Soy-Glazed Mushroom Rice Bowl:

Soy-Glazed Mushroom Rice Bowl:

Laced with a simple mixture of soy sauce and chile-garlic sauce, this mushroom and cabbage rice bowl comes together quickly, with minimal effort and time. While cremini mushrooms are the easy choice for this rice bowl, shiitakes or other mushrooms work just as well. The silky, soy-flavored mushrooms pair well with the caramelized cabbage. Spoon steaming white rice into a bowl and add piles of this flavorful mushroom and cabbage mixture. Top with meaty, salty sardines in rich olive oil, if you’d like, and serve with additional chile-garlic sauce for extra heat, or opt out of the sardines entirely and keep it vegan. 

• 5 teaspoons olive oil, divided

• ½ pound cremini mushrooms, sliced

• 1 medium (1½-pound) Napa or green cabbage, cored and chopped

• 3 large garlic cloves, smashed

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1½ teaspoons chile-garlic sauce (preferably Huy Fong), plus more for serving if desired

• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

• Cooked white rice, for serving

• 3 (4-ounce) cans boneless sardines in oil (skin-on or skinless), optional

• Thinly sliced scallions, for serving

In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, warm up 3 teaspoons of olive oil. Once oil is loose and shimmering, about 1 minute, add the mushrooms and stir sparingly, leaving the mushrooms largely undisturbed. Cook until the mushrooms have softened and reduced down slightly in size, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the chopped cabbage and the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, cover and cook, stirring occasionally. After 2 to 3 minutes, lower the heat to medium and stir in the garlic, soy sauce, chile-garlic sauce and sesame oil. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring as needed, until the cabbage is almost caramelized.

Serve the cabbage-mushroom mixture over rice. Top with sardines, if you like, and scallions. Serve with additional chile-garlic sauce. Enjoy immediately or store in the fridge in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.