Author: Yesterday I was looking at pictures of beef and drooling. Woah, woah, woah! Before anyone freaks out, let me explain. I often find inspiration for my recipe from animal-product filled recipes. It's not the meat that is making me drool, (that part is a real turn off for me). It's the idea I have in my head about how I can achieve similar textures and flavours. The chew, the crispiness, the umami, the juiciness. All that deliciousness but made blissfully vegan. That's what I am drooling over, my imagination.
So when I stumbled upon a few recipes for sesame beef, my brain started mentally sorting through my kitchen and I thought of the bag of dried shiitake mushrooms that I use in my Quick Vegan Pho and my Congee recipe. Even after soaking for a long time and cooking, the dried shiitake remain super juicy and chewy. Light bulb!
So I played around a bit, and BLAM-O! (Is blam-o a thing kids say now? I don't think so). I tossed the mushrooms in cornstarch fried them up and stirred them into a quick sauce.
~Pats self on back~
Slightly crispy on the outside, super chewy and juicy on the inside, coated in a sticky sweet and spicy sauce. Gah! This hit all of the flavour points and textures I was striving for and hot dang it's delicious.This just turned into one of my new favourite dishes that I will be whipping up on a regular basis.
For some more veggie-ness, feel free to add in some sautéed broccoli, bok choy, spinach, or other greenage. I served mine over rice, but I think rice noodles would also be fab. Enjoy!
To Make Crispy & Chewy Sesame Shiitake:
You are going to need dried shiitake mushrooms. Fresh mushrooms won't work the same way as they don't have the same chewy texture as the dried ones. I found a big bag of dried shiitake at my local grocery store, but if your store doesn't carry them, you can order them online. One bag lasts a long time!
Rehydrate the mushrooms by covering them in boiling water. I always put a bowl on top to help push to mushrooms down and keep them submerged. Soak them for around 40 minutes until they are nice and tender.
Drain the mushrooms. If you wish you can save the liquid to use as a mushroom broth. Now squeeze out the excess water from the mushrooms. Don't mush them to death, but just lightly squeeze them and shake off the water so they are on the drier side. Cut them into nice thick slices, about ½ inch.
Toss them in the cornstarch so they are evenly coated and shake off the excess.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Make sure the oil is nice and hot before adding in the mushrooms so that they fry, and not just soak up the oil. Fry the mushrooms until they are lightly golden on all sides, and no white cornstarch remains.
In the meantime make the sauce by adding all of the ingredients to a small saucepan. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes until it begins to thicken. Add in the fried shiitakes and toss to coat. Serve immediately over rice or in any way that you desire.
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Crispy & Chewy Sesame Shiitake
Servings: Servings as a main, 4 as a side
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Ingredients
For the shiitake:
- 2 cups dried shiitakes, (12-16 mushrooms)
- Boiling water, (to soak the mushrooms)
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons light oil, (such as canola or peanut), plus more if needed
For the sesame sauce:
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, , minced
- 1 inch piece of ginger, , minced
- 2 teaspoons sriracha or other hot sauce, (optional)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
For garnish:
- 2 green onion, , thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cover the mushrooms in boiling water, and put something on top to keep them submerged. Soak for around 40 minutes until tender. Drain the mushrooms. If you wish you can save the liquid to use as a mushroom broth. Now squeeze out the excess water from the mushrooms. Don’t mush them to death, but just lightly squeeze them and shake off the water so they are on the drier side. Slice them into nice thick slices, about ½ inch. Toss them in the cornstarch so they are evenly coated and shake off the excess.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Make sure the oil is nice and hot before adding in the mushrooms so that they fry, and not just soak up the oil. Fry the mushrooms until they are lightly golden on all sides, and no white cornstarch remains.
