Cooking with cultivated mushrooms

Kimchi-Stuffed King Trumpet

Korean banchan technique — caps hollowed, stuffed with kimchi-tofu filling, pan-seared.

King trumpet (Pleurotus eryngii) is the cultivated mushroom whose stems most resemble scallop or abalone — dense, ivory, with a clean grain. Cut crosswise into thick rounds and seared, they're a vegetarian seafood stand-in. But the caps, when hollowed, become little vessels for stuffing, which is the technique this recipe uses. The filling is a Korean weeknight standard: aged kimchi minced fine, mashed firm tofu, a spoon of doenjang for depth, sesame oil to finish. You're not aiming for restaurant precision — you want the textural contrast between the dense seared cap and the soft tangy filling. The whole thing sears in 8 minutes. This is the kind of dish that turns up in Korean home cooking as part of a banchan spread — small plates around a main rice and stew. As an American dinner it works as an appetizer, a side, or (with rice and steamed greens) a full meal. The leftover filling (you'll have some) makes excellent fried rice the next day.