Soy mushrooms and bok choi

I visited Bali about 20 years ago and fell in love with the island, the art, the culture, and the food. At the time, it was still a backpacker's paradise, and the culture was laid-back. Beautiful days spent at the beaches in the north or walking around the excellent art galleries in Ubud were always followed by simple yet delicious food. Thus began my obsession with the cooking style and cuisine of Indonesia in particular.

Indonesian cuisine defies a precise categorisation because of these islands' role in early sea trade routes. Every culture that sailed stopped here for supplies and traded, exchanging wares and leaving behind an imprint of their culture and cuisine. As a result, Indonesian cuisine is complex and diverse, changing completely from one island to another, and all of it is delicious.

This simple yet delicious side is perfect for any meal. I was limited to button mushrooms and bok choi for this dish. The mushrooms add an earthy flavour; the bok choi adds crunch, and the sweetened soy sauce rounds out the dish perfectly. If you can get kecap mains, this is a great substitute for the sweetened soy sauce. I also served this with jasmine rice, Indonesian Coconut beef, and peanut stir-fry (Serundeng daring) from this cookbook.

This is a beautiful cookbook with wonderful recipes. It is the perfect book for those who want to learn about this cuisine. Get one now!

For more delicious recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

4 teaspoons palm sugar or jaggery

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 lb mushrooms, shiitake, oyster or mushrooms of choice, left whole if very tender, or thickly sliced

2 teaspoons rice vinegar or other vinegar

2 large bok choi, chunked

Coconut oil or oil of choice

Salt to taste

Mix the soy sauce and sugar and stir well to dissolve the sugar completely. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wide pan or wok. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously, until cooked through but not browned. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and sauté for about 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add the vinegar and stir continuously until the liquid has evaporated. Add the bok choi and stir well, and cook until barely softened about 1 minute. You do not want the bok choi to get mushy, but it should still maintain a crunch.

Drizzle the soy-sugar mix and stir continuously till most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce coats the vegetables. Serve immediately.