Soy-Braised Fall Mushrooms With Chestnuts Recipe

By
Fiona Reilly
Fiona Reilly is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Fiona Reilly
Fiona Reilly is a freelance writer and photographer passionate about food and travel in China.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated August 29, 2018
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Fiona Reilly

Why It Works

  • Using two types of soy sauce adds nuance: Dark soy sauce provides a rich golden-brown color, while light soy sauce lends additional flavor.
  • Blanching the chestnuts and mushrooms until they're tender reduces the amount of time they need to be stir-fried, ensuring they don't burn before they're cooked through.
  • Sweet roasted chestnuts offset the saltiness of the rich soy braise.

    • This dish celebrates the seasonal arrival of mushrooms and fresh-roasted chestnuts in the form of a simple soy-spiked stir-fry. You can use any fresh fall mushrooms available to you, including enoki, shiitake, button mushrooms, Swiss browns, and chanterelles. This dish is part of our seven-course Mid-Autumn Festival feast.

    Recipe Details

    Soy-Braised Fall Mushrooms With Chestnuts Recipe

    Active 15 mins
    Total 20 mins
    Serves 4 servings
    Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

    Ingredients

    • 2 teaspoons corn starch

    • 3 1/2 ounces fresh chestnuts, peeled (about 1 cup)

    • 9 ounces assorted fresh mushrooms (such as button, beec, shiitake, or enoki), sliced (about 1 1/2 quarts)

    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

    • 1/2-inch knob ginger, peeled and finely sliced (about 2 teaspoons)

    • 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely sliced (about 1 teaspoons)

    • 2 scallions, white parts only, finely sliced (about 3 tablespoons)

    • 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce

    • 2 teaspoons light soy sauce

    • 2 teaspoons sesame oil

    • Kosher salt

    • Steamed rice for serving

    Directions

    1. In a small bowl, combine corn starch with 2 tablespoons water and set aside. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.

    2. Cook chestnuts in boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove with a strainer, drain, and set aside. Add mushrooms to boiling water, cook for 1 minute. Remove with a strainer, drain, and set aside.

    3. Heat vegetable oil in a wok over medium heat until shimmering. Add ginger, garlic, and scallions, and cook, stirring, over until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chestnuts and continue stirring for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and stir for 1 additional minute.

    4. Increase heat to high. Add dark and light soy sauces, stirring to combine. Add cornflour and water mixture and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until sauce is thickened and coats the mushrooms and chestnuts, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in sesame oil, season to taste with salt if necessary, and serve immediately with steamed rice.

    Notes

    If you can't find fresh-roasted chestnuts, you can substitute frozen peeled chestnuts, easily found at Chinese grocery stores.

    Special Equipment

    Wok

    This Recipe Appears In

    Nutrition Facts (per serving)
    169Calories
    10gFat
    18gCarbs
    3gProtein
    ×
    Nutrition Facts
    Servings: 4
    Amount per serving
    Calories169
    % Daily Value*
    Total Fat 10g13%
    Saturated Fat 1g5%
    Cholesterol 0mg0%
    Sodium 437mg19%
    Total Carbohydrate 18g7%
    Dietary Fiber 2g8%
    Total Sugars 4g
    Protein 3g
    Vitamin C 10mg48%
    Calcium 18mg1%
    Iron 1mg4%
    Potassium 411mg9%
    *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
    (Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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