ENOKI MUSHROOMS WITH GARLIC & SCALLION SAUCE
Enoki mushrooms are nothing new to me (a.k.a. enokitake). They’ve always been a big part of our lives. In Japan, they are referred to as Enoki. This type of mushroom is referred to as “lily mushrooms” or “golden needle mushrooms” in Chinese.
Buy ENOKI Mushrooms
Enoki mushrooms are commonly sold in vacuum-packed 7-ounce packets, and they may be kept refrigerated for a long time.
Fresh ones should be a brilliant white and have robust stems. Once you’ve chopped away roughly an inch of the roots! Once you’ve trimmed away around an inch of the roots!
You may use it as a companion in soup and hot pot, but when blanched and seasoned in an aromatic sauce, it takes center stage!
A VEGETARIAN RECIPE
When I was little, I eat Enoki mushrooms like a snack that were either canned or sold in glass jars with chile oil as a condiment. Because of their crunchy nature, they were an instant hit with me. Something this thin and mushroom-like is hard to imagine giving a substantial vegetable-like crunch.
Fresh Enoki has become more commonly available in soups and hot pots in recent years (to Mitch’s credit, this has only been the case in the last several years).
Thanks to Mitch, the vegan plight is familiar, but a reader recently mentioned that he had to search our site for vegan recipes. We’re sorry to hear that!
It was thus decided to share a few vegan dishes, with this Enoki Mushroom with Garlic and Scallion Sauce as the second. There will be more to come, starting with my Kung Pao Mushrooms.
Even though this is a vegan dish, I can say that it is equally as delicious as our steamed entire fish! When it comes to flavor, texture, ease of preparation, and overall healthfulness, this dish gets an A+ from me–and the fact that it’s vegan is just icing on the cake!
INGREDIENTS:
- 14 oz. of enoki mushrooms
- 2 tbsp. of oil
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 3 tbsp. of of light soy sauce
- ½ tsp. of sugar
- 1 scallion (finely chopped)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- When handling enoki mushrooms, use care. Remove roughly an inch of the root. Use your fingers to cut the enoki mushrooms into bite-sized pieces and arrange them tidily on the serving platter. Drain and rinse thoroughly.
- Cook the enoki mushrooms in two batches, one at a time, for one minute each in boiling water in a wok. Place the mushrooms in a serving dish after they have been removed from the water.
- Medium-high heat in a small saucepan is ideal. Add the garlic and heat for a few seconds more before serving (no need to brown the garlic). Pour in the sugar and scallions at this point. At this point, there’s no need to continue cooking. Garlic and scallions should not be overcooked; we want them to retain their fresh, sweet flavor. Serve the enoki mushrooms with the sauce, drizzled slowly over the top of the mushrooms.