Side note: no need to rinse mushrooms—you can wipe them clean instead. I also usually skip even wiping them clean if they come in sealed packs.

Slice ½-inch (1.25-cm) from the base of the mushrooms

Carefully tear the maitake mushrooms into 2‑inch (5-cm) clusters.

Heat a medium sized cast‑iron skillet or wok on medium‑high until hot.

Spread mushrooms in a single layer. Press with a spatula, dry‑sear 3‑4 minutes per side or until lightly charred or brown around the edges.

Add a pinch of salt. When lightly charred on one side, flip to sear the other side. Once done, remove from the pan and set aside.

Repeat these step for the rest of the mushrooms.

To get really finely grated ginger, I used a wasabi grater. If you don't have one, you can use a microplane or even mince garlic finely by hand using a knife.

Using a wasabi grater yielded very fine ginger (almost like a paste) and even extracted a lot of juice, which I included as well.

Lower the heat, add 1 tbsp vegan butter. Once melted, add thinly sliced onions; sauté until translucent.

Stir in 1 tbsp minced ginger and mix with the onions.

Add 1-2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp sake, and 2-3 tsp sugar (depending on desired sweetness).

Simmer for 1-2 minutes until the sauce starts to reduce.

Add back the mushrooms then mix well into the sauce.

Cook for 1 more minute and then taste the mushrooms. Feel free to add more soy sauce (for taste) and sugar (for sweetness), if desired.

Serve the mushrooms over steamed rice. Finish with a generous drizzle of Japanese chili oil (la-yu), chopped chives or green onions, and yuzu puree, if desired. Enjoy!