MUSHROOM AND ONION SKEWERS

These Asian-inspired barbecued vegetable skewers are full of flavour. Serve them as a side dish or as a vegetarian entrée over rice.

Yield: Makes 18.

MUSHROOM AND ONION SKEWERS

Ingredients

  • 18 small bamboo skewers
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tbsp dry white wine
  • 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
  • Dash salt
  • Dash hot pepper sauce
  • 6 green onions
  • 18 large mushrooms

Directions

  1. Soak bamboo skewers in hot water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat natural gas barbecue on medium heat for 10 - 15 minutes.
  2. To prepare sauce, combine soy sauce, water, wine, brown surgar, ginger, sesame oil, cornstarch, salt and hot pepper sauce in a small non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Boil, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. For each green onion, cut root end into three 1 1/2 inch pieces; reserve remaining top portion for another use. Thread a green onion piece crosswise and a mushroom, stem end first, onto each soaked skewer.
  4. Brush vegetables with some of the sauce; set aside remaining sauce to baste vegetables.
  5. Grill vegetable skewers over medium heat on natural gas barbecue, turning once and basting with remaining sauce, until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Nutritional analysis per skewers:

26 calories, 0.8 g fat, 1.2 g protein, 3.4 g carbohydrate, 0.4 g fibre, 178 mg sodium