Rinse the dried shiitake mushrooms with warm water and discard the rinse water. Soak in warm water (1L for 2 servings / 2L for 4 servings / 3L for 6 servings) for 40 minutes or until fully softened. Trim stems, squeeze out excess liquid from the mushroom and set aside. Reserve the water the mushrooms were soaking in for a mushroom stock.

Slice garlic (1 mm) and ginger (3 mm). Cut bok choy in half lengthwise and rinse thoroughly, changing water three times to remove any dirt. Drain and set aside. Prepare a potato starch slurry by mixing potato starch with the reserved mushroom stock (50 ml for 2 servings / 100 ml for 4 servings / 150 ml for 6 servings) and set up a bowl of ice water for blanching.

Heat vegetable oil (2 Tbsp for 2 servings / 3 Tbsp for 4 servings / 5 Tbsp for 6 servings) in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant.

Add 2L of hot water and bring to a boil. Add the bok choy and blanch for 2–3 minutes until just tender. Immediately transfer to ice water for 15 seconds, then drain well.

Tip: If there isn’t enough space in the pan, cook in multiple batches.

Discard blanching water. In the same wok or pan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat (2 Tbsp for 2 servings / 3 Tbsp for 4 servings / 5 Tbsp for 6 servings). Add the remainder garlic and ginger and stir-fry until fragrant. Then add mushrooms and stir-fry for 5 minutes.

Gradually stir in the potato starch slurry while mixing to create a glossy sauce. Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil and a pinch of ground pepper.

Arrange bok choy on a plate with stems outward and leaves inward. Spoon mushrooms on top with mushroom caps facing up and drizzle with remaining sauce. Repeat for multiple serving sizes.

Serve hot and enjoy with accompanying steamed rice.