Enoki mushrooms fried until the strands go golden and shatter, then dusted with the spice bag seasoning. Salty, peppery, gone in minutes. The vegetarian answer to salt and pepper squid, and it argues its case well.
20 minutes. Serves 2 as a snack.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch enoki mushrooms
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp potato starch (or rice flour or cornflour)
- 1 dessertspoon Plateit Salt n' Pepper Spice Bag Seasoning
- 1 tsp flaky salt
- 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 3 spring onions, green tops sliced into 4cm lengths
- 1 long red chilli, sliced
- Oil for frying
Method
- Trim the roots, soak the enoki 5 minutes, tear into small bundles and pat properly dry. Wet mushrooms will not crisp.
- Mix flour and potato starch with a pinch of salt on a plate. Toss each bundle through until coated.
- Mix the spice bag seasoning with the flaky salt. Set it aside.
- Heat 2cm of oil in a pan until it shimmers. Fry the bundles in batches, uncrowded, 4 to 5 minutes a side until deep gold.
- Drain on paper towel and dust with the seasoning mix while hot.
- Same oil, heat down a touch. Garlic in until it just turns gold, about 45 seconds. Chilli in for 15 seconds, spring onion for 10. Lift all three out with a slotted spoon onto paper towel. They crisp as they drain.
- Pile the mushrooms up and scatter the crisp garlic, chilli and spring onion over the top at the last second.
Tip: Season the second they leave the oil. Hot oil holds the dust, cold mushrooms shed it.
Do this: The aromatics go on at the table, not in the kitchen. Sixty seconds sitting on hot mushrooms and the crunch is gone.
