Ban chan: Seasoned shiitake mushrooms
22 Sep
This is a quick and easy recipe that I created while exploring some ban chan (side dish) ideas. I am a huge fan of shiitake mushrooms (stems and all) and wanted to lightly season it so that it can complement other dishes when served as a part of a meal.
At the last minute, I decided that this dish needed some more color. I quickly grabbed a piece of carrot. I washed and peeled it but the thought of julienning carrots was unappealing to me at the moment(lazy, I know). So I used a cheese grate to make little carrot pieces. Voila! Efficiency win!
And honestly, I would totally mix this in rice, sesame oil and some gochugaru, for a 5-minute meal when I’m by myself. 
Ingredients:
1 pound of shiitake mushrooms, rinsed well and chopped
1/2 of a small carrot, grated1/2 of a small carrot, grated
2 pieces of scallion, chopped
3 teaspoons of minced garlic
2 teaspoons of sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
1. Wash the mushrooms in a large bowl of cold water. Make sure you wash away all the dirt and rinse every piece thoroughly under running water.
2. Pat dry with a paper towel. Chop mushrooms into thin pieces by pulling out the stems first, then cutting the circular part. Cut stems in half (or discard).
3. Heat up a large frying pan over high heat. Add a drizzle of oil. Add mushrooms. The mushrooms will release water as it cooks. Keep cooking until all the water has evaporated.
4. Lower heat. Add garlic to the pan and stir.
5. Add sesame oil, scallions, salt and pepper.
6. Add carrots. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
