Shiitake Mushrooms with Shanghai Bok Choy

Tip #1: Fresh shiitake mushrooms should be firm and unblemished. They should not have a strong odor when purchased. When cooked, they are prized for their meaty texture. Always look for the "APF" label to be assured of the highest quality Shiitake mushrooms.
Tip #2: Keep any stock made from boiled mushrooms for gravy or soups as it is full of vitamins and minerals.

1 lb. of whole shiitake
1 lb. of Shanghai Bok Choy (sliced into quarters)
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1 L. of water
1 clove of garlic
1 clove of ginger
pinch of salt (to your taste)
2 tsp. of sugar
1 tsp of cornstarch (or flour, or tapioca powder)

PART I:


1. Remove the woody stems from the shiitake mushrooms and add these stems to a pan containing 1 L. of water, with a couple pinches of salt. Bring to a rolling boil while you proceed with this recipe.
2. Cut the Shanghai Bok Choy into quarters (lengthwise) and thoroughly rinse to remove any dirt or sand.
3. Remove and disgard the shiitake stems and parboil the Shanghai Bok Choy in the salted mushroom-stem stock. After a few minutes, remove from water and drain. (Keep the stock for gravy or soups; it's fully of vitamins and minerals).
4. After they have cooled, arrange the Shanghai Bok Choy quarters into a circle on a plate with butt ends out. Drain off any excess water into stock pot above.
   
   PART II:



5. While cooling the Shanghai Bok Choy, brush off any loose substrate (dirt) from the shiitake mushroom caps.
6. Chop up some fresh ginger (match stick size or fine chop, your choice) and add to hot frying pan or wok with some light oil and a pinch of salt. Quickly fry the ginger without burning it.
7. Add shiitake caps and gently sauté. If they absorb all the oil in the pan, you may add a little more oil or add some white wine, or some of the mushroom stock.
8. Continue cooking until soft. You may wish to add freshly chopped garlic to taste and saute some more.
9. When cooked, remove the shiitake caps from the frying pan without sampling too many
10. Add some of the mushroom stock from above to the frying pan to deglaze the pan. Taste and adjust flavour as necessary for saltiness, sweetness or spiciness to your preference.
11. After adjusting the flavour to suit your family's tastes, gradually thicken with a mixture of water, stock, soya sauce and cornstarch (or tapioca powder, or flour). If too thick, add more stock.
12. Add shiitake caps and immediately pour into the centre of the Shangahi Bok Choy quarters.
13. Serve with a bowl of fresh, short grain, oriental rice, or on freshly cooked noodles, or as a side dish.

* Variations: change light oil to peanut oil for more intense flavour. You can substitute any vegetable broccoli, green peppers, zucchini or whatever your preference. Just make sure they are cooked appropriately before adding to the shiitake mushrooms.

Email us at: mushroom@APForganic.com

Call us at: (604) 856-8558, or (604) 657-6488.
Fax us at: (604) 856-6989.

Our mailing address is:

Asia Pacific Farm Enterprises Inc.
3577-268 Street,
Aldergrove, BC,
V4W 3G8
CANADA

For any website-related questions, concerns, or comments, please contact:
richard_chu@APForganic.com