What to Do With the King of Mushrooms
The chatter will be kept to a minimum in this entry because the recipe itself is quite long. It’s not difficult or all that time-consuming—it just needs a lengthy explanation.
On Gourmet magazine’s site, I found an interesting recipe by David Chang that pairs sautéed mushrooms with a pistachio purée. I made just a few changes to his recipe—mostly just to make it easier—without greatly altering the main components of the dish. Enjoy.
King Oyster Mushrooms With Pistachio Purée
For the Pistachio Purée:
5 1/2 cups water
1 cup shelled roasted pistachios
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup instant vegan dashi powder
•Bring 2 cups of the water to a boil in a small saucepan and cook the pistachios for 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain again and peel off the skins.
•Bring the mirin, the dashi, and 3 cups of the water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until the dashi is dissolved. Add the peeled pistachios and simmer, stirring occasionally, until very tender, about 1 hour. Drain. Reserve 1/3 cup of the pistachios for garnish.
•Purée the remaining pistachios with the remaining 1/2 cup water in a blender into a very smooth but thick paste.
For the Radishes:
8 radishes
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
•Cut each radish into 6 wedges. Toss with the sugar and salt in a bowl until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
For the Mushrooms:
1 1/2 lbs. king oyster mushrooms
6-7 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. margarine
2 garlic cloves, smashed
3 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
•Trim the oyster mushrooms, keeping the stems intact, and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
•Sauté the mushrooms in 5 or 6 batches: Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add enough mushrooms to cover the skillet in 1 layer, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté, turning once, until golden on the edges, about 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat until all the mushrooms are sautéed.
•Return the mushrooms to the skillet, adding the margarine and garlic. Once the margarine is melted, add the vinegar and bring to a boil, stirring, until the liquid is evaporated. Remove from the heat and discard the garlic.
To Assemble:
Microgreens or mesclun
Flaky sea salt
Pistachio oil (optional)
•Divide the pistachio purée among plates and top with the oyster mushrooms. Place radish wedges around the oyster mushrooms. Sprinkle with greens, reserved pistachios, sea salt, and pistachio oil, if using.
