Mushroom Pasta, Japanese-Style
First:
Cut garlic clove in half lengthwise and remove sprout at the center. Then cut into thin slices.
Slice bacon into 1cm(0.4 inch) wide strips.
Trim off the hard root clusters of shimeji mushrooms, and tear into smaller clusters.
Chop off the root cluster of enoki mushroom from over the package. Pour water inside the package and rub gently to wash. Shake off water and separate into smaller clusters.
Trim off the hard tip of the stem of maitake mushrooms, and break into smaller clusters.
Trim off the hard tip of the stem of fresh shiitake mushrooms and wipe lightly to clean. Slice the stem diagonally. Cut the cap into thin slices.
Cut off the cap and stalk of shishitou (Japanese sweet green pepper) and wash lightly. Cut in half diagonally.
Cut off the stems of shiso (green perilla) leaves. Cut into half lengthwise and further cut into fine strips. Soak in water, then squeeze to remove excess water.
Chop off the root of scallions and cut into 3cm(1.2 inch) lengths.
Second:Bring plenty of water to boil and add salt equivalent to 10% of weight of spaghetti. Boil spaghetti slightly shorter than package instructions.
While boiling spaghetti, heat olive oil and garlic slices in a frying-pan on low-medium heat. When the aroma of garlic starts to smell, add bacon strips and stir-fry.
Add shimeji, enoki, maitake, fresh shiitake mushrooms and shishitou. Season with salt and pepper and stir-fry together until they are evenly softened.
Add freshly boiled spaghetti in the frying-pan and toss lightly to combine all the ingredients. Add butter and soy sauce and further stir-fry.
Serve topped with shredded green perilla, chopped scallion and shredded nori seaweed.
For the best results, boil the pasta “aldente”. It’s perfect if you can stir-fry the mushrooms just on time for the pasta!