Grilled Mushroom Mini-Skewers

[zhemao]

If you made chicken and mushroom potstickers and are wondering what to do with the leftover mushroom stems, this is how I used them. In China, there's a dish called chuan er which is basically a shish-kebab. Meat is placed on a skewer and then grilled on an open flame. This is the indoors, bite-sized, vegetarian version.

Ingredients:

• Mushroom stems


• Flour


• Vegetable oil


• Toothpicks (not really an ingredient, but just so you know)

Directions:

1. Wash the stems thoroughly to remove any dirt or loose particles, then drain.


2. Sprinkle salt over the mushrooms and mix well.


3. Sprinkle some flour over the mushrooms and mix to coat.


4. Place the mushrooms on the toothpicks. Skewer them perpendicular to the stem so that you can fit more on a single toothpick. You should be able to fit three or four on one pick. Line them up parallel to each other so that the skewer can lie flat.


5. Add some oil to a pan and bring it up on medium high heat.


6. Add the skewers to the pan and let it cook on one side.


7. Flip the skewers over and cook on the other side.


8. Once both sides are nicely browned, they should be done. Turn off the heat and serve.

And there you have it. Perfect as a snack while you wait for dumplings to be made. Grilling the mushrooms like this makes it crispy on the surface, but gives it a chewy, meaty texture on the inside.