Yummy teriyaki mushrooms in a simple homemade sauce. With some pantry staples and 15 minutes of your time, you can have this tasty vegan dish ready to enjoy!
What is teriyaki?
Many people think of teriyaki as just a sauce. But in Japanese culture teriyaki refers to a cooking technique of something that has been grilled or broiled in a sauce known as tare.
Making teriyaki sauce
Japanese tare for teriyaki cooking traditionally contains just soy sauce, mirin or sake (types of fermented rice wines) and sugar. This combination creates a flavour profile that’s salty, sweet and tangy, which is why it has such a moreish taste!
American and British teriyaki recipes commonly add garlic and ginger and use an alternative to mirin or sake, which can be more difficult to source.
As mirin is a wine made from fermented rice, rice vinegar makes an excellent substitute. The vinegar is more acidic so a bit more sugar balances out the flavour. If you don’t have rice vinegar to hand, then you can use apple cider vinegar as an alternative.
What kind of mushrooms?
Simple white button mushrooms work great for this recipe, they are firm and easy to find, and have the bonus of being the most budget friendly! If you fancy a change why not try portobello for a more meaty, juicy texture. Or use woody, smoky shiitakes for a more authentic Asian flavour.
How to make
First fry the mushrooms until they let off their juices and start to get golden brown. While they are cooking down, mix soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, water and cornstarch in a small bowl.
Then, when the mushrooms are ready, stir in the minced garlic and ginger and fry for another minute to bring out their flavour. Finally pour over the sauce and it will bubble and thicken up in the pan to create a shiny glaze on the saucy, juicy mushrooms!
Depending on your taste or what you are using your teriyaki mushrooms for you might like the sauce a bit runny (by only cooking it briefly) or have it very sticky (by reducing the added water, or simmering it for longer).
A thinner sauce works well for coating the mushrooms and mixing with rice or noodles, whereas if you want to serve the teriyaki mushrooms on toast or as an accompaniment in a burger bun, then a thicker, stickier sauce could be preferable.
Serve it with
We like to serve these teriyaki mushrooms with some fresh spring onions and a sprinkle of crunchy sesame seeds. Our favourite way to eat them is with some rice or noodles and some simple veggies (pak choy, carrots…) on the side. Don’t you just love a seriously yummy vegan meal that only takes 15 mins to make!
These mushrooms also go amazingly well with our Vegan Egg Fried Rice and Sticky Lemon Tofu.
We hope you enjoy these Japanese inspired mushrooms! Come back and try these other vegan mushrooms recipes that we think you’ll love:
Vegan Mushroom Pate (it’s perfect for parties)
And our Kale & Mushroom Pasta with Ginger (another easy 15 min meal)
Sophie & Paul
📖 Recipe
Teriyaki Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 cups (200 g) mushrooms sliced
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp ginger
- 3 cloves garlic
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
- 1 tsp (tsp) cornstarch mixed 1 tsp water
To garnish
- 1 spring onion
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Slice the mushrooms and finely chop or mince the garlic and ginger
- In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and water
- Mix the cornstarch with a little bit of water, then stir it into the rest of the sauce ingredients
- In a frying pan, heat up the oil, then add the mushrooms
- Fry the mushrooms on medium heat, until they have reduced down and just started to brown
- Then add the garlic and ginger and fry for another minute
- Finally, pour the sauce over the mushrooms and stir constantly as the mixture bubbles up and thickens.
- Serve your teriyaki mushrooms with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and spring onion, with rice, noodles and veggies of your choice
Loved our recipe? Have a question we can answer? We'd love to hear from you! Sophie and Paul 💚