Seasoned Mushroom Rice

• 150g fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 150g shimeji mushrooms, separated
• 150g enoki mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 150g oyster mushrooms, peeled apart into chunks
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced into rings (for garnish)
• 2 cups Japanese rice
• 2 cups cold water

The Seasoning

• 2 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon sake
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon soft brown sugar

Wash the rice at least 3 times. When washing, run under cold water and gently run the rice grains through the tips of your fingers (without pressing so hard that you break the rice grains up). The excess starch from the rice grains will initially make the water quite cloudy, so pour the rice through a sieve between each wash. By the end of washing, the water should run clear. Place into a saucepan and measure 1 :1 water to rice, add ‘The Seasoning’ ingredients to the water, give it a stir and then cover with a lid and set aside for 30 minutes to allow the rice to absorb some of the water.

Prepare the mushrooms ready to fry. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to a high heat in a frying pan and add the prepared mushrooms and press down on them to sear well for 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Turn once and sear the other side, then add the mushrooms into the rice pan, ready for further cooking. 

Place the pan of rice on the hob with the lid back on, on a medium – high heat and  bring to a vigorous boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low, keeping the lid on and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the liquid has fully evaporated to a point where you start to see air pockets form between some of the rice grains. At this point, turn the heat off, remove from heat and leave with the lid on for a further 15 minutes. Scatter with spring onions and serve.

Recipe from the book: Jeremy Pang's School of Wok: Simple Family Feasts