Pan seared fish with Shitake Mushrooms

I had some nice juicy seer fish (surmai) steaks and this recipe was light yet full of flavour.

I also came across some locally-grown and relatively inexpensive dried Shitake mushrooms, so it was a treat to mix both these items together in one dish. The mushrooms soaked the soy flavours nicely, and the ginger slices crisped up in the pan giving the dish an added texture.

You'll need:
3-4 dried Shitake mushrooms
1/2 cup hot water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 fish steaks cut about 1/2 inch thick
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and cut in thin strips
1/2 cup of bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 tbsp oil (sesame preferably)

Rub the fish with lemon juice and salt and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.

Soak the mushrooms in the hot water for 20 minutes. Once softened, remove the stalks and cut into thin strips.

(You could keep the water to use as stock in another dish)

In a bowl, mix the soy sauce and sugar. Soak the mushroom slices in it till absorbed. Keep aside.

In a flat pan, heat the oil and add the fish steaks. Let it cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes. Do not keep turning it.

Add the ginger strips and mushroom slices in the oil on the sides

When you flip the fish to cook the other side, add the bell pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Remove from heat.

Serve with plain rice and add some stir-fried vegetables for a wholesome meal.

Button and Enoki Mushrooms Risotto

I had tried the Enoki mushrooms in a regular pasta dish but I had preferred the regular button mushrooms that are cheaper and easier to get. However, by frying the enoki, it adds a different texture and flavour to the risotto and I now love it.

Also, I like a lot of veggies with each bite so I use a lot of mushrooms, but f you're happy with the creamy, cheesy rice then you can reduce the mushrooms you put in. Also, if you have other types of mushrooms at your disposal, it will add to the flavour if you mix it up.

I also used regular short-grain rice instead of arborio rice. I added some brown rice cooked for 7-8 minutes in the microwave as well. Because the brown rice doesn't turn all mushy like the white rice, it adds some bite to the final dish.

What I've learned about my many failures with risotto is that you need to go big or go home. Meaning, use stock instead of water; don't skimp on the butter and cheese; and don't take the easy way out by pouring in all the stock and letting the rice cook on its own - keep stirring it in by the ladle ful.

You'll need:
1 packet/bunch Enoki mushrooms, with roots removed
4-5 cups of chopped button mushrooms
2-3 cups of stock*
2/4 cup rice
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt/Pepper
Chilli flakes
4-5 cloves of garlic
3-4 sprigs of Rosemary**
2 tbsp cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

*I've used water when I didn't have stock but it makes a world of a difference in flavour
**If you don't have fresh Rosemary, you can also use parsley or oregano either fresh or dried

In a saucepan, heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter. Fry the Enoki mushrooms till brown. Keep aside.

Spread the button mushrooms in a single layer in a baking tray, and bake at 180 deg C for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, add in some salt and the rosemary and bake for another 5 minutes. Do not discard the water it leaves off - use it along with the stock.
-In the convection microwave, I use the grill setting and put in for 7 then 3 minutes.
-Keep aside.

Keep your stock ready by heating it up. You can also keep it on simmer if you want to do this perfectly.

In a saucepan, put in the remaining oil and butter on medium heat. Add in the chopped garlic and chilli flakes, and before it starts to turn brown, add the rice. Stir for about 30 seconds.

Add in 2 ladles of stock - or just enough to cover the rice. Stir it to release the starch from the rice. As soon as the water evaporates, add in another ladle or two. Keep doing this till the rice is cooked. It takes about 10-15 minutes of labour.

Don't keep stirring it the whole time, just a few rounds between each addition. As it nears to cooking, the regular rice will be prone to breaking so be gentle.

As you put in your last ladle of stock (note that you might not need all of the stock - just enough for the rice to cook), stir in the cream, seasoning, and the baked mushrooms.

The consistency should not be very dry, but smooth.

Remove from heat and mix in the cheese.

Top it up with the fried enoki and serve immediately.

Grilled Polenta with Caramelised Onions & Stir-fried Mushrooms

The polenta cakes turned out to be very versatile. I'm looking forward to trying out some desserts with it. Meanwhile, I tried a different topping for the left overs I had from the previous post.

For the polenta recipe see previous post

For the caramelised onions
2 tbsp olive oil
2 red onions sliced thinly
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar

On medium heat, stir fry the onions till they start to brown. Add the vinegar and sugar and cook till all the liquids have absorbed. Remove from heat.

For the Mushroom topping:
A few sprigs of mint 
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup red pepper chopped
2 tbsp of ginger, garlic and chilli paste (1/2 inch ginger, 2-3 garlic pods, and 1 red chilli)
Seasoning

In a pan, heat the oil and add the paste. Shortly after, add the mushroom and salt and let it cook for 2 minutes till all the liquids have been absorbed. Add the red peppers and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

Assemble with the onions at the bottom, then the mushrooms, and top it with the mint.

Mushroom Risotto

This turned out to be a nice and easy Sunday lunch with some beer!

Ingredients:
1 large onion, sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tbsps butter
3-4 tbsps white wine (since I didn't have any, I used whiskey - single malt)
1 cup arborio rice (or any other medium grain rice)
handful of mushrooms, washed and sliced
1/2 cup Parmesan (or any other hard cheese)
Seasoning
2 cups water (room temperature)

Heat the butter on a saucepan on medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and leave on low for 10-15 minutes for the onion to caramelize. Add the mushrooms. Once it starts to wilt, add the rice and saute. Pour in the wine and let it evaporate. Next, add the water and cover for 10 minutes on medium heat. When the water has almost been absorbed, add the seasoning. Don't dry out the risotto. Top it up with cheese. I prefer the rice not too soft, so 10-12 minutes is perfect cooking time. If you prefer it mushy, then leave it on for 5 more minutes. And done!