Fancy a plant-based meal that has the meaty texture, umami flavour of Japanese cuisine and all the sweetness and irresistibility of a good Chinese takeout? Make the best Vegan Shiitake Mushroom recipe in the comfort of your own home! These Sticky Shiitake Mushrooms in Chinese BBQ Sauce are a real treat for those who follow a vegan diet and those who simply love a takeaway!
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A Chinese fakeaway prepared at home is a perfect dish for a Friday night in! Whilst these Sticky Shiitake Mushrooms are one of our favourite things to eat (we actually had them twice last week), we also love Kung Pao Tofu, Korean Tofu Bulgogi and Yasai Pad Thai!
More Mushroom Recipes
Turn any mushroom hater into a mushroom lover with these amazing recipes below:
Ingredients and Substitutes
- garlic: minced or very finely chopped.
- ginger: fresh ginger (rather than ground ginger or ginger paste) will provide the best flavour in this recipe.
- hoisin sauce: make sure it is plant-based if you're cooking for vegans.
- apple cider vinegar: or rice vinegar (rice wine vinegar).
- soy sauce: you may use tamari for a gluten-free option.
- Chinese Five Spice.
- fresh shiitake mushrooms: we tried this recipe with baby portobello mushrooms too and it is the second best alternative.
- cornflour: also known as cornstarch.
- vegetable oil, for frying: or other neutral oil. Avoid strong-tasting oils, like sesame oil or olive oil.
- spring onions (green onions) and sesame seeds, for garnish (optional).
Find the quantities of ingredients and a full recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Variations
Make this vegan shiitake mushroom recipe your own by changing things up:
- Make it spicy by adding a tablespoon of sriracha or other hot sauce to the Chinese BBQ Sauce.
- Make the sticky bbq sauce smoky by adding a tablespoon of liquid smoke!
- Instead of sesame seeds, why not scatter red pepper flakes on top of the dish next time?
- This shiitake mushroom recipe works well with other sauces from pan-Asian cuisine, like the sauce we use in the Kung Pao Tofu recipe or Crispy Honey Chicken.
Step-By-Step-Method
There are two elements to this dish: crispy shiitake mushrooms and Chinese BBQ Sauce (a.k.a. Char Siu Sauce). You can make the sauce a couple of days in advance.
Step 1: Make Sticky Chinese BBQ Sauce
Very finely chop or mince the garlic cloves and ginger.
Add all the sauce ingredients (garlic, ginger, hoisin sauce, vinegar, soy sauce and Chinese Five Spice) in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Then set it to low heat and simmer for 4-6 minutes to thicken slightly. You can then store this Chinese BBQ sauce covered in a small bowl in the fridge or use it immediately.
Step 2: Fry Shiitake Mushrooms
Whilst the sauce is simmering away, cut the shiitake mushrooms into 3mm thick slices. In a large mixing bowl, mix the mushrooms with cornflour until all the pieces are well coated.
Heat a generous glug of oil in a large frying pan.
Once hot, add the mushrooms in a single layer (you may need to cook them in batches) and cook them for 5-7 minutes over high-medium heat, string once midway through. Your mushrooms should have a very crispy exterior and be lightly golden brown. Do not overcrowd the pan, or they will not crisp up,
Using a slotted spoon, place cooked mushrooms on a plate lined with a kitchen paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Once all the mushrooms are cooked and crispy, wipe the frying pan clean and add the crispy mushrooms back into the pan for a few minutes to warm up.
Step 3: Assemble and Serve
Heat the sticky BBQ Sauce until bubbling, then pour sauce over the mushrooms. It is important that both the mushrooms and the sauce are hot at the point of assembling, otherwise, the mushrooms will go soggy very quickly.
Stir to coat and serve immediately with some sesame seeds and green onions scattered over the top.
Recipe Video
What To Serve Sticky Shiitake Mushrooms With?
Sticky sesame shiitake mushrooms are best served on a bed of rice, be it short-grain sticky rice, long-grain rice or brown rice.
For a lower-carb option, try this vegan shiitake mushroom recipe with cauliflower rice. Alternatively, rice noodles or egg noodles (if not vegan) are both a perfect accompaniment for these sticky shiitake mushrooms.
A nice green side dish, like Grilled Bak Choy or Asian Broccoli Salad, won't go amis here either.
However, there are so many different ways to serve Sticky shiitake mushrooms:
- Use them in homemade bao buns (we have a great recipe for bao buns made without bamboo steamer)!
- Stuff sticky shiitake mushrooms into rice pancakes to make a vegan version of duck pancakes!
- Add them to bibimbap!
Recipe FAQs
Shiitake are generally quite chewy mushrooms, but this chewy texture can be further emphasised by a few things.
Adding a pinch of salt to cornflour may improve the flavour, but worsen the texture of the mushrooms, as salt draws out the moisture, and makes them chewier.
Make sure to use an extra large skillet and fry mushrooms in batches - overcrowding the pan will result in mushrooms stewing in their steam rather than frying up and crisping properly.
Whilst the caps are undeniably the best part of the shiitake mushroom, the stalks are also edible. Older, slightly overgrown mushrooms may have woodier, tougher stalks that may need to be removed, but if you're using fresh mushrooms, you can definitely use the stalks too!
Yes, place dried shiitake mushrooms in a large jar or a bowl, and pour hot water over them. Use a weight to keep the mushrooms submerged and and leave them to rehydrate for 15-20 minutes, until plump. Dry the mushrooms as much as possible before coating them in cornstarch - any excess water will prevent them from crisping up.
More Vegan Recipes
For more tasty plant-based foods, check out our new recipes below:
Sticky Shiitake Mushrooms
Equipment
- Large Frying Pan
Ingredients
For Chinese BBQ Sauce:
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped or minced
- 15 g (1 tablespoon) ginger very finely chopped
- 100 ml (⅓ cups + 2 tbsp) hoisin sauce
- 20 ml (1 tablespoon) apple cider vinegar
- 50 ml (3½ tablespoon) soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
For Crispy Shiitake Mushrooms:
- 250 g (0.55 lb) shiitake mushrooms fresh, sliced into 3mm slices
- 75 g (⅔ cups) cornflour (cornstarch)
- neutral oil for frying e.g. vegetable or sunflower oil
Instructions
- Add all the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Then set it to low heat and simmer for 4-6 minutes to thicken slightly.
- Whilst the sauce is simmering away, cut the shiitake mushrooms into 3mm thick slices. In a large mixing bowl, mix the mushrooms with cornflour until all the pieces are well coated.
- Heat a generous glug of oil in a large frying pan.
- Once hot, add the mushrooms in a single layer (you may need to cook them in batches) and cook them for 5-7 minutes over high-medium heat, string once midway through. Your mushrooms should have a very crispy exterior and be lightly golden brown. Do not overcrowd the pan, or they will not crisp up
- Using a slotted spoon, place cooked mushrooms on a plate lined with a kitchen paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Once all the mushrooms are cooked and crispy, wipe the frying pan clean and add the crispy mushrooms back into the pan for a few minutes to warm up.
- Heat the Sticky BBQ Sauce until bubbling, then pour sauce over the mushrooms. It is important that both the mushrooms and the sauce are hot at the point of assembling, otherwise, the mushrooms will go soggy very quickly.
- Stir to coat and serve immediately with some sesame seeds and green onions scattered over the top.
Video
Nutrition
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