Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Stuffed shiitake mushroom

I love mushroom. So much. That`s why I love playing Mario Bros. Wait. What?
I saw this stuffed mushroom in a Japanese cookbook and I kept thinking to give it a try. In fact, I did make it today. In the original recipe, only shrimp is used for stuffing. So I thought I might want to add something to it, because I just didn`t want to spend my time too much on preparing the shrimp. See? Being lazy sometimes makes you more creative.

Alright. Kitchen now, please. Deshell, devein, and wash the shrimp.


 If you use frozen corn kernels (like I did), thaw them first at room temperature or simply rinse them with hot water until they are softened enough to be processed.


Now put the shrimp and corn in a food processor and push the button. ROAR! That`s how my processor screams. I hope my neighbor forgives me all the time.


The stuffing is ready now. Oh no, it`s not ready. Season it with salt, pepper, coriander, and cayenne pepper.

 

 Now let`s work on the mushrooms. Shiitake mushroom usually has a rather thick and fat cap with a hard stem attached on the middle beneath the cap. Hey Mario, come here get your mushroom!
Sorry. I told you how much I love Mario and mushroom, right?
You need to remove the stem before stuffing.  I have no idea if there`s a proper way to destem this mushroom, but here`s how I usually do it.
Hold the cap with your left hand and the stem with your right thumb and index finger. Snap the stem to the side while slowly turning the cap around. You`ll see how the stem will slowly dislodge from the cap and leave a nice empty space. Just try not to directly pull the stem out because you`ll end up tearing up the cap, which is not good because we need them to hold the stuffing. My explanation might seem discouraging, but believe me. This should be easy, especially if the mushroom are big ones.


Never throw away the stems. Ever. They`re as good as the cap. Just chop or slice them up and set aside.


So, these are the caps and they`re ready for stuffing!


Use a teaspoon to stuff the filling into the cap. Just look how cute they are!

Now drizzle and heat olive oil on a frying pan and start sauteing the mushrooms on a low heat. Start with the cap on bottom first. Don`t crowd your mushrooms, otherwise they won`t brown. Or something like that. That`s what I can remember from Julie & Julia. I do follow that, but only this time, I purposely crowded my mushrooms because I want the stuffing to be steamed while frying and I put a lid on so the heat retains inside.


 After 5 minutes or until the cap gets wilted and browned (or a bit burned), flip them over, and brown the stuffing too. Although, the corn and shrimp get cooked quite fast, I kept flipping both surfaces to make sure they`re properly cooked.


So, when your mushrooms are done, set them on a plate. 
Don`t forget the precious stems. Brown them with sesame oil and stir in soy sauce, vinegar, and fish sauce.


Place the stem on the plate with the mushrooms and drizzle the sauce over.



Let me have a bite.
Oh...my.



Ingredients:
Shiitake mushroom, separate cap and stem
Shrimp
Sweet corn kernels
Salt
Pepper
Coriander
Cayenne pepper
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Vinegar
Fish sauce

13 comments:

  1. This is totally beautiful! I will prepare this for my mother next week. This could be the ultimate vegetarian dish that she is going to love!

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  2. Thanks, Jun! By the way, in my cookbook, they cook the mushrooms in a steamer, just like making shumai. You might want to try ;) Hope your mother like it too!

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  3. how creative! and yes mushrooms are cute, delicious and healthy! yum yum!

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  4. aww! looks so delicioso! btw, i finally bought an electric takoyaki pan from amazon.jp.

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  5. @Rita: Right?? Cookbooks always have fantastic ideas!

    @Redwhitebride: Wow! From here? Why not from US? It sounds fun for serving holiday guests :))

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  6. These shiitake mushrooms with those ingredients, are a tasty recipe. In Korea also prepare the way parecidda mushrooms, but with meat.

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  7. Hi there! Yes, some recipes in Japan too do suggest the use of meat or mixture of meat and seafood for the stuffing. It`s simply like filling for dumpling, I guess.

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  8. Interesting combination with shrimp and corn. I bet it tasted nice. I like the sauce idea to drizzle over. Thanks for posting the recipe. Your pictures look lovely.

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  9. Thanks, Holly! I still need to learn more, but I`m totally blushing here :D

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  10. These look awesome! Shiitake are my favorite mushrooms but I never thought about stuffing them. Great idea.

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  11. Thanks! I wish I could do the stuffing with other cheaper mushroom too, though

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  12. Wonderful post, so descriptive, fun and delightful! I'm imagining intoxicating mushroom-shrimp-corn aromas right now, what a treat!

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  13. Thanks for visiting! I`m really glad you enjoyed reading it. These stuffed mushrooms seem too big for a bentou box, but who knows? You`re the bentou master ;)

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