My most recent haul from 99 Ranch included some of my favorite mushrooms of all time – king oyster mushrooms. These guys have a wonderful meaty taste and texture, making them perfect for grilling up. Since my diet at the moment is about 95% pescatarian (I have been known to eat a chicken foot or two at dim sum), mushrooms make a great meat substitute. For dinner, I thought it would be nice to make spring rolls. They are always a nice treat especially when you get to pick out your own aromatics and fillings.
We begin with the mushrooms. I mixed together equal parts soy sauce and EVOO (is that too Rachel Ray-esque for
me to say?) with a splash of mirin to accentuate the sweetness of the mushrooms. After slicing each mushroom to about 1/4" thickness, I brushed each side with my marinade mixture and threw them onto my trusty, smoking hot cast iron grill pan. After a few minutes on each side, lovely grill marks appeared. Grill marks make me happy. They remind me of summer and most importantly they let me know that I'm in for a perfectly seared, caramelized treat.

Grilled_mushrooms

Once they finished grilling, I cut them up into 1/4" cubes and let them
come to room temperature while I shredded carrots, cooked the bean thread noodles and washed the mint and pea sprouts. With all the fillings
prepped, I was ready to begin my assembly. I soaked the rice papers in hot water until they softened. They are quite fragile things to work with, so no manhandling! Next I layered noodles, carrots, mushrooms, pea sprouts and mint leaves (in that order). Roll everything up, much like you would an egg roll or a burrito. I know it sounds like a lot, but I my goal was to get a little of everything in each bite. I takes a little practice, but by the third roll I was starting to get the hang of things. At first, I was a little too ambitious with the fillings, and found it was hard to get a tight little roll with filling exploding out both sides.  I cut each roll in half on a bias for presentations sake, but they were just as delicious uncut. A simple dipping sauce comprised of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and chopped scallions complimented the  freshness of the mint, the crunch from the sprouts and the nice charred flavor of the mushrooms. This made a nice vegetarian appetizer and the left over fillings made a great noodle dish for lunch the next day.

King Oyster Mushroom Spring Rolls