- In the meantime make the sauce by adding all of the ingredients to a small sauce pan. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes until it begins to thicken. Add in the fried shiitakes and toss to coat. Serve immediately over rice or in anyway that you desire, and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
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sheena says
holy cow. this recipe was AMAZING. i'm still in awe with how freaking delicious it was. definitely going to try using shiitake mushrooms with other marinades, cause the texture was on point. thank you thank you thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo!! So happy you loved it so much, Sheena! 😀
Leah says
Hi Sam!! I just moved to Auckland, New Zealand from Austin, Texas and moved in with my vegetarian Kiwi boyfriend. He doesn't like spending time in the kitchen and is more than happy eating the same thing (he likes roasting piles of mixed veg) day after day. I'm the opposite in both things; I love spending time in the kitchen and I crave variety in my cooking and the things I eat. Although I've never been a huge carnivore I'm not a vegetarian or vegan, however I only cook us vegetarian stuff at home. It's been a fun and interesting journey making things that are vegetarian where I don't miss the meat. It's also a challenge figuring out what recipes I can cook based upon what they have here at the grocery store. Mexican food (which I love) has been especially challenging as their selection of chilies and spices (Mexican, South American, Spanish etc) is pretty much non-existent. There's a heavy Asian influence here, but that doesn't really work for enchiladas or mole! Anyway, I'm babbling here. I made this recipe last night with a package of dried mushrooms I bought at the fruit and veg shop and it was sooooo amazing!! It's definitely going into my notebook of saved recipes. I can't wait to try some more of your stuff!!
Sam Turnbull says
Welcome, Leah! Sorry for the delay in response, I just got back from holiday. I am so happy you loved the recipe! I hope you find lots more recipes on my blog that can be made from ingredients you have access to. Happy veg cooking 😀
Cheryl says
Yum! I made this tonight. So good!
My meat eating boyfriend tasted it and liked it. He said next time he would definitely eat it.
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! I love winning over the meat eaters! Haha. So happy you both enjoyed it 🙂
Cheryl says
He's pretty good about trying things! This one I didn't even have to ask him to taste. He looked at it said how good it looked and said next time he would eat it. I gave him a mushroom to taste and sealed the deal!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Love it 🙂
Michelle McNamara says
Oooh aaahhh it's yummy As it'll be a favourite in My recipe's thankyou
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you like it Michelle!
Genevieve M says
I made this yesterday, SO good! I didn't have time to soak my mushrooms for 40 minutes so I threw them in my instant pot for 0 minutes and they were perfect. Made for a really quick lunch.
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing! So happy you enjoyed it Genevieve 🙂
April says
Wow!!! I made this just now---wow! Yummers and the odor I was concerned about is totally not an issue with dried mushrooms.
Sam Turnbull says
Perfect! So happy you loved it April 🙂
Rebecca says
YAAASSS! This recipe is so darn good! I love how the shiitake mushrooms are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside and the sauce is complex and tasty. Once you mix the mushrooms into the sauce, the whole dish is gorgeous! I will definitely be including this recipe in my top favorites to be cooked on a regular basis. I wonder what else this sauce can be applied to? It's so good that I'd love to use it in many other dishes.
Also, on a side note, thank you Sam for posting where you purchased your mushrooms from. I ordered the same ones and love them. I always think it's useful to have such information in case someone like myself wants to mimic your recipe as close as possible or just has no idea where to purchase an ingredient we may be purchasing for the first time.
Sam Turnbull says
Isn't it insanely good!? Feel free to fry up some veggies or tofu to toss with the sauce as well.
You're very welcome Rebecca! If there is ever an ingredient you are curious about that I didn't mention, just let me know, and I will try to help you find it 🙂
Rebecca says
Thanks, Sam! I'm looking forward to experimenting and trying the sauce in a veggie stir-fry.
Katja says
I wanted to ask if cornstarch can be replaced with tapioca starch? Also if apple vinegar can be a substitute for rice vinegar? I would like to make this now but don't feel like going to the grocery store now:) thank you in advance
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Katja,
I have never tried it myself, but my research says that tapioca starch might be ok in this recipe.
For the vinegar, I don't think that would be a very good substitute as they have a very different flavour, and rice vinegar is a very common flavour in these Asian inspired sauces. Apple cider vinegar would taste wrong and be too strong. Hope that helps!
Israel Hernandez says
I used coconut vinegar, tastes good with this recipe! 😉
qn says
I made this tonight. My husband was out mowing the grass when we took the first bite. I ran out and begged him to come in and eat. We couldn't wait until he was finished with the yard. This was incredible. We all LOVED it. After dinner we went online searching websites to order a big bag of Shiitakes.
