Mushroom Savvy – Mushrooms in Oyster Sauce
In my youth I can’t say that I was a fan of mushrooms. I would never eat them outright. If someone insisted on a pizza with mushrooms, I would reluctantly manage, although pizza-topping mushrooms back then were mostly wet, slimy, canned things, with little to no real flavor. In Chinese food, they could usually be pushed to the side as I focused on other, more important items in a dish. The one exception was Rock Sugar Chicken, one of my gateways to cooking; I used to make it frequently under my father’s guidance. The Chinese dried black mushrooms – we now know them as shiitakes – would swell with the sweetness of sugar in the braising liquid. They did not taste like your average mushroom.
It wasn’t until I met my wife that my palate was opened wide to mushrooms. I remember the first time I ate a whole Portobello, at a small restaurant high up on a hill on the island of St. John. Someone had gifted us a meal as a wedding present at a restaurant we could certainly not afford and it topped the salad we had ordered. I savor cream of mushroom soup, warm and hearty, the mushrooms providing the flavorful umami base that makes it so delicious. And there’s nothing wrong with a heap of simply sautéed mushrooms smothering a burger.
While any of these are good, and I’d eat them any day of the week, they don’t get to the essence of mushrooms; they don’t bring out the absolute best in the fungus. I have found only three recipes that do just that; recipes, which are the “right” way to cook mushrooms. (A little elitist, maybe, but they’re solid recipes.)
The first is Mushrooms In Olive Oil, adapted from Claudia Roden’s The New Book of Middle Eastern Food. It was one of the recipes that turned me on to mushrooms. Simple in preparation, I’ve always thought of it as the ultimate recipe for everyday supermarket white button mushrooms, a perfect component of an antipasto platter.
The second of these recipes is one of my own creation, Mushroom and Goat Cheese Pâté. Mushrooms – a combination of white button, cremini, oyster, shiitake, and any other variety you can find – are sautéed with shallots in oil with a bit of butter. They are cooked down to concentrate their flavor. Once cooled they are pureed with goat cheese and spread on toasts. Creamy and savory, they are delicious.
The last of the three recipes returns to a Chinese preparation of shiitake mushrooms. Bok Choy with Black Mushrooms from Saveur makes an excellent side dish at any Chinese meal, and is flawless atop pan fried noodles. The oyster sauce and Shaoxing cooking wine perfectly flavor the hearty, meaty mushrooms, and the baby bok choy (which can be replaced by any other kind of greens) isn’t so bad itself. Lately I have taken to skipping the greens and focusing on the mushrooms. I’ll stir fry a handful as one component in spicy or vegan ramen (using vegan oyster sauce, of course), or I may slice them thinly and serve them as a side with a piece of seared, sesame-crusted tuna.
I understand that not everyone is a mushroom enthusiast. Looking on the bright side, that leaves more for me. For those who are fans, eat mushrooms any way you can get them. But when you want something really special, prepare one of these recipes; they are the best ways I have found to cook mushrooms.
Mushrooms in Oyster Sauce
This recipe is adapted from Bok Choy with Black Mushrooms from Saveur. The mushrooms stand alone, and so I have left out the bok choy. If you want the green vegetable (and it is excellent as a side dish or or on top of pan fried noodles), by all means, consult the original and add it.
I don’t always have a couple of tablespoons of chicken stock defrosted and on hand, and I’m certainly not going to open a can just for this small amount. You can easily use water in its place, or if you are using dried shiitakes, use a little of the soaking water (avoiding the bottom of the bowl which may have sediment from the dried mushrooms).
about 15 minutes, plus ½ hour soaking time if using dried mushrooms
12 – 15 shiitake mushrooms (fresh or Chinese dried black mushrooms)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. (or more) chicken stock, water, or mushroom soaking water
2 Tbsp. Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 Tbsp. oyster sauce (or vegan oyster sauce)
- If using Chinese dried black mushrooms, soak them for about a half hour in boiling water until reconstituted.
- Cut the tough mushroom stems off and discard. Keep the caps whole if small, or cut into bite-size pieces or strips, depending on how you will use them.
- Heat oil on high, in a wok or heavy bottom pot. Add mushrooms and stir to coat with oil.
- Add chicken stock, water, or mushroom soaking water, along with Shaoxing rice wine, and oyster sauce. Stir to coat, lower heat to medium and cover.
- Cook mushrooms, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more stock, water, or mushroom soaking water as needed so they do not burn. Serve plain, over pan fired noodles, or in ramen.
