Japanese Stuffed Mushroom Pie

Japanese Stuffed Mushroom Pie

This meatless but savory pie makes a perfect lunch or tea time snack. This flaky stuffed pie features fresh mushrooms and gooey melted cheese reduced in a soy based sauce. This dish is a great alternative to quiche and pairs perfectly with a nice green salad.

Healthy Japanese Veggies

This is a recipe that I developed after going to a cafe with my wife where we had some quiche. Other than sandwiches, soups and quiche, the cafe specialized in pastries. I had seen an older couple across the restaurant enjoying some apple pie, and I thought that as a substitute for quiche, a savory pie might go perfectly for a light lunch. But I wanted something without meat. So the idea of a mushroom pie made sense.

I had a left over pie shell in the freezer, so decided to try something new.

I’ve made this pie several times now and it always goes over well with my guests. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Japanese Stuffed Mushroom Pie

This savory stuffed mushroom pie is packed with mushrooms and wrapped in a flaky pie crust. Japan has its share of wonderful mushrooms, and a great variety can be found all year long.

Some of the more common types of mushrooms to be found include shimeji, shiitakes, eryngi (trumpet mushrooms), enoki, maitake, and the king of Japanese mushrooms, matsutake. There are also many others that can be found seasonally and enhance the taste and texture of your dish. But any mushrooms will work in this pie. Find your favorites and mix them up. Each pies uses an entire pound of mushrooms (before taking off the stems), but they will reduce in volume when cooked.

Japanese sake, soy sauce and butter soak into the filling and the taste is unique.

PREP	COOKING	YIELD
	45 mins	6 slices

PREP
COOKING	45 mins
YIELD	6 slices

Ingredients:

Pie Filling

1 lb assorted fresh mushrooms
1/4 lb Feta cheese
1 TBSP fresh chives
2 fresh sage leaves
2 TBSP lightly salted butter
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP cooking sake
2 TBSP Olive Oil

Crust

1 8” frozen pie sheet
1 egg yolk
white flour

Instructions:

Prepare the Filling

Remove the stems and any undesirable parts is the mushrooms and wash well taking care to remove any soil or dirt. Chop the mushrooms finely into half inch pieces.

Chop the sage and chives. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the herbs. Sauté for 2 minutes.

Add in the sake, soy sauce and oil and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Stir in the mushroom and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat stirring often. After 10 minutes the mushrooms will be infused with the sauce. Add the feta cheese and continue to cook for two more minutes while stirring until the cheese is completely blended into the filling. Take off from the heat and cool to room temperature.

Prepare the Pie

Defrost the pie dough.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C.
Sprinkle some flour on a hard flat surface. With a rolling pin, spread out the dough into a 12” / 30cm square. Lay the dough on some oven safe paper.

Spoon out half the filling lengthwise across the bottom quarter of the sheet. Leave about 3 inches/ 8 cm between the filling and the bottom of the square and 1 inch/ 2.5 cm between the filling and the sides.
Fold up the bottom of the sheet and completely cover the filling on the top and sides.
Spoon out the remainder of the filling just above where roll ends. Leave about 4 inches/10cm of dough uncovered at the top of the square.

Now, fold the dough down from the top, all the way to the bottom of the pie.

Using a fork or by hand, pinch the dough closed on the sides and bottom.

Lift the pie on the oven paper and gently place onto the oven sheet. Lightly beat the egg yolk and baste the top of the pie using a basting brush.

Put the pie in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. The top of the pie will turn golden brown after about 15 minutes; lightly cover with a piece of foil if you want to prevent it from browning further. Remove from the oven and let cool,for 15 minutes.

Serve while still warm. Unused pie can be refrigerated, but should be reheated in an oven and not microwaved.

Notes:

Fresh herbs make a big difference when making this pie. Be careful not to use too much- a few herbs go a long way. In addition to chives and sage, try some rosemary, shiso, or tarragon leaves to adjust to your taste.
If you like it spicier, try mixing in a 1/2 tsp of powdered sansho. Sansho is a peppery tasting berry grown around Kyoto and has a somewhat lemony and hot taste.

Jay H

Jay is a Project Manager for a U.S. Company that does business globally. He has worked and lived in many places and has spent time learning how to cook dishes from around the world. Currently based in Japan, he created the Mountain Plums website during the Covid pandemic as a way to express himself though cooking while staying active.

More Recipes by

Jay H

Jay is a Project Manager for a U.S. Company that does business globally. He has worked and lived in many places and has spent time learning how to cook dishes from around the world. Currently based in Japan, he created the Mountain Plums website during the Covid pandemic as a way to express himself though cooking while staying active.