I knew Enoki mushrooms had finally made it to the mainstream in the US when our vegan friend, Mitch, (you can see him in the camping photos with Bill), claimed that he loved this “newfound” mushroom.
For me, there is nothing new about Enoki mushrooms (a.k.a. enokitake). We’ve always loved them! Enoki is the Japanese name for them. We Chinese call them “golden needle mushrooms” (金针菇, jin-zhen-gu) or “lily mushrooms.”
Buying Enoki Mushrooms
Enoki mushrooms are usually vacuum-packed, in packages of about 7 ounces apiece, and they have a pretty long shelf life when refrigerated.
When fresh, the color should be white, and the stems should be firm. Trim away about 1-inch of the roots, give them a quick rinse, and you are ready to go!
When used in soups and hot pots, it’s a sidekick, but when blanched (or steamed) and dressed in a yummy sauce, it becomes a main character!
A Vegan Dish
I remember first eating Enoki mushrooms sold in cans or as a condiment in glass jars with chili oil. I instantly took a liking to them for their crunchy texture. It’s hard to fathom something this skinny and mushroom-y giving a hearty veggie-like crunch.
But these days, fresh Enoki have become pretty widely available (to Mitch’s credit, it’s true that it was only fairly recently that this has been the case), and it’s most often used in soups and hot pots.
We’re familiar with the vegan struggle through our friend Mitch, but one reader recently commented that he has to scrape our site for vegan recipes.
So I decided to post a few vegan recipes to amend the situation, with this Enoki Mushroom with Garlic and Scallion Sauce being the second recipe. The first was my Kung Pao Mushrooms, and there are more to follow!
Even though this is a vegan dish, I can say that it’s just as good as our steamed whole fish! If you were to ask me to rate this dish on taste, texture, simplicity, and health factor, it’s a winner through and through–the fact that it’s a vegan recipe is just a bonus!
Recipe Instructions
Be gentle when handling these enoki mushrooms. Trim away about 1-inch of the root section.
Use your fingers to tear the enoki mushrooms into small bite size bundles and line them up neatly. Rinse clean and drain.
Prepare a wok with boiling water, and blanch the enoki mushrooms in two batches, cooking each batch for about 1 minute.
Drain off the water and transfer the mushrooms to your serving plate.
In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, and cook for about 10 seconds (no need to brown the garlic).
Now add the light soy sauce, sugar, and scallions.
Bring the sauce to a boil, and turn off the heat. Don’t overcook the garlic and scallions–we want that fresh and sweet taste! Slowly pour the sauce over the enoki mushrooms, and serve.
As Ina would say, how easy was that?!
Enoki Mushrooms with Garlic & Scallion Sauce
Ingredients
- 14 ounces enoki mushrooms (400g)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 scallion (finely chopped)
Instructions
- Be gentle when handling these enoki mushrooms. Trim away about 1-inch of the root section. Use your fingers to tear the enoki mushrooms into small bite size bundles and line them up neatly. Rinse clean and drain.
- Prepare a wok with boiling water, and blanch the enoki mushrooms in two batches, cooking each batch for about 1 minute. Drain off the water and transfer the mushrooms to your serving plate.
- In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, and cook for about 10 seconds (no need to brown the garlic). Now add the light soy sauce, sugar, and scallions. Bring the sauce to a boil, and turn off the heat. Don’t overcook the garlic and scallions--we want that fresh and sweet taste! Slowly pour the sauce over the enoki mushrooms, and serve.
nutrition facts
What if you don’t have light soy sauce available? How much regular soy sauce will you use? And can I add mirin for added flavor?
Hi Josiah, you can use mirin and add soy sauce and taste the sauce as you go :-)
Thank you for the recipe, my kids love this dish!
Yay! Love it when kids love eating mushrooms.
Scrape your site for vegan recipes. I do to, I am not vegan but those recipes of yours makes me reconsider the vegan concept.
Hi Elza, I’d like to eat mostly vegetarian, but I also leave my options open :-)
What is making the sauce red? An ingredient not listed?
It’s the brand of soy sauce that we use: Pearl River Bridge. The color should be a reddish brown.
I love this recipe and have made it many times. It’s my daughter’s favourite mushroom dish!
So glad you enjoyed it, Allie.
This Enoki Mushrooms with Garlic & Scallion recipe is so delicious and easy to make. I used San-J Tamari Soy Sauce that I bought at Karman Foods for an added twist of flavor; the whole fam enjoyed it.
That’s lovely, glad to know that it’s a crowd pleaser :-)
Loved this! So easy and delicious! Going back to the store to buy more enoki mushrooms as I am hooked! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!!
Hehehe…you are very welcome!
I didn’t know what to do with these mushrooms in my fridge since I wasn’t having ramen so this saved the day. I added a bit of homemade chicken stock and chilli oil and it really made it shine even brighter. This is now on my “easy impressive sides I can make” list 😊
How lovely :-)
Loved this! Followed it exactly, I love heat so added thinly sliced chilis as a garnish…delish!
Excellent, Jess, well done!