Oyster Mushroom Fried “Chicken”
Ingredients
- ½ pound oyster mushrooms
- 1 ½ cups plain flour a good all-purpose gluten free flour, or oat or chickpea flour are great for this!
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional, more or less depending on how spicy you like
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Cracked pepper
- 2 eggs
- Oil for frying I’m a coconut oil fan but canola or whatever you prefer is fine
Instructions
- Begin by preparing your space and setting out your necessary tools – I’ve found that particularly with fried foods that cook quickly, having everything you might need to grab fast at hand makes for a much better cooking experience and you’re less likely to burn yourself or your dinner.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and spices thoroughly to ensure a uniform blend, which is crucial for consistent flavor throughout the batter.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine ⅓ cup of the flour mixture with ¾ cup of water and two eggs. Whisk diligently until a smooth, lump-free batter is achieved, (this helps make sure you’ll get an even coating during the battering process.)
- Moving on to the mushrooms: immerse each mushroom first into the wet batter, and then into the flour mixture. You have to do a second round of dipping in both the batter and flour mixture to get a robust, crisp exterior when you fry it.
- Heat oil in a deep-frying pan or pot over high heat, keeping a close eye on the temperature to prevent burning. Carefully lower the mushrooms into the hot oil one at a time, in batches, to avoid overcrowding and ensure even cooking. Fry until a uniform golden brown is achieved on all sides.
- When you get to the desired color and crispness, remove the mushrooms and place them on a tray lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Transfer them to a cooling rack to preserve the crispness while you continue with the remaining batches. Serve as desired, either with a dipping sauce of your choice or incorporated into a savory vegan “chicken” sandwich. Bon appétit!
Notes
This recipe can easily be doubled, we went with the ½ pound of mushrooms and corresponding ratios for everything else so that you can use your mushrooms for more than one dish this weekend, but honestly, you won’t regret doubling (or quadrupling) the recipe and cooking up all of them;)