Enoki mushroom pancakes

Lately, I’ve been in a toasted sesame oil mood and where else to gain cooking inspiration other than Japanese or Korean foods? Toasted sesame oil lends this unique smoky flavor to food that I adore. It flavors classic dishes like: wakame salad, soba noodles, Szechuan eggplant and pickled seafood. Yumm.

This recipe was adapted from My Korean Kitchen. I thought it would look cute because of the shape of the enoki mushrooms. What do you think?

fresh Enoki mushrooms

fresh nira is related to spring onion, leek and chive

Enoki mushroom pancakes

1lb Enoki mushrooms, cleaned, base discarded
2 tbsp flour
2 eggs
2 tbsp water
6 nira stems (light and dark green parts) chopped fine
½ white sweet onion chopped fine
2 small carrots cut into tiny cubes
dash of crushed red pepper to taste
Kosher salt to taste
¾ tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp canola oil for pan-frying

Spread enoki mushrooms flat on a platter. Sprinkle flour evenly over them, followed by pepper and sesame oil. Mix nira, carrot and onion together then spread over enoki, leaving the tips of the mushrooms exposed. Break eggs in a bowl, add water, a bit of salt and whisk to combine. Pour egg mix over mushrooms.

Add canola oil to a non-stick skillet. Using a spatula or chopstick, break Enoki clusters into 4 to 6 sections. One by one add to hot skillet and cook for about 5-6 minutes, turning them half way through.

I love this dish. It can be served as a side or main course.