Two Ways to Make Shiitake Mushrooms with Rice Noodles

Right before coming to Spain this third time around, my mother decided to help me with the packing. Before I even got to put any personal belongings in my suitcase, it was already stuffed with three different types of loose leaf teas, freshly ground sesame paste, spicy Korean instant noodles, various hard-to-find Asian spices, sweet Chinese sausages, rice noodles, and a very large bag of dried shiitake mushrooms. Yes, these all went on a plane and passed the security check point in four different countries. From the states, I flew to China to visit family for a week, then got on another plane to Spain with a transfer in Moscow. Everything made it – even the sausages, which were a big hit among my Spanish roommates.

I let those dried little mushrooms sit in my pantry for over four months. I had no idea what to do with them, what with no instructions. But since I’ve been more adventurous in my cooking in recent months, I finally decided to open the package. I’m a bit of a lazy cook I have to admit. I never remember to soak dried food in water overnight, nor do I have the patience to thaw meat (it’s a bit hard when you have two naughty cats with sharp noses around the house), which is one of the reasons I don’t cook meat very often. Anyway, found a shortcut: soak dried mushrooms in boiled water with a lid on it for 15 minutes and voila! Mmm and the aroma that rises up from the steaming bowl when you remove the lid is enough to make you want to take a big bite of that juicy mushroom.

But don’t be so hasty. The taste of shiitake adds a lot of flavor to other vegetables too. So if you’re not living in Spain, where shiitake mushrooms cost a fortune – if you can even find any that is – try these recipes:

Shiitake Stir-fry with Fried Rice Noodles

One day I got off work early and was craving mushroom risotto for lunch. I do this a lot on my walk back home: plan my meals in my head and get terribly hungry thinking about it and start half running towards my house once I reach the river. What a terrible disappointment when I got to my apartment and turned my fridge upside down only to discover that I didn’t have any mushrooms left. My only resort was the dried shiitake in my pantry which I had barely given a thought until now. A pungent fungus traditionally used in Asian cooking doesn’t go well with cheese and butter. All right, skip the risotto idea. A stir-fry, why not? Let’s do it!





INGREDIENTS//

+ 4 large shiitake mushrooms halved or quartered (whichever you prefer)
+ 1/4 of a head of cabbage roughed chopped
+ 1 carrot in julienne (sliced long and thin)
+ 1/2 zucchini in julienne
+ 1/2 piece of ginger minced
+ one spring onion finely chopped
+ one teaspoon of sugar
+ salt to taste
+ soy sauce for coloring
+ rice noodles to deep fry
+ vegetable oil

RECIPE//

This is enough for about two servings. So as I said before, soak your shrooms in boiled water for 15-20 minutes. If you are patient, the longer the better.

First, I made the fried noodles which take about 20 seconds. In a wok or a deep pan, fill with vegetable oil to approximate two inches deep. Wait until the oil is hot then toss in the dried rice noodles and witness magic before your eyes. They pop up instantly like popcorn. Place them on a paper towel to soak up the oil. When the noodles are done, save up the oil for your next frying adventure, but leave just a bit in the pan for the veggies.

Now, put in the ginger, carrots, zucchini, and shiitake first to saute for three minutes. Then add the cabbage, spring onion, sugar, and drizzle in just a bit of soy sauce. Cook for another two minutes, add salt, then you’re done! Serve with fried noodles on the side.


Spicy Shiitake and Tofu Potpourri

For lack of a better description, we will call this dish a potpourri, since it is a confusing mixture of random ingredients that were handy. My friend Gwyn came over one night with the excuse of wanting to play our guitars but we ended up cooking for most of the time. Coincidentally I had just purchased a pack of smoked tofu the same day. Gwyn just happened to have a jar of bamboo in her backpack. Tofu, bamboo, shiitake, leftover ginger – it was an Asian food night.







