Adapted from Najmieh Batmanglij’s Silk Road Cooking: A Vegetarian Journey. The author has travelled extensively along the famous trade route from China all the way to the Mediterranean. Her book contains a wealth of authentic meat-free recipes from the region.
Feel free to throw in additional vegetables as well — sliced green onions, celery or matchstick carrots, for instance.
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1-1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon chili paste (optional)
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Vegetable or peanut oil
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger root
- 4 cups sliced mushrooms
- 4-6 baby bok choy rinsed well and quartered lengthwise
Method:
- In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in one-half cup water. Add soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, chili paste, sugar and pepper. Stir well and set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil in a wok. Add garlic, ginger, a splash of water and mushrooms. Stir-fry for two or more minutes over high heat until mushrooms brown on at least one side. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add a little more oil to the pan and heat. Add bok choy in a single layer and cook until the vegetables begin to brown. Turn and brown on the other side. Add sauce, reduce heat, cover and simmer over low heat for 5 or so minutes until bok choy are just tender. Add mushrooms to the pan and stir.
- Adjust seasoning to taste and serve over cooked linguine noodles or rice.
