Shrooms

Happy Mushroom Day! Okay for those who do not know that today is mushroom day, now you know. I asked a couple of classmates in my class if they eat or know what mushrooms is and many of them do not eat or know how to cook them. Yeah, you know who I am talking about if you are reading this. What a shocker! I am not talking about the magic mushrooms Mario eats in his game to grow and shrink. We are talking about real food that you grow and eat, not some virtual game in a galaxy far far away...            

Well, in my family cooking we often use mushrooms to cook with meat such as chicken, beef, pork or fish. It is really delicious. It is consider a vegetable in my family but it is really a fungus. Mushrooms is often used as side courses in most Asian cultures and when you first bite into it, feels so weird. The texture is like a sponge which I like about them is that they can absorb the sauce you cook them in which makes it mouth watering. Is it... Bacteria? Mold?  But, be aware that not all mushrooms you see growing on the ground are edible so be careful. Mushrooms are usually used in Chinese, European, and Japanese cuisines so you might have tried it before without knowing it. There are so many different types to choose from such as Shiitake, Oyster, Enoki, Cremini, Portobello, and many more. Shittake and Enoki are some of my favorite types of mushroom and especially the Enoki so cute. Some people put mushrooms on top of pizzas, in the spaghetti sauces and even the mushroom cream of soup, yum-o. Today, I am going to share a mushroom recipe from a blog, hope you guys enjoy it and try it at home. 


Teriyaki Mushroom Salad

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil (or butter)
1/2 pound mushrooms (sliced)
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 handful salad greens
1 handful grape tomatoes tomatoes
1 handful sliced cucumber
1 stalk celery celery
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 green onion (sliced)
1 tablespoon goats cheese (crumbled)

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the mushrooms and saute until just caramelizing, about 10-15 minutes.
3. Add the teriyaki sauce and simmer to reduce to thicken.
4. Assemble the rest of the salad.
5. Pour the mushrooms and teriyaki sauce onto the salad and garnish with toasted sesame seeds, green onions and crumbled goat cheese.

How to avoid poisonous mushrooms:

1. Do not eat or put unknown fungi in near or in your mouth.
2. Do no collect growing unidentified mushrooms until permitted or identified. (Why are you wondering in the forest?)
3. Better yet, only cook and eat mushrooms from grocery stores or local farm markets.
4. If you follow steps 1-3, you will not have the risk of getting poison by mushrooms.


What are your favorite types of mushrooms? Thanks!