This might just be the tastiest Chinese vegetable dish EVER:
my dad's Braised Mushrooms with Bok Choy.
Today, you’re gonna learn how to recreate
this banquet staple right at home,
starting with the star ingredient:
dried shiitake mushrooms!
This is about 3 oz of dried shiitake mushrooms.
You can choose to use more or less, it's up to you.
First, wash the mushrooms.
First, we’ll rinse our dried shiitake mushrooms
with room temperature water.
Gently wash off the dust from the surface.
Nora and Emily from Patreon asked,
"Are there brands of shiitake mushrooms that are safer,
that you prefer?"
Most shiitake mushrooms are safe.
Growing shiitake mushrooms doesn't typically involve
pesticides or chemical fertilisers.
It's grown from spores.
You can eat shiitake mushrooms very safely.
I'm happy with just a quick rinse.
So there are no concerns about safety?
You can feel totally safe eating shiitake mushrooms.
See how the water's a bit yellowed?
Wash it once more.
We’ll pour out the dirty water and rinse one more time.
After washing the mushrooms twice,
soak them in warm water.
Don't soak them in piping hot water.
Just warm, 40-50° C.
That's okay.
Soak them.
Use plenty of water to submerge the mushrooms.
Now we’ll soak the mushrooms in warm water.
It's best to put something on top
to press the mushrooms down into the water.
Then, it'll be easy for the mushrooms to soak well.
Half an hour should be enough time.
Of course, you can soak them for longer.
I don't think that's a bad idea,
but this is how I do it.
Let's set this aside for now.
For now, we’ll set that aside to soak for at least 30 minutes.
What's next?
Let's wash the bok choy.
First, let's trim the ends.
With larger bunches,
cut them up like this.
Just split it down the middle.
Then, pull it apart by hand.
You can do this all together.
We’ll first cut off the thick ends of the stems
then in half lengthwise.
Cantonese restaurants typically serve this bok choy.
Many restaurants may serve this variety of bok choy.
This is called Shanghai bok choy.
It's also a type of bok choy.
But I'm choosing this bok choy that's white,
"bok" meaning white in "bok choy".
And its leaves are a more brilliant green in comparison.
How does the taste differ?
The Shanghai bok choy
is softer, more tender.
There's more water in it.
This bok choy is not as soft.
It's crisp and crunchy.
Today, we’re using baby bok choy
for my dad’s ideal plating of this dish,
which you’ll see later.
This will be a big dish.
We'll get some water to soak the bok choy.
Bring them over for a wash.
Of course, you can also wash them first, then cut them.
We'll soak them for just a bit.
While the bok choy soaks, we’ll prepare the aromatics.
Now, let's prepare 3 cloves of garlic.
To peel garlic, you can just squeeze the two ends.
It'll be easy to peel.
The peel falls right off.
See it coming off?
We'll cut the garlic into slices.
After peeling the garlic, we’ll trim off the ends
and slice each clove into 3-4 pieces.
Some people cook the cloves whole.
Whole cloves don't release as much flavor.
That's why I like to cut them.
We only need a few slices of ginger.
3-4 slices is plenty.
This ginger is clean, so we don't need to peel it.
Now we’ll cut 3 thin slices of ginger.
Just cut it.
A few slices.
That's all the ingredients.
We have all of these ingredients listed on our blog at madewithlau.com
along with step-by-step instructions and video clips
to guide you as you make the recipe at home.
Once these are done,
we'll take the bok choy out of the water.
When washing bok choy,
gently grip the white stem,
and agitate it like this to get any sand and debris off.
Wash it like this.
With the leaves pointing down,
we’ll wash the bok choy in the water.
Wash it with the leaves pointing down, not up.
Why?
Wash it with the leaves down to get debris out from inside.
We’ll wash the rest of the bok choy the same way,
making sure not to put already washed bok choy back in the water.
Then we’ll wash them one more time.
After washing the bok choy once,
change the water out and give it another wash.
Bring it over.
Give the bok choy another wash.
"How do you choose the best-tasting bok choy?"
Avoid yellowing bok choy.
It must be bright green.
The leaves should not have any yellow
or spots on them.
I would choose bok choy with thick stems
that are shiny and white.
Very green leaves.
And short plants!
Markets have their best bok choy in the winter season.
In summertime, the bok choy is not as good
because it's not in season.
After the shiitake mushrooms have soaked,
take the stem here,
and cut the stem off.
Cut it with shears.
After they’re rehydrated,
we’ll cut the stems off of the mushrooms.
Cut the stems off.
Why do you have to cut them?
