Chinese Braised Mushrooms are commonly served at lunar new year. It is a traditional dish that you will also find at your Chinese restaurant for weddings or special events. Make this restaurant quality dish right at home!
I promise you will get your parents (and grandparents) approval! The shiitake mushrooms are tender, flavourful and oh so juicy. You will want to save this simple recipe so that you can create it every lunar new year. Impress everyone with your skills!
Looking for More Vegetables Recipes? Check These Out!
Table of Contents
- Here’s Why You Will Love the Chinese Braised Mushrooms
- Equipment and Tools to Make Chinese Braised Mushrooms
- Ingredients
- Chinese Braised Mushrooms Options and Substitutions
- How to Make Chinese Braised Mushrooms
- Storage and Reheating Tips
- Make Ahead Options
- Recipe Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Hungry for More Chinese Recipes?
Here’s Why You Will Love the Chinese Braised Mushrooms
- Always in stock: Because the shiitake mushrooms are commonly sold as dehydrated, you can make this dish anytime you want. Just soak for 15 minutes or overnight and you are ready to go!
- Simple: You can make this recipe regardless of your cooking skill level. It’s very easy to make.
- As authentic as it gets: This traditional dish is typically made during lunar new year. You will also see it at Chinese restaurants for wedding banquets and special occasions.
- Perfect pairing: Braised Chinese mushrooms can be paired with any Chinese greens. Today, I have baby bok choy. Pair it with your favourite greens.
Equipment and Tools to Make Chinese Braised Mushrooms
Cutting board and knife: To mince the garlic, remove stems from mushrooms and cut bok choy
Medium bowl: To rehydrate shiitake mushrooms
Measuring spoons
Pot: For blanching greens and braising mushrooms
Ingredients
Shiitake mushrooms: To feed a crowd with other dishes, 25 medium sized mushrooms will be necessary for the recipe.
Baby bok choy: I like the baby size as it is a nice bite size!
Water and salt: For blanching your greens.
Cooking oil: To saute garlic
Garlic: Seriously my favourite ingredient in cooking.
Chinese cooking wine: You can omit this if you want but it adds a nice depth of flavour.
Dark soy sauce: Gives a beautiful colour to the sauce
Light soy sauce: Imparts a nice flavour to the mushrooms
Oyster sauce: My second favourite ingredient to use in Chinese cooking
Sugar: Balances all the flavours
Reserved mushroom soaking liquid: A great addition to the sauce. You can use plain water for the sauce if you find the shiitake mushrooms too strong of a flavour for you.
Sesame oil: add the end to finish the dish for a nice nutty flavour
Starch: To thicken the sauce
Chinese Braised Mushrooms Options and Substitutions
- This recipe calls for cornstarch in a slurry. You can use all purpose flour or tapioca starch as a substitute to thicken the sauce.
- Make it vegan or vegetarian! Switch out the regular oyster sauce with vegetarian oyster sauce.
- Use your favourite greens. I had baby bok choy on hand today. You can also use Shanghai baby bok choy, brocolli or iceberg lettuce.
- Rather than blanching the greens, you can do a quick saute with salt and garlic.
How to Make Chinese Braised Mushrooms
Let’s make this dish!
Soak shiitake mushrooms. You can reconstitute the mushrooms with a quick soak of hot water for 30 minutes or preferably, soak overnight with room temperature water. When they are done soaking, squeeze excess water out and remove stems. Reserve mushroom liquid.
Cook the bok choy. Start by slicing the bottom of the bok choy stem off and then cut lengthwise in half. Oftentimes, there is dirt trapped in between the stems. Gently agitate the bok choy in a bowl of water to remove any dirt or sand. Bring a pot of water to a boil with 1 tbsp oil and 1 tsp salt. Blanch the bok choy until it turns bright green, about 40 seconds. You might need to do this in batches. Arrange them in a circle on a plate.
Braise the shiitake mushrooms. In a pot or wok over medium heat, saute garlic and mushrooms with oil until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Stir in Shaoxing wine and stir for one minute. Add 1/2 cup of reserved mushroom liquid and 1/4 cup water. Add dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes until mushrooms are tender and have absorbed the flavours. Thicken the sauce with a slurry of starch and water. Taste and adjust flavours as needed. Put in the center of the bok choy circle. Enjoy!
