rehydrated dried shiitake to make the dish milder, but fresh shiitakes are quite expensive and sometimes hard to find. So I made some changes to the dish by:
Replacing the shiitake mushrooms with the regular brown mushrooms. Stir frying the bok choy and mushrooms together instead of using blanched bok choy.
It results in a dish that is as satisfying as the original version, if not better.
How to prepare bok choy for stir frying
Ideally, baby bok choy that is about 5” to 6” (12cm to 15 cm) works the best. For this type, you probably need a run to the Asian market. But if you can only find larger heads of bok choy at your local grocery store or farmers market, that’s totally fine. To prepare bok choy for stir frying: If you use baby bok choy, the 4th step is not needed since the outer leaves are quite thin and will cook evenly. But for larger heads of bok choy, the white part can be quite thick and takes longer to cook through. Also, very large pieces of leaves may be difficult to eat.
Ingredients for bok choy and mushroom stir fry
When you’re ready to cook, your table should have:
Flexible aromatics
This dish uses the combination of ginger, garlic and green onion, which has the nickname “the holy trinity of the Chinese stir fry”. It’s something we use in almost every stir fry dish by default. But if you do not have all of them on hand, please feel free to skip one or even two. If you skip two of them, make sure to double the amount of the single aromatic you do plan to use.
Cooking process
Cooking the bok choy and mushroom stir fry is super easy. Instead of blanching the bok choy, I steam it in the same pan you use for the stir fry, further reducing the steps and equipment needed. That’s it! It results in a large, hearty stir fry that is vegetarian but satisfying enough to serve as a main dish over steamed rice. Of course, you can serve it alongside your main dish as well.
Serve this dish with
Air Fryer Chinese Chicken WingsAir Fryer Garlic Ribs (蒜香排骨)Easy Salt Baked Chicken (简易盐焗鸡)Easy Mongolian MeatballsSichuan Shrimp Stir Fry
