As Lunar New Year continues, we are celebrating with a new spin on a classic dish. This Shanghai Bok Choy dish is an oldie but a goodie. Tender baby bok choy is cooked with earthy shiitake mushrooms in an umami packed sauce. The final dish is so beautifully plated it gets everyone excited to eat their veggies.

Traditionally, this recipe is made with dried shiitake mushrooms. But my husband really dislikes dried shiitakes and will usually eat around them when they are in a dish. He finds them funky (not in a good way!) and musty. In order to avoid having to eat all of the mushrooms myself, and leaving him with a somewhat boring plate of plain bak choy, I decided to use fresh mushrooms instead. In addition, the baby Shanghai Bok Choy caught my eye at the store so of course, I bought them. And these cute little guys cook up fast!

In my humble opinion, you can never have too many quick vegetable sides in your repertoire. They are a great way to add variety, color, and health on the table. This speedy Shanghai Bok Choy recipe is on the table in 20 minutes, so let’s get into it!

Shanghai Bok Choy

The Shanghai variety of bok choy is more mild than regular bok choy, which is the dark green and white veggie that you’ve probably all seen before. The leaves of Shanghai Bok Choy are smooth and oval shaped and it’s a more compact size. Both can be used interchangeably. Shanghai Bok Choy comes in a couple of different sizes, as you can see below, but seek out the little baby ones so you can make this adorable presentation. Added bonus? The baby ones cook super fast so you can leave them whole.

If you’re using regular sized Shanghai Bok Choy, cut them in half lengthwise before continuing with the recipe.

It Starts with Sauce

How do you get the vegetable resistant people in your life to try something new? Prepare it with an addictive sauce. This is simple to make, but the flavor is anything but. Shaoxing wine adds a complex tang, oyster sauce brings richness and thickens it up (look for vegetarian versions if you want this to be vegan), and soy sauce adds deep umami flavor. I use stock for some liquid-you can use either chicken or veggie stock. A little sugar, toasted sesame oil, and a dash of white pepper rounds it out. You can sub black pepper, but white pepper has more of an earthy funk that I love here. Everything gets a quick whisk, and then set it aside.

Prep the Veggies

Now that the sauce is ready, it’s time to clean the Shanghai bok choy. Like leeks, they can have a lot of hidden dirt and grit, so a thorough washing is essential. I soak them in a bowl of water for a couple minutes and then swish them around with my hands to make sure any dirt falls out. Do this a couple of times to be safe. Nothing is worse than biting into gritty vegetables-been there.

When you go shopping for shiitakes, you will notice several different kinds. The best are the ones that look like turtles. They have a crackly cap and a deep dark color. The best quality dried mushrooms come from these “turtle” shiitakes. The next best type are the ones I’m using today. They have thick juicy caps and have a nice flavor. Part of the joy of eating shiitakes is the “toothsomeness” which is very important, so I avoid the thin flimsy shiitakes that cook out a ton of water and shrink to nothing.

For the preparation, I just remove the tough stem. Unless they are huge, I like to leave them whole.

The slurry will make a nicely thickened sauce. Taste it and adjust for seasoning, and then pile the saucy mushrooms into the center of the Shanghai bok choy.

Don’t save this dish for the new year. Shanghai Bok Choy is a perfect side for:

• Plum Sauced Duck
• Hambagu
• Mongolian Lamb

Or make it a Meatless Monday meal and pair with any of these:

• Mushroom Japchae Noodles
• Braised Burdock
• Spicy Tofu

However you enjoy this Shanghai Bok Choy, we want to hear about it! Rate and comment on the recipe below, and tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love seeing your creations!

Shanghai Bok Choy

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• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: serves 4-6 1x
• Category: side
• Cuisine: Chinese

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 pound baby shanghai bok choy 
• 8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms (about 9–10 mushrooms)
• 2 Tablespoons neutral oil, divided
• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 4 cloves garlic, minced and divided
• ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon water

Sauce:

• 2 Tablespoons Shaoxing wine
• 1 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce (or vegetarian oyster sauce)
• 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• A dash ground white pepper
• ¼ cup chicken or vegetable stock