Shiitake mushroom stems are very tough.
You can't braise it together.
You can use it to cook soups, though.
It makes very tasty soups!
"Are fresh mushrooms better then rehydrated ones?"
You must use dried shiitake mushrooms.
Dry will absorb more flavor, right?
Dried mushrooms have more intense flavor.
Fresh mushrooms have a different flavor altogether.
We use them differently.
Squeeze out excess water from the mushrooms.
Squeeze the water out so they have room to absorb flavor.
They can take in flavor better.
Do you prefer larger mushrooms or smaller mushrooms?
Large and small each have their benefits.
They also come in different thicknesses.
These are considered top quality,
thick and meaty.
If you choose thinner mushrooms, there are benefits too.
They're much more affordable.
They're great for making soup, too.
These mushrooms are more expensive.
Because they're high quality?
Yes, of course.
Do you know the Chinese name of the type?
It's called faa gu, "Flower Mushroom".
The surface of the cap looks like a flower, right?
They look like flowers.
This is the mushroom soaking liquid.
Don't discard the soaking liquid.
Use it to braise the mushrooms.
It's so tasty.
Truly original mushroom flavor.
We'll use it to braise the mushrooms.
Our dish today is called
baak coi mun dung gu, in Cantonese
an impressively simple Chinese banquet staple.
Dried shiitake mushrooms are a popular Chinese delicacy,
sometimes costing hundreds of dollars a bag,
due to the nutty and meaty flavors they take on
during the intensive growing and drying processes.
According to Chinese legend,
5 millennia ago,
Shennong, a deity known as The Divine Farmer,
blessed the world with medicinal mushrooms,
amongst other natural treasures.
Because of this, they are incorporated in many Chinese dishes
as a healing element.
Nowadays, many varieties of mushrooms
are considered superfoods,
packed with nutrients.
So bless your body with a heavenly dose of shrooms
braised in the delicious sauce we’re about to make next.
Everything is chopped up now.
Everything is ready.
Now, how to season it.
We can mix it up in a bowl, then pour it in.
Or, you can add them in one by one.
Today, I'm going to mix it up in a separate bowl first.
2 tbsp of oyster sauce,
Why so much oyster sauce?
Shiitake mushrooms match very well with oyster sauce.
To make this dish plant-based,
you can use a vegetarian oyster sauce here.
We’ll also add 1 tbsp of light soy sauce,
1 tsp of dark soy sauce, 1 tsp of sugar,
a 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of cooking wine.
Mix it up.
"How important is it to use different types of soy sauce?"
Like dark and light.
For color, use more dark soy sauce.
For lighter color, use less of it.
The amount is up to you.
Is it essential to add some dark soy sauce?
If you don't want to add any dark soy sauce, you can omit it.
Light soy sauce is for seasoning, for flavor.
The central flavor is mainly oyster sauce.
Shiitake mushrooms braised in oyster sauce,
that's very good.
To learn how to master crafting
different types of sauces and flavor profiles,
we’re super excited to invite you
a membership where you’ll learn
to cook and think just like a Cantonese chef.
First off, Made With Lau is here to stay
and we’ll still be sharing recipes & tips on YouTube
every single week.
So if memberships aren’t your thing, no pressure.
But, for those of you who are super curious and passionate,
if you want an expert to walk you through,
step-by-step,
how to master Cantonese cooking,
then this might be perfect for you.
In the Canto Cooking Club,
we’re not just giving you recipes.
For less than the cost of takeout,
we’re distilling my dad’s 50 years of experience
into organized, easy-to-follow classes,
teaching you how to set up your kitchen,
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how to craft & improvise with different flavors,
and more.
When you join,
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So, if you want cooking to feel more effortless and intuitive,
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or click the link in our description to sign up.
With all our ingredients ready,
we’ll need a wok for this next step.
Let's cook the bok choy first.
Turn the heat to high.
Heat the wok up, but it doesn't have to be too hot.
Add 1 tbsp of oil.
A bit of ginger and garlic, fry them until they're aromatic.
Lower the heat.
Fry them to get that aroma.
We’ll cook them on low heat until fragrant
or about 90 seconds.
Once the garlic and ginger are aromatic,
add some boiling water.
Now, we’ll add 6 cups of boiling hot water to the wok.
Then turn the heat to high.
Boiling water saves time.
High heat.
1 tsp of salt.
The salt helps keep the leaves green.
We can add the bok choy now.
Now, we’ll add the bok choy.
Is it on high heat?
Yes, definitely high heat.
If it's not on high heat, the bok choy won't stay bright green.
