Seasoned Enoki Mushrooms (Nametake)

~Thanks to my Hawaiian friend, mixed sushi rice is now a staple in my home. Unfortunately, nametake mushrooms- the one vital ingredient is often low or out of stock at Uwaijimaya and none of the other Asian or Korean markets seem to be aware of the versatility of this product. As I was Googling the definition for nametake in my last post, I came across Yoko’s recipe for the homemade version. She calls it “condiment crack”, and rightly so. I take no credit for this one and merely wanted to spread the word to the rest of the world.  

Ingredients:

2 packs of enoki mushrooms
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp sake
2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar

Directions:

1. Cut bottom portion of enoki stems. Discard bottom. Cut enoki into thirds.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Boil the enoki for 2 minutes and strain.
3. Put the pot back onto the stove top and combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, vinegar and sugar into the pot. Bring these ingredients to a gentle rolling boil.
4. Add the enoki back into the pot and keep on medium or low heat until the liquid reduces to half its original volume.
5. Remove enoki and accompanying sauce from heat. Store in sterilized glass jar in refrigerator. Should keep well for up to 10-14 days.