With just a handful of ingredients, this quick and easy Warm Mushroom Salad with Sesame Dressing can jazz up your dinner party or weeknight meal. Ready in just 15 minutes.
Are you a big fan of mushrooms? Packed with antioxidants, B vitamins, and a host of amazing nutrients, mushrooms are a treasured ingredient in Japanese cuisine.
We savor mushrooms’ deep, complex flavors and use them to create umami-packed dashi broth, add them in stews and soups, deep fry them for tempura, and sauté them for simple salads like this Warm Mushroom Salad with Sesame Dressing (きのこの胡麻和え温サラダ).
In this recipe, I used some of the most flavorful and nutritious mushrooms – shiitake mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, shimeji mushrooms, and enoki mushrooms – but you can certainly experiment with the varieties of mushrooms available. The assortment of wild mushrooms works just as beautifully in this warm salad. The idea is to use different mushrooms to create a satisfying texture.
Tips on Cooking Warm Mushroom Salad
To achieve a deep, flavorful sear, make sure your frying pan is hot enough before you add in the mushrooms. Depending on the type of mushrooms, you may want to add them in succession so the meatier ones get cooked first.
Keep the mushrooms spread out in a single layer without crowding the pan. Add in a pinch of salt to help draw out the moisture and then leave the mushrooms untouched until they achieve a rich brown color on the edges. And remember it’s always better to overcook mushrooms than undercook them.
Warm Mushroom Salad Pair with Sesame Dressing
Once the mushrooms become slippery-crisp and hot, toss them with the classic Japanese sesame dressing, then add in fresh peppery mizuna (or any leafy vegetables like shungiku/chrysanthemum leaf, watercress, or arugula) and let the mixture soak up all the flavor. The result is a savory, nutty and tangy salad and a versatile side to go with everything.
Serve this Warm Mushroom Salad with Sesame Dressing alongside steamed rice, teriyaki salmon (or agedashi tofu for vegetarian) and miso soup, you have an everyday meal that is hearty and totally satisfying.
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Warm Mushroom Salad with Sesame Dressing
Ingredients
- 9.5 oz king oyster mushrooms (eringi) (1 package)
- 5 shiitake mushrooms
- 7 oz enoki mushrooms (1 package)
- 3.5 oz shimeji mushrooms (1 package)
- 1 bunch mizuna (Japanese mustard green) (or any soft leafy greens)
For the Sesame Dressing
- 3 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 3 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- 1 Tbsp mirin
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
For Cooking
- 1½ Tbsp neutral oil
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp sake
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Make the Sesame Dressing
- Toast 3 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds in a frying pan (without oil) until fragrant, about 3–5 minutes. Swirl and shake the pan once in a while for even toasting. Transfer the toasted sesame seeds into your Japanese mortar and pestle. Grind the sesame seeds about half way (this adds texture to the dressing). If you don’t have a Japanese mortar and pestle, you can use a food processor or grind between your palms.
- Combine 3 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), 1 Tbsp mirin, 1 Tbsp sugar, and 2 Tbsp soy sauce. Then, mix in the toasted sesame seeds.
To Prepare the Ingredients
- Remove the end of 9.5 oz king oyster mushrooms (eringi) and cut the mushrooms in half, about 2 inches (5 cm) long. Then, cut them into slices.
- Discard the stems from 5 shiitake mushrooms and cut into thin slices.
- Cut off and discard the base of 7 oz enoki mushrooms and cut them in half crosswise. Then, separate them into small clusters with your fingers.
- Cut the base of 3.5 oz shimeji mushrooms and separate into small clusters by hand.
- Discard the end of 1 bunch mizuna (Japanese mustard green) and cut the mizuna into pieces 2 inches (5 cm) long.
To Cook the Mushroom Salad
- Heat 1½ Tbsp neutral oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add all the mushrooms to the pan.
- Sauté the mushrooms and add ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Then, add 1 Tbsp sake and cook covered for 2 minutes over medium-low heat.
- Add the sesame dressing and toss to coat. Drizzle 1 tsp toasted sesame oil and mix it all together.
