Chinese Broccoli & King Mushrooms in Oysterless Sauce

Last winter a friend and I went to a cooking class by Tien Douglas through Urbana Adult Education. In the class, Tien introduced me to several vegetarian products sold at Far East Grocery, including a vegetarian version of oyster sauce, from Oriental Mascot foods. This website sells it if you're inclined to buy. The class also introduced me to the king mushroom that when sliced thin, has a texture similar to abalone.

Chinese Broccoli & King Mushroom in Oysterless Sauce (serves about 4)

• 2 king mushrooms, sliced thin, caps removed
• 1 bunch Chinese broccoli, chopped, stems and leaves separated
•  Cooking oil
•  1/2 C oysterless sauce
• splash of sesame oil
•  3 cloves garlic, minced

1. Heat the oil in the wok over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, stirring frequently. Cook until the mushrooms are slightly browned.
2. Add the Chinese broccoli stems, oysterless sauce, and splash sesame oil. Cook for a few minutes, add a bit of water to soften the stems if needed.
3. When stems are nearly cooked through, add the leaves of the Chinese broccoli and the garlic. Stir frequently, adding more sauce if necessary.
4. Serve over rice or noodles if desired.

                                                       King Mushroom, Whole

                                                           King Mushroom, Sliced

  Veggie Oyster Sauce...What would a veggie oyster pearl be like? A lentil? Some other legume?

Kitchen Notes: Thin sliced king mushrooms cook quickly and they don't reduce as quickly as shiitakes, portabella, or other common mushrooms. Add the garlic earlier if desired--I like mine fairly raw tasting in this dish.

Verdict? A very tasty quick, easy meal. The veggie oyster sauce has a nice smoky aroma and flavor with a lot of earthiness to it. The king mushrooms have a satisfying texture and the Chinese broccoli a lot of pleasant, mustardy/bitter flavor. I made the mistake of serving over quinoa the first time, since I already had some made, and it was too bitter with the bitter broccoli. Plain rice would be great, and served over noodles was yummy. Enjoy!

                                                                Over noodles