INGREDIENTS//

+ 4-5 shiitake mushrooms diced or chopped
+ one pack of smoked tofu cubed
+ 1/2 a bell pepper cut into rings
+ one tomato diced
+ 2 small cayenne peppers finely chopped
+ canned bamboo shoots
+ 1-2 cloves of garlic minced
+ 1/3 ginger peeled and minced
+ soy sauce
+ salt to taste
+ olive oil
+ rice noodles to boil
+ raw carrots to garnish

RECIPE//

This would have been nice if we had some spring onions, but alas, none was to be found in the fridge. Let’s not dwell on the impossibility of turning back time. Unless, of course, we had an H.G. Wells patented time machine! I digress, on with the recipe.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C, which is about 400 F. Paint your little tofu cubes with soy sauce on both sides then stick them in the oven for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the shiitake in small pieces and toss them into a wok or pan with the olive oil, garlic, ginger, cayenne peppers, and bell pepper. When the tofu is done roasting, add them to the pan along with the bamboo shoots and tomato. Drizzle in just a bit of soy sauce, sprinkle in the salt, and toss for 5 minutes or so (or whenever the tomato juice gets soaked up). Gwyn and I also added a bit of the leftover water that the shiitake were soaking in just for that extra earthy flavor.

As for the noodles.. super simple to prepare. Boil them in water or the leftover shiitake water until they are soft. They cook much faster than pasta so don’t overboil! When they’re drained, add them to the tofu-shiitake potpourri and mix.

Gwyn recommends that you artfully cut some pieces of carrot to garnish. It will get a bit spicy, so carrots are a refreshing element to the dish. So try it out and let me know what you think!

Chinese Tea Eggs

Let’s start off the new year with one of my mom’s old recipes – hard boiled tea eggs! Delicious, really easy to make, but a bit time consuming. But hey, all I got is free time to spend in the kitchen. I much prefer these flavorful eggs, the taste and the appearance, to normal hard boiled eggs. Since they take 2+ hours to make, my mom would throw in 10 or 15 at a time, leave them on the stove on a low fire for what seemed like half the day, then we’d have enough eggs for the rest of the month.

Now if your mother was anything like mine, you probably never bought any food or went to a restaurant during your family vacations. But I very much doubt anyone had huge tupperwares filled with tea eggs and steamed buns and cold beef marinating in a vinegar sauce that occupied the backseat of the car. Typical vacation food. I’m not complaining though, everything my mother made was delicious.

I had the idea to try making these eggs in Spain after going back home for the summer. In August, my boyfriend, Luis, and I took a week long road trip to Nevada and Arizona and guess what we found waiting for us in the car? An ice chest filled with food, and lots and lots of eggs. Luis was a big fan. That means a lot because he’s one picky bastard. And if he likes it, I think you will too. So, let's get started!






Boyfriend approved!


INGREDIENTS//

+ eggs
+ black tea leaves (no green tea)
+ star anise
+ spicy peppercorn
+ soy sauce
+ salt

An advanced warning: I hate measuring ingredients, in fact I never do, which is why I'll never be a baker. For this recipe, if you're going to make... let's say 6 or 10 eggs, use two pinches of tea leaves, 2 or 3 pinches of salt, around 4 full star anises, a (very) small handful of peppercorn, and enough soy sauce until the water in the pot turns dark brown. Taste the water and make sure that it's salty, but not too salty.

You can find star anise and spicy peppercorn in most Asian supermarkets. If there isn't one nearby, you can find star anise in a spice and herb shop since it's a common ingredient in some teas. Replace the spicy peppercorn with normal peppercorn, but it might lose a bit of it's Chinese touch.


RECIPE//

Put the eggs in a large, deep pot - however many you want to make - and make sure they have space to move and do their eggy business. Add enough cold water in the pot so that it fully covers all the eggs. The trick to making good hard boiled eggs is to start off with cold water, not hot or already boiling. That way the shell comes off nice and clean afterward.

Leave the fire on high until the water starts boiling, then lower to medium. Let the eggs boil for four minutes then remove and rinse under cold water for about a minute. Once you're cool enough to touch, crack the eggs but DO NOT PEEL.

When the entire shell is covered with cracks, it's ready to go back in the pot with new cold water, not the hot water from before. Add the soy sauce and salt first. (Make sure to put the soy sauce in before the tea leaves.) Once the water starts boiling again, throw in the leaves, star anise, and spicy peppercorn.

Turn the fire down to low so that the water is still boiling. Cover the pot and leave on the stove for 2-3 hours. In fact, the longer you leave the eggs boiling, the better it will taste. Some people have been known cook these eggs overnight. The egg white will have a firm texture and the interior will crumble as you bite into it. Now get to it! Forget about the eggs for half the day and go read a book.