The Key To Sauteed Mushrooms Is About So Much More Than Butter

Sauteed mushrooms, in their simplest form, are just what the name implies: mushrooms that have been cooked in a pan using a small amount of butter or oil (or bacon drippings, suet, lard, or any other type of fat). To give this meaty, yet fairly bland, vegetable a flavor boost, however, various other ingredients are often added to the mix. Some sauteed mushroom recipes will add a little acid in the form of lemon juice or vinegar, but in this recipe, Mashed developer Catherine Brookes is instead doubling down on the savory flavor by doctoring her fungi with soy sauce. This ingredient, she tells us, "helps to give a deeper umami to the mushrooms."

While soy sauce is often associated with Asian-inspired dishes, it can actually be used as a secret salt substitute in scrambled eggs and other dishes in need of a little extra something. Soy sauce can also be fairly salty, though, depending on which brand you use and whether you opt for a low-sodium variety or not. For this reason, if you're cooking your mushrooms, eggs, or anything else with this ingredient, you might want to hold off on adding any additional salt until the soy sauce and other ingredients have cooked for a few minutes to, in Brookes' words, "allow the flavors to combine." The longer the soy sauce simmers, the more concentrated (and thus salty) it may become, so you might find that the finished mushrooms don't need any added salt at all.

Soy sauce isn't the only thing you'll need for this mushroom recipe. You'll need some fat to saute them, of course, and Brookes opts for a mixture of butter and olive oil. As for the mushrooms, she uses chestnut ones since she feels they're "a little more mild and nutty in flavor," although if you're unable to source them she allows, "You can absolutely sub [with] other types of mushrooms here." Even though mushrooms are one of Brookes' favorite vegetables, she still feels they need a little boost, and tells us "It's so simple to enhance their flavor with a few ingredients you may already have on hand in your kitchen." The ingredients in question are garlic, white wine, parsley, pepper, and (maybe) salt, although the soy sauce may make this last ingredient unnecessary.

Brookes' sauteed mushrooms are a fairly standard interpretation of the dish, one that she says would be "great as part of a cooked breakfast with bacon, sausages, [and] eggs." She also suggests adding them to Buddha bowls, but in this case, you might wish to take some inspiration from the soy sauce and give the mushrooms more of an Asian flavor. Swap out the wine for rice vinegar or lime juice, add ginger, and spice things up with chili garlic sauce. For a garnish, skip the parsley and go with sesame seeds or minced green onions to make this the perfect side for steak teriyaki.