Braised mushroom 蠔油燜冬菇 is a traditional Chinese cuisine that can grace the banquet and also serves as an everyday dish at home.

The Chinese cooked dried shiitake mushrooms in many ways.  Among all, braised Shiitake mushroom with oyster sauce is the easiest dish to prepare.

The braising method is straightforward.  The only setback is you need time to braise the mushroom.  You only need to ensure sufficient water in the pot for braising. The actual preparation time is relatively short.

Here is the step-by-step instruction on how to prepare braised mushrooms with oyster sauce.

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The step-by-step guide- How to braise mushroom with oyster sauce

1. Choice of  mushrooms

Choose the Shitake mushroom that is medium to large size, with a thick mushroom cap.  These mushrooms have a firm texture and the ability to absorb lots of gravy, and that means plenty of flavors.

Fresh shitake mushrooms do not taste as good as dried, dehydrated ones.  The fresh mushrooms are too soft and will break after prolonged braising. They are also not as fragrant compared to dried mushrooms.

I suggest you not substitute the dried Shitake mushroom with other mushrooms.   They have a unique aroma that sets them apart from others. Braised button mushrooms and king oyster mushrooms do not taste as good as the dry shiitake mushrooms.

2. Soak the mushrooms

Clean the dried shitake mushrooms. Soak it in water overnight or for up to a day until they are adequately hydrated.  How long it takes to rehydrate depends on the size and thickness of the mushrooms. It is a good idea to soak it the night before cooking, as they will not get oversoaked. However, if you are short of time, you can soak the dry shiitake mushroom in hot water. The time required to get hydrated will be much faster. Interestingly, fresh shiitake mushrooms do not taste as good as the dry shiitake mushrooms.

Dried shiitake mushrooms that are not adequately soaked take much longer time to braise until sufficiently soft and tender. It is also hard to cut off the dry and hard stem.

After removing the stem, clean the mushroom, and it is ready for braising.  Do not cut the mushrooms. They should be braised and eventually served uncut.

Keep the water after soaking the mushrooms.  The soaking water contains loads of flavor diffused from the mushrooms, which is ideal for use as the braising liquid.  Discard the sediment at the bottom of the water, as it may contain some sand.

3. Prepare the aromatics

This dish has three aromatic ingredients- ginger, garlic, and scallion for this braised mushroom dish.

Ginger. You may slice or cut the ginger into small dice. However, since I only want the flavor of ginger, I would prefer coarsely chopped ginger instead.  Saute the ginger until it turns fragrant.

Garlic. Bash a few cloves of garlic with the back of the knife.  Add the garlic to the ginger and continue sauteing. We add the garlic only the ginger starts to turn aromatic because garlic tends to brown much faster than ginger.  Saute over low to medium heat for another one minute.

Scallion Cut the scallion into 5cm sections and add garlic and ginger.  Try to use the white instead of the green section since it is more aromatic.

4. Braised the dried Chinese mushrooms with low heat

Add adequately hydrated Shitake mushrooms to the pan or a Dutch oven.  Add water (or stock), Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, rock sugar, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce.  Bring the braising liquid to a boil. Cover and continue braising the mushroom over lowest heat.

Shitake mushrooms and oyster sauce are tested combinations that yield the best mouth-watering flavor. Of course, the flavor is even better by using a good quality oyster sauce.  However, you can use the mushroom extract, aka Vegetarian Oyster Sauce, as the substitute.

The vegetarian oyster sauce is developed to cater to the need of the vegetarian.  The main ingredient of this sauce is mushroom extract with a texture and flavor that resemble the ‘real’ oyster sauce.  The taste may not be as intense as the original oyster sauce, but it conveniently makes it suitable for vegetarians.

Braising will let the mushrooms absorb all the flavor released by the aromatics and from the seasonings. The process concentrates the flavor to become a thick gravy eventually.

How long it takes to braise depends on the size and thickness of the mushrooms. Generally, it will need about forty-five minutes to one hour until the mushrooms are soft and tender. It is crucial to braise the mushrooms until soft and tender. Add some boiling water to continue browsing if necessary.

Thicken with cornstarch slurry

Add the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce when the mushrooms are soft, and the braising liquid has reduced to about 1/4 cup.  Constitute the cornstarch slurry by mixing one teaspoon of cornstarch with one tablespoon of water. Add half to the mushroom and keep stirring until the cornstarch thickens the liquid.  You may not need to add the remainder if it is already thick enough.

Once the gravy is thick enough, stop adding the remaining cornstarch slurry. Add a teaspoon of sesame oil and mix well. (Optional) Remove from heat as further heating will dry up the gravy.

Do you want to try another mushroom dish stir fry I recently uploaded? It is prepared with shitake, king oyster, and shimeiji mushroom. Click here to get the recipe.

Blanch the broccoli

It is a good idea to blanch some broccoli to serve along with the braised mushroom with oyster sauce. Broccoli is ideal because it has a vibrant color and a crunchy contrast to the mushrooms’ soft texture.  It also soaks up any excess mushroom gravy to make it incredibly delicious.

• Cut the broccoli into large florets.
• Prepare a pot of boiling water.
• Add a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of sugar, and some cooking oil.
• Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for three to four minutes until soft.  It is cooked when the fork’s tines can easily slip out from the florets after being inserted into it.
• Drain the broccoli florets in a colander to remove the excess water.
• Place the braised mushroom at the center of a plate and surround it with the broccoli florets. Serve.

You can also steam the broccoli If you are concerned that blanching will affect its nutritional value.

Braised mushroom with black moss (fat choy) is one of the auspicious dishes served during Chinese New Year.