Mushrooms and String Beans

• 8 oz white mushrooms
• 2 portobello mushrooms
• 1 cup of rice
• 2 tablespoons of canola oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 yellow onion
• seasoning to taste

Last week on Christmas, my family went to visit Saigon Seafood Restaurant next to 99 Ranch in El Cerrito. Of all the things we ordered, the most memorable was a mushroom dish with green beans. The flavor was lightly savory, but full and very tasty. It looked extremely easy to prepare, so I asked my mom if she knew how to make it.

The following day, she made a mushroom dish with noodles. Her dish included shitake and enoki mushrooms. She told me I should cook all the mushrooms separately and first, then cook the vegetables and all them all together. She also cooked some noodles. When she cooked the noodles, she realized that she actually did not need to add any additional water. The water from the cooked mushrooms was totally sufficient. I actually made the same mistake too.

The recipe below more closely resembles the dish we ate at the restaurant. The variety of mushrooms used was entirely based on what was available in Trader Joe's on January 4. A number of things in the store were entirely sold out, including most of the mushrooms. The store staff were also surprised at how much was gone.

While I enjoyed it, my girlfriend thought the flavor needed to be more integrated. The various ingredients tasted great on their own, but did not blend well together. It was also on the bland side.

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Servings: 3-4

1. Add cup of rice and 1.5 cups of rice to a rice cooker
2. Cut mushrooms of both types into bite size pieces. Keep separate.
3. Cut ends of green beans and cut in half.
4. Dice onion and garlic.
5. Add white mushrooms to large skillet with 1st tablespoon of canola oil. Cook on high heat until mushrooms release juice and appear darker.
6. Remove mushrooms and juice from skillet and place in bowl.
7. Add portobello mushrooms to skillet. Cook on high heat until juices released.
8. Remove mushrooms and juices.
9. Add second tablespoon of canola oil, onions, and garlic to skillet. Cook on medium high heat until onions start to clear and get brown edges
10. Add green beans to skillet. Cook for 5 minutes. If needed, add the mushroom water.
11. Add mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes.
12. Season to taste