Mushrooms! Not your everyday button white shrooms, but the King! What’s best is that they stay fresh and firm in the refrigerator longer compared to other mushrooms. Growing up, my mother would cook them sliced in vegetable stir-fries, and their hearty yield often reminded me of meat-- a great meatless option with wonderful health benefits. On many occasions when shopping in Asian supermarkets, ladies are cooking up thin slices in a small skillet, with a little salt and pepper on both sides and served to customers hot on a toothpick. Yum, stir-fried and pan-fried were my go-to ways, until the eureka moment for deep-fried came while dining out with my pal. We ordered banh cuon, a rice roll dish at a vegan Vietnamese restaurant, and a few battered fried kings served as its garnish. The tiny morsels were divine and I knew that replicating these in abundance home-style is a must.
I was also craving KFC, not Colonel Sanders but Korean fried chicken, and the place I wanted to order from tops theirs with a mound of shredded green onions. How about sliced green onions on top of crispy mushrooms for the extra crunch and colour-- Yes!! So simple to make and addictive to eat, kids will love this as did mine! I had BFM and KFC that night and my family polished both off with equal intensity :D.
Battered Fried King Mushroom Bites
4-5 king oyster mushrooms, cut into bite size pieces
canola or vegetable oil for deep frying
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1/4 tsp. salt
a few dash of white pepper
1 egg
a few dash of white pepper
1 egg
1 tsp. water
1 tsp. soy sauce
a few drops of toasted sesame oil
red pepper powder/flakes (optional)
Dipping Sauce:
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
a few drops of toasted sesame oil
Sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds
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| Cut the mushrooms down its length and slice into batons. |
Make the dipping sauce by combining the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Set out two bowls. One for the batter mix and the other for the egg wash. Mix flours, salt and pepper in one. In the other, mix egg, water, soy sauce, sesame oil and red pepper if using.
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| Korean red pepper powder can be found in most Asian Supermarkets. |
Working in batches, evenly coat the mushroom pieces in egg wash, then in the batter mixture, shaking off excess flour. I do the egg wash with one hand and the flour in the other to keep it less messy. You can also use a slotted ladle or spoon. Place the battered mushrooms onto a plate.
Heat up a skillet/wok with oil on medium-high. Oil is ready for frying when a skewer or chopstick is inserted and tiny bubbles shoot up its side. In batches, cook the mushrooms until golden and crispy. Remove with slotted ladle onto a paper-towel lined plate to absorb excess oil. Place onto serving platter, top with onions and alongside dipping sauce.
Oooooo....
La, La....
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| Sprinkle with red pepper for some heat if you wish. |
Making it a full-on Korean meal affair with kimchi and white radish pickles.
OMG Deep-fried goodness! King mushrooms or chicken-- why choose when you can have both!
NOM NOM!! 식욕을 돋구다
Looks delish, Susan! I really don't like to fry food but I like to roast maitake mushrooms. I'll have to try oven frying the king oyster mushrooms. Usually I just saute them with other veggies. I have a deep fryer which works great for tempura but I only get that out if there are a lot people to feed.
ReplyDeleteI should really try oven-baking on high like 400F with a spritz of oil. I would prefer that over frying for sure. The roasted maitake sounds yum!
DeleteI have no experience eating fry veggies, Susan! But it looks so delicious. In most cases I ate oysters, mushrooms with other vegetables. It should be a children cookery course to bake vegetables in cooking schools for the purpose of their learning.Anyway, once again you've done a great job, thank you for sharing a delicious dish.
ReplyDelete