Taiwanese Double-Fried Oyster Mushrooms

When you double-fry anything, how can it be wrong? This popular Taiwanese street food is usually made with chicken thighs but we wanted to switch it up for our vegetarian friends– plus blue oyster mushrooms are just chewy and delicious in general. We even added more mushroom powder to the seasoning for more earthy-umami goodness!

Chicken cutlets are typically seasoned and battered with sweet potato starch and doubled-fried until crispy. You'll also find fried Thai basil as a popular add-on to this fried snack. We captured the essence of this but with a few twists and additions.

It starts with the mushrooms, where we opted for chewy and meaty blue oyster mushrooms. You can use a variety of specialty mushrooms but want to avoid button or portabella mushrooms, as they contain more water than the blue oyster and won’t have the same texture when fried. Maitake, golden oysters, enoki, fresh shiitake caps, and king trumpet all make good contenders, just don’t slice them too small.

The aromatic marinade and spicey seasoning are what truly set this dish apart from other fried mushrooms. It might seem like a lot of ingredients but they all blend together for a bite that can’t be imitated!

Once you use your Forge To Table Nakiri knife to slice your mushrooms into bite-sized pieces and it's time to spice it up. Equal parts salt, sugar, and MSG (mono-sodium glutamate) are a fantastic foundation for anything. MSG was a no-no ingredient for a very long time but has seen a big resurgence in the United States as more people realize that negative health claims aren’t substantiated and it makes the savoriness of food truly POP.

Now that the mushrooms are seasoned, you’ll add equal parts Chinese five-spice powder, onion powder, and freshly ground black pepper. The Chinese five spice is an integral part of the flavor of the dish, generally made from star anise, fennel, Szechuan

peppercorn, cinnamon, and clove. It’s warming, complex, and totally sets up the dish for success.

To finish the mushrooms, you’ll add cornstarch (just a little, more comes later), egg whites, Shaoxing rice wine, soy sauce, grated ginger, and grated garlic. Mix everything together and it should smell so delicious, but now you have to wait and let things marinate! The egg whites can easily be substituted for vegans with the substitutions below:

• Flaxseed: 1 egg = 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 2-½ tablespoons warm water

• Ground Chia: 1 egg = 1 tablespoon chia seeds + 3 tablespoons warm water

• Silken Tofu: 1 egg = ¼ cup silken tofu

In the meanwhile, now is a perfect time to make your savory mushroom seasoning. Toast the black and Szechuan peppercorns on medium-low heat until aromatic, about 4-6 minutes. Use a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to grind into a fine powder and place it in a small bowl. Add gochugaru chili flakes (or paprika) kosher salt, MSG, mushroom powder (shiitake, porcini, morel, etc), and more five-spice powder. Taste this and you’ll understand the hype around this dish! If there’s extra seasoning, try dusting it on buttered popcorn.

Once your spice mix is ready and mushrooms marinated, it’s game time! Combine the remaining 1-½ cups of cornstarch and baking powder in a separate bowl.

In batches, coat the marinated mushroom pieces in the starch and shake the excess away. Place on a large platter or serving plate until all the mushrooms are coated– there will be a little leftover starch.

Get a tall-sided pot or wok filled with 3 inches of vegetable oil until about 250-300F degrees. In batches, fry the mushrooms until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove the pieces and let drip dry on a cooling rack over the prepared wire rack.

Turn the heat up to high until the oil reaches 350-375F degrees and double-fry, in batches, until extra crispy and golden brown. Just before the mushrooms are ready, quickly add half of the basil and cover with a splatter guard or loose lid since the basil will bubble vigorously before calming down. Be careful!

Scoop the mushrooms and crispy basil back onto the draining rack and repeat with the remaining mushrooms. Place a serving of Taiwanese popcorn mushrooms

into a large bowl along with some crispy Thai basil. Add some of the seasoning mix and toss together until it is evenly coated.

