Sticky Shiitake Bowl *drowned in kale*

Yesterday, I recreated a recipe I found on Bosh.tv after purchasing shiitake mushrooms by mistake. I figured there could be a creative way out there to make them crunchy and the star of the dish while making René forget all about steaks- and now I know there is, thanks to their website (and, ahem, I'd like to take a moment to brag about preparing 4 vegetarian meals in a row for our little family this week- sausages tonight, I can't always win). I followed their steps pretty accurately, although I did add about a pound of grated kale and scallions (but I do so for all my recipes so are we surprised here!?).

I do really enjoy researching new recipes and alternatives for ingredients I either didn't want in the first place or didn't remember I had- happens to all of us. I guess there's a nice lesson here, which is that nothing is ever wasted thanks to the Internet- there's always a person out there who can show you a new way to prepare an ingredient. Hopefully I do so for you today!

Also, I heard someone say 'don't lose your shiitake mushroom over this' and it made me very happy. You can totally steal this expression. Okay here we go.

You will need,

Sesame oil (1/4 cup)

Shiitake mushrooms (1 pack, or 2 cups, thinly sliced)

Cornstarch (1/4 cup, then another tbsp mixed with water)

Garlic (2-4 cloves, minced)

Ginger (fresh or powdered, 1 tbsp)

Brown sugar (2 tbsp)

Rice wine vinegar (2 tbsp)

Soy sauce (1/4 cup)

Sriracha or chili oil (1 tbsp, if desired!)

Then, a ton of kale, shredded or very thinly sliced!

Garnish: a pinch of sesame seeds and thinly sliced scallions

Rice suggestion: Basmati- although I prefer sticky Calrose sushi rice for all meals!

A few simple steps,

1. Thinly slice the mushrooms and coat with cornstarch in a bowl. Mix well with your hands.

2. In a medium pan over medium-heat, toss the mushrooms in sesame oil for 5-6 minutes and set them aside.

3. Clean wok and turn the heat down slightly. Add sesame oil while adding garlic and ginger and let sizzle for about 30 seconds.

4. Add the brown sugar and stir until it has caramelised.

5. Add the cornstarch, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar, and stir until the sauce has thicken.

6. Add sriracha or chili oil and stir it into the sauce.

(If you were to add an aggressive amount of kale as I love to, you would add it here, right before the mushrooms- it only takes a minute or two of stirring for it to shrink dramatically)

7. Pour the cooked mushrooms into the sauce and stir them around, making sure they are covered.

10. Serve over rice, garnished with sesame seeds and scallions.

As the sauce is fairly salty and strong tasting (but in a really, really good way), I suggest packing the soy sauce in a small container to go for lunches as you might find the rice drier (typically is the next day) but might want to try beforehand!

Enjoy it today and tomorrow- leftovers rock my world.