Thanksgiving dinner was less than 24 hours ago and, rather than eat the leftovers, I’m thinking of something new… and bright… and light. I love celebrating Thanksgiving Day, and I’m really thankful for all I have, but could we please have a piece of salmon? Perhaps some lightly sautéed veggies?

In the spirit of lightness, I offer you a recipe for a stunningly-beautiful authentic Chinese preparation for shiitake mushrooms with bok choy. I am embarrassed (brave?) to admit that I chose this dish solely because it’s beautiful. Pretty shallow, eh? But then it turned out to be incredibly flavorful, and is made using only a few key ingredients.

In a traditional Chinese banquet, this type of dish shows up towards the end of the meal, maybe the ninth or tenth dish brought to the table. The arrival of the vegetables is also the signal to the guests that it is the end of the meal. If there will be a dessert, it comes next.

At our international grocery store the other day, I found a bag filled with baby bok choy. They were ridiculously cute. I brought them home with no plan, other than perhaps to sauté them. But I looked in the cupboard and found several bags of dried shiitake mushrooms… This led to a recipe search and the rest is history, and a wonderful meal!

Obviously, this is one dish to present at the table; you definitely want your guests to see it in all its beauty. The bright green wreath of bok choy cradling the glazed shiitake mushrooms is like a work of art. While this might be part of a Chinese banquet offering, we simply had this dish accompanied by rice.

The recipe is an adaptation from several versions I found online. You might be tempted to double the sauce but, if you do, it won’t glaze properly. And don’t overcook the bok choy — its crunchiness is really a lovely contrast to the meaty mushrooms.

~ David

35 Comments

  1. Connie Weis

    November 27, 2021 at 5:59 am

    The way you arranged the baby bok choy? A work of art David!

    Reply
  2. Frank Fariello

    November 27, 2021 at 8:04 am

    It’s a gorgeous and delicious dish, which I’ve actually made at home. And order it often when we eat out at a Cantonese restaurant. It seems you and I are on the same post-Thanksgiving wavelength, David. If you check out my latest post you’ll see why. Not Chinese, but I’m also in light but tasty vegetable mode.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      December 1, 2021 at 4:14 am

      Frank — your scarola is beautiful (even if you didn’t like the photos!). I’ve tried commenting twice and it hasn’t seemed to work. I will try again from my desktop. I’m glad you have made this dish — I’ve never seen it on menus but that’s I’m not sure we have any Cantonese restaurants here in Tucson.

      Reply
  3. John / Kitchen Riffs

    November 27, 2021 at 8:08 am

    Excellent food styling. And I like that top photo, a lot. Although the photo of the dried shiitakes is pretty awesome, too. Yes, I AM shallow — I like pretty food! And why not? Although we don’t eat with our eyes, literally, they sure do provide us with some of the pleasure of food. And speaking of food, shall we talk about this dish? Nice and simple, with such clean flavors. truly good stuff — thanks.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      December 1, 2021 at 4:15 am

      Thanks, John — this was definitely a pleasure to photograph! And eat!

      Reply
  4. Fran @ G'day Souffle

    November 27, 2021 at 8:50 am

    Beautiful photography and almost too pretty to eat! However I love the recipe for the shitakes- will definitely give this a try!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      December 1, 2021 at 4:15 am

      I always say that nothing is ever too pretty to eat! Thanks Fran.

      Reply
  5. Ronit Penso Tasty Eats

    November 27, 2021 at 10:36 am

    What a beautiful combination! The sauce must be amazing, with all the mushroom liquids. I’ll keep an eye for baby bok choy! 🙂

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      December 1, 2021 at 4:16 am

      Thanks, Ronit! Bigger bok choy work, but it’s harder to style with them.

      Reply
  6. Pauline McNee

    November 27, 2021 at 1:12 pm

    Beautiful photography and presentation for this dish, you have an artist’s eye and a chefs cleverness with food. I know this would be delicious with those flavours, we love Asian flavours. I always need something light after Christmas too. Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      December 1, 2021 at 4:17 am

      I think that holiday meals always have me looking for lighter food after, Pauline! Thanks for your kind words!

      Reply
  7. John

    November 27, 2021 at 1:45 pm

    I’m a bit addicted to shiitake at the moment. I adore its meatiness, rich flavour and versatility. Fresh ones are great when you’re lucky enough to come across them, but having dried shiitake in the pantry is so handy. And they’re cheap!
    Your arrangement of the shiitake and bok choy is so typically Cantonese. I love it! It’s all about the visuals, makes you gawk in awe before attacking with chopsticks.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      December 1, 2021 at 4:19 am

      I feel so fortunate, John, that our Asian market has beautiful fresh shiitakes at very reasonable prices! But having dried ones around is great — I think they are the most “successful” dried mushroom — they actually taste like their fresh counterparts!

