Teriyaki Rice with Mushrooms and Asparagus 🍚

This was sooo fun to make! I love combining a grain with vegetables for a fabulous side dish or vegan main. This is great hot or room temperature, and can definitely be made a day in advance. Choose between your favorite white or brown rice. I used white but it actually looked brown after I mixed it with the sauce. Sliced grilled steak, chicken, or a simple teriyaki salmon are the perfect protein accompaniments. Another idea is to put the rice in a bowl and top with a fried egg. For you vegetarians, serve with tofu. So many ways to enjoy this rice dish; isn’t it nice when we have choices in life?   

Ingredients:

Two cups white jasmine rice, cooked

A chopped white onion

A bunch of asparagus trimmed and cut into two inch pieces

8 oz sliced shiitake mushrooms

Toasted sesame seeds

A bunch of scallions chopped

1/4 tsp dried ginger powder

2 tbsp Mirin cooking wine to deglaze the sauté pan

3 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp rice vinegar

3 tbsp teriyaki sauce (I like La Choy)

Note that while these were the basic measurements I used, they are subject to adding. I always cook dashing here and there, use more of whatever you feel you may.   

After the rice is cooked, mix in a tbsp of the toasted sesame oil. The hot rice will just soak up that flavor and retain it. Heat a large pan with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp of the sesame oil. Sauté the onions until tender. Deglaze with Mirin as needed, continuously adding to keep deglazing and flavoring.

Add the mushrooms and asparagus and sauté until the asparagus is fork tender but still bright green, and the mushrooms are soft. Add some sesame oil as needed directly from the bottle. Don’t worry, you really can’t go wrong. Do it bit by bit. Start with less. Add the dried ginger to the sautéing veggie mix. Season with salt and pepper while sautéing too. Start with half a tsp salt and a quarter pepper. You can always add more but you can’t take away.

Mix the rice vinegar, teriyaki sauce, remainder of the sesame oil together. Add the rice to the veggie pan, pour sauce over, and mix gently. Turn off the heat, tossing to coat. Add more teriyaki sauce if needed. Transfer to a serving bowl and add toasted sesame seeds and scallions right before serving. Toasted oil and seeds are a must here. They are far richer in flavor than their bland counterparts.