Panko Stuffed Mushrooms - Asian Style

These delicious bites are another recipe I adapted from my NEW favorite cookbook-Veganomicon! MAny stuffed mushroom recipes are drizzled in butter or contain crab in the stuffing. These tasty appetizers pass they test for both vegans and meat-eaters alike! Original recipe called for daikon and mirin, but I substituted water chestnuts and rice wine vinegar with great results.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 10
• Yields: 20 mushrooms

Ingredients

• 22  white button mushrooms, cleaned
• 1  tablespoon  peanut oil
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  cup water chestnut, finely diced
• 3  tablespoons  rice wine vinegar or 3  tablespoons mirin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 1⁄2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 1  tablespoon  toasted sesame oil, plus extra for greasing the pan and garnish
• 8  tablespoons water
• 1⁄2 cup scallion, finely chopped, plus extra for garnish
• 3  tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms.
3. Chop up the stems and two(2) of the whole mushrooms and set them aside.
4. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Pour in the peanut oil and sauté the chopped mushroom for about 3 minutes, until some moisture has released.
5. Add the diced water chestnuts or daikon and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and cook for a minute longer.
6. At this point, lots of moisture should be released from the mushrooms.
7. Add the rice wine vinegar or mirin, salt, and white pepper, and cook for about 2 minutes.
8. Turn off the heat and add the panko in 1/2-cup batches and stir, alternately adding the sesame oil until all the bread crumbs are moist.
9. If needed, add a coiple tbsp of water if panko seems overly dry.
10. The mixture should be crumbly but, when you press some between your fingers, it should hold together.
11. Mix in the scallions and adjust the salt to taste.
12. Grease a baking sheet with a little sesame oil.
13. Stuff each mushroom with the filling and place on the baking sheet.
14. To stuff them, place a little of the filling into the mushroom crevice and then add another tablespoon on top of that, pressing firmly to form a mound.
15. Bake for 20 minutes.
16. To serve, sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds over the mushrooms and drizzle with a little sesame oil, if desired.
17. Garnish with extra chopped scallions.