Bacon-wrapped Shimeji Mushroom Kushiyaki
Bacon's never a bad idea. Especially not when it gets to partner with a fantastic, flavourful, just-sweet-enough Japanese tare (teriyaki) sauce.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 40 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 200 g shimeji mushrooms ((brown or white))
- 16 strips thick cut bacon
- 1 cup shoyu (soy sauce) (or tamari)
- 1/2 cup mirin ((see note))
- 1/2 cup sake
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 15 g ginger ((~4 cm/1.5 inch, thinly sliced))
- 30 g scallions ((about 5-6 stalks, green portion only))
- 4 garlic cloves ((~15 g))
Instructions
- 1
Combine the liquid ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the ginger, scallions and garlic cloves and simmer over medium-high heat until the sauce is reduced by about half (about 15-20 minutes). It should be glossy and relatively thick. Let stand for 5 minutes.
- 2
Strain the solids and store the sauce in a sealed container. It can be refrigerated for up to a month.
- 3
If using wooden/bamboo skewers, soak them in water for at least 1 hour beforehand. Or just use metal skewers.
- 4
Heat your grill/barbecue to 350 F, assuming your it has an upper rack. If you don't have an upper rack, heat the grill to a lower temperature, about 275 F.
- 5
Gently clean and trim the shimeji mushrooms, then separate them into small bundles (5-6 mushrooms, depending on the size).
- 6
Wrap a bundle of shimeji mushroom stems with a strip of bacon, then thread the bundle onto a skewer. Repeat with all remaining mushrooms.
- 7
Use a small brush to baste the mushroom/bacon wraps with tare sauce.
- 8
Place the mushroom skewers on the upper rack of the barbecue and cook for 10-15 minutes, periodically turning and brushing on more tare sauce. If you don't have an upper rack, cook directly on the grill over lower heat.
- 9
Remove the mushroom bundles from their skewers and serve with extra tare sauce for dipping.