Try this Garlic Chilli Mushrooms recipe or contribute your own.
- 1/2 tsp salt
- water
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- oil - for frying
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- *batter
- 1 punnet button mushrooms
- 3 tbsp corn flour
- 3 tbsp plain white flour
- *coating
- additional 1 tbsp oil
- 1/2 onion (finely chopped)
- 1/2 green pepper ( finely diced)
- 2 tbsp soya sauce
- 1 - 2 sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tsp hot chilli sauce
- 1 heaped tsp garlic (paste)
- 1 heaped tsp ginger (paste)
- julienned ginger - optional
- 1 tbsp sliced spring onion (garnish)
- Carbohydrate 42.919973304458 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.319176666046771 g
- Fiber 1.0804333329414 g
- Protein 1.87007999962529 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0521931665573776 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (150g)
- Sodium 650.305666634604 mg
- Sugar 41.8395399715166 g
- Trans Fat 0.0700181665669682 g
- Calories 188 calories
Step-by-step
- Wash and pat dry the mushrooms.
- In a bowl mix the batter ingredients, adding enough water to make smooth single cream consistency batter.
- Heat oil.
- Add mushrooms to the batter and ensure even coating.
- Drop in the hot oil and fry until they are crispy and golden.
- Remove on kitchen towel to drain excess oil.
- Now in a large wok at tbsp oil.
- Add chopped onion and diced green pepper.
- Stir and allow to soften then add the garlic and ginger pastes.
- Now add the soya sauce, sweet chilli sauce, hot chilli sauce and vinegar.
- Allow to heat through.
- Toss in the battered mushrooms and mix so they are all coated with the sauce.
- Sprinkle on julienned ginger if using (I didn't have any so omitted) and garnish with Spring Onions.
When does a battered mushroom actually reach the stage of crispness where oil absorption stops and crunch begins? Achieving that ideal texture relies heavily on the batter consistency, which should mimic single cream before any fungi meet the bowl. Excess moisture is the enemy of crunch here, so ensure the button mushrooms are thoroughly dried with paper towels after washing. Dropping wet vegetables into hot oil causes dangerous splattering and steams the interior instead of frying the exterior.
Visual cues dictate doneness entirely since internal thermometers cannot pierce small fungi effectively. Watch the surface bubbles in the frying oil closely; vigorous bubbling indicates water content escaping from within the mushroom. Once those bubbles subside significantly and the batter turns a deep golden brown, extract the pieces onto absorbent paper. Maintain the frying temperature by cooking in small batches rather than overcrowding the wok.
Balancing the pungent ginger and garlic pastes requires swift movement once they hit the heated wok containing the onions and peppers. Raw aromatics turn bitter quickly if scorched, so add the soy sauce, vinegars, and chili variants immediately after the pastes become fragrant. Tossing the fried fungi into this glaze should happen right before serving to preserve the exterior crunch against moisture from the sauces. Leftovers stored in an airtight container for up to twenty-four hours lose their crisp exterior, though the interior remains thoroughly infused with the sweet and hot chili flavors.
Corn flour and plain flour proportions can be adjusted by weight if a thicker shell is desired around the porous mushroom surface. High heat throughout the wok-tossing phase prevents the vegetables from releasing excess water and turning the glaze watery. Spring onions added at the very end provide a sharp, sulfurous bite that cuts through the heavy sweetness of the chilli sauces.
