Spicy Mushroom Meat
This shreddy, savory mushroom meat is both practical and magical: it comes together quickly using only dry pantry ingredients – and you don’t even need to presoak the mushrooms. Use in tacos, dumplings, cheesesteaks, or anywhere you want a bit of meatiness and heatiness.
The best way to cook dried mushrooms.
We tested this with maitake, shiitake, wood ear, lobster, oyster, beech, enoki, yellowfoot chanterelles, chicken of the woods, and morels. Every time, we got a versatile and flavorful mushroom meat that is has all the chew and char needed for your favorite recipes. Try different spices and mushrooms, but keep the technique the same: simmer the dried mushrooms in a flavorful sauce until the liquid is absorbed, then add fat to the pan to brown the mushrooms all over.
Spicy Mushroom Meat
This shreddy, savory mushroom meat is both practical and magical: it comes together quickly using only dried pantry ingredients - and you don't even need to presoak the mushrooms. Use in tacos, dumplings, cheesesteaks, or anywhere you want a bit of meatiness and heatiness.
Yield: 1.25 cups
Calories: 300kcal
Cost: $20
Equipment
- 1 Blender
- 1 Large Skillet with cover
Materials
- 1.5 cups dried mushrooms
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 whole dried pepper [or 1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper]
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp wild spices & herbs [we used spiceberry, fennel, and peppergrass]
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4-6 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- 1. Blend the water, tomato paste, soy sauce, dried pepper, spices, and salt until smooth and homogenous.
- 2. Place the blended liquid and dried mushrooms into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated, 10-15min.
- 3. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to the pan and let the mushrooms sit undisturbed to brown, 3-5min. When the mushrooms have taken on crispy parts, stir the pan and repeat the process two more times with the remaining olive oil. The mushrooms should be quite dark with the occasional charred spot.
- 4. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and coarsely chop.
