Umami Bomb Asian Delight (Printable)

Earthy mushrooms, seaweed, and bold umami accents assembled into an elegant Asian-inspired board.

# What you need:

→ Mushrooms & Earthy Delights

01 - 7 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
02 - 5.3 oz king oyster mushrooms, sliced
03 - 3.5 oz enoki mushrooms, trimmed
04 - 1 tablespoon sesame oil
05 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari (for gluten-free)
06 - 1 teaspoon mirin (optional)

→ Seaweed & Ocean Flavors

07 - 8 to 10 sheets roasted seaweed snacks
08 - 1.8 oz seasoned seaweed salad
09 - 1 sheet nori, cut into strips

→ Umami Accents

10 - 3.5 oz pickled daikon radish, sliced
11 - 3.5 oz pickled ginger
12 - 2.1 oz edamame, shelled and steamed
13 - 1.4 oz black garlic cloves, peeled
14 - 1.4 oz fermented black beans, rinsed and drained

→ Crunch & Garnish

15 - 2.8 oz roasted cashews or peanuts
16 - 1.4 oz fried shallots
17 - 1 small bunch fresh coriander, leaves picked
18 - 1 small bunch chives, finely chopped
19 - 1 red chili, thinly sliced (optional)

→ Dipping Sauces

20 - 2 fl oz ponzu sauce
21 - 2 fl oz spicy sesame dressing

# How to make it:

01 - Heat sesame oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add shiitake and king oyster mushrooms and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until golden. Add soy sauce and mirin, toss to combine, and cook for 1 additional minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
02 - Blanch enoki mushrooms in boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain thoroughly and set aside to cool.
03 - Arrange all sautéed and blanched mushrooms in elegant overlapping fan shapes on a large serving board or platter.
04 - Create additional fans with roasted seaweed snacks, nori strips, and seasoned seaweed salad, placing them artfully around the mushrooms.
05 - Fill gaps with piles of pickled daikon radish, pickled ginger, steamed edamame, black garlic cloves, and fermented black beans for layered umami depth.
06 - Scatter roasted cashews or peanuts, fried shallots, fresh coriander leaves, chopped chives, and thin red chili slices across the board for textural contrast and vibrant color.
07 - Place ponzu sauce and spicy sesame dressing into small bowls and nestle them into the board, providing complementary dipping options.
08 - Serve immediately, inviting guests to combine flavors and enjoy dipping as desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It feels like a culinary treasure hunt where every bite reveals new depths of umami and unexpected flavor combinations
  • The entire board comes together in less than an hour, making it perfect for impressing guests without spending all day in the kitchen
  • Every component can be prepped ahead, so you're actually relaxed when people arrive instead of frantically plating
02 -
  • Don't skip cooling your cooked mushrooms to room temperature, because heat wilts everything else on the board and makes it look sad instead of stunning
  • The ponzu and sesame dressing are not optional, they're the bridge that ties all these intense flavors together and prevents umami overload
03 -
  • If you can't find black garlic, you can substitute it with roasted garlic cloves or aged balsamic reduction, but black garlic's sweet-funky profile is really irreplaceable
  • The secret to this board feeling elegant rather than chaotic is odd numbers and overlapping: use odd numbers of components and let them overlap and flow into each other rather than creating separate sections
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