Traditional Taiwanese fried chicken is crunchy, juicy, well-seasoned, and totally addictive, and this variation hits the mark on all fronts. Enjoy immediately!

Taiwanese Double-Fried Oyster Mushrooms

One of the most popular street foods in Taiwan just got a vegetarian makeover and it couldn’t taste better. Meaty blue oyster mushrooms are marinated in aromatics before being twice-fried and tossed with a spicy Szechuan seasoning and crispy Thai basil. Addictive is an understatement!

Recipe and Photography by Sam Burgess

Forge To Table Knives

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 6-10

Ingredients:

Popcorn Mushrooms:

• 1 pound blue oyster mushrooms, sliced into 1” pieces

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon MSG (optional but recommended)

• 1 teaspoon five-spice powder

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• 2 egg whites (see notes for vegan alternatives)

• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine

• 1 teaspoon soy sauce

• 1, 2” knob fresh ginger, grated

• 2 cloves garlic, grated

• 1-½ cup + 1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch

• 1-½ teaspoon baking powder

• Vegetable oil, for frying, as needed

• 2 cups Thai basil leaves, packed

Seasoning:

• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

• 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns

• 1 teaspoon gochugaru chili flakes or paprika

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

• ½ teaspoon MSG (optional, substitute with kosher salt)

• ½ teaspoon mushroom powder (shiitake, porcini, morel, etc)

• ½ teaspoon five-spice powder

Directions:

1. MUSHROOMS. Using your Forge To Table 7” Nakiri, slice the mushrooms into even bite-size pieces (some you might not need to slice, or else they will be too small). Place the prepared mushrooms in a large mixing bowl.

2. MARINADE. To the mushrooms, add the salt, sugar, MSG (optional), five-spice powder, onion powder, black pepper, cornstarch, egg whites (see notes for vegan alternatives), Shaoxing rice wine, soy sauce, grated ginger, grated garlic, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch. Mix well to completely coat the mushrooms and marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

3. SEASONING. Meanwhile, toast the black and Sichuan peppercorns on medium-low heat until aromatic, about 4-6 minutes. Use a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to grind into a fine powder and place it in a small bowl. Add gochugaru chili flakes (or paprika) kosher salt, MSG, mushroom powder (shiitake, porcini, morel, etc), and five-spice powder. Set aside. Pick the leaves from the basil and set aside so they are ready.

4. COATING. Once the mushrooms are done marinating, combine the remaining 1-½ cups of cornstarch or potato starch and baking powder together in a separate bowl. In batches, coat the marinated mushroom pieces in the starch, shaking the excess away. Place on a large plater or serving plate until all the mushrooms are coated.

5. FRY PREP. In a tall-sided pot or wok, heat at least 3 inches of vegetable oil over medium heat until about 250-300F degrees. Prepare a paper towel-lined baking sheet with a wire rack for a cooling station.

6. DOUBLE FRY. In batches, fry the mushrooms until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove the pieces and let drip dry on a cooling rack over the prepared wire rack. Turn the heat up to high until the oil reaches 350-375F degrees and double-fry, in batches, until extra crispy and golden brown.

7. BASIL. Just before the mushrooms are ready, quickly add half of the basil and cover with a splatter guard or loose lid since the basil will bubble vigorously before calming down. Scoop the mushrooms and crispy basil back onto the draining rack and repeat with the remaining mushrooms.

8. SERVE. Put a serving of Taiwanese popcorn mushrooms into a large bowl along with some crispy Thai basil. Add some of the seasoning mix and toss together until it is evenly coated. Enjoy immediately!

Chef’s Notes:

• Some vegan substitutes for eggs include Flaxseed: 1 egg = 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 2-½ tablespoons warm water. // Ground Chia: 1 egg = 1 tablespoon chia seeds + 3 tablespoons warm water. // Silken Tofu: 1 egg = ¼ cup silken tofu.

• The ratio of spices is entirely up to what you like and can be changed accordingly. If you have leftover seasoning, store it in a sealed jar. Try it on buttered popcorn!

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