Mushroom Umami – Sweet & Sour

By: Stefanie Maniatis

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
50g sugar, for sweetness and caramelisation
800g mushrooms, cut into small mouthful-sized pieces (any mixture of King Oyster, Enoki, Portobello, Brown, Lion’s Mane, Shitake)
5cm knob of ginger, cut into 1-2 mm discs
For sweet and sour sauce (seasoning ingredients):
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese dark vinegar (for flavour)
1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
1 tsp dark soy sauce (for colour and flavour)
1 cup rice vinegar (for delicate sour flavour)
2 star anise
3 bay leaves, fresh and crushed lightly in hand to release oils
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of ground pepper
3 spring onions, sliced thinly for garnish

Heat oil in wok or large frying pan over medium heat.
Add sugar and stir until fully dissolved and liquid has a caramel consistency.
Quickly stir in mushrooms and coat all pieces.
Add ginger and stir quickly.
Add all seasoning ingredients and stir to combine, allowing liquid to thicken into a glossy, sticky sauce, about 3-4 mins.
Garnish with spring onions. Enjoy this Mushroom Umami - Sweet & Sour recipe!