We partnered with Mizkan™ Rice Vinegars and Sauces to bring you this post. As always on The Woks of Life, all opinions are our own. Enjoy!
Teriyaki Mushrooms. I swear they taste so close to teriyaki chicken, it’s crazy! We’ve been looking for more ways to eat less meat as a family, and this teriyaki mushroom bento is a great way to enjoy a satisfying, tasty meal without defrosting a single piece of meat.
Cooking with King Oyster Mushrooms
Ok, so we’ve been on a bit of a king oyster mushroom kick lately. I posted this spicy Sichuan king oyster mushroom stir-fry, which mimics a traditional Chinese dish of pork kidneys. My sister transformed the same mushrooms into a tasty recreation of one of our favorite scallop dishes, to make her king oyster mushrooms with garlic and glass noodles.
These tasty mushrooms, also called king trumpet mushrooms, are so meaty and delicious, they really lend themselves well to serving as a meat/seafood substitute.
They’re quite large (you only need 4 or 5 of them to make a meal for two), and their thick, white stems and flat brown caps are all edible.
We find them at Asian grocery stores, but they’re gradually moving into the mainstream. You might see them in well-stocked supermarkets (usually where the other “gourmet” mushrooms are, like shiitakes and chanterelles).
They’re definitely much more affordable at Asian markets, however, so look there first.
A Simple Teriyaki Sauce
Teriyaki has become a familiar, comforting flavor even in the West. The sauce’s sweet, salty, savory flavor adds dimension to fish, meats, and vegetables of all kinds.
But while you may want to reach for a bottle of pre-mixed teriyaki sauce, I’m here to tell you that making a teriyaki sauce at home is quite easy!
All you need is a few basic ingredients––ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and one signature ingredient that will bring out that authentic Japanese flavor––mirin.
Mirin is a Japanese staple. If you’ve ever wondered what gives many Japanese dishes their signature flavor, mirin is probably the answer. We used Mizkan Mirin Sweet Cooking Seasoning in this recipe, a tasty trio of sweet, sour, and bitter flavors. It’s great for sauces like the teriyaki in this recipe, as well as marinades and glazes.
We like Mizkan’s products because the brand has been around for over 200 years, refining the Japanese flavors we all know and love and bringing them to our tables. With these sauces and condiments in your pantry, you can make authentic Japanese recipes at home with absolute ease.
Case in point…this oyster mushroom teriyaki recipe has only 7 ingredients, and can be made in one pan, in under 10 minutes!
A Bento Box Lunch, Perhaps?
These teriyaki mushrooms lend themselves really well to making bento, so with some of the extra time we all have on our hands these days, we had fun putting one together.
Bento is a single portion meal common in Japan and other Asian countries, usually with a main dish of fish or meat, rice or noodles, vegetables, and other side dishes.
Kyaraben are bento made for kids, with the food arranged to look like animals or cute characters. Is a rice ball decorated with seaweed to look like a panda better than a plain rice ball? Why yes, I imagine it is!
There is something just plain delightful about eating your way through a bento boxed lunch. First off, it’s a feast for the eyes. Everything is neatly placed, artfully arranged, and tightly packed together.
I recently found out that there are actual competitions for bento arrangements, to see who can create the most aesthetically pleasing (and I assume tasty? I hope there are flavor points) bento.
There’s also such a variety of tastes, textures, and flavors to experience at once. Because there are several items to sample, you can easily create a balanced, healthy meal.
In this post, I’ll talk about how I put my teriyaki mushroom bento box together.
Teriyaki Mushroom Bento: Recipe Instructions
To make the teriyaki mushrooms, start by trimming off the ends of the king oyster mushrooms. Dice them into ½-inch cubes.
Heat the vegetable oil in a cast iron or nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the oyster mushroom pieces to the pan.
Fry on all sides until golden brown and caramelized. Don’t overcrowd the mushrooms, or they’ll steam!
Add the ginger to the pan, and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Then add the Mizkan Mirin, soy sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil.
Mix to evenly coat the mushrooms in the sauce. Done!
To assemble and arrange bento:
To accompany my teriyaki mushrooms, I made some steamed rice (a mix of medium grain brown rice and white rice for a balanced texture), hard boiled eggs, pan-fried gyoza, sliced fruit (I used ripe pears), and a salad of marinated carrots and edamame.
If you’d like to make assembly easier, use leftover rice and frozen gyoza. (If you stocked your freezer with homemade gyoza, even better!) You can also boil the eggs in advance and use whatever fruit you have on hand. Sliced apples, a peeled clementine, or fresh berries all work great.
As for the marinated vegetables, here’s what I did: I julienned half a carrot, microwaved some frozen shelled edamame for 30 seconds, and combined them in a medium bowl. I mixed in a teaspoon of Mizkan Natural Rice Vinegar (we like using Mizkan, Japan’s #1 rice vinegar brand!*), a teaspoon of sesame oil, and a pinch of salt. And that was it!
You can apply this simple seasoning method to any vegetables you have––blanched broccoli and/or cauliflower, julienned zucchini, blanched green beans, or even blanched leafy greens like bok choy and watercress.
If you have more questions about bento prep, our friend Nami at Just One Cookbook (our favorite Japanese food blog) has tons of tips on prepping bento.
Enjoy this recipe, everyone!
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Recipe
Teriyaki Mushroom Bento
Ingredients
For the Teriyaki Mushrooms:
- 4 king oyster mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon ginger (minced)
- 2 tablespoons mirin (such as Mizkan Mirin Sweet Cooking Seasoning)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Bento Box Accompaniments:
- Steamed rice
- Hard boiled eggs
- Gyoza (steamed or pan-fried)
- Sesame marinated vegetables (toss 1 cup steamed, blanched, or raw vegetables in 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, such as Mizkan Natural Rice Vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and a pinch of salt)
- Fresh fruit
Instructions
- Trim off the ends of the king oyster mushrooms. Dice them into ½-inch
cubes. - Heat the vegetable oil in a cast iron or nonstick pan over medium heat.
Add the oyster mushroom pieces to the pan, and fry on all sides until golden
brown and caramelized. Don’t overcrowd the mushrooms, or they’ll steam! - Add the ginger to the pan, and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Then
add the Mizkan Mirin, soy sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil. Mix to evenly
coat the mushrooms in the sauce. - To make a bento box lunch, serve the teriyaki oyster mushrooms over
steamed rice, with various accompaniments, like hard boiled eggs, gyoza,
vegetables, and sliced fruit.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Facts
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Mizkan™ Rice Vinegars and Sauces, available nationwide at Walmart and select retailers. Follow Mizkan on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.
* Source: INTAGE SRI. Rice Vinegar Accumulated Sales Revenue 2015 to 2019
