Bok Choy Mushroom in Oyster Sauce (mo gu cai xin 磨菇菜心) is a Shanghai vegetable dish usually served in Shanghainese homes. Made with baby bok choy, a type of Shanghai green vegetable that you would see in soup or noodle dishes, it’s also a fabulous dish for vegetarians if you substitute vegetarian oyster sauce for regular oyster sauce.
Bok choy was a regular vegetable on our meal plans during my childhood. My parents and grandparents had made many bok choy recipes to let everyone in the family falling in love with the simple Shanghainese vegetable. I could eat a lot more rice with the bok choy mushroom in oyster sauce. The food was so tasty that I had a great appetite.
What are the main ingredients?
The three main ingredients are Shanghai bok choy, fresh mushrooms, and oyster sauce.
Originated from China, bok choy is one of the traditional Asian vegetables seen outside of China. You can find them in many Asian shops. Bok choy and baby bok choy are the same vegetables at different maturity stages. I select baby bok choy for its delicate taste and easy arrangement on the plate.
The matured bok choy has a large part of the white stem. While baby bok choy has a small and thinner stalk, they are sweeter than the matured bok choy. Look for bok choy with fresh and vibrant colour and avoid any with wilted leaves.
Fresh mushrooms
Both fresh brown and white button mushrooms are suitable for this recipe. Do not choose the large size. Mushrooms will stay in the centre of the plates. It would be challenging to arrange the large-sized mushrooms properly.
Oyster sauce
Many German supermarkets sell oyster sauce at an affordable price, sometimes even cheaper than Asian shops offer. It is dark brown with a thick consistency. Oyster sauce is a byproduct of cooking oysters in water for a prolonged period, salt, sugar. Sometimes it also contains soy sauce.
To make a vegetarian version of this recipe, substitute vegetarian oyster sauce. It is more expensive than the regular oyster sauce.
How to make Bok Choy Mushroom in Oyster Sauce
Bok choy
Cut off the roots of bok choy and separate all leaves. Wash away any dirt and sand under the running water. Alternatively, place all leaves in a large bowl of water and make sure the bok choy is fully submerged. The water will release any dirt or sand from the leaves after a while. And then, discard the dirty water and rinse all leaves.
Bring a large pot of water, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil. Blanch the Shanghai bok choy until they are just wilted but still bright green. Remove the bok choy and cool them down in a bowl of cold water for about 30 seconds and take them out right away. Use a colander to drain the bok choy.
Now it comes to the exciting step. Arrange the bok choy into a circle around a large serving plate. Lay the leaves tightly next to each other.
Mushrooms
Now, add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to the pan and heat over medium-high level. Add the mushrooms and stir fry for 30 seconds.
Add ¼ teaspoon dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (or vegetarian oyster sauce), 1 teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon sesame oil, and ⅛ teaspoon white pepper. Stir until combined for another 10 seconds.
Next, mix the cornstarch slurry and slowly pour it into the sauce while stirring constantly. If needed, re-season with more soy sauce, sugar, or oyster sauce according to personal preference. Also, adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding more hot water or more cornstarch slurry. When you lift the spoon out of the sauce, it should be thick enough to leave residue on your spoon.
Arrange the food on a plate
Transfer the mushrooms and sauce to the centre of the Shanghai baby bok choy circle and serve this immediately for the best taste.
Tips for the recipe
An alternative version is to use Shiitake (Xiang Gu 香菇) instead of fresh mushrooms. Shitake is the dried mushroom with thick meaty caps and an intense aroma with earthy notes. Before cooking, Shitake needs to soak in the water for about one hour or until they soften.
Did you make the recipe?
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Bok Choy Mushroom in Oyster Sauce (磨菇菜心)
Ingredients
- 300 g Shanghai baby bok choy
- 150 g brown or white button mushrooms
- 3 tbsps vegetable oil
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp regular soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce (or vegetarian oyster sauce)
- 1½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Cut off the roots of bok choy and wash away any dirt and sand from the leaves.
- Bring a large pot of water, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil. Blanch the Shanghai bok choy until they are just wilted but still bright green. Remove the bok choy and cool them down in a bowl of cold water for about30 seconds. Use a colander to drain the bok choy.
- Arrange the bok choy into a circle around a large serving plate. Lay the leaves tightly next to each other.
- Add 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil to the pan and heat over medium-high level. Add the mushrooms and stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Add dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, oyster sauce (or vegetarian oyster sauce), sugar,sesame oil, and white pepper. Stir until combined for another 10 seconds.
- Mix the cornstarch and water. Slowly pour the slurry into the sauce while stirring constantly.
- Re-season with more soy sauce, sugar, or oyster sauce according to personal preference.
- Adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding more hot water or more cornstarch slurry. When you lift the spoon out of the sauce, it should be thick enough to leave residue on your spoon.
- Transfer the mushrooms and sauce to the centre of Shanghai baby bok choy circle and serve this immediately for best taste.