Stuffed Mushrooms

Vegan Cantonese-style Meatballs

Yield: 4 servings

Cooktime: 1½ to 2 hours (includes up to 1 hour for marinade)

These vegan stuffed mushrooms combine Cantonese-style seasonings with plant-based ground, which makes them easier to shape and quicker to cook.

They make the best leftovers, so I always double the recipe!

Ingredients

For the mushrooms:

10 oz crimini mushrooms*

Aromatics:

3 scallions, light parts only (about 2 tbsp chopped)
1 (2-inch) knob fresh ginger (about 2 tbsp chopped)
3 to 4 large cloves of garlic (about 3 tbsp chopped)
2 to 3 fresh chili peppers** (about 2 tbsp chopped)
Optional: 1 large leek, white parts only

Seasonings:

3 tbsp soy sauce, divided
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp mirin, divided
½ tsp MSG, divided

For the marinade:

1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp Shaoxing wine
1 tsp rice vinegar
½ tsp sesame oil

For the filling:***

1 12-oz. package plant-based ground, defrosted
½ tsp vegan mushroom seasoning
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp chili paste
2 tsp chili oil
1 tsp vegan fish sauce

Rice and greens to serve

Substitutions and Notes:

* Shiitakes are also great. Larger mushrooms will be quicker to stuff and heartier to eat, while smaller ones will make more and cook faster.

** Choose chili peppers that suit your heat level. I use red thai chiles, which can be pretty strong.

***I like to add Jerusalem artichokes to the filling when I have them. Thinly slice one or two knobs, then coat them in olive oil, salt, MSG, and vegan mushroom seasoning. Toss with a few larger pieces of green onion, and roast in the oven at 400 degrees. Start checking at 10 minutes so you can remove them when they start to get caramelized and crispy. Cool on the cutting board and dice, then add to the filling.

Instructions

Prep:

1. Wash the mushrooms well and drain. Remove the stems.

(I like to save them for making stock later.) Score the bottoms in a crosshatch pattern.

2. Prepare all the aromatics, keeping them separate: Finely slice the scallions.

Finely slice and mince the ginger.

Finely mince the garlic.

Finely slice and mince the chili peppers.

If using leek, slice it about ¼-inch thick.

Set aside.

Make the marinade:

1. In a bowl large enough to hold all of the mushrooms, add 2 tsp each of the scallions, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers.

Add 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, and ¼ tsp MSG.

Then add the brown sugar, Shaoxing wine, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.

Mix well.

2. Add the mushrooms to the marinade and mix well, massaging with your hands to get everything into the hollows of the caps.

Set the bowl aside.

(I like to move on to the rest of the meal at this point, giving the marinade about an hour to absorb, although I’ve made it with less time and it was still tasty!)

Make the filling:

1. Place the vegan ground in a large bowl.

Add the remaining 1 tbsp each of the scallions, ginger, and peppers, and remaining 2 tbsp of garlic.

(You may have more aromatics left over—add them to that stock you will make later!)

Add the remaining 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp mirin, and ¼ tsp MSG.

Then add the mushroom seasoning, tomato paste, chili paste, chili oil, and vegan fish sauce.

2. Stir the filling with a spatula, then massage it with your hands until it all comes together.

Stuff the mushrooms:

1. Preheat the oven to 420 degrees.

2. Remove the marinated mushroom caps one by one from the bowl, shake off the marinade, and place them on a baking sheet or skillet, round side down.

(Mushrooms tend to give off a lot of moisture as they roast. You may want to use parchment on the baking pan for easier cleanup.)

3. If using leek, in the center hollow of each mushroom place one or two slices.

Scoop an ample spoonful of filling on top, then press it with your fingers to make a rounded top, so it looks like a little meatball.

4. Place them on the pan, leaving about half an inch of space between them.

5. Bake at 420 degrees. Start checking after about 20 minutes. They’re ready when the tops are golden brown.

6. They’re super hot straight out of the oven, so I like to serve warm or at room temperature.

They go well with rice and greens.

https://dumplingadjacent.org/vegan-cantonese-style-stuffed-mushrooms

Recipe by Alison Kuo

“One of my dad’s signature dishes when I was growing up in Texas was stuffed mushrooms with beef. The seasoning had a tomato base, probably from ketchup, and a strong Cantonese vibe from the aromatics. We would have it as a meal with rice and other dishes, which is still how I like it best. But this recipe is my own version, adapted to share with my vegan partner. Using plant-based ground is great because you don’t need to worry about over- or under-cooking.

My dad’s first encounter with cooking was through his hau pau, his maternal grandmother, who had lived with his family in Hong Kong when he was young. When we moved to Texas for his medical residency, he adapted some of those dishes to ingredients he found in the local supermarkets. We later visited my great grandmother in Hong Kong; I remember her as being very small and very sweet, always popping out of nowhere with a plate of something delicious.

I’m not sure about the origin of this recipe: it’s a bit like Lion’s Head meatballs, although it’s not braised. My parents had a collection of Chinese-American cookbooks, but my dad was never into following recipes—he just liked to mix things based on memory or what he thought would taste good. Now that he’s retired, he’s developed a new interest in cooking and he picks up recipes from Youtube, so he’s gotten into recipes after all.

Alison Kuo is a second-generation immigrant who makes sculptures from found objects and creates performances that tell stories about the Asian diaspora experience. She is currently studying Cantonese Opera and will debut her first opera performance in the New Museum theater in 2026. She has exhibited her work at the Brooklyn Museum, the Hessel Museum of Art, Think!Chinatown, Cuchifritos Gallery + Project Space , the Abrons Art Center, and the Yeh Art Gallery in New York, and at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, among others. She has worked as a teaching artist at the Abrons Arts Center, The W.O.W. Project, Hamilton-Madison House Older Adult Center, P.S. 130M, and Think!Chinatown, and was also a part of the faculty of the School of Visual Arts MFA Fine Arts program where she taught a Food and Art class. When not in her studio in Brooklyn, she can often be found in the Manhattan Chinatown where she is a community arts organizer.