Mixed Mushroom & Kale Stir-fry With Nori & Lemon

"My favourite way to eat most days of the week is what I call ‘almost vego’. I love the ‘meatiness’ of the mushrooms and kale, then the nori and oyster sauce really fill in the umami gaps. Add a hit of lemon and the whole thing comes alive. A brilliant dish to eat on its own if you go easy on the seasoning, otherwise I love to eat it with a small serving of brown rice."

MAKES 2–3 MEALS’ WORTH
GF / VO

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
30 g butter
3 garlic cloves, crushed
450 g mixed Asian mushrooms (enoki, shimeji, shiitake, baby oysters, king oysters – or regular white ones are also fine), torn into similar-sized pieces
4–5 large dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in freshly boiled water for 30 minutes, drained (optional)
1⁄2–1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes OR
1 long red chilli, finely sliced
Handful of cloud ear fungus (dried black fungus; found at Asian grocers)
soaked in plenty of cool water for 15 minutes, drained & hard parts torn off & discarded
1 small bunch of kale, leaves stripped from stalks, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 handfuls of flat-leaf parsley leaves
3 tablespoons oyster sauce OR mushroom oyster sauce, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2–3 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
Steamed rice, to serve
1 nori sheet, finely shredded with scissors

Method

1. Combine the olive oil, butter and garlic in a large non-stick frying pan over medium–high heat. As soon as the garlic is fragrant, but not coloured, throw in the mushies and cook until there is some caramelisation. The easiest way to do this is to spread the mushrooms evenly across the pan and allow them to cook, without stirring, for about 2 minutes. If you are worried
thicker mushrooms aren’t cooking through, add a little splash of water to encourage steaming.

2. Add the chilli, cloud ear fungus, kale, parsley, oyster or mushroom sauce, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Toss for a few seconds to combine, then serve over steamed rice. Garnish with the nori at the very last minute.