INGREDIENTS:
6 cups braising greens, washed and chopped or torn into 1 inch bits
½ pound oyster mushrooms, torn into strips
1 leek, white and some of pale green part, split and cut into 2 inch lengths, then cut lengthwise into 1/8th inch shreds
1 teaspoon peeled and minced ginger
¼ cup plus ¼ cup sake or white wine
1 tablespoon mirin*
¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
Water as needed
1-2 teaspoons soy sauce, as needed
Pepper to taste
Optional- 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
Neutral flavored oil such as grapeseed or canola, as needed
6 cups braising greens, washed and chopped or torn into 1 inch bits
½ pound oyster mushrooms, torn into strips
1 leek, white and some of pale green part, split and cut into 2 inch lengths, then cut lengthwise into 1/8th inch shreds
1 teaspoon peeled and minced ginger
¼ cup plus ¼ cup sake or white wine
1 tablespoon mirin*
¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
Water as needed
1-2 teaspoons soy sauce, as needed
Pepper to taste
Optional- 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
Neutral flavored oil such as grapeseed or canola, as needed
METHOD:
Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, film generously with oil.
When oil is hot, add the mushrooms, tossing to coat with oil. Sauté until mushrooms take on a little color, becoming golden.
Add the leek strips, tossing to coat with oil, and turn down the heat to medium-low. Do not let the leeks color.
When the leeks are translucent, add the first ¼ cup sake or wine, and simmer until evaporated.
Push the vegetables to the outside edge of the pan, and add a little more oil to lightly film the pan. When hot, add the ginger to the center of the pan, stirring to coat with the oil and cook until fragrant. Spread over the pan bottom and add half the greens.
Put a lid on the pan and cook a few moments until the greens shrink down a little. Add the rest of the greens and use tongs to turn the greens so they mix with the mushrooms, leeks, and ginger oil. Turn heat to low.
Add the rest of the sake or wine along with the mirin. Turn the vegetables in the liquid.
Add a couple tablespoons of water so liquid comes 1/3rd of the way up the vegetables. Cook gently until vegetables are wilted and tender. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Add the vinegar, tossing to coat, and cook until it reduces until almost gone. Drizzle with soy sauce, then season with pepper to taste. (The soy sauce tales the place of salt here, plus adds flavor.) If you wish to, you can add the butter to the pan now and toss with the vegetables until it is melted and coats everything. This will add a silky quality to the dish, and the butter will act to smooth out any of the sharp/tannic qualities that these greens sometimes possess.
Serve hot. Excellent with rice or as a base with grilled fish or pork.
*Mirin is a Japanese sweet cooking wine. It is worthwhile having some in the pantry as it appears frequently in Japanese recipes. If you don’t have any, you could substitute a little agave syrup or sugar.
Chef’s Notes and Tips:
If, when you get to the end of the recipe, there is still a lot of liquid in the pan and the greens are starting to cook down an amorphous mass, pull them from the pan with tongs, allowing them to drain back into the pan. Remove the vegetables to a bowl, and then cook down the liquid in the pan until it is almost all gone. Add the greens back in to heat up, and serve.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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