Storage and Reheating Tips
Cover and store leftover vegetables and mushrooms in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave. I do not recommend freezing the bok choy but you can freeze the braised shiitake mushrooms for up to 3 months.
Make Ahead Options
If you are preparing many dishes for the lunar new year, this one is great to serve at the last minute. Keep the braised mushrooms warm in a pot until you have completed your other dishes and are ready to serve!
Recipe Tips
Make it vegan or vegetarian! Switch out the regular oyster sauce with vegetarian oyster sauce.
Choose good quality and fragrant shiitake mushrooms. Any kind will do as they absorb the sauce and the texture is very tender.
It is best to use room temperature water to soak the mushrooms. Leave overnight.
Only skim the top of the mushroom liquid to avoid sediment from the mushrooms. You don’t want to bite into sand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What mushrooms are used in Chinese cooking? Mushrooms are commonly used in Chinese cooking such as, shittake mushrooms, as you see here, white mushrooms, wood ear, dried lions mane, king oyster and many more.
What are Chinese mushrooms called? Chinese mushrooms are shiitake mushrooms, also known as 香菇. Commonly, they are sold dried in the market. You can find fresh ones but they aren’t as readily available. One type of shiitake mushroom is called flower mushroom, 花菇. It has a pretty flower cracking pattern on the mushroom cap.
What do Chinese mushrooms taste like? Dried shiitake mushrooms have an intense smoky flavour with an amazing meaty texture. They are used in Chinese cooking for soups, braised dishes, stews and stir fry.
Should I remove the shiitake stem? Technically, they are edible. However, most people will find them too chewy and earthy. You can use the discarded stems to add flavour to congee or noodle soup broth or even risotto!
What should I do with the shiitake soaking water? In this recipe, the reserved liquid from soaking the shiitake mushrooms is used for the sauce. It is so flavourful! You can save it and use it as a substitute for chicken broth. Be careful though as there can be sediment from the mushrooms at the bottom on the bowl. You don’t want a sand in your sauce or broth!
Hungry for More Chinese Recipes?
Lastly, if you make my Chinese Braised Mushrooms, be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a star rating! I love to hear from you guys and respond to each and every comment. Also, don’t forget to tag me @cookwith.chopsticks and #cookwithchopsticks on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you have made makes me sooooo happy! You can also follow along on Facebook and Pinterest.
Chinese Braised Mushrooms
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Medium bowl
- Measuring spoons
- Pot
Ingredients
- 25 dried shiitake mushrooms medium size, soaked overnight
- 10 baby bok choy
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp oil divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- ½ cup reserved mushroom liquid
- ½ cup water
- 1½ tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- ¼ tsp dark soy sauce
- 1½ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Reconstitute the dried shiitake mushrooms by soaking them overnight with room temperature water. When the mushrooms are done soaking, squeeze excess water out and cut off stems. Set mushroom liquid aside.
- Slice the bottom of the bok choy stem off and cut lengthwise in half. Gently agitate the bok choy in a bowl of water to remove any dirt or sand. Bring a pot of water to a boil with 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp oil. Blanch the bok choy until it turns bright green, about 40 seconds. You might need to do this in batches. Arrange them in a circle on a plate.
- In a pot or wok over medium heat, saute garlic and mushrooms with oil until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Stir in Shaoxing wine and let alcohol cook for a minute.
- Add reserved mushroom liquid, water, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes until mushrooms are tender and have absorbed the flavours. Add sesame oil.
- Thicken the sauce with a slurry of starch and water. Taste and adjust flavours as needed. Put in the center of the bok choy circle. Enjoy!
It was good! The mushrooms were really flavourful and tasty. It tasted great combined with the bok choy!
It’s a delicious combination! Thanks Rosie!
The collection of recipes on this website is nothing short of extraordinary. From mouthwatering main courses to delectable desserts, every recipe I’ve tried has been a culinary masterpiece. What impressed me the most was the variety. There are recipes suitable for every occasion, whether it’s a quick and healthy lunch for the office or a delightful treat for kids’ school lunches. The flavors are authentic, and the instructions are incredibly easy to follow, making the cooking experience enjoyable and stress-free.
Thanks so much for the feedback! Authentic Cantonese flavours is exactly what I am looking for.