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Decorating & Design

Ask A Chef: Chicken-Fried Oyster Mushrooms

Chef Hayden Johnston of Richmond Station in Toronto shares his recipe for Chicken-Fried Oyster Mushrooms.

Chef Hayden JohnstonQ: Sometimes you eat a restaurant dish that seems simple but tastes like there’s so much more going on. I’d love to be able to recreate the Chicken-Fried Oyster Mushrooms served as a snack at Richmond Station in Toronto. Can you get the recipe? — Ross, Toronto

A: Hayden’s recipe is all about making the simple sublime. He brines the mushrooms before coating and frying them, and makes the Kewpie-style mayonnaise, tonkatsu sauce and togarashi spice mix they’re served with all from scratch for the best possible flavor!

Ingredients


Serves 46

Brined Oyster Mushrooms

  • 450 g oyster mushrooms (about 8 cups)
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbsp kosher salt
  • 4 cups ice
  • 1 tbsp fresh strained lemon juice
  • 2 sprigs thyme

Kewpie Mayo

  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1 1⁄2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1⁄2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1⁄4 tsp MSG (optional)
  • 2 tbsp unseasoned rice wine vinegar
  • 1 cup canola oil

Tonkatsu Sauce

  • 1⁄3 cup ketchup
  • 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp packed brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp sherry
  • 1⁄2 tsp minced fresh ginger
  • 1⁄2 tsp minced garlic

Togarashi Spice Mix

  • 2 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp toasted black sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp toasted, crushed nori flakes
  • 2 tsp Korean chili flakes
  • 2 tsp cayenne

Mushroom Flour

  • 2 3/4 cups rice flour
  • 3/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • Canola oil for frying, cilantro seedlings for garnish

Directions

Plan Ahead: Mushrooms need to be brined 24 hours ahead of cooking

Brine Mushrooms

  1. Separate mushrooms and trim stem ends.
  2. Heat water and salt in small pot over medium heat, stirring until salt is dissolved.
  3. Transfer to medium bowl and add ice, lemon juice and thyme sprigs. When ice has melted and brine is cooled, pour into sealable bag, add mushrooms, squeeze out air and let sit in refrigerator for 24 hours.

Make Kewpie Mayo

  1. In medium bowl, combine egg yolks, Dijon mustard, salt, MSG and rice wine vinegar, and whisk until uniform.
  2. Add oil very slowly while whisking until totally emulsified, pale and thick. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Make Tonkatsu Sauce

  1. In pot over medium heat, combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, tamari, brown sugar, sherry, ginger and garlic, and bring to a simmer.
  2. Turn heat down and simmer on low for 10 minutes, or until flavors have combined. Strain and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Make Togarashi Spice Mix

  1. In small bowl, mix together sesame seeds, nori flakes, chili flakes and cayenne, and store in container with tight-fitting lid until needed.

Flour And Fry Mushrooms

  1. In shallow bowl, combine rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt, and stir with fork to blend.
  2. In medium pot, heat two inches of oil over medium heat to 350°F, or use deep fryer.
  3. Remove mushrooms from brine and, working in batches, dredge heavily in mushroom flour and fry for two minutes, or until golden brown. Place on paper towels to drain.
  4. On plates, spread Kewpie Mayo and top with fried mushrooms. Drizzle with Tonkatsu Sauce, sprinkle with Togarashi Spice. Mix and garnish with cilantro seedlings.

Source

House & Home March 2020

  • Photographer Courtesy of Richmond Station
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