We can never have enough quick and easy, weeknight-friendly recipes in the back pocket. Agree? They save us from spending extra money from take-out or nutritionally lacking popcorn dinner. That’s why you need today’s recipe—Stir-Fried Mushrooms and Eggs With Ankake Sauce (きのこと卵の甘酢あんかけ). This simple, healthy, and surprisingly versatile stir-fry dish has been a lifesaver on my busiest days. I’ve served it as a side for family dinner or as a main dish for our quick work lunch. The savory, tangy, and sweet sauce brings the whole dish together and the thick gravy keeps the food nice and warm.
Make This Recipe When…
As this Stir-Fried Mushrooms and Eggs recipe comes together so ridiculously fast, you’ll find it a perfect dish to make on these occasions:
You are short on time. You only have two to three ingredients in the fridge (see more below). You need one more dish to give a variety of foods to the table. You need a comforting dish. You want a quick healthy lunch.
How to Make Stir-Fried Mushrooms and Eggs
Ingredients You’ll Need
Mushrooms – I used shimeji mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms; you can use other kinds of mushrooms. Eggs Green Onions/Scallions Ankake Sauce: Chicken stock, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, doubanjiang (optional to make it a bit spicy), potato starch (or cornstarch), white pepper powder Cooking oils – neutral-flavored oil and sesame oil
Substitutions Suggestions
Mushrooms and eggs – I love this combination so please give it a try. However, you can definitely use other pairings as suggested here. I recommend keeping it simple with 2-3 ingredients. Ankake sauce provides the main flavor for the dish. Mushrooms and tofu Napa cabbage and pork Fried tofu (atsuage) and eggs Bean sprout and garlic chives Chicken stock – Use vegetable stock for vegan/vegetarian. Rice vinegar – If you have to substitute it with another type of vinegar, use less since rice vinegar is mild compared to others. Doubanjiang (spicy chili bean sauce) – The chili bean sauce lends a subtle spicy and salty kick, but it is optional. If you don’t have it in the fridge, skip it and add salt instead.
Overview: Cooking Steps
Making the Stir-Fry Sauce
This recipe is considered a Japanese-Chinese dish, known as chuka ryori (中華料理). The stir-fry dishes often feature sweet and vinegary gravy called amazu-an (甘酢あん), typically made with 3 ingredients— soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar—plus potato starch (cornstarch). The sauce is sometimes called chuka-an (中華あん) or simply An (あん). Ankake is loosely translated to ‘dishes covered in a thick starchy sauce.’ Instead of cornstarch used in Chinese dishes, we use potato starch to achieve a thick, gravy-like consistency. Sometimes the sauce is diluted with chicken stock like in this particular recipe. This gravy sauce not only gives delicious flavors but it keeps the stir-fry nice and warm!
3 Important Cooking Tips
Get all the ingredients ready. A successful stir-fry relies on speed and timing. So have your eggs lightly beaten, all the ingredients cut, and the seasonings ready to go. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce ahead of time. There is no time to measure the ingredients when you’re making the sauce. Pre-measure everything ahead of time and mix one last time right before adding the mixture to the wok so there is no starch left on the bottom of the mixing bowl. Gently cook the eggs with a good amount of oil. You will need a decent amount of oil to cook the fluffy eggs. Hot oil helps to distribute heat and prevent the eggs from sticking to the pan. When you pour in the beaten eggs, be careful not to move them around too much. Let the eggs set for a few seconds until you see them float to the top of the oil. Then gently swirl the loosely set egg around to continue cooking the rest. Keep the curds nice and big, and don’t over scramble them into small pieces. Remove from the wok immediately when the eggs are almost set but still soft.
My Favorite Woks from MTC Kitchen
I’ve partnered with MTC Kitchen to introduce quality kitchen tools for your everyday Japanese cooking. You will get 10% off with a coupon code JOC10 for your purchase. I’ve been loving a smaller 8.7″ wok that I got from MTC Kitchen. It’s a perfect wok to make a side dish or lunch for two. Summit’s Beijing Wok is lightweight with a beautiful hammered design and its heat conductivity does not require high heat, which is ideal for home cooking. It comes with a food-grade coating for easy initial use. The coating will start to come off as you use the wok more, but by then, the wok should have built up a nonstick patina naturally so don’t worry when the coating looks peeled off. 🍳 Read how to season and care for your icon pan.
Summit Iron Hammered Beijing Wok Pan 8.7″ dia x 5.5″ ht (82742) (the one I used in this recipe) Summit Iron Hammered Beijing Wok Pan 9.4″ dia x 5.7″ ht (82743) Summit Iron Hammered Beijing Wok Pan 10.6″ dia x 4.9″ ht (82744)
Other Quick and Easy Stir-Fry Dishes
Stir-Fried Tomatoes and Eggs Twice-Cooked Pork Tenshinhan (Crab Omelette Over Rice) Stir-Fried Vegetables
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