Welcome back, Geeky Gluttons, to another episode of Munchies & Minis!
For those just joining us, Munchies & Minis is a live Twitch cooking show where I make a tabletop or Dungeons & Dragons-inspired snack and then paint a miniature. To kick the first season off, I decided to start @RaineRysa‘s #52WeeksofDnD fanart challenge. Far too long ago, we made some Shambling Mound-inspired Soba Noodles for the challenge word “Flora/Herbalism.” The following week’s challenge word was “Wisdom.”
My initial inspiration for this dish spawned from Buddha’s Delight, a vegetarian Cantonese dish composed of various vegetables in a mushroom and dried lily-based stock. Both Buddhism and Dungeons & Dragon’s Druid class value wisdom, sympathy, and balance for all living creatures. However, Buddha’s Delight does incorporate unfamiliar ingredients that you may not find easily in the standard grocery supermarket That’s why I chose to use this dish as a springboard to encompass another aspect of D&D’s Druid class, the Circle of Spores.
Circle of Spores
The Circle of Spores, unlike D&D’s other druid circles, “believe that life and death are portions of a grand cycle, with one leading to the other and then back again. Death is not the end of life, but instead a change of state that sees life shift into a new form.” Finding beauty in decay, they hold a symbiotic link with mold and fungus to tap into both life and death.
This concept is not at all foreign to food production. Microbial growth from decay causes our bread to rise, beer to brew, and vegetables to grow. So with that, I made lettuce wraps that incorporate fresh AND aged items to illustrate this balance between life and death.
I first started with three kinds of mushrooms. First Shiitake for their meatiness, then oyster and enoki for texture. Shiitake mushroom is an iconic flavor in Buddha’s delight and like the dried lily buds used in Chinese cuisine, is also sold dehydrated.
Then I added some fermented elements in the form of pickled garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Finally, since I like a little symbolism in my salad, I also added ground sage for wisdom, and lotus root slices for rebirth.
Sing for Your Supper
Since the audio kept cutting out on the recording, there is no video this week. HOWEVER, you can find this recipe by just scrolling down. If you hate scrolling and reloading, though, I do have a printable PDF recipe card available for my Ko-Fi and Patreon supporters.
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Druid ‘s Delight
Druid's Delight Lettuce Wraps
Equipment: Stovetop, kettle or saucepan, and a large skillet.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb shiitake or portabello mushrooms, diced
- 1/2 lb oyster or button mushrooms, diced
- 1 tablespoon hot pickled garlic cloves
- 1 cup sliced and quartered boiled lotus root
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/4 cup dried lily flowers
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 head green lettuce
- kosher salt
- 1 bunch of enoki mushrooms, ends removed and stalks separated (optional)
Instructions
- Trim the tough ends of the lily buds and discard. Place the buds in a heat-safe dish and pour 1 cup of boiling water over them. Cover the bowl and let soak for 30 minutes while you prepare your other ingredients. Remove the buds and chop finely.
- Heat the skillet over a medium flame on the stovetop. When hot, add the portobello and shiitake mushrooms and brown for a minute to release excess moisture. Stir in the lotus root, olive oil, ground sage, and a pinch of kosher salt.
- Stir-fry the mix until tender for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Add the chopped buds and garlic pickle, then deglaze the skillet with the lily water and Worcestershire sauce.
- Arrange the enoki mushrooms in the skillet then simmer until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Stir in honey and another pinch or two of kosher salt to melt.
- Serve the mixture with lettuce leaves as lettuce cups, or chop the lettuce into salads and serve the mushroom mix on top.
