Kinoko no sotee sarada / salad with sauteed mushrooms and citrus soy sauce

One of my typical baby leaf salads comes with sauteed mushrooms. Sauteed mushrooms work as a dressing, so cook them on lower heat to get the moisture out for mellower texture. Olive oil goes so well with citrus soy sauce, adding another fruity layer to the overall taste. See notes if you are out of ponzujoyu.

1/2 of recipe:
88 calories; 1.7 g protein; 6.1 g fat; 9.7 g carbohydrate; 125 mg sodium (when made with homemade ponzujoyu using 50% reduced sodium soy sauce; 350+ mg when made with store-bought ponzujoyu); 7 mg cholesterol; 5.6 g fiber



<Ingredients>

Large handful baby leafy greens (70 g in photo)
Approx 250 g of a mix of mushrooms
      Several shiitake mushrooms (68 g in photo)
      Handful eringi king oyster mushrooms (86 g in photo)
      Small handful shimeji mushrooms (62 g in photo)
      Small handful enoki mushrooms (59 g in photo)
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp ponzujoyu citrus soy sauce
Black pepper, to taste

<Directions>
1.

Remove dry, discolored ends of baby leafy greens, soak in water for a while, drain well, and put on serving plates.

2.

Take off discolored or dry ends of shiitake stems, and remove root ends of other mushrooms.
Remove stem ends of shiitake, and tear into several sections.
Slice shiitake umbrellas and eringi 7-8mm thick (or tear into size of shimeji by hand).
Cut enoki in two.

3.

Heat olive oil and butter, and saute mushrooms other than enoki on medium low or lower heat.

4.

When mushrooms are almost done (turn somewhat translucent), add enoki, and continue cooking.

5.

When enoki is done, pour ponzujoyu, stir, add black pepper, and mix again.

Place mushrooms (and liquid) on top of baby greens.
Ready to serve.

<Notes>

• No ponzujoyu citrus soy sauce? A combination of sake or white wine, soy sauce and lemon juice works great; this is what I used to use for this salad. For the amount above, try 1/2 tbsp sake (or white wine; add when mushrooms are almost done before adding soy sauce), 1- 1 + 1/2 tsp soy sauce, and 1/2 small lemon (1/2 tbsp lemon juice). This makes the salad taste more straightforward than when using ponzujoyu.
• Enoki cooks fast and is added after other mushrooms.
• Using more than a few kinds of mushrooms significantly improves the taste. Any mushroom, especially those with milder taste, works great. If only one kind is going to be used among the four above, I would choose shiitake (thick ones) or eringi, as they both offer a substantial texture, faint sweetness and earthy note. Shimeji, when used alone in larger quantities, can taste bitter, and enoki tends to be sour.
• Tender baby leafy greens or salad greens are recommended for this salad. The mushroom saute would taste weak when paired with sturdier leaves such as kale, radicchio or uncooked cauliflower, broccoli, and so on.