- Right before turning off the heat, add the mizuna and quickly toss all together. The remaining heat will continue to cook the mizuna, so don’t worry that it still looks raw. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for 2 weeks.
Was so good that it was the highlight of our dinner party!
Hi, Chris! Wow! We are happy to hear that everyone liked it.
Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing the images with us. It looks fantastic! 🤩
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All the foods has been colorful , and simple to follow
Hi Ping Nip! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s posts and for your kind feedback!
We hope you enjoy many recipes from the JOC site.
Made this as a side dish for my family and we all loved it! We are a Japanese family, so the flavors suited our taste. This recipe was so easy to make, I will definitely be making this again!
Hi J! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! ありがとう〜😊
10/10. I was at a big Asian supermarket which had quite a variety of mushrooms for very good prices, I remembered this recipe and just had to try it. Unfortunately they didn’t have mizuna 🙂
Nevertheless, the dressing is so simple yet amazing, and I made a big portion for dinner using spinach as I am not that big a fan of warm arugula.
Absolutely delicious and packed with flavour.
Your recipes are rock-solid, beautifully presented and never fail to make us happy, my man absolutely loves your daifuku and banana bread as well!
Hi Isa! We couldn’t be happier to hear how much joy Nami’s recipe has brought to you!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipes and for your kind feedback!💞
I was curious about subbing in another green for the mizuna myself…my gut told me arugula, but the spinach is probably a better choice in the end! Unless the mushrooms cool down a bit and it doesn’t wilt the greens too much. Either way, thank you for the suggestion >^.^<
excited to serve this at a dinner party, I made the dressing already and am now wondering if there’s a way to make mushrooms and reheat… to cut down on prep the day of??
Hi Dina! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
You can cook this dish ahead of time and reheat them, but the texture will be different. If you like to enjoy the crunchy texture of the mushroom, we recommend cooking shortly before the guest’s arrival. Maybe, you can wash and cut the ingredients as your prep and quickly cook right before the party? It only takes about 5 minutes to cook on the stove.
We hope this helps!
This was so easy to make and tasted so good! Delicious on its own and paired with rice. Your recipes are always so reliable!
Hi Po! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear you enjoyed this dish and many other recipes from our site. Happy Cooking!
Do you wash all the mushrooms?
Hi E, In general, it recommends to wipe them or brush with a soft brush and not washing them.
However, if it too dirty, we run through the water without soaking.
We hope this helps!
Hi Nami, I made this dish with mushrooms that were available, fresh shitake mushrooms, champignon mushrooms and portobello mushrooms. I used baby spinach leaves and followed the recipe and it was delicious. The sauce is amazing. I doubled it to use it in other dishes. It’s a pity I can’t get the original Japanese ingredients but nevertheless I think I managed to get some Japanese flavors, which I like very much. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Nany!
We are so happy to hear it turned out to be a delicious dish! You are so creative!
Thank you for trying this recipe and for sharing your cooking experience with us.
Happy cooking! ☺️
HI Nami 🙂 thank you for all of your hard work, I am a big JOC fan. Do you mean to discard the shiitake stems? If so, is that just for this recipe or or is it common not to eat the stems of the shiitake?
Thank you
Hi Alyssa! Thank you so much for your kind words and I’m really happy to hear you enjoy my recipes! Yes, “Discard”. I’ll update the recipe. So… this REALLY depends on your shiitake mushrooms. Some are tough, then discard. Some are tender and you can shred (vertically) and it still soft then we can don’t have to discard. Really depending on the condition… 🙂
Just found your website and loved this recipe! I only had romaine lettuce in the house and I added diced avocado on top at the end and it was delicious, satisfying, and we loved the umami flavor and all the textures! Keep up the amazing work and thank you for making Japanese recipes easy and accessible to non-Japanese cooks!
Hi Stephanie! Welcome to JOC! Thank you for trying this recipe! Ohh wow, adding avocado sounds delicious. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this dish! Thank you for your kind feedback. xo