Oyster Mushroom Fried Chicken

Introduction to Crispy Fried Oyster Mushrooms

I know a lot of people get angry (for some odd reason lol) when vegetarians or vegans say that certain foods “tastes like meat” or they try to imitate the look and texture of meat. But nonetheless I just had to share this recipe with you guys! If you’ve just recently turned plant-based or are just looking for a dish to make for meatless monday, trust me, you will be obsessed with these crispy fried oyster mushrooms!

Oyster mushrooms truly do have a “meat-like” texture that is fantastic if you are craving a meaty texture but want something plant-based. Or even if you aren’t plant-based, this is just simply delicious for what it is, and I’m sure you’re going to love it! The batter is so rich and flavorful that you don’t even need a dipping sauce for this one (although I have included an option for you guys to make below). Plus, even if you aren’t a fan of mushrooms, you can use this batter to coat any protein of your choosing and just follow this same method.

Breakdown of the Ingredients:

Both the wet and dry batter have the exact same measurements for the spices just to make life a little easier. And I’m so impressed with how the flavor turned out! Even if you aren’t vegetarian, trust me, you will love the taste of this batter and can use it to coat anything!

Wet Batter

• All purpose flour
• Salt
• Kashmiri mirch (or any red chili powder)
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Cumin powder
• White pepper powder
• ~1 + 1/4 c water

Dry Batter

• All purpose flour
• Panko bread crumbs
• Salt
• Kashmiri mirch (or any red chili powder)
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Cumin powder
• White pepper powder

Other

• Oyster mushrooms
• Lemon juice
• Vegetable oil (for frying)

Dipping Sauce

• Kewpie mayo
• Chili garlic sauce

Process + Keys to Success:

• The process for this is actually pretty simple. You want to begin by preparing your wet and dry batters and having them ready to go. I recommend whisking the dry batter first and then the wet batter to make sure all of the spices are evenly mixed.
• Then, grab your oyster mushrooms and dip them in the wet batter first making sure they are evenly coated, and then in the dry batter. For the wet batter, you can adjust the thickness of the batter to your preference but I prefer mine to be a little on the thinner side – so I add between 1 1/14 c and 1.5 c of water to my mixture.
• Heat your oil to medium high heat and then shallow fry your oyster mushrooms. Carefully place then in the oil using tongs. Cook until they’re golden brown and crispy.
• Once the oyster mushrooms are cooked, place them on a dry paper towel to let the excess oil drip off there before serving.
• Squeeze lemon juice on top of your mushrooms generously and enjoy!
• These are so flavorful you don’t really even need a sauce, but if you’d like to make one you can mix kewpie mayo and chili garlic sauce together in a 2:1 ratio (or to your preference) and use this as a dip your mushrooms into.