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. This was a time when it was still a back packers paradise and the culture laid back. Beautiful days spent at the beaches in the north, or walking around the wonderful art galleries in Ubud were always followed by simple yet delicious food. Thus began my obsession with the cooking style and cuisine from Indonesia in particular.

Indonesian cuisine defies a clear categoristation because of the role these islands played in early sea trade routes. Every culture that sailed stopped here for supplies and traded, exchanging not just wares, but 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, all of it delicious.

This is a simple yet delicious side is perfect for any meal. I was limited to button mushrooms and bok choi for this dish. The mushrooms add a earthy flavor, the bok choi adds the 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 served this with jasmine rice and Indonesian Coconut beef and peanut stir-fry (Serundeng daring), also from this cookbook.

A beautiful cookbook with wonderful recipes. This is the perfect cookbook 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, shiitak, oyetsr 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, 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 till cooked through but not browned. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and sauté about 5 minutes till lightly browned. Add the vinegar and stir continuously till the liquid has evaporated. Add the bok choi and stir well and cook till barely softened, about 1 minute. You do not want the bok choi to get mushy, but 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.