Crispy Enoki Mushrooms


 
RCBaughn

RCBaughn

TVWBB Super Fan
If you want a unique side and something that is awesomely tasty and you can find them, little fried enoki mushrooms are hard to beat. I found them at my Asian market here in Birmingham for $0.89. I only bought one of the pre-sealed plastic packs so I could see what was up with them, but I'ma go back and buy a bunch and fry up a ton just for myself. They are that good, I didn't even dip them in any sauce but I bet they would be good dipped in something light and vinegary.

I just dipped them in a beaten egg and let almost all of that run off them and then lightly floured them in White Lily AP with some salt, fresh black pepper, garlic powder, and thyme mixed in it. They don't take long to fry at all since I broke them up into several smaller bunches. They come as one big head of the tiny mushrooms, but you can cut the very very bottom (It's dirty and has to be removed anyway) and carefully separate them into smaller bunches. I think you'd have to do this or you'd never ever get a crispy center.

I've never had a mushroom that tasted like these and I have had a ton of different ones. I would dare say they are almost as good as a blue foot or even a chanterelle and are a HELL of a lot cheaper, but the way they are shaped and all I just don't think they would be good sautéed for a burger or steak, turn rubbery before you got them browned. But anywho, go to a good asian market if you can find one and see what you can come across. They really are like a field trip and culture lesson all rolled into one. I also got frozen baby cuttlefish so maybe I can find a way to get them on the forum and the meal actually cooked on my Weber and not a dang deep fryer! These would make a great side to ANY grilled meal though. I'd rather have them as fries.

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Seen em around but never cooked with them. To fry em like that is new to me but i bet they tasted awesome! And looks grand. Thanks for sharing(now i need to head to the store and get me sum)
 
How would you prep them Wolgast? I have seen them roasted, and I've read that they are bitter when eaten raw so I'm not sure. I was gonna hit them on the grill and splash with a little balsamic or something like that, but then I saw crispy fried ones online somewhere and thought that would be good. I think that maybe dipping in milk and shaking almost all that off and then dusting with cornstarch might make for a lighter coating, but for eggs and flour this turned out really thin compared to what I've normally got. Unless a tempura was super super thin I think it might turn out too thick too. Turn out as one big clump instead of little fried strings. Maybe I'm wrong on thinking they would get tough if they were cooked for very long. I may go buy several and just try out a bunch of different ways as an experiment.

And thanks so much for the compliments on how it looks, I know that your food and meals always turns out beautiful and are plated wonderful, so hearing that from ya is awesome.
 
How i would prep em? Like you ofc :)

Think they will be great in both soups or a wok. But fried like that must be king. A must try 4 sure.
 
I had fried enoki's done as a tempura dish in a Japanese restaurant. The restaurant served them on a bed of shredded daikon radish with a bit of chopped scallion on top. A chili & yuzu infused soy sauce went with it. I could have easily eaten a half dozen more portions.
 
Well thanks Wolgast for agreeing with me, good to know I thought a long the same track as someone who is really great at cooking. I'll have to try them in a soup sometime but yeah, fried were great. I love a crispy texture on stuff, meat, veggies, anything, even cookies and most desserts.

And that sounds great Jim, I bet a thin soy sauce based dip like that would be great. I slid one of these through the red wine vinaigrette I made for my salad to see how that would be and it was awesome, I love fried foods with any kind of vinegar. I kinda like meshing cultures and ingredients sometimes, like serving these like you see in an American bar with a blue cheese dressing dip but made on the thin and light side to not overpower them or the breading. They definitely have enough flavor to stand up to it, to be so little they packed a hell of a wallop on flavor. Or maybe malt vinegar splashed on them to make them a bit British?! Okay I'll hush now and stop running my mouth. No one cares I figure! Hahaha.
 
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