Thanks for all your work in coming up with these awesome recipes.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!! That's so awesome! That comment totally made my day, thank you qn! 🙂
Sarah Marjot says
I love the concept of this recipe, but was any one else's intolerably salty? Like, obviously soy sauce is always going to be salty but my dad and I couldn't finish it and I couldn't taste any of the other ingredients. I'm a relative beginner to cooking so I'm not sure but is it possible that my soy sauce was just extra salty? Was I doing something wrong or was it always going to be like that? because I would love to try this recipe again 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Hmmm.... I do like salt, but it shouldn't be that salty. Hard to know what happened here without being in the kitchen with you. If you make it again, you can replace the soy sauce with water or vegetable broth. Hope that helps!
Tanya says
Somehow I missed this recipe when it first posted but it is PERFECT! I live on a boat and carry dried mushrooms because my fridge is often too small to have fresh mushrooms around...you make hard choices and the space is better used for other fresh veg. Anyway, I am always on the lookout for recipes made specifically for dried mushrooms (they don't always translate well to fresh mushroom recipes). Thank you!! Can't wait to try this! And any other recipes you know of that use dried mushrooms would be greatly appreciated. I try searching the internet but I don't always find dried mishroom recipes!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! That isn't even something I considered when writing the recipe, but goes to show, you never know who is going to love your recipes and why! Haha. I also use dried mushrooms in my Congee which is a savoury Chinese rice porridge. I think dried mushrooms have a really cool texture, so I am definitely going to keep them in mind for future recipes too. I hope you enjoy the Sesame Shiitake!
Mary says
This was delicious. Once the mushrooms were cooked, I tossed them and an equal amount of lightly-steamed broccoli into the sauce and served it all on rice. I did find that it took a lot more oil than 2 tablespoons -- maybe 1/3 cup in all -- and the cornstarch smoked the kitchen up pretty good, but it was well worth it. I'll definitely make it again soon. Another great recipe, Sam! I can hardly wait for your cookbook.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you liked it so much Mary! I use a cast iron skillet which is pretty non-stick, so perhaps thats why I was ok with less oil. So excited for my book too!! Almost done the second draft 🙂
Hilary says
My husband made this the other night and it was so good -- like, takeout-level good. Yum!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!! So happy you and your hubby loved it Hilary 🙂
mOm says
Just made your shitake dish. Delicious, except I chopped onions before I realized I didn't need them!! so sauteed them for a bit. Then I didn't have fresh ginger, so I used candied ginger and skipped the brown sugar. Still really good.
Thanks.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! The hobbit of chopping onions! I do that too. So happy you enjoyed it mom 🙂
Amy Morris says
Dang, that looks good! And I have an Asian grocery near me that sells dried mushrooms for cheap. Now I'm wondering if you could mimic clam strips with those bad boys! Can't wait to give your recipe a try!
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks Amy! I bet you could mimic clam strips with dried mushrooms for sure 🙂 I hope you like the recipe!
Bethery says
I save more of your stuff! This looks great.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha yay!!
kathy Sturr says
Y.U.M. Genius!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, awww shucks. Thanks Kathy!
ValToo says
I was so excited to see this recipe. I'm new to veganism and have fallen into a pattern of making the same things, which I'm bored with. I live in a rural area so no dried shitakes here. Ordering some today. Thank-you!
Sam Turnbull says
Congrats on your new veganism ValToo! There are so many scrumptious things to be had, no need to get stuck in the same old. I really hope you enjoy this recipe when you get your hands on some dried shiitakes, and be sure to check out all the recipes on my blog. There are lots that use ingredients you can get your hands on easily. Let me know if you ever have any questions or need any support! 😀
Sawyer says
You know, sesame beef is one of those things I didn't even realize I'd been missing so much until you posted this recipe! I LOVE THIS IDEA. And it looks so simple! Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
I'm so happy I satisfied a craving you didn't even know you had! Haha. Not gonna lie, I was pre-tay proud of myself with this one. I'm definitely going to be using dried shiitakes for many beef-y recipes to come 🙂
Sherise landrey says
This recipe looks awesome! And I absolutely love the way you write! I've never had someone make me laugh so hard, on a cooking blog. You're adorable, and a very creative cook to boot! Thanks for all the great recipes, and for keeping us entertained, and saving the animals, too! Bless you, kiddo!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha yay!! I love the comment. So happy I'm making you laugh. Thank you for the lovely compliments, it's my absolute pleasure to share recipes with you 🙂