Yes, it’s another post for the Food Matters Project. This weeks recipe was chosen by Dominica of Wine Food Love. She chose Seared Bean Sprouts with Beef and Sesame Orange Sauce, it can be found on page 479 in The Food Matters Cookbook.
As with almost every recipe which can be found in this book, Mark Bittman gives some ideas on different variations for this recipe. He suggests tossing the ingredients (bean sprouts, beef, scallions and sesame seeds) with soba noodles, rice or quinoa.
From first glance I knew I didn’t want to use beef for this recipe, this past week we’ve had more meat than usual, and I wanted more veggies. When I gave the choice of mushrooms or tofu to Sam, he went with the mushrooms. Then he mentioned he’s not a fan of orange sauce. So I was thinking about soy-based sauces that include sesame seeds, garlic and ginger. Lastly, we’ve a number of noodle dishes in the last weeks for the Food Matters Project, so I decided to not include any noodles and make this a very vegetarian dish.
It took me less than 30 minutes to make this, so it’s perfect for a weeknight meal. Tofu, chicken, beef or tempeh can be used as a substitute for the mushrooms. If you have a favorite asian sauce, feel free to swap that here. If you’d like more of a crunch, feel free to add some chopped peanuts or cashews. Lastly, different vegetables can be added: broccoli, snap peas, or even edamame are just a start. On a last note, I found that this dish tastes great cold- so no need for reheating.
Seared Bean Sprouts with Mushrooms
Inspired by: The Food Matters Cookbook (page 479)
Servings: 2-3 portions
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp butter
1 small onion, diced
4 mushrooms caps, cut into long strips
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp ginger, grated
3 tbsp sesame oil
16 oz bean sprouts
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp sriracha (optional)
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp honey
5 green onions, chopped
Heat up a skillet, once the bottom is slightly warm, add the sesame seeds. Allow them to toast, while shaking the pan often. Don’t allow them to burn, once they are brown (3-5 minutes) them remove them from the pan and put them aside.
Heat up the skillet once again, when it’s warm add the butter and allow it to melt. As it’s melting, add the onion, mushrooms, 4 garlic cloves and 1 tbsp ginger. Allow this mixture to sauté until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are browned. Once they are cooked, remove the ingredients from the pan and leave them in a separate bowl.
Next, add 2 tbsp of sesame oil into the same skillet. Allow the oil to heat up a bit and then toss in the bean sprouts. Sprinkle in salt and pepper. Allow the bean sprouts to sear, and every couple of minutes move them around and flip some over. I continued to cook the bean sprouts until the ends started to brown, and the sprouts had a crunchy texture to them (I tasted them every so often). It took about 10 minutes on medium-high heat. Once they are crisp to your liking, then place them on a napkin, so some of the oil will soak out.
In a bowl, or dressing container, mix together: 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, sriracha, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, 2 tbsp ginger, honey and 1 tbsp sesame oil. Shake or whisk together all of the ingredients.
Divide the bean sprouts among plates. Then sprinkle the rest of the sesame seeds on top. Next, spread out the mushroom mixture on top of the dish. Then drizzle some of the dressing onto the plate- the amount depends on what you prefer; I think I used about 2-3 tbsp. Lastly, sprinkle the top with the green onions.
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