We’ll move them around,
making sure each piece is getting cooked.
What's next?
The bok choy is nearly ready.
Get some ice water ready.
This ice bath keeps the bok choy crisp and green.
How many minutes?
2 minutes.
Once it boils, you can take the bok choy out.
It's boiling, see?
Turn off the heat, it's done.
Once it boils, take them out.
If you boil them for too long,
the bok choy won't stay beautifully green.
It'll get limp and yellow.
Then, immediately put the bok choy into the ice water.
Let it soak in the ice water bath.
Now, we’ll pour out the water still in the wok for the next step.
Isn't the green vibrant?
Take them out and let them drain.
After shocking the cooked bok choy in ice water,
we’ll set them aside to drain.
Set it aside for later.
Now, we'll start braising the mushrooms.
Turn the heat on.
Low heat is fine, we don't need high heat.
Wipe it dry.
Low heat.
Add 1 tbsp of oil.
Add the ginger and garlic.
We’ll add the rest of the ginger and garlic now.
Fry the ginger and garlic on low heat until they're aromatic.
Get them nice and fragrant.
We’ll stir-fry them until fragrant or about 40-50 seconds.
We've fried the aromatics until they're golden,
so let's add the mushrooms.
Stir-fry the mushrooms.
We don't need very high heat.
Just cook the mushrooms gently on low heat.
We’ll stir-fry the mushrooms until fragrant
or about 50-60 seconds.
We can smell the aroma of the mushrooms now.
When braising mushrooms,
don't be afraid to use a bit more oil than usual.
Mushrooms can really soak oil up.
Add 1 tsp of cooking wine,
with your thumb over the opening like this.
After 60 seconds, we’ll add some cooking wine.
It's even more aromatic now.
It smells amazing!
Now we'll use the mushroom soaking liquid.
Add 2 cups of water.
We’ll add two cups of the mushroom soaking liquid.
Now we're braising the mushrooms.
Now, we'll add the sauce.
Add it in.
Now, we’ll add the braising sauce we made earlier.
High heat to bring it to a boil.
Once it boils, we'll braise it slowly.
Then we can call it braised mushrooms.
After adding the sauce,
we’ll cover the wok and bring it to a boil.
Once it's boiling,
turn the heat to low.
Now, braising the mushrooms like this
will take about 10 minutes.
While the mushrooms are braising, what will we work on?
We'll start plating the vegetables.
Look how beautiful they are!
Every leaf is vibrantly green.
When plating, turn the stems to the outer edge.
While the mushrooms braise,
we’ll plate the bok choy
with the stems facing out in a circle.
All right, the plate is ready.
The mushrooms have braised for long enough now.
Let's have a taste.
After 10 minutes of braising the mushrooms covered,
we’ll have a taste test of the sauce.
So delicious.
Add 1/2 tbsp of chicken bouillon powder,
to make it even better.
You can omit the chicken bouillon if you prefer.
To make it plant-based,
you can just not add the chicken bouillon
or you can add an 1/8 tsp of MSG instead.
I have one more tip to share:
how to tell if the mushrooms are cooked and tender.
Simply jab a chopstick in.
If it pierces easily, the mushroom is soft.
We braised this for about 15 minutes.
Now, we'll thicken the sauce.
1 tsp of cornstarch,
with some leftover mushroom soaking liquid,
let's not waste that soaking liquid.
1 tbsp of mushroom soaking liquid.
Now, let's thicken the sauce.
Make some space in the center.
Pour slowly.
We’ll pour in the cornstarch slurry
while stirring the sauce with the heat on low.
This sauce looks too thin.
Let's add more cornstarch.
1/2 tsp of cornstarch and more mushroom soaking liquid.
How much?
1 tbsp of liquid.
My dad adds more slurry here
to get the consistency just a bit thicker.
Remember to keep the heat on low when thickening sauces.
The sauce will clump up if thickened over high heat.
This looks about right.
Bring it back to a boil.
At the very end, add some sesame oil.
1 tsp of sesame oil.
Now it's so fragrant.
Once we mix in the sesame oil,
we can turn off the heat and plate.
But first, I get to try the first mushroom.
Tender enough?
With a good bite?
All right, friends, the mushrooms have finished braising.
Now, we'll plate them.
We’ll place the mushrooms cap side up
in the center of our plate.
Don’t forget to add the rest of the succulent sauce on top
and now we’re ready to serve our hungry family.
Cheers!
Wow, mushroom!
It's a cookie!
Yeah, say thank you, Yeh Yeh!
Thank you, Yeh Yeh!
Yeah!