Shiitake stir fry
This is an easy and incredibly delicious meal packed with flavour and different textures. No fancy cooking skills needed for this one. All you need is a wok where everything will come together, and a pot or a rice cooker to boil your rice. I am still mastering the skill of cooking rise in a pot, until then I will be fully relying on my rise cooker. If you don’t have one I highly recommend you to get one. Your life will be different afterwards. This recipe serves 2 people.
Ingredients
500g shiitake mushrooms
3 garlic cloves
1 thumb size ginger
2 fresh chillies
5 streaks green onion
2 bak choi
1 cup Japanese sushi rice
4 tbsp sushi rice seasoning (Mitsukan brand or any other brand you can find). In the notes there are instructions on how to make your own sushi rice seasoning. If you prefer you can always skip this step.
frying oil
For the sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce - I love Tomasu’s soy sause. You can buy it here: https://www.tomasu.nl/en/home/
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp miso paste
Method
Start with the rice so while it’s cooking you can start prepping your veggies. Once you start with the cooking everything will start happening very quickly so here it’s key to prepare everything in advance. Start by washing the rice under cold running water until the water drains completely clear and not milky. Transfer to the rice cooker and cook according to the packet instructions. Usually Japanese rice requires a little bit more water than regular rice. For 1 cup of rice add 1,2 cups of water.
While your rice is cooking finely dice the garlic, ginger and chillies, and cut the green onions in about 1 cm pieces. Set all of them aside. If the shiitake mushroom require cleaning use a soft brush or damp paper towel to gently wipe them. Cut the large mushrooms in half and leave the smaller ones whole. Cut the bottoms of the bak choi, rinse and set aside.
The sauce is as simple as combining all ingredients and giving them a good stir. I love using a jar for this step and give it a good shake.
By the time you are ready prepping, the rice should be done. Stir in the 4 tbsp of sushi seasoning and let it steam in the rice cooker while you cook the rest.
Ok you are ready to wok! Heat the wok and add a little bit of oil, add the bak choi and give it a quick toss for not more than a minute. You still want the greens to stay firm. Once cooked take them out and set aside.
Add more oil to the wok and add the chillies, ginger, garlic and green onions. Keep the heat on medium high and stir continuously for 2 minutes. Add the shiitake and keep stirring. They will absorb the oil so add more if needed. Cook for 4-5 minutes and add your sauce.
You can start plating up. Add some rice to a bowl, top with the mushrooms and add the bak choi. Even though the sauce coats the rice and makes it taste incredibly delicious, I still like to add a bit of extra soy sauce as I eat. Enjoy!
