Shiitake Mushroom Jook

• porcije: Serves 2 to 4

Sastojci

2 oz (about 15) dried shiitake mushrooms

4 cups boiling water

1 cup jasmine rice

6 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp chicken or vegetable bouillon

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 tsp sesame oil

4 green onions, whites and greens chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Upute

The night or a few hours before: rinse the rice, strain, and store in an airtight container (deli container or resealable bag works great). Freeze for 2 hours or overnight.

In a medium bowl, submerge mushrooms in boiling water. Place a small plate over the mushrooms to help weigh them down and soak until tender, about 45 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the water. Reserve soaking liquid for jook and slice the mushrooms into 1/4” slices. Reserve 1/2 cup of mushrooms for the crunchy topping (optional). Wrap the reserved mushrooms in paper towels to soak up extra moisture.

In a medium to large pot, combine soaking liquid, additional water, salt, and chicken bouillon. Bring to a boil. Add frozen rice and stir. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer. Continue to simmer and stir every few minutes (to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot). After 20 minutes, add sliced mushrooms, oyster sauce, white pepper, sesame oil, and green onions. Continue to simmer, while stirring every few minutes until the jook is thick and creamy, another 15 to 20 minutes. Add more water if needed for a looser consistency.

While the jook is simmering, fry the garlic and mushrooms: Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add a slice of garlic to the oil and if you hear a gentle sizzle, the oil is hot enough. Add the remaining garlic and fry until crisp and golden brown, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Keep a close eye on the garlic because it can easily burn. Remove the garlic from the oil and place on a plate lined with paper towels. In the same oil, add the reserved mushroom slices and fry until crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and place on the paper towel lined plate.

To serve, fill bowls with mushroom jook and top with fried garlic, fried mushrooms, chili oil, nori, pork floss, and chopped green onions.

storage and reheating notes: store jook in an airtight container for up to 4 days. As jook cools the texture thickens, so reheat in the microwave (2 to 3 minutes) or in a pot on the stove top until warmed through with a little extra water to get the consistency you like.