I recently put chalkboard paper on some of my kitchen cabinets to make the kitchen look a little less plain and a little more interesting. A grocery list here, some inspiring quotes regarding food, cooking and the pursuit of happiness there… and at the bottom, a funny little list titled ‘What Would James Eat?’. James is always asking me to make something or other–and while I am always up for the challenge, I tend to lose track of his numerous requests. So I decided to honor his insatiable appetite (and my burgeoning attempts at interesting dishes) by giving him some space in my kitchen for a list.

(What’s on the list, you ask? Homemade pho and Taiwanese beef noodle soup, among other things. But those are other recipes for other entries!)

Magic mushrooms have been on the list since before the list existed, however, and I’m glad I was finally able to deliver with a version all my own.

Magic mushrooms are our favorite appetizer from Hapa Sushi, which is a fusion/nouveau-type sushi restaurant in the Metro Denver area. Whenever we visit Denver, we go to Hapa and order this appetizer without fail. However, it’s been well over half a year since the last time we’ve managed to patronize this sushi joint–so I only had my memories as reference. If you’re a Denver native or you’ve eaten at Hapa before, you’ll have to tell me whether I’ve managed to create a worthy copycat recipe, okay?

I would advise you to make sure you have a nice, sharp knife before attempting to make these; a dull knife won’t be able to create the thin slice necessary for the rolling of the salmon around the avocado. Additionally, this recipe requires vigilance: you can’t really walk away from any of it while it’s cooking. There’s not really much I can offer in the way of a shortcut other than buying the sweet soy sauce (or unagi sauce) at the store instead of making it yourself–but the consistency will be thinner.

Even if these mushrooms taste nothing like the ones at Hapa, I still think they’re pretty damn tasty. You’ll be dismayed at how quickly they disappear relative to the amount of work it takes to make them–but hey, you’ll get credit for being an awesome cook, so all’s well that ends well!

Once upon a blue moon (or, two years ago when I lived in Denver), I borrowed a few cookbooks about Korean and Japanese cuisine from my sister-in-law. A miso glaze caught my eye while flipping through the Japanese cookbook—I used it on some salmon steaks and it got rave reviews from a close friend and my husband. And normally, when I obtain recipes online, I usually bookmark them so I can access them or credit them later. But since I used a physical book and not the internet, I figured that I would have the book around, just in case I wanted to make the glaze again.

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Unfortunately, when I moved to Los Angeles I completely forgot about the recipe—I gave the books back to my sister-in-law without a second thought. And when I was finally ready to make the glaze again, I kept drawing a blank. I couldn’t remember the name or the ingredients, other than miso (duh), an egg yolk, and sugar. I tried replicating it a few times with minimal success. I looked it up online and only found recipes for miso marinades or recommendations to slather the miso onto the filets straight from the container. It was extremely frustrating!

Finally, I decided to try looking the recipe up by listing a few ingredients in Japanese and I hit the jackpot; I found not only the recipe, but the cover of the book staring at me from the screen. So I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do—it isn’t restricted to salmon filets, but can be used on other grilled/broiled vegetables as well. (I highly suggest eggplant—in fact, tama-miso glazed eggplant is a popular izakaya dish.)

So, before I get into the nitty-gritty—I should note that this recipe is a little persnickety. I have tried dumping all of the ingredients in together before double-boiling as well as gone step by step, and in order to get the silky-soft consistency that we’re looking for in the glaze, you need to follow the directions in order. Also, be warned that you will be standing over the double-boiler continuously stirring the glaze for at least 6-8 minutes. This isn’t something you can walk away from. But the resulting consistency and flavor are well worth it: a lightly-caramelized glaze, with the flavor but not the normal grainy texture of miso—with a hint of sake, just enough to heighten the umami of the bite. Paired with a flaky, juicy salmon filet with a lightly salted crisp skin and you’re smiling after each bite.

Tama-miso recipe adapted from The Japanese Kitchen by Hiroko Shimbo.