Weeknight Kitchen: Portobello Mushroom, Green Onion and Broccolini Stir-fry

This week's recipe is a reminder of how savory and delicious a meatless Asian take on mushrooms can be. 

In this simple stir-fry, layers of flavor build to bring out even more of the mushrooms meatiness. Don't omit the shallots, or the sesame seeds; they are major building blocks here. 

Portobello mushrooms have a meaty quality that makes them a healthy stand-in for the steak that you might expect to find in this kind of Chinese-style stir-fry. (But you can add some sliced steak, if you wish.) Broccolini is great for stir-frying because its thin stalks cook quickly. Don't confuse it with broccoli rabe, which it resembles -broccolini is much milder. This stir-fry also gets a non-Asian seasoning of thyme, which works beautifully with the other flavors

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
3 tablespoons olive oil
10 ounces broccolini,thick bottoms trimmed, large stalks halved lengthwise
2 large portobello mushroom caps, dark gills scraped out with a spoon, cut into 1/2-inch­ thick slices
6 scallions (white and green parts),cut into 1/2-inch lengths
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves,finely chopped
1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds,toasted (see below)
Rice, for serving

1. In a small bowl, whisk the shallots, vinegar, oyster sauce,thyme, and 2 table­ spoons of the olive oil together. 

2. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until very hot. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl it to coat the cooking surface with olive oil. Add the broccolini and cook, stirring often, for about 2 minutes, or until it is bright green and beginning to char in spots. Stir in the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, for about 1 minute, or until they just begin to soften. Stir in the scallions, ginger, and garlic, add the shallot mixture, and stir for about 3 minutes, or until the broccolini is tender. Stir in half of the sesame seeds.

3. Transfer to a large platter and sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds. Serve immediately, with the rice.

TOASTING SEEDS: It only takes a minute or two to toast seeds, and this easy step brings their oils to the surface and really pumps up their flavor. Heat a dry small skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the seeds and cook, stirring almost constantly, for about 1 minute (a little longer for pumpkin seeds), or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Transfer to a plate to cool.