We very rarely fry food. I think the last thing I fried was zucchini fritters, and that was years ago. They were not as crispy as I would have liked.
So I could use some assistance.
I found some chicken of the woods yesterday on my run and just went back and grabbed a bunch.
I want to fry them like fried chicken.
The recipe that I am most likely going to use says to dip mushroom in seasoned flour then egg then flour again.
Is this ideal? Is this the best way to get a crispy coating?
Any other recommendations/suggestions on how to get the best flavor and crispness?
I did see another recipe that calls for dipping mushrooms in buttermilk before flour.
Another one that uses panko.
Do you have a favorite preparation that you use for fried chicken? Thanks for any suggestions!
I do occasional tempura style fry ups. The recipe (tempura inspired) that I use is 1:1:1 - 1 egg : 1 cup flour : 1 cup water. Water needs to be really cold. Do not whip up the batter, that apparently makes it less crispy - mix gently till everything is combined. Some folks use soda water instead of water - it makes the batter crispier, but I find it too crispy for my taste. Lastly, oil should be hot enough (350-375F) - I use an electric fryer which can maintain that temperature using a dial. Happy frying!
I ended up using a recipe for buttermilk fried chicken from foodandwine.com.
It was SO good! My husband, a big time carnivore, loved it and made a spicy aioli dipping sauce.
I spotted some more chicken of the woods while walking the dog today, so I am going to make some more later this week.
It sounds like you know what you are doing with mushroom foraging…but be careful - one of my former colleagues lost both his sister & niece due to some poor identification.
I’ve never really felt mushrooms take well to marinates/spices (inside themselves) but the combo you describe sounds good. Some Indian recipes use bean flours to turn them into more substantial protein main courses (chickpea flour, gram flour) but still most of the flavor has to be carried in the breading/crust.
Mainly when I’m deep fat frying - which makes me anxious / nervous - I clear all the pets / kids out of the working area and gets lots of trays / wire racks set up so they can cool and stay crisp without getting soggy. If you have a thermometer, that helps, since everything will absorb less oil, if it is fried hot enough.
I am very cautious when foraging. I only really go for Oysters, COW and morels. Maitake are common around here, but I have yet to find any on my adventures.
The flavor definitely came from the breading. I’m wondering if I puncture the mushrooms with a fork next time before soaking in the seasoned buttermilk, if the mushrooms will have more flavor. They were still really delicious.
Wow, never heard of it. Blocks the absorption of oil? Unfortunately it looks like the only size I can get over here is 4kg. Will see about muling some back from the US when I’m home for the holidays.
So Dave Arnold is writing a whole in depth book about cooking mushrooms. One of the things he notes is “you can’t overcook mushrooms. It’s impossible.” (Paraphrasing from his podcast).
If this is true I would go with the double frying method more like Korean fried chicken or anything fried food that’s double fried. The important part of double frying isn’t just the first fry cooking the food and the 2nd fry helping get color and crispiness… the cooling of the first fry actually helps sets the crust, but it needs to have plenty of airflow.
He has something still going on. I found him after he was on The Dave Chang Show podcast… (was a mod for their Discord, but it got too stressful and I stepped down)
I’ve often wondered… people say they “bake pizza’s” but at the temperature most people cook pizzas like super hot… is it still baking? Is it roasting?
