Mushroom Kushiyaki
Kushiyaki (grilled skewers) is a class of Japanese cuisine that involves food, usually meat, threaded on bamboo skewers and often brushed with a glaze before grilling. You are probably familiar with one of the most popular types – yakitori – which is made with chicken. here we take a vegetarian turn with hearty Portobello mushrooms standing in for meat. If you don’t want to fire up the grill, you can forgo the skewers altogether and cook the mushrooms on a foil-lined tray under the broiler. Serve the mushrooms with steamed short-grain rice and a bowl of miso soup for a light meal. To amp up the protein, you could add cubes of seitan or firm tofu to the skewers along with the mushrooms, brushing all with the glaze before grilling. The mushrooms are also a great side dish for a non-Japanese, or non-vegetarian meal. all in all, a quick, easy and tasty addition to your summer grilling repertoire!
Baby Portobello Mushrooms 24, wiped clean
Soy Sauce 1/4 cup
Sake or Dry Sherry
1/4 cup
Mirin or White Wine
1/4 cup
Sugar or Honey 2 tsp
Green Onion 1, sliced on the diagonal
Sesame Seeds 1 Tbs
1 IN a small saucepan, bring the soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, until thickened slightly. Set aside to cool.
2 TRIM the mushroom stems level with the caps. Thread the mushrooms on the skewers if grilling, or place stem side down on a foil-lined tray if broiling. Brush the mushrooms caps liberally with the glaze.
3 HEAT the grill or broiler and cook the mushrooms for 3–5 minutes, until just starting to brown. Turn the mushrooms over and brush the stem and gills with glaze. Cook for a further 3–5 minutes.
4 PLACE the mushrooms on a serving platter and drizzle with any remaining glaze. Scatter the green onions over the top and garnish with sesame seeds.