Oriental Stuffed Mushrooms
Submitted by MOTHERPOWERS
Asian-style stuffed mushrooms with crispy bacon, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and garlic in a savory bread crumb filling. Blanched caps keep their shape, and they’re make-ahead friendly.
YIELD
24 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minThese stuffed mushrooms take an Asian turn with soy sauce, toasted sesame seeds, and plenty of garlic packed into blanched caps that hold their shape beautifully. The bacon adds a salty, smoky backbone to the filling that pairs surprisingly well with the sesame and soy.
Blanching the mushroom caps in lemon water before stuffing is the clever move here. Six minutes in simmering water firms them up so they don’t shrivel and wrinkle in the oven. It’s an extra step that most stuffed mushroom recipes skip, and it shows in the final presentation.
The filling comes together in the bacon fat. Onion, garlic, and chopped mushroom stems cook down until soft, then the soy sauce, sesame seeds, and bread crumbs bind everything into a filling that’s savory and just slightly dry, so it mounds neatly into each cap without falling apart.
These are ideal party appetizers because you can assemble them a full day ahead and refrigerate. Just pop them in the oven when guests arrive. A quick flash under the broiler at the end crisps up the bread crumb topping and gives each one a golden crown.
Kitchen Tips
- Choose mushrooms with wide, deep caps that can hold a generous mound of filling
- Don’t skip the blanching step; unblanched caps shrink dramatically and look sad after baking
- Cook the filling until it pulls away from the pan slightly; too wet and it won’t hold its shape
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan first for a nuttier, more pronounced flavor
Variations
- Crab filling: Replace the bacon with lump crab meat and a splash of rice vinegar for an upscale version
- Vegetarian: Skip the bacon, use sesame oil for sautéing, and add finely diced water chestnuts for crunch
- Spicy kick: Stir in a teaspoon of sriracha or chili garlic sauce into the filling
Ingredients
Directions
Chop mushroom stems and leave caps whole In a large saucepan, combine 6 cups water with the lemon juice, add the mushroom caps, and bring the liquid to a boil.
Simmer the mushroom caps for 6 mintues, transfer them to paper towels, and let them drain.
(Blanching the mushroom caps will prevent them from wrinkling while they are baking.)
In a skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until it is crisp, transfer it to paper towels, and let it drain.
Pour off all but 1½ tbsp of the fat from the skillet, in the remaining fat cook the onion, the garlic, and the mushroom stems over moderately low heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, and add the soy sauce, the sesame seeds, ½ cup of the bread crumbs, the bacon, crumbled, and pepper to taste.
Cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minutes, or until it is slightly dry, divide it among the mushroom caps, mounding it, and transfer the stuffed mushrooms to a jelly-roll pan.
The mushrooms may be prepared up to this point 1 day in advance and kept covered tightly with plastic wrap and chilled. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon bread crumbs over the mushrooms and bake the mushrooms in the middle of a preheated 325 F oven for 7 minutes, or until the filling is heated through.
To make the filling crisper, the cooked mushrooms may be put under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat for 1 minute.
Garnish the mushrooms with the scallion. Makes 24 stuffed mushrooms.
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