I love mushrooms and definitely do not cook them enough. The earthy aromas and flavors of the forest and chewy texture is what I adore.
This dish is super easy to make. Unlike most Korean food, this is a very delicate dish. The mushrooms are glazed with soy and topped with sesame seeds, the mushrooms are earthy and pair beautifully with the salt from the soy and nutty bite from the toasted sesame seeds. This dish can be used a side but also in the banchan part of the Korean meal. Due to availability, I only used button mushrooms, but you can use almost any variety, cremini, oyster, shiitake, and delicate chanterelles as a splurge. This dish will also be wonderful with a mix of mushrooms as each will add different notes and tones to the dish.
This Korean cookbook is filled with an array of traditional recipes including soups, stews and of course many banchan. It opens up to me the world of Korean cuisine, one that I have so much to learn about.
For more recipes from this cookbook click here.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
8 oz mushrooms, button, cremini, oyster, shiitake, or mushroom of choice. A mix of mushrooms is also lovely, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
1 heaped teaspoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted till aromatic and golden
Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan. Add the mushrooms, garlic and salt and sauté on high heat for 1 minute. The liquids from the mushroom will be released. Toss the mushrooms gently taking care not to break them up.
Add the soy sauce and continue to sauté on high heat till the liquids are completely dry, about 4-5 minutes. During this time gently toss the mushrooms to evenly coat them with the soy glaze that forms. Sauté till all the liquids have evaporated and the mushrooms are frying in the oils and beginning to turn a light golden.
Add the sesame oil and toss for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and cool by transferring to a small bowl. Toss with the toasted sesame seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature.