America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Bok Choy Braised with Shiitake Mushrooms

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on November 5, 2012

Time

50 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 as a side dish

Bok Choy Braised with Shiitake Mushrooms

Ingredients

6 dried shiitake mushrooms soaked 15 to 20 minutes in 1 cup boiling water until softened2 tablespoons peanut oil 1 medium head bok choy (1 ½ to 1 ¾ pounds), prepared according to illustrations below, (about 5 cups each sliced stalks and sliced greens)2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger Salt and ground black pepper 1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar

Instructions

  1. Strain soaking liquid through paper towel-lined strainer and reserve 3/4 cup. Trim and discard mushroom stems; cut mushroom caps into 1/4-inch slices.
  2. Heat large nonstick skillet over high heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Add oil, swirl to coat pan bottom. Add bok choy stalks and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add bok choy greens, reserved liquid, mushrooms, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring twice, until bok choy is very tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Remove cover, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until excess liquid evaporates, 2 to 3 minutes. (Bok choy should be moist but not soupy.) Stir in rice vinegar and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper; serve immediately.
Bok Choy Braised with Shiitake Mushrooms

Bok Choy Braised with Shiitake Mushrooms

Headshot of America's Test Kitchen
By America's Test Kitchen
Save

Time

50 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

6 dried shiitake mushrooms soaked 15 to 20 minutes in 1 cup boiling water until softened
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 medium head bok choy (1 ½ to 1 ¾ pounds), prepared according to illustrations below, (about 5 cups each sliced stalks and sliced greens)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
Salt and ground black pepper
1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

6 dried shiitake mushrooms soaked 15 to 20 minutes in 1 cup boiling water until softened
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 medium head bok choy (1 ½ to 1 ¾ pounds), prepared according to illustrations below, (about 5 cups each sliced stalks and sliced greens)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
Salt and ground black pepper
1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

6 dried shiitake mushrooms soaked 15 to 20 minutes in 1 cup boiling water until softened
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 medium head bok choy (1 ½ to 1 ¾ pounds), prepared according to illustrations below, (about 5 cups each sliced stalks and sliced greens)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
Salt and ground black pepper
1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

As we developed our baby bok choy recipe, we arrived at a cooking method that allows this Chinese cabbage to live up to its crisp-tender, flavorful potential. With bok choy, unlike many greens, both the stalks and the leaves are to be savored, so we cooked them separately to avoid undercooking the stalks and overcooking the leaves. Braising was the best method for obtaining maximum flavor while still retaining bok choy’s characteristic crunch.

Instructions

  1. Strain soaking liquid through paper towel-lined strainer and reserve 3/4 cup. Trim and discard mushroom stems; cut mushroom caps into 1/4-inch slices.
  2. Heat large nonstick skillet over high heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Add oil, swirl to coat pan bottom. Add bok choy stalks and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add bok choy greens, reserved liquid, mushrooms, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring twice, until bok choy is very tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Remove cover, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until excess liquid evaporates, 2 to 3 minutes. (Bok choy should be moist but not soupy.) Stir in rice vinegar and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper; serve immediately.

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

This is a members' feature.