Epic Oyster Mushroom & Cashew Noodle Stir-fry
This was the first time I have ever cooked with oyster mushrooms. I expected a really soft texture but I was very surprised how firm oyster mushrooms actually are. In comparison to your standard mushrooms they are slightly more on the expensive side but time to time they are definitely a nice change and they also taste pretty good!
For more flavour and better texture, always fry your mushrooms first, then add the rest of the ingredients after.
Add spinach leaves right at the end, just before serving.
Ingredients
- x3 large oyster mushrooms
- x2 cloves of garlic
- fresh ginger
- cumin seeds/ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp of dried chilli flakes
- x3 tbs dark soya sauce
- x1 tbs white wine vinegar
- x1 tbs agave/maple syrup
- olive oil
- stir fry vegetables of your choice (fresh or frozen)
- spinach
- rice noodles
- cashew nuts
- seeds for garnish (optional)
- 1/2 small tin of bamboo shoots
- salt
- black pepper
- 1 lime
Method
Begin with slicing your mushrooms longways and then slicing in half again, also longways (see picture above). Pour 1-2 tbs of olive oil in a deep enough frying pan on a high heat and add chopped up ginger and garlic. Mix in your mushrooms, add 1 tsp of cumin seeds, freshly ground black paper, salt and chilli flakes and stir occasionally until mushrooms start turning golden brown. When all juice evaporates, pour in soy sauce, maple syrup and white wine vinegar. Mix well and allow cook for further 5 minutes. Then add stir fry vegetables of your choice, bamboo shoots and cashew nuts. Mix well, cover with a lid and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Don’t over cook your vegetables as you still want a bit of crunch. At the end, add your rice noodles and spinach and squeeze in juice from 1/2 lime and save the other half for garnishing. Mix well for the last time and serve.
Chris isn’t a big mushroom eater for the one obvious reason – slimy texture. He hates Portobello mushrooms and largely cut up mushrooms, or mushrooms that are flavourless or haven’t been cooked properly. I think it’s easy to go wrong with mushrooms but if you do get it right, you can pleasantly surprise even those who aren’t their biggest fans.
My secret to perfectly cooked mushrooms are ingredients that give them kind of a meaty flavour such as smoked paprika, garlic, cumin, soy sauce, black pepper, chillies or liquid smoke.
