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Prep time
30 minutes
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Cook time
15 minutes
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Serves
2 to 3
Author Notes
I love crispy vegetables, from oven-roasted kale and deep-fried lotus root chips to sweet potato fries and tempura-ed okra. Lately, my obsession lies with enoki mushrooms. These delicate, needle-like mushrooms popular in Japanese and Korean cooking are subtly sweet and comfortingly chewy when cooked in soups and stews—but when deep-fried, they take on a different disposition. After a brief bath in hot oil, the delicate tendrils of the mushroom will turn into crisp shards and its batter-coated stem will firm up. When bitten into, the crust will shatter, giving way to the tender mushroom-meat within.
While deep-frying can sometimes be a daunting, laborious task at home—with the hot oil’s penchant to splatter and the more complex cleanup—these enokis fry within a couple minutes, with minimal mess. Stir up a quick batter, dunk in thinly sliced mushrooms, and drop them in hot oil. Within a minute or two, they’ll take on a golden hue, and the needle-like caps will get that craggy crunch you’re looking for.
Once fried and showered with good old salt and pepper, I’d highly recommend giving the mushroom a touch more character with a light dusting of homemade mala spice powder. It gives it a fragrant piquancy that makes you yearn for more. —Jun
Watch This Recipe
Fried Enoki Mushrooms
Ingredients
- Mala Spice Seasoning
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1 tablespoon
Sichuan peppercorns
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1 teaspoon
sweet paprika
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1 teaspoon
cumin seeds
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1 teaspoon
coriander seeds
- Fried Mushrooms
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8 ounces
(227 grams) enoki mushrooms
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1/2 cup
(60 grams) all-purpose flour
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5 tablespoons
(40 grams) cornstarch
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1/2 teaspoon
(2 grams) baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon
(3 grams) kosher salt
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1/4 teaspoon
white pepper
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1/4 teaspoon
garlic powder
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Neutral oil (such as vegetable), for deep-frying
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1/2 teaspoon
(3 grams) fine sea salt
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Ketchup, Japanese mayonnaise, or sweet Thai chile sauce, for serving (optional)
Directions
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Make the mala spice seasoning: Place the Sichuan peppercorns, paprika, cumin, and coriander seeds into a medium skillet, and heat on medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes, until the spices start to pop, or when you see the first signs of smoke from the pan. Transfer the spices to a spice grinder (or mortar and pestle) and grind until the mixture becomes a fine powder.
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Prepare the mushrooms: Trim off the brownish roots of the enoki mushrooms, then very thinly slice the mushroom bundle lengthwise through the base into thin slabs.
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In a wide (preferably flat-bottomed) bowl or pie plate, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, kosher salt, white pepper, garlic powder, and 3/4 cup (180 milliliters) water into a smooth slurry, with no bits of flour remaining.
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Line a sheet pan with paper towels. Pour the oil into a large, high-sided skillet or pot until the oil is 2 inches deep. Place the skillet over medium heat and heat the oil until it reaches 350°F.
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Working with 2 to 3 slices of mushroom at a time, coat the mushrooms into the batter, lifting to let any excess batter drip off, and gently drop the mushrooms into the oil. Deep-fry the mushrooms for about 2 minutes, flipping halfway, until the mushrooms are a deep golden color and the tops of the mushrooms turn crisp and crackly (the batter may remain pale or may take on a bit of color). Remove the mushrooms from the oil with a pair of chopsticks or tongs onto the prepared sheet pan. Working in batches, repeat with the remaining mushrooms.
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Season the fried mushrooms with fine sea salt and the mala spice seasoning, then serve immediately, with ketchup, mayonnaise, or chile sauce if using.
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