As a semi-regular reader of Eater magazine, I occasionally see a great recipe to try. And this is one of them. Kasama is a restaurant in Chicago that’s part Filipino gastro pub and part bakery. From what I’ve read online, it’s really popular.
And this mushroom adobo recipe may be partly why. It’s absolutely delicious, and pretty easy to make. That said, I did cheat on this and added about 0.75 lbs. of cut-up chicken thighs, as just the mushrooms weren’t going to fill us up. Despite the abomination of adding chicken, it turned out really great. By the way, chicken adobo is a thing, so check around online if you want to try that.
What you’ll need for the garlic-fried rice
- 3T vegetable oil
- 12 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups (about 2 cups, uncooked) cooked and cooled white rice
- Salt and ground black pepper
For the mushrooms:
- 1 lb. mushrooms of your choice (ex. oyster, maitake, shiitake, etc.—even a mix works) torn or roughly chopped
- Karl’s option: 0.75 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into the same size pieces as the chopped mushrooms
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 0.25 cups distilled white vinegar or rice wine vinegar
- 0.25 cups soy sauce
- 1 cup unsalted or low-sodium chicken stock (vegetable stock works, too)
- 3T dark brown sugar, plus more, if needed
- 2T butter
- Salt
For serving:
- 1 egg for each portion served
- 1T vegetable oil
- Sliced scallions (optional)
What to do for the garlic fried rice
Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok or frypan over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium and add the minced garlic. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the garlic turns a light golden color. Carefully strain the garlic from the pan, leaving the garlic-infused oil behind. Drain the fried garlic on paper towels until cooled. Set aside.
Add the cooked rice to the garlic oil in the wok, stirring to coat all the grains with oil. Spread the rice out in the wok, covering as much surface area of the hot pan as possible. Let the rice cook, undisturbed, for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir the rice well, then spread it out again and cook, undisturbed, for 3 to 5 minutes more. Continue this process until the rice is cooked to your liking. It may actually take several sit-and-stir cycles. Season the rice with salt and pepper and set aside.
What to do for the mushrooms
Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat without any oil. Once the pan is warm, add a handful of mushrooms and sear them to get some color. Work in batches and be careful not to overcrowd the pan, as the mushrooms will release liquid, and you want them to stay crisp.
When the mushrooms are browned, add the garlic and continue to cook until the garlic is golden brown—not much more than a minute or two. Add the vinegar, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pan to incorporate them, and continue cooking until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the soy sauce, chicken stock, and brown sugar to the pan (if you’re including chicken, add it now) and let it cook until the sauce is reduced by half. Stir in the butter to emulsify the sauce. Season with more brown sugar and salt, as needed.
What to do right before serving
In a large frypan over medium-high heat, fry the eggs in a little oil until they’re done to your liking.
To serve
Spoon the mushroom adobo (and chicken, if you used it) over the garlic rice, then place a fried egg on top of each serving. Garnish with the reserved crispy fried garlic and sliced scallions, if using.
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