Taiwanese Three Cup Mushrooms

Directions

• Prepare the Mushrooms. Wash the white mushrooms throughly. Cut off the mushroom stems (you can leave them on if you wish — I cut them off to produce an even surface). Set aside.
• Prepare the Pearl Onions. Soak the pearl onions in hot water for 5-8 minutes first (this helps loosen the skins, making it much easier to peel). Cut a little off both ends of the pearl onions and peel each one like you normally would. I especially like using the parring knife as an assisting tool for this.
• Make the Three Cup Sauce. In a small-medium sized pan, heat up the sesame oil on medium heat. Fry together the brown sugar, ginger, and garlic together until aromatic and caramelized. Add in the soy sauce and rice wine to deglaze. The sugar may harden and clump up but just keep stirring until they dissolve again.
• Cook the Mushrooms and Onions. Add the mushrooms and pearl onions into the three cup sauce (no need to wait), spreading them out to a single layer. Bring the sauce up to a boil first, then lower the heat slightly and simmer covered for around 15 minutes.
• Finish the sauce. Once the mushrooms and onions are both tender, remove the lid and turn the heat up. Reduce the sauce by half, then take the pan off the heat and sprinkle on the basil leaves. Use the residual heat to wilt the basil leaves, stirring to infuse all the flavors together. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve over a bed of freshly steamed rice.