SERVES 4 TO 6 · GF, DF, VEGAN ADAPTABLE
All mushrooms are good for you, but Japanese mushrooms are nutritional standouts. Studies show they are antitumor, antiviral, and immunity-boosting; support heart health; and can help lower cholesterol. I also think Japanese mushrooms taste better: They tend to have a more intense, meaty flavor. Shiitake, maitake, enoki, and oyster mushrooms go well together in this recipe, but you can also mix in some cremini or button mushrooms. A nice combination would be ½ pound each of maitake, shiitake, and cremini. Or if you simply cannot find Japanese mushrooms, use all standard ones.
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons chicken stock (not vegan) or vegetable stock (for homemade, see here), mushroom stock, or water
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon GF white or yellow miso
1 tablespoon unrefined toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon unrefined extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil
1½ pounds mixed mushrooms, preferably Japanese, wiped clean with a damp paper towel, then sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 green onion, sliced thinly, for serving
1. Combine the mirin, stock, and rice vinegar in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until warm. Turn off the heat and whisk in the miso until smooth.
2. Heat a large, cast-iron skillet over medium heat and add ½ tablespoon each of the sesame oil and the olive oil. Add half of the mushrooms to the hot oil and allow to sit undisturbed for a minute or two, until slightly golden brown. Sauté until just tender. Transfer to a serving bowl.
3. Add remaining ½ tablespoon each of sesame oil and 1 olive oil to the skillet with the remaining mushrooms and repeat.
4. Just before the mushrooms are tender, add the garlic and stir around the skillet until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Return the reserved cooked mushrooms to the skillet.
5. Turn off the heat, pour the miso mixture into the pan, and stir until well combined. Season with a pinch of salt and a few generous grinds of black pepper, or more to taste. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve.
TIPS: Since mushrooms are like little sponges, it is better to clean them by wiping them with a damp paper towel. If you wash them under running water or in a bowl of water, they just get waterlogged and soggy. The only time this doesn’t matter is when you’re using the mushrooms in a soup or a stew.
Keep in mind when you are cooking with miso, because it is a live food, you want to take care not to boil it so as to preserve the live enzymes. This is why the last step instructs you to remove the skillet from the heat and then stir in the miso mixture.