Salt and Pepper Flower Mushrooms
Crispy with spicy and peppery heat, these mushrooms florets are sure to whet your appetite. They are easy to make and uses a few simple pantry ingredients.
Servings: 3
Ingredients
- 2 lbs King Oyster mushrooms
- 1 cup cornstarch plus more if needed
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 red jalapeños seeds removed, finely chopped
- 4 stalks scallions finely chopped, plus more for garnish
- salt to taste
- white and black pepper
- cooking oil
Instructions
- First, clean the mushrooms with a brush to remove debris. Then, slice the stem crosswise into 3 thick rounds, about 2.5-inch tall. Reserve the cap for other dishes.
- To make the floret, place one stem in between two chopsticks. The chopstick will be your guide so you don't cut through the stem. Using a sharp knife, criss-cross the mushroom and stop slicing right before you hit the chopstick. Repeat the same step with the remaining stems.
- Fill a large skillet with water and set it to high. Once it comes to a boil, season with 1 teaspoon of salt. Carefully drop in the cut stems, uncut side down, into the hot water. Boil while submerging them occasionally until they turn from white to grayish, about 3-5 minutes.
- Sieve out and let cool. Then, gently squeeze each stem to remove excess water.
- Next, add 1 cup of cornstarch to a large shallow plate, then season with ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper. Mix well. Then, coat the mushroom generously with the starch, rubbing the creases as needed. Transfer to a cleaned plate and repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Now, fill a small saucepan with oil halfway through and heat it to 325F. To check if the oil is ready, drop a small piece of mushroom in, if it sizzles then the oil is ready.
- Carefully drop in 1 to 2 mushrooms into the hot oil, the bottom side goes in first, and fry until golden brown. Fry in batches to avoid them from sticking together. Remove and transfer to a paper-lined plate to absorb excess oil.
- Mix ½ teaspoon of each in a small bowl until combine: salt, white pepper, black pepper. To put together, heat a large wok with 3 teaspoons of oil and sautè garlic, jalapeños, and scallions until fragrant. Add the mushrooms, salt and peppers then quickly toss to combine. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Drizzle with a splash of toasted sesame oil before serving.
Notes
- When adding the salt to the mushrooms during the last few tosses, try to sprinkle it over.