Why pan frying is better than stir fry
The teriyaki king oyster mushroom is not a typical stir-fry dish. Conventional Chinese style stir-frying requires a powerful gas stove and a cast iron wok. If you employ the correct combination of a very short cooking time and extremely high heat, the ingredients will be cooked just right. They stay fresh and crisp, charred on the surface with a moist texture, and infused with a great flavor that you can only get from a wok. However, this method is not practical for everyone. What if you don’t have a wok or a gas stove, or simply don’t want your cooking to be very smoky? Teriyaki king oyster mushroom provides a perfect solution to all these problems. Unlike traditional stir fried dishes, this recipe uses a flat skillet to grill the mushrooms until crispy, and then quickly braises them in a simple teriyaki sauce to add a rich flavor. The finished mushrooms have a dark color and shiny luster, with a spongy and meaty texture and a sweet, savory, rich flavor. The fresh green onion adds a refreshing citrusy taste. Top freshly steamed white rice with these mushrooms and you have a simple yet satisfying one-dish meal, ready in 30 minutes. Believe it or not, this vegan dish even tastes better than meat.
Cooking notes
1. Marinating makes a difference
In this recipe, I discovered the secret to cooking perfect king oyster mushrooms – to marinate them first and cook them slowly. Oyster mushrooms have a drier texture than the average mushroom, and thus are not very suitable for a quick stir-fry. If you cook them over high heat without a lot of oil, the mushrooms will be easily burned on the surface, without any infused flavor inside, which makes it even worse. To add insult to injury, the mushrooms will start to release moisture at the end of cooking, giving you a paradoxically burned, soggy, and utterly flavorless dish. By marinating the mushrooms first, they will be seasoned well and lose some moisture before cooking. Instead of cooking them over high heat, you should grill them slowly until charred and cooked through. In the last step, all the mushroom liquid and seasoning will be added back into the dish, which creates a super rich sauce with basically zero effort.
2. Easy teriyaki sauce
I replaced the mirin with Japanese sake and sugar (you can use this substitution in any Japanese dish). I also slightly adjusted the seasoning, utilizing less oil and fewer ingredients. If you want to use mirin instead, check out the original recipe. If you don’t have sake, you could replace it with cooking wine or vodka (1 teaspoon vodka for 1 tablespoon sake). However, I think sake works best in this dish, because it has a more delicate and sweet flavor.
This teriyaki style is my favorite way of cooking king oyster mushrooms now. I hope it becomes yours, too!
More delicious vegan recipes
Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce Chinese Cauliflower Stir Fry Vegan Pad Thai Sweet and Sour Tofu Homemade Vegetarian Oyster Sauce (Vegan Stir Fry Sauce) Vegan Thai Green Curry
If you cook this recipe, don’t forget to take a picture and post it on my Facebook fan page. I love seeing your photos!
