Gochujang Glazed King Oyster Mushroom

Gochujang is a Korean chili paste with both savory and sweet characters. It's rather mild per my taste, at least opposed to Chinese chili sauce. It can be used like regular chili sauce, adding another layer of flavor to the food you make. Due to its paste-like consistency, it can easily turn into glaze, like the recipe here for king oyster mushrooms. 

Gochujang glazed king oyster mushroom -

Ingredients?

• 4 medium king oyster mushrooms
• 1 string scallion
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• Some toasted white sesame seeds

Sauce:

• 1 garlic clove 
• 2 tablespoons gochujang
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Chinese rice cooking wine
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

How?

Peel and grate the garlic then add to a bowl. Also add in all other ingredients listed under the "sauce" section. Mix till blended.

Finely chop the scallion, which will be used for garnish in the end. Trim the bottom of the king oyster mushroom then slice it, about 1 mm thickness.

Use a non-stick pan, drizzle about 2 tablespoons of sesame oil over and turn to medium heat. Once the surface warms up, add in mushroom slices and sear for about 30 seconds. Flip to the other side and continue to sear for another 30 seconds.

Pour in the sauce mixture and turn to medium high heat. Be careful because the heat might cause the sauce to splash a little bit, perhaps take a kitchen towel to guard yourself in the beginning. 

Use medium high heat and continue to cook till the sauce turns sticky and slightly thickened, like a glaze. Plate and garnish with some toasted white sesame seeds and chopped scallion.

Despite its color, this dish is not that spicy at all. Most of the spicy flavor has been toned down with the seasonings used. 

You can serve the king oyster mushroom hot or cold, both works fine. As for myself, some steamed rice to eat along sounds like a good idea.

Other recipe using gochujang:

• Oven-baked gochujang salmon fillets

Eggplant and Tomato Stewed Rice 雙茄豬肉燴飯

Stewed rice, the translated name can be misleading in some way, but that's the best way to put it after an extended research online. It's not what it appears, like literally stewing the rice grains. But rather the toppings were cooked with some liquid, usually a light flavored stock, then added corn starch water to thicken it up. The end result is a slightly gooey, somewhat soupy topping to eat with rice.

One of the closest consistency that I can think of is gumbo. Stewed rice in a way is similar to eating gumbo with rice. 

Eggplant and tomato stewed rice 雙茄豬肉燴飯 - 

Ingredients (about 4 to 5 portions)?

• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 long variety eggplants
• 2 to 3 medium sized ripe tomatoes
• 4 to 5 portions cooked rice (I used quinoa and white rice)
• 4 to 5 garlic cloves
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons spicy fermented bean paste 豆瓣醬
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Some black pepper
• Some corn starch and water mixture
• Some olive oil or other preferred cooking oil

How? 

Precook the rice first and keep warm while working on other ingredients.

There is no need to peel the eggplant skin. Simply remove the stems then slice the eggplants diagonally. Remove the stems then slice the tomatoes to smaller chunks. Peel and chop the garlic cloves.

Take a non-stick pan, drizzle about 3 tablespoons of oil then turn to medium heat. Add in eggplant slices and sear till both sides slightly colored. Add more oil if needed since eggplant can absorb quite the amount of oil. Once done, scoop out and set aside for later use.

Still using the same pan, drizzle more oil to evenly coat the surface. Turn to medium high heat this time. Once warmed up, add in tomatoes along with chopped garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Give it a quite stir-fry.

Transfer ground pork over and cook till just fully cooked through. Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoons of spicy fermented bean paste, and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Stir-fry for about a minute. 

Add back the cooked eggplant and give it a quick mix. Pour in the chicken stock.

Bring to a boil then switch to low heat. Taste and adjust here, season with more salt if needed. Prepare a small amount of corn starch and water mixture on a separate bowl. Mix well before adding to the pan. 

Remember to add the corn starch water mixture while gently stir the ingredients to prevent lumps. Try to aim for slightly thickened yet still a tiny bit soupy consistency.

Scoop some rice to serving plate then add some thickened soupy ingredients over. Sprinkle some more black pepper on top.

I love the sourness touch from the ripe tomatoes, which was also balanced off with additional granulated sugar. On top of that, the soft texture of the tomatoes and eggplant are now filled with juicy flavors, especially eggplant can act like a sponge, taking in quite the amount of liquid during the cooking process.  

Other rice recipes:

• Ground chicken and shiitake mushroom congee 香菇雞肉粥
• Three cup chicken fried rice 三杯雞炒飯
• Arroz con chorizo y camarones (rice with chorizo and shrimp)
• Mama Yu's cabbage rice 余媽媽高麗菜飯
• Cilantro and lime basmati rice