Crispy Fried Oyster Mushrooms 干扁平菇Gān biǎn píng gu

干扁平菇Gān biǎn píng gu

 Dry Fried Oyster Mushrooms with Salt and Sichuan Pepper

These are one of my favourite treats. The mushrooms are deep fried in this case until crisp and the Sichuan pepper compliments them perfectly, making deeply savoury crispy morsels. Traditionally they are also cooked with whole dried chillies, which I don’t think is necessary (you could add some chilli flakes if you like).  I almost always make these when we have guests as they aren’t the healthiest. You can make these ahead of time and reheat in the oven until crisp, but keep an eye on them as they burn easily.

Serves 3-4 as a side

250g oyster mushrooms -  I don’t wash the oyster mushrooms, I just pick off any dirt or wipe the top of the mushroom with a paper towel.

¼ tsp of salt

1 - 1½  tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns, (roast in a dry pan until fragrant and toasted, then grind into fine powder using pestle and mortar/spice grinder/heavy pan base on chopping board. ) 
If you are new to sichuan peppercorns just add 1 tsp, you can always sprinkle pepper on after frying if you want more.

½ - ¾ cup plain flour - spelt flour also works well.

Tear mushrooms into 4 cm wide pieces approx. lengthways following the gills of the mushrooms.
In a mixing bowl mix the mushrooms and pepper and salt together, making sure the mushrooms are evenly coated. Let the mushrooms sit for 10 minutes, so that the salt draws the liquid out of the mushrooms; this liquid will help the flour stick to the mushrooms and create a batter. Add the flour gradually, tossing the mushrooms using a silicon spatula/wooden spoon until each mushroom is well coated – you may not need all the flour. (see tip #1)

Heat oil in a saucepan or wok – fill until no more than 1/3 full. When oil is hot enough fry mushrooms until golden and crisp. Put them on a dish lined with paper towel to soak up excess oil. Add more salt and pepper to taste if needed.

Note: It is important to add the pepper before the flour, that way the mushrooms get more of the pepper flavour. I say this as I accidentally just put the flour in before the pepper and the flavour was totally different.

Tip #1: if you want a lighter coating, don't wait for the mushrooms to absorb the flour and become sticky. Coat them and then fry. Otherwise if you leave the mushrooms to stand for a while, more liquid will come out of the mushrooms and bind with the flour, creating a sticky batter. This gives the mushrooms more of a crunchy texture.

Tip#2: to see if the oil is hot enough you can dip a wooden chopstick into the oil – if it is hot enough you can see bubbles coming from the chopstick in the oil. Or else just throw a little piece of mushroom in – the mushroom should bubble immediately and rapidly.