Best for: The vegetarian skewer that meat-eaters fight over.
Xianggu chuan is the mushroom skewer from the shaokao case: thick shiitake caps brushed with a soy-sesame glaze as they grill, so the edges caramelize while the centers stay meaty, then finished with the stall’s cumin-chile dusting. Score the caps in a crosshatch the way the vendors do — it is not decoration, it is how the glaze gets in.
Grill: Direct medium-high heat over charcoal; 425°F. Equipment: Charcoal grill, flat metal skewers, tongs, small brush.
Ingredients
Marinate: 10 minutes. Total: 28 minutes.
- 1 lb fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil, plus more for the grate
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, coarsely crushed
- 1 teaspoon Chinese chile flakes (or crushed red pepper flakes)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine table salt
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 8 flat metal skewers (or bamboo skewers soaked 30 minutes)
Directions
Score a shallow crosshatch into the top of each shiitake cap. Whisk the soy sauce, sesame oil, neutral oil, and sugar into a glaze.
Brush the mushrooms with half the glaze and let them sit for 10 minutes. Stir the cumin, chile flakes, and salt into the shaokao spice mix.
Thread the caps onto the skewers through the center, 3–4 caps per skewer, gill side up. Light the charcoal and heat the grill to 425°F.
Grill the skewers gill side down first for 2–3 minutes, then turn and grill cap side down for 2–3 minutes, until the edges darken.
Brush with the remaining glaze and grill for 1–2 minutes more, turning once, until glossy and tender throughout.
Dust with the spice mix and the sesame seeds and serve hot.
Grilling tip: Thread the caps through their centers, not their edges — edge-threaded mushrooms spin and tear on the grill.