      Reply
  8. Eha

    November 27, 2021 at 4:33 pm

    Oh David – you have outdone yourself with some of the most beautiful and appetizing photography I have ever seen coming from your stable ! The second photo should be framed !!! I absolutely love both baby bok choi and shiitake mushrooms and use both multiple times every week. Usually in recipes very much resembling yours 1 As all my local supermarkets keep at least 4-5 kinds of Asian mushrooms most of the time I usually buy fresh shiitakes . . . but here methinks the more pronounced flavour in the dry might be preferable . . . well, hope to have friends clapping when I copycat your presentation the next time around . . . thanks !

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      December 1, 2021 at 4:20 am

      I do wonder if fresh would work as well here, Eha -p only one way to find out… try it! I will, and will keep you posted!

      Reply
  9. Gerlinde

    November 27, 2021 at 7:15 pm

    Both, shiitake and bok choy are favorites of mine . It’s a gorgeous looking dish and I’m sure it taste delicious. That’s what I call clean eating. Guten Appetit!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      December 1, 2021 at 4:20 am

      It is really clean eating, isn’t it? Glad you like the recipe!

      Reply
  10. Valentina

    November 28, 2021 at 8:44 pm

    David, this is truly stunning! The presentation makes it a show-stopper. Add to that how delicious it is and oh my! Shiitake mushrooms are my favorite mushroom to cook with, and pairing them with those bright bok choy is perfect. I hope you and Mark had a wonderful Thanksgiving! 🙂 ~Valentina

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      December 1, 2021 at 4:22 am

      Thanks, Valentina! We had a great day — hope you all did, too. I’m so glad I decided to make this — aside from its beauty, the flavors are amazing.

      Reply
  11. Ron

    November 29, 2021 at 6:30 am

    David, that’s some fine-looking plate art you have there. I’m in agreement with the comments regarding your images, well done. We just had steamed Pak Choy and baby bella mushrooms with steamed shumai shrimp dumplings last night. Next time we steam up dumplings I’ll try your recipe.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      December 1, 2021 at 4:23 am

      This would be a great complement to steamed dumplings, Ron. I will need to try that!

      Reply
  12. Raymund

    November 30, 2021 at 2:02 pm

    Ohhh wow! Loving your presentation, I am used to dish dish and prepare them a lot but never had seen a presentation like such. Awesome!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      December 1, 2021 at 4:23 am

      Thanks, Raymund — while it looks fancy, it’s really easy to put together!

      Reply
  13. Jeff the Chef

    December 3, 2021 at 8:00 am

    How beautiful – and really my sort of thing, David: it’s beautiful in and of itself, and doesn’t need a lot of garnishing to make it so. I love shrooms and happen to also love bok choi, so I’m all in on this one. It’d make a spectacular presentation, obviously. Maybe also a good dish to bring to a pot luck?

    Reply
    • David Scott Allen

      December 6, 2021 at 10:13 am

      It would be perfect for a potluck, Jeff. I hadn’t thought of that. I do love it when a dish is really flavorful and is absolutely beautiful when presented. A win-win.

      Reply
  14. Gloria Roa Baker

    December 4, 2021 at 9:03 am

    Love this David, looks so beautiful!!

    Reply
  15. sippitysup

    December 4, 2021 at 3:14 pm

    Flavors are similar but way prettier than the typical Chinese stir-fry. GREG

    Reply
    • David Scott Allen

      December 6, 2021 at 10:15 am

      Maybe I should think if styling all my stir fries, Greg!

      Reply
  16. Judee

    December 6, 2021 at 6:39 am

    Your presentation is exceptional and very inviting and the recipe sounds like it would be quite tasty.. Being a vegan, it’s perfect for me.

    Reply
  17. CC

    December 6, 2021 at 8:34 pm

    I only discovered bok choy a few years ago and have been a huge fan ever since! Your presentation here is phenomenal, and I can almost taste both the greens and the mushrooms together! Definitely would be a dish I would love to prepare!

    Reply
  18. 2pots2cook

    December 11, 2021 at 9:04 am

    Wow ! Pretty, light, delicious, healthy …. who could ask for more ! 🙂

    Reply
  19. sherry

    December 13, 2021 at 9:53 pm

    very artistic david and so good for you!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.