Pyogo-beoseot-jorim (Soy-Braised Shiitake)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Medium bowl and small plate for weighing down mushrooms
• •Fine sieve or paper towel-lined strainer
• •Wide 10-inch skillet with lid
• •Small measuring cup

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the mushrooms

   Rinse the dried shiitake quickly under cool water to remove dust, then put them in a bowl with the 2 cups warm water. Set a small plate on top so the mushrooms stay under the water. Soak 35 to 45 minutes, until the caps are flexible all the way through. If you want to soak them overnight, use cold water and refrigerate the bowl.

   Do not throw away the soaking water. That dark mushroom liquor is the broth for the braise, and using plain water here would make the dish thinner than it should be.
2. 2

   Trim and strain

   Lift the mushrooms out, squeezing each one gently over the bowl. Cut off the tough stems flush with the caps and save the stems for stock if you like. Strain the soaking liquid through a fine sieve or a paper towel-lined strainer, then measure 1 1/4 cups. If you are short, add water to reach that amount. The measure matters because too much liquid makes you over-reduce and over-salt the sauce.

3. 3

   Sauté the caps

   Heat the perilla oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms cap-side down and cook 2 minutes, then turn and cook 1 minute more. This is not browning for show. It drives off the watery soak at the surface and helps the finished mushroom chew instead of sag.

4. 4

   Start the braise

   Add the 1 1/4 cups strained mushroom liquid, the kelp, and the ginger to the skillet. Bring it to a gentle simmer, then pull out the kelp as soon as small bubbles gather steadily at the edge. Kelp gives depth quickly; boil it hard and it turns slick and bitter. Partly cover the pan and simmer the mushrooms 10 minutes so the centers relax before the soy goes in.

5. 5

   Season and reduce

   Stir in the soy sauce and jocheong. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, turning the mushrooms every 4 minutes and spooning the sauce over them. Stop when the caps are dark and glossy and only 2 to 3 tablespoons of sauce remain in the pan. If the pan dries before the mushrooms are tender, add 2 tablespoons water and continue. If the sauce tastes flat at the end, add 1 teaspoon soy sauce, not a heavy pour.

6. 6

   Finish and rest

   Remove the ginger. Turn off the heat and stir in the sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds. Let the mushrooms rest in the pan 10 minutes, turning once, so the last sauce clings instead of running to the plate. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold from the refrigerator with rice.

Chef Tips

• •Choose dried shiitake with thick caps and a clean mushroom smell. Very large caps look handsome but take longer to soften; very thin caps turn leathery before the glaze reduces. Four to five centimeters wide is the steady size for this recipe.
• •This is the temple-leaning version: no anchovy broth, no garlic, no scallion. A home kitchen may add 1 small minced garlic clove with the soy, but know what changes. Garlic makes the sauce louder, and this dish is better when the mushroom remains the main voice.
• •Do not double the soy just because you want a darker color. The color comes from reduction and time. Too much soy gives you a salty banchan that bullies the rice instead of helping it.
• •Use clean chopsticks each time you serve from the storage container. A keeping banchan keeps well only when the cook treats it cleanly.

Advance Preparation

• •The mushrooms can be soaked overnight in cold water in the refrigerator. In the morning, strain the soaking liquid and braise when you have 30 minutes.
• •Finished pyogo-beoseot-jorim keeps 5 days refrigerated in an airtight container. It is best after at least 4 hours, when the soy has settled into the caps.
• •For meal prep, portion a few mushrooms with a spoonful of the glaze into small containers. Bring to room temperature before serving, or warm gently in a covered pan with 1 tablespoon water.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 55g)