Stuffed Mushrooms

These vegan stuffed mushrooms are simply delicious!! An excellent addition to any party or special ocassion.


Ingredients
22 big mushrooms (they sometimes are called “stuffing mushrooms”), washed and patted dry
1 tablespoon peanut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup finely diced daikon
3 tablespoons mirin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 1/2 cups panko
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, plus extra for greasing the pan and garnish
2–4 tablespoons water
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions, plus extra for garnish
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds



Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

First, remove the stems from the mushrooms. An easy way to do this is to cup one in your writing hand, stem up, and gently but firmly twist and pry the stem out. Then use a small spoon to remove any remaining stem. Do not discard the stems; chop them up small and set them aside. It’s common to break a mushroom or two, which is why the recipe calls for twenty-two mushrooms but stuffs twenty. If one breaks and can’t be used, just chop it up along with the stems. If you have a mushroom stem–removing talent and manage not to break any, then finely chop the two extras anyway.

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Pour in the peanut oil and sauté the chopped mushroom for about 3 minutes, until some moisture has released. Add the diced daikon and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and cook for a minute longer.

At this point, lots of moisture should be released from the mushrooms. Add the mirin, salt, and white pepper, and cook for about 2 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the panko in 1/2-cup batches and stir, alternately adding the sesame oil and splashes of water (up to 4 tablespoons) until all the bread crumbs are moist. The mixture should be crumbly but, when you press some between your fingers, it should hold together. Mix in the scallions and adjust the salt to taste.

Grease a baking sheet with a little sesame oil. Stuff each mushroom with the filling and place on the baking sheet. To stuff them, place a little of the filling into the mushroom crevice and then add another tablespoon on top of that, pressing firmly to form a mound.

Bake for 20 minutes. To serve, sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds over the mushrooms and drizzle with a little sesame oil, if desired. Garnish with extra chopped scallions. If you are going for a fancy plating, place a few mushrooms on a handful of raw spinach leaves.