Serve this versatile shiitake mushroom miso gravy over sautéed tofu or tempeh, or to dress up mashed potatoes, green beans, greens, broccoli, cauliflower, and root vegetables.
This naturally plant-based miso mushroom gravy recipe might just become a staple sauce for your cool-weather meals. This recipe makes about 2 cups of gravy. Pictured above, fava bean tofu.
This recipe is super easy to make, perfect to add umami and comfort to everyday meals, yet it’s special enough to serve as part of holiday dinners.
Ingredients for shiitake mushroom miso gravy
- Vegetable broth or water
- Fresh shiitake mushrooms (about 3 to 4 ounces)
- Scallions
- Ginger, fresh or bottled ginger
- Cornstarch or arrowroot
- Nutritional yeast, optional
- Miso, your favorite variety (see note below)
- Freshly ground pepper or gochugaru to taste
What kind of miso to use: You can use your favorite variety of miso (including dark, pungent barley or hatcho). My personal preference for this gravy is for mellow white miso. Those who need a soy-free alternative will find chickpea miso a perfect choice.
Swap-in: Feel free to use another kind of mushroom (cremini, oyster, portobello, etc.) in place of or combined with shiitakes.
A bit about miso
Miso is a high-protein fermented paste made from soybeans (or a combination of soybeans and grains). Available in natural food stores and Asian groceries, pungent-tasting miso is best known for its use in the type of simple, traditional soup popular in Japanese cuisine.
It can also be used to make full-flavored sauces and plant-based gravies, as well as salad dressings like this one. Miso comes in several varieties. These are the most common in the North American market:
- Soybean (hatcho) miso is the most intense.
- Shiro miso is a variety of mild, pale yellowish miso sometimes labeled “mellow white miso.”
- Barley (mugi) miso falls somewhere in the middle between hatcho and shiro in terms of intensity.
- If you’re soy sensitive, Miso Master® now makes a chickpea miso that’s soy-free.
Which variety of miso to choose is entirely up to you and your palate. Because they’re aged and fermented, miso and tempeh are considered the two most digestible forms in which to enjoy soy foods. See more in our Guide to Miso.
Photos by Hannah Kaminsky, BittersweetBlog.com.
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Shiitake Mushroom Miso Gravy (Major Umami!)
Serve this versatile shiitake mushroom miso gravy over sautéed tofu or tempeh, or to dress up mashed potatoes, green beans, greens, broccoli, cauliflower, and root vegetables.
Ingredients
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth or water
- 2 cups thinly stemmed sliced fresh shiitake mushroom caps (about 3 to 4 ounces)
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh or bottled ginger, to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, optional
- 2 rounded tablespoons miso (see note)
- Freshly ground pepper or gochugaru to taste
Instructions
- Combine the broth, mushrooms, scallion, ginger, and optional nutritional yeast in a small saucepan. Bring to a slow boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently with the cover ajar for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the mushrooms are wilted.
- Combine the cornstarch in a small bowl or cup with just enough water to dissolve. Stir well and whisk into the saucepan and cook just until the gravy thickens. Remove from the heat.
- Combine the miso with 1/4 cup water in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir into the saucepan.
- Season with pepper and serve at once or cover and heat through just before serving.
Notes
Use your favorite variety of miso (including dark, pungent barley or hatcho). My personal preference for this gravy is for mellow white miso. Those who need a soy-free alternative will find chickpea miso a perfect choice.
Feel free to use another kind of mushroom (cremini, oyster, portobello, etc.) in place of or combined with shiitakes.
See more delicious vegan sauces and dressings.
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