Boulder Market Meals: Bok choy and local mushrooms star in a savory summer stir fry

Market Meals is a collaboration between Boulder Reporting Lab and the Boulder County Farmers Markets, featuring weekly seasonal recipes built around ingredients from local growers, ranchers and food producers. Find it in Nibbles every Tuesday and on Boulder Reporting Lab. Sign up to get Nibbles in your inbox.

Produce aisles at supermarkets have a tendency to look pretty much the same year-round.

One of the best parts of shopping at farmers markets is the fresh array of options that pop up each week, from mustard greens to cherries and kohlrabi. Shoppers can discover new varieties of basil, taste hot sauce or sample the diverse flavors of honey collected from hives in different forage areas of Boulder County.

This week’s umami-rich recipe from the Boulder County Farmers Markets is a classic Asian-inspired stir-fry with flavors designed to showcase fresh vegetables and mushrooms. Add your choice of protein — tempeh, grilled beef or seafood — to make it a meal.

Bok choy is a mild-tasting, tender cabbage relative that is easy and quick to prepare. You will also find another cousin, tatsoi, a leafy green with a more tender leaf and earthy flavor.

Multiple varieties of fresh local mushrooms are available. Besides dependable cremini or shiitake, look for black pearl mushrooms, which have a toothsome texture that serves as the perfect plant-based meat substitute.

Bok choy adds verdant crunch to a quick-cooking summer stir-fry. Credit: Boulder County Farmers Markets

Summer Bok Choy and Mushroom Stir-Fry

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons local honey
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 pound bok choy, cut into small pieces
About 2½ tablespoons peanut or canola oil
About 1 pound fresh mushrooms, chopped into large pieces
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 green onions, sliced
Salt, to taste
Optional: zucchini slices; red chile flakes; chopped jalapeno

Mix two tablespoons water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, pepper and sesame oil in a bowl and set aside. Mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water in a separate small bowl.

Heat ¼ cup of water in a large skillet over medium heat until it just starts to boil. Add bok choy with a pinch of salt, cover and let steam for about 30 seconds. Stir, then cover again for about a minute until bok choy has softened. Transfer bok choy to a plate.

Wipe the pan clean, add two tablespoons of peanut or canola oil, and turn to high heat. Add mushrooms and sear for a minute or two until browned.

Add remaining peanut or canola oil, garlic, ginger and green onion to the pan and stir.

Add bok choy back to the pan and top with the reserved sauce. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until the sauce thickens.

Taste the sauce and tweak seasonings. Serve over rice or noodles. Garnish with fresh herbs like Thai basil and serve with kimchi or pickled ginger as a condiment.

What’s fresh this week? Farmers will be offering bok choy, tatsoi, cherries, rhubarb, turnips, beets, mushrooms, herbs, greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers, microgreens, salad greens, green garlic and more this week at the Boulder Farmers Market and the Longmont Farmers Market.

One of the newest guest vendors at the Saturday Boulder Farmers Market is Ginkgo & Co. Owner Grace Yoon produces Korean kimchi in Boulder using locally grown vegetables. She will be at the market on June 6, June 13, July 4 and July 11.