The order matters more than the quantities. Shiitake takes longer and tastes stronger, so it goes in first and gets a full minute alone with the aromatics and five spice. Bok choy wants the opposite treatment: in at the end, tossed only until the leaves wilt, then glossed with oyster sauce and a spoon of starch slurry so the sauce clings instead of pooling.
Chinese · Side
Shiitake and Bok Choy in a Light Oyster Sauce
Shiitake mushrooms blanch first to rinse out their earthiness, then fry with ginger, scallion and five spice before the bok choy goes in for the last minute.
- Prep10 min
- Cook10 min
- Serves2
- LevelEasy
Ingredients
| 12 or so | shiitake mushrooms , stems trimmed, halved |
| 2 small | bok choy , halved lengthways |
| 1 | scallion , chopped |
| 1 thumb | ginger , shredded |
| 0.5 tsp | five spice powder |
| 1 tbsp | light soy sauce |
| 1 tbsp | oyster sauce |
| 1 tbsp | mushroom seasoning powder |
| 1 tbsp | cornstarch , mixed with cold water |
| 3 g | salt |
| as needed | cooking oil |
Method
- Trim and halve the shiitake, halve the bok choy lengthways, chop the scallion and shred the ginger.
- Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the shiitake for a minute, then drain.
- Heat oil in a wok, add the scallion and ginger and fry until fragrant.
- Add the five spice and stir it through the oil for a few seconds.
- Add the drained shiitake and stir-fry until it starts to brown at the edges.
- Pour in the light soy sauce and toss to coat.
- Add the bok choy and stir-fry until the leaves just wilt.
- Season with the salt, the oyster sauce and the mushroom seasoning, stir everything together, then thicken with the cornstarch slurry and serve.
Notes
- Blanching the shiitake is what keeps the sauce clean. Skip it and the dried mushroom flavour dominates the plate.
- Add the slurry off the boil and stir at once, or the starch sets in lumps.
- Rehydrated dried shiitake works here too, but squeeze it dry first or the sauce turns watery.
Ratios and technique checked against 向往的贝很啰里啰嗦 on Douguo (香菇油菜). The method here is written by Stellaok; the photograph is the source kitchen's, credited on the image above and linked back to the page it came from. No recipe text is reproduced.