Miso Mushrooms Steamed

This steamed miso mushroom recipe is super quick, easy, and made with just 5 main ingredients. This dish is full of lots of flavor and makes for a great meal when served with rice. It also happens to be vegan.

How are you? All things considered, I’m doing well. My husband, pup, and I are healthy and safe as are our family and friends all over the world–which is all that really matters at the moment.

For that, I feel extremely lucky and am looking for ways to give back to those who are in need at this time. So far, I’ve made a donation to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, ordered some goods from a recently opened chocolate shop in New Jersey (full disclosure the shopowners are my friends), and pre-ordered a cookbook called La Vida Verde written by a small food business owner and leader here in LA (FYI the book is also being printed by a family-owned publishing house). I’ll be continuing to look for ways in which I can help out. If you have any suggestions or great organizations/channels that you love, please share them with me and everyone else in the comments below!

I also wanted to take this time to focus more of the easy, everyday recipes that I cook. I tend to post mostly about fancy-ish baked goods, but in reality, I cook a lot more than I bake–and the stuff I cook is usually pretty quick and easy. My pantry is stocked with both Asian and Western ingredients, so the content to come will cover a range of flavors and profiles. By doing so, I hope I can help you find inspiration that’s relevant and approachable to you.

I’ll post all my original recipes here on the blog, but I’ll also tell you about the foods I’m making that follow the recipes of others. For those of you who like step-by-step videos, I’ll be insta story-ing as much as possible, so make sure to follow me over there as well! (I recently storied how to DIY frozen vegetables if you’re interested).

Now onto this recipe!

This is a super easy steamed miso mushroom dish. It requires just 5 main ingredients (+ 2 that are optional). These are all ingredients that I stock in my pantry/fridge: fresh mushrooms, miso, mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar (if using), and scallions (if using). You can find these items at your local Asian grocery store (which in my experience has a lot more options available right now than big-box retailers), but they should also normally be available at stores like Whole Foods.

WHAT IS MISO?

Miso is a fermented paste used in Japanese cuisine. It’s made with soybeans, a grain (like rice or barley), salt, and koji (a mold), and has a strong salty, umami taste. There are many different types of miso that range from those that are light in color to very dark. It can be used to make soups, sauces, dressing, and baked goods, and can be eaten raw or cooked.

WHAT IS MIRIN?

Mirin is a type of sweet rice wine similar to sake but with a lower alcohol content and higher sugar content. It’s also originally from Japan and used to provide another level of umami flavor and sweetness to dishes, especially when the alcohol is cooked off after heating. It can be used to make sauces and dressings.

To make this dish all you have to do is wash the mushrooms, mix all the other ingredients together, and then coat the mushrooms with that sauce. Place in an aluminum foil bag and steam in the oven. It should take about 35 minutes from start to finish and results in a dish full of lots of flavor.

If you don’t have mushrooms, you can substitute with a hearty veggie like broccoli. I like steaming because it keeps the mushrooms plump and seals all the flavors in, but if you’re not into it, you can quickly sauté or bake the dish instead. I really love eating this with rice as a complete meal, but I imagine it would work well as a side dish to a straightforward protein like chicken.

More easy Asian recipes:

Zucchini Pancakes
Eggplant in Oyster Sauce
Mushroom Rice in a Rice Cooker

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