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There\u2019s something Lucas Sin wants you to know: Water and mushrooms aren\u2019t enemies. \u201cMushrooms, because of their cell structure and the way this fungus is set up, in between all these fibers are big air pockets that are filled with air and, eventually, whatever liquid that it comes into contact with,\u201d says Lucas. \u201cThat\u2019s a lot of the reason why some people say [not to] soak them in water.\u201d<\/p>\n Generally, the advice is to cook dry mushrooms directly in fat to create that ever-desired sear. But the downside of that technique is that the mushrooms quickly absorb all the oil or butter in the pan, prompting you to add more and more. \u201cWhat ends up happening is these mushroom sponges soak up all that oil, and then you get sort of a bit of a greasy mess,\u201d says Lucas.<\/p>\n His technique is sort of a reversal of this common wisdom. Lucas begins by washing his prepped mushrooms\u2014in this case, a mix of shiitake, portobello, and oyster\u2014in a bowl of water. (\u201cWe\u2019re washing these mushrooms with water, which is so sacrilegious to\u2026many people who went to culinary school,\u201d says Lucas. \u201cFirst of all, I did not go to culinary school, and second of all, I am not a Western chef, so I don\u2019t know about those rules.\u201d)<\/p>\n After washing them, Lucas puts the mushrooms in a wok<\/a> (a skillet<\/a> works, too) and adds enough water to cover them. Then, he simply turns on the heat, brings them to a boil, seasons them with salt, and cooks them for about 15 minutes. The goal? To saturate the mushrooms completely with water and reduce any remaining liquid in the pan.<\/p>\n \u201cAll we\u2019re doing here is capitalizing on the deliciousness that\u2019s already in the mushrooms and trying to amplify them,\u201d Lucas says. \u201cIt\u2019s, like, the essence of a mushroom.\u201d<\/p>\n Once the liquid has pretty much disappeared from the pan, there\u2019s \u201ca very small window, when the mushrooms are still saturated with liquid, to add oil before it burns.\u201d<\/p>\n Once the oil is in, the mushrooms will start to sizzle and \u201cbuild that nice caramelized crust that we\u2019ve been missing because we\u2019ve been boiling it.\u201d Following the oil, Lucas adds thinly sliced scallion and garlic, which cook in those final few moments. To create a little bit of a sauce, he adds a touch more water to the pan, which gives the mushrooms a glazed finish. That\u2019s it: Transfer your mushrooms to a serving platter or bowl and enjoy.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cA lot of us have been told that when you process your mushrooms\u2014when you cook them\u2014they\u2019re not allowed to touch a single drop of water,\u201d says Lucas in a recent episode of Why it Works<\/em><\/a>. \u201cBut in my experience, I found that not to be correct.\u201d Not only is water not the enemy, he argues\u2014it\u2019s actually the key to extracting the most flavor out of your fungi.<\/p>\nMore from Food52<\/h4>\n
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\nHave you tried cooking your mushrooms using this technique? Tell us how it went in the comments!<\/em>
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