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Instructions

1. Combine the shaoxing wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and white pepper.
2. Mix well and set aside.
3. Trim the base of the shanghai bok choy if dry or dirty.
4. Soak the bok choy in a large bowl of water in the sink for a minute. Then, using your hands, stir the vegetables to release any dirt or sand. Repeat this process a couple of times or as necessary, until the water is clean and there is no sand or dirt at the bottom of the bowl.
5. Trim the shiitake stems and discard. Set the mushrooms aside.
6. Heat a large skillet over medium heat for several minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon of oil, 1 Tablespoon sesame oil, and half of the minced garlic.
7. Stir for a couple of seconds and then add the bok choy. Stir to combine. 
8. Add ½ cup of chicken stock, ⅛ teaspoon of salt, and cover with a lid. Cook for 3 minutes, using chopsticks or tongs to flip them around several times to cook them evenly. 
9. Arrange the bok choy attractively on a platter in a ring shape, leaving the center open for the mushrooms. Drain any remaining liquid from the bok choy in the pan and return it to the stove.
10. Again heat the pan over medium high heat. Add 1Tablespoon neutral oil, the remaining minced garlic, and mushrooms. Stir fry for 10 seconds. 
11. Stir in the sauce, lower heat to medium, cover with the lid, and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
12. Combine the water and cornstarch, making sure it’s completely smooth, and slowly pour it into the sauce while stirring constantly. Let the mushrooms cook for an additional minute and taste the sauce. Adjust the seasoning with salt or pepper as needed.
13. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon. Add a little hot water if the sauce is too thick or more cornstarch slurry if the sauce is too thin. 
14. Transfer the mushrooms and sauce to the center of your Shanghai bok choy ring, and serve  immediately.

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Notes

*I used baby shanghai bok choy which is about ½ the size of regular shanghai bok choy. I like that I can use it whole. If you are using regular shanghai bok choy, trim the base and cut it in half lengthwise before using.

*If you are using boxed stock, taste the sauce before adding any additional salt. Some commercial stocks are very salty.

Keywords: bok choy, plant based, veggie sides, shiitakes

Pearl Balls are a Chinese party tradition. Traditionally served during the Lunar New Year, these jeweled little meatballs are almost as fun to make as they are to eat!  This is a great recipe to involve little hands in; they love rolling the meatballs in the rice. There are all kinds of variations, from vegan to seafood, but this one with a flavorful pork stuffing is my favorite.

Pearl Balls are quick to make, but the rice needs to soak overnight so plan ahead. Sticky rice, also called sweet or glutinous rice is traditional for these, and their pearly shine is how this dish got its name. Sticky rice also makes a nice chewy contrast to the meaty and crunchy stuffing inside.

Then it’s time to make the filling.  As rice is something of a blank canvas, it’s important to have a highly seasoned and flavorful filling. I choose full fat pork for extra richness, and water chestnuts for a pleasant crunch. (I use the canned ones for convenience.) Scallions, Shaoxing wine, and oyster sauce fill this with extra umami goodness.

This next part is a perfect way to involve kids in the kitchen!

Now it’s time to steam the pearl balls. You can use a double boiler, or a steam insert or basket. Just be sure to line it with cheesecloth or a kitchen towel so no bits fall through.

Steam the pearl balls for about 18-20 minutes. The rice should like translucent and shiny. Then it’s time to serve these little balls of delight! Pile them on a platter and dig in.

Pearl Balls are a fun and festive party treat and they should be served with equally festive recipes:

• Ginger Saketinis
• Coconut Shrimp
• Sriracha Honey Wings
• Fried Spring Rolls

Try these for at your next holiday gathering and let me know what you think by commenting below, rating the recipe, and tagging us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!

Pearl Balls

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• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus soaking time)
• Cook Time: 20 Minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: makes 24 rice balls 1x
• Category: small plates
• Cuisine: Chinese

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Ingredients

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• 1 cup sweet glutinous rice
• 1 pound ground pork (use one with a higher fat content)
• 2 scallions minced
• 1 large egg
• 6 water chestnuts (I used canned)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 Tablespoons Shaoxing wine
• 2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

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Instructions

1. Soak the sweet rice overnight in a bowl of water. (Make sure you have triple the amount of water as the rice will expand as it soaks in the water). Drain and set aside.
2. Peel the water chestnuts with a knife (if using fresh) and then chop them fine. Put the chestnuts in a bowl and add the ground pork, scallions, egg, garlic, shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, salt, and ground pepper.
3. Aggressively mix to combine, slapping the meat around in the bowl until the texture changes and becomes kind of pasty and sticky.
4. Use a 1 ½ Tablespoon scoop and portion out the filling. You will yield approximately 24 pieces.
5. Then roll the meat balls gently on the rice, trying to get every part covered with the rice.
6. Set up a double boiler or a steamer insert for your pearl balls. Lay a piece of cheesecloth, paper towel, or a dumpling cloth over the steamer insert so no bits can fall through the holes.
7. Set the pearl balls on a piece of cheesecloth or dumpling cloth (as many as can comfortably fit without touching). 
8. Bring the pot of water to a boil on high heat. When the water starts boiling, place the steamer insert on top of the boiling water and cover with a lid. Steam for 18-20 minutes until the pork is cooked through and the rice is translucent and shiny.
9. Continue steaming pearl balls in the same way until they are all cooked. Serve immediately.

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Notes

*Because the pearl balls take a while to cook, it is a good idea to cook a batch and get another batch going before serving. This way you have some hot and ready to eat while more are cooking. 

*Leftovers can be stored for several days in the fridge. Gently microwave for a couple of minutes with a damp paper towel on top.

Keywords: pearl balls, rice balls, holiday, pork,