Shiitake and Tatsoi Lettuce Wraps
Thursday is CSA day, and this week I was able to pick up a nice selection of goodies including a canary melon, an acorn squash, some red potatoes, a bunch each of beets and turnips, beautiful French breakfast radishes, I’itoi’s onions, and an Asian green called tatsoi (or tat soi). I decided that three of these things belonged together; three of these things were kinda the same. (Everybody sing!)
Now that all the Sesame Street geeks have been outed, let’s get back to the recipe. I figured these Asian themed ingredients would go nicely together:
It was a warm afternoon in Phoenix today, so I decided to make them into something light: lettuce wraps.
The shoyu, sesame, and the shiitake in this recipe provide a rich base flavor which you can dress up or down with the suggestions in the ingredients list. Want more heat? Go for it. Sweet and sour? No problem. Play with it and figure out what flavor combinations you like best. Remember–show no fear in the kitchen!
Shiitake and Tatsoi Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, crushed and minced
6 medium-large shiitake mushrooms (about 2 inches in diameter), diced
1 bunch I’itoi’s or green onions, sliced fine
1/2 of a large bunch of tatsoi, mustard greens, turnip greens, or mizuna, coarsely chopped (leaves and stems)
1 bunch of French breakfast radishes, sliced in medium-thick rounds
soy sauce (Try San-J’s tamari or shoyu–this is real, brewed stuff, a world apart from Kikkoman’s and the like. You will definitely taste the difference)
1 T sesame oil
1/2-1 T olive oil
Chinese 5-spice powder
roasted sesame seeds for garnish
dried, crushed red pepper (optional)
fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
brown rice vinegar (optional)
agave nectar, honey, or sugar (optional)
several whole leaves of romaine or iceberg lettuce, washed and allowed to dry
Put the sesame oil and olive oil in a good-sized pan and warm over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, the shiitake mushrooms, a pinch of Chinese 5-spice, and about a tablespoon of shoyu. Cook until the mushrooms are softened.
Add the tatsoi stems and cook for 30 seconds to a minute, stirring. Add the tatsoi leaves and radishes and cook just until the greens are wilted. You want both the crispness and the bite to remain in your vegetables.
At this point, remove from the heat and adjust your seasonings–add some red pepper for a good burn, and/or vinegar and agave for sweet and sour. You can also add more shoyu for saltiness or more sesame oil or 5-spice for a complex smokiness if needed. Finally, garnish with fresh cilantro and roasted sesame seeds.
Serve in a communal dish with a plate of lettuce leaves. Guests should load their lettuce leaves with the filling, fold the leaf around it, and enjoy.
Guten Apetit!
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