Mushroom Fried Rice

1. Prep Ingredients

Begin by ensuring your 2 cups of day-old rice are measured out and gently broken into individual grains by hand, which will help to avoid clumps during frying. For the mushrooms, slice 1 cup of shiitake mushrooms thinly and tear 1 cup of maitake mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Mince 2 cloves of garlic and microplane or finely mince 1 tablespoon of ginger; these will be your aromatic base. Thinly slice 2 scallion greens and set them aside for garnish. Measure out 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of mirin for seasoning later on. If using cilantro, roughly chop a handful of leaves, or, if substituting, chop an equivalent amount of flat-leaf parsley.

2. Cook Mushrooms

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Once melted, add the sliced shiitake and torn maitake mushrooms with a pinch of salt. Cook them until they are golden brown and have released their moisture, which will intensify their flavor. This should take about 5-7 minutes.

3. Sweat Aromatics

In the same skillet with the mushrooms, add the minced garlic and ginger with another pinch of salt. Cook until the mixture is soft and fragrant, but be careful not to burn the garlic. This will usually take about 1-2 minutes.

4. Fry Rice

Increase the heat to high and add the rice to the skillet. Use your spatula to break up any remaining clumps and mix the rice with the mushrooms and aromatics. Spread the rice out in an even layer and allow it to sit undisturbed for about 2 minutes to develop crispy edges. Stir and repeat this process 2 more times until the rice is thoroughly heated through, aromatic, and some grains are crisped.

5. Finishing Ingredients

Pour the soy sauce and mirin over the rice, stirring to combine all the ingredients well. Add the sliced scallion greens and the roughly chopped cilantro or parsley, giving everything a final toss to ensure the flavors are mixed evenly and the rice is heated through.