Today, I would like to talk about a dish which I prepared, quite by chance. A whole stack of these large portobello mushrooms caught my eye the other day while I was at the supermarket, with my son in tow. I could add this to my cooking repertoire, I thought. I grabbed a packet and moved along.
Then, further down the lane, we came to a promotional stall which gave out free cheese samples. These stalls really work for me - No Try. No Buy. I always try to stick to this policy if possible. Too many past wasted buys made me a present shy buyer. Even when the lemon law was passed, I do not have that extra energy and time to go through the hassle of negotiation.
And so, the kind lady tending to the stall gave out pieces and pieces of this so called emmental cheese which my son heartily wolfed down and eagerly asked for seconds and thirds. I caved in and bought two packets and fled the scene before my son finishes up all the samples. For one, I tasted the cheese and thought it was softer and milder than the ones we usually consume, which is a yes for my recently toned-down palate. But more so, it felt uneasy not buying after my son's little 'meal' and that there was an attractive promotional price of buying two instead of one. That's Psychology of Sales in action - guilt after tasting/using product for free (but, I think they're good usually) and the attractive discount of buying more.
These (cheese) could go with the mushrooms, I decided.
Before I move on to the recipe, let me introduce you to my new best friend.
Tada~
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| Isn't she sexy? Gotta take shots of her glorious days before she gets abused and bruised from my cooking. |
We have decided that this will be our family's do-it-all pot. Be it breakfast, lunch, dinner; omelette, stir-fries or even instant noodles, she'll bear all the brunt (sorry, but thanks pretty). There is no more need to search for the 'right pot' anymore - she does it all. How easy is that? Heh heh...
Okay, that's her for now, back to the dish I was talking about...
For the ingredients, it is pretty clear-cut. The usual suspects with amounts that are decided by my guesswork. I am indeed lucky to have got it right - the way my son goes Mmmm at his first ever bite of portobello mushrooms is so amazing. Truly, the mushrooms are fresh and juicy in every bite and that heavenly sauce! The oyster sauce I used in the recipe simply brought out and enhanced the mushroom flavour beautifully. I shall pair this with white fluffy rice at another time. You should too :)
Before I go, I just want to share a little news with you: Hubby and I are getting a new apartment soon. Particularly, we are eyeing a top-floor unit at SkyPeak. This is a neighbourhood development in Bukit Batok, Singapore with several blocks of public housing ranging between 26 to 40 storeys high. According to our queue number, we will only be able to select our unit on 17th June 2013, which is just three days away. As the better units are taken up and crossed off the list every single day, we could only await anxiously for the day to arrive and hope that that unit will be ours. If not, we shall have to settle for the second best, I guess. So, wish us luck, ok? Updates later!
For now, do enjoy your meal :)
Recipe
2 medium portobello mushrooms, de-stemmed
1 cup mixed vegetables
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
Sauce: (mix well together)
1 tsp cooking wine (I use chinese cooking wine)
1 tsp oyster sauce
dash of black pepper
3 tbs water
1 piece of emmental cheese, grated
dash of mixed Italian herbs, finely chopped (I use a ready-made one which includes: Basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, etc. You can use chives too. This is optional)
1. Heat olive oil and sauteed the garlic till fragrant. Then, grill mushrooms for about 4 mins on each side till cooked. Add in mixed vegetables and fry for a few minutes.
2. Next, add in sauce and continue frying for 1 to 2 minutes, mixing everything well.
3. Dish out and sprinkle on grated cheese and mixed herbs. Serve warm.