Vegan Fried Chicken Enoki Mushrooms
Enoki mushrooms are small, thin stringy mushrooms that are used in east Asian foods. They have gained more popularity in the western world as mushrooms continue to rise as an amazing meat substitute.
Mushroom meat is fleshy and spongy meaning it almost has the texture of chicken and when seasoned well enough can taste like chicken too! Aren’t plants amazing?!
The clusters of enoki mushrooms pull apart to make a fibrous meat like texture perfect for making vegan fried chicken. Paired with a well seasoned batter and a fantastic dipping sauce this really is the snack of dreams!
The buffalo dip is inspired by the buffalo dip from “Brewdog” pubs. It’s the perfect blend of sweet and spicy and pairs perfectly with these amazing fried enoki mushrooms. But of course dip these mushrooms in to whatever sauce you like, why not even make a platter with multiple sauces?!
So get yourself down to your nearest Chinese supermarket and get your hands on some of these amazing plants for a fully vegan fried chicken feast!
Enoki fried chicken ingredients and substitutes-
- Enoki mushrooms- Enoki mushrooms are thin stringy mushrooms that grow in clusters. They are mainly found in Chinese and Japanese cuisine. The stringy texture and mushrooms ability to soak up flavours make them the perfect meat substitute. Enoki have a neutral flavour so they work really well in this flavour filled batter. You will be shocked how much this dish replicates fried chicken! At the time of writing enoki mushrooms are not available to buy in main stream supermarkets so a trip to your local Chinese supermarket will be needed!
- Flour- A well seasoned plain flour is the coating for these mushroom clusters. You could use other flours but the results will vary.
- Soy milk- Soy milk is used to make vegan buttermilk. Be sure to use an unsweetened soy milk as we don’t want the batter to be sweet!
- Apple cider vinegar – Mixing apple cider vinegar with soy milk will curdle the milk to make a vegan buttermilk. You can also use lemon juice this will have the same effect.
- Buffalo sauce – This buffalo dip is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. It’s a simple mix of buffalo sauce and golden syrup and pairs perfectly with the crispy fried enoki mushrooms. These mushrooms can go with any dipping sauce you like so if buffalo isn’t your thing why not try some garlic sauce or southern gravy?!
- Seasoning mix- The seasonings in the batter are generic store cupboard ingredients that work well together. However you can add and remove as you please just make sure your flour is well seasoned.
Fried enoki mushrooms with buffalo sauce
Ingredients
- 150 g Enoki mushrooms
- 200 g Plain flour
- 300 ml Soy milk unsweetened
- 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 50 ml Buffalo sauce
- 2 tbsp Golden syrup
Flour seasoning
- 1 tsp Garlic granules
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 1 tsp White pepper
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
- To make the sauce combine the buffalo sauce and syrup in a small bowl, mix well and set aside.
- In a deep wide bowl add the flour and the flour seasoning powders and mix well to combine.
- In another bowl add the soy milk and apple cider vinegar, mix well to combine. This makes the vegan buttermilk.
- To prepare the enoki mushrooms cut the grey/brown bottoms off and split into equal size pieces.
- Dip the mushrooms into the soy milk mixture making sure to get in between the mushrooms.
- Dip the mushroom cluster into the seasoned flour and coat well making sure to get the flour in all the cracks.
- Heat some oil and add the mushroom clusters in small batches. Fry until golden on both sides.
- Leave to cool for a couple of minutes before dunking into the buffalo sauce and enjoying!
Notes
If you liked this recipe be sure to check out some of my other recipes!
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