Spicy Braised Shiitake with Crunchy Peanuts
This Chinese-inspired dish is originally made with eggplant, but it works great with shiitake as well! Enjoy with a bowl of white rice.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp roasted peanuts, crushed
250 g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 green onions, chopped
2 tbsp cane sugar
1 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Korean pepper powder (gochugaru) or chili flakes
Drizzle of olive oil
Instructions:
Plate the mushrooms when cooked. Garnish with the green onion that was set aside and the crushed peanuts.
Make the sauce by combining the cane sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and Korean pepper powder.
Heat up a sauté pan on medium-high heat. Drizzle with olive oil.
Add the shiitake when the pan is hot and starts to lightly smoke. Sear the mushrooms until they get some colour and start to release moisture.
Add the garlic and sauté for 3–5 minutes, then add the green onion.
Add the sauce plus the water. Deglaze the pan, then cover and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.