New Year's Bok Choy and Mushrooms

Monday 23 January

In previous years when we were able to celebrate Chinese New Year together, we always seemed to cook chicken.  Unfortunately, chicken is lucky if it's whole, but unlucky if it's in pieces, as ours usually was. 

This year we decided to try the Chinese tradition of cooking a vegetarian meal to usher in New Year.  The thinking is that it's more virtuous to kill nothing at the start of the year; and though oyster sauce actually does contain some oyster, we are assured that even devout Buddhists don't mind eating oysters, as they mean good luck or good business. 

This recipe is a spin on some internet recipes and a few tips from New Joy, remade so that they don't use chicken broth; and based on the fact that we got a lot of beautiful baby bok choy at Daisy Mae's on Saturday, and a pound of fresh white mushrooms to match them. 

So, take:

a handful dried shiitake mushrooms (meaning longevity), rehydrated 20 mins. with hot water, drained and liquid reserved, stems removed, trimmed into 1/4" slices

1 to 1 1/2 lb. baby bok choy (meaning 100 types of prosperity), washed carefully; leaves separated from stems; both sliced into 1/2" slices; inner baby leaves left whole, and bottoms trimmed

1 lb. white or crimini mushrooms (more longevity), sliced into 1/4" slices

6 scallions (cleverness?), whites chopped fine, separate from greens sliced into 1/2" lengths

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons oyster sauce (see above)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1-2 teaspoons hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon Shao Xing wine

grind of white pepper

1/2 cup rice

1 cup water

canola oil

salt

sesame oil

Get all the vegetables prepped, and stir together oyster sauce, soy, hoisin, Shao Xing, and pepper, to taste. 

Start rice: rub bottom of saucepan with sesame oil, pour in rice, then water, then a touch of salt.  Set on fire until it starts to boil, then cover and lower heat to lowest setting for 19 minutes.  Open and fluff.

Heat wok to high, add oil, then scallion whites and garlic.  Stir fry for a few seconds, add bok choy stems, then whole inner parts, and some salt; finally add leaves, give a few stirs, sprinkle on some reserved shiitake mushroom water, cover and let steam for a few minutes until tender.  Remove from wok, pour off most of liquid into mushroom liquid bowl, and set aside.

Reheat wok to high, add more oil, and stir-fry fresh mushrooms with some salt, then dry mushrooms, then scallion greens, until fresh mushrooms are dark and tender and liquid has boiled away.  Stir in sauce mixture to thicken, then re-add bok choy.  Reheat, adding a little mushroom/bok choy liquid if necessary.  At end, taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary.  Turn off heat, and sprinkle on a touch of sesame oil.  Serve with no reservations.

Dessert: chopped fresh pineapple (meaning wealth and luck in gambling) and biscotti (meaning nothing in particular).