MUSHROOMS!

Ahhh mushrooms. Some people hate them others, allergic.


Me…. I love them. So here are a couple of mushroom recipes that I wanted to share.

The first one is a dish I had in Taiwan cooked by my aunt and I really liked the simplicity of it.

King Oyster Mushrooms with Cucumber Stir-Fry

3-4 Oyster Mushrooms (Good sized) Cut into rolling wedges
3-4 Baby Cucumbers cut into rolling wedges
2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
2 Tbsp Mirin
1 Hot pepper (optional)
1 Tsp finely chopped Ginger

To start off, place a good amount of oil in a hot pan and brown all sides of the oyster mushroom wedges.  Then throw in the cucumbers and the oyster sauce and hot pepper and ginger occasionally stirring.

This is such a great dish and it's really easy to cook. Obviously, it's vegetarian and also, you can throw in anything else you like with it. I hope you enjoy this recipe!

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Bamboo Shoots with Shimeji, Shiitake, and Enoki Mushrooms

I first had this when I was really hungry and I didn't feel like defrosting any meat… nor did I feel like scrambled eggs. It ended up being one of my favorite comfort foods I make on a semi-regular basis. I normally use dried Shiitake mushrooms because of the wonderful flavors that it has but this recipe calls for all fresh mushrooms. 

Shimeji

 Enoki

 Shiitake

You can buy fresh, canned or even dried bamboo shoots. Any will work great for this recipe however I will not be going over how to prepare them. 

10-15 Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms -stems removed, cut into strips

1 Bundle of Shimeji Mushrooms- bottom roots removed, just break them up into a few pieces

1 Bundle of Enoki Mushrooms- bottom roots removed, break them up into a few pieces

1 Can/ Handful Bamboo Shoots- cut into strips

¼ C of Sake 

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1 Tsp Oyster Sauce

1 Pinch White Pepper Powder

1 Tsp Sugar

1 Tumb sized chunk of Ginger cut into matchsticks 

Summer Cooking #2 THUNDER STORMING!

Ah, summer thunderstorms…. or a flash storm if you are in my area…

So you're stuck inside without the grill again because of another flash thunderstorm, thats ok. I've got something up my sleeves for this. :)

This menu set is super light and also rather healthy. It gives you Omega-3's and is packed with flavor. I stumbled upon this when I was looking at my grandmother's old recipe book (it was in Japanese) and was sooooo simple, I over looked it for the longest time but it since I have tired the recipe, it has easily become one of my quickest and tastiest throw togethers.

Sesame Salmon

4 Salmon Fillets (3-4 oz each)
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Pepper
1 Tsp 5 Spice Powder
1 Tbsp Mirin (Japanese Cooking Wine)
¼ Cup Sake
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 Tbsp Cornstarch with ½ Cup of water (this is called a Slurry)
4 Pinches of Sesame Seeds

In a bowl place the salmon, salt, pepper, mirin, cornstarch, 5 spice powder, sugar, soy sauce, and a splash of sake and let it sit in a bowl for about 20 mins to marinate. Then in a heated skillet, wok, pan, whatever you have (just make sure it is properly oiled up) and place the salmon into it and let it sizzle away for about 4 mins on one side, then flip it over. Let it cook for about 4 more minutes before adding in the sake. Let the alcohol cook out and then cook the salmon covered for about 2 more minutes and test to see if it is done. If it is add in the slurry mixture AFTER you have taken out the salmon fillets. Sprinkle on some sesame seeds and eat up!


Summer Vegetables in Sake Demi-Glaze 

2 Zucchinis (Sliced into ½" disks)
1 Yellow Squash (Sliced into ½" disks)
1 Cucumber (Sliced into ½" disks)
1 Medium Onion (Sliced into ½ inch ribbons)
(Feel free to add any other vegetables to this)
½ lb FRESH FRESH FRESH Shiitake Mushrooms
1 Tsp Mushroom or Chicken stock powder
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp Sake
1 Tsp Sugar

In a VERY hot pan (wok works best) with enough oil to cover the bottom and sides, throw in all of the vegetables and let them sautee for about 3-4 minutes. Then add about ½ cup of water and throw in the rest of the ingredients and cook until done. THATS IT! Just serve it up with the salmon ontop for a wonderful presentation.

The slightly sweet flavors from the salmon compliment the more savory vegetables perfectly AND it will leave you feeling full but not bursting at the seams.

Enjoy!

-Sorian