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Pieces of king oyster mushroom steak are accompanied by a pile of stir-fried mixed mushrooms.
"Picture provided by SPH"
NEVER will I look the same way at a mushroom again.
Already one of my favourite foods, there are very good reasons to eat it, aside from taste. And so few of my favourite foods are actually good for me!
One of the most nutritionally rich foods around – not for nothing is it described as meaty, protein makes up some 10 to 30 percent of its nutritional content. It is also high in vitamin C and potassium.
That alone would be good reason to eat it, but it also has medicinal properties – the hiratake oyster mushroom, for one, is a natural source of statins, a cholesterol-lowering drug. The shitake, on the other hand, is known to enhance the immune system and is gaining ground medically for its anti-tumour qualities.
And in my constant quest to eat organic, the mushroom is probably one of the most organic, grown in clean laboratory-like surroundings, right here in Singapore!
Mycofarm, a mushroom farm in Seletar, is located right at our doorstep, making mushrooms one of the freshest foods you can buy. And how many vegetables can you describe in this way in land-starved Singapore where we import most of our fruit and vegetables?
Besides mushrooms look truly beautiful and exotic. The willow mushrooms are like a clump of grey velvet buttons, while the oysters are shaped like perfect tulips.
Very little is needed to bring the fungi to the table. Very little washing for the flavour leaches out in the water and very little cooking. You can even eat them raw.
This recipe below is a meat-less take on steak and mushrooms. The king oysters, sometimes called the eryngi, is meaty enough for a “steak”, over which I add a pile of mixed mushrooms, fried with soya bean paste or taucheow and garlic, perked up with fresh green chillies.
I promise you, you will not miss the meat in this meal!
Ingredients:
Mushroom steak and stir-fry (For 4-6)
- Half a punnet each of shitake, coral, hirataki or oyster and willowmushrooms or any selection of mushrooms you like
- 4-6 king oyster mushrooms
- 1 Tbsp soya bean paste (tau cheow)
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
- 2-3 sliced green chillies
- 1 Tbsp Chinese rice wine
- Butter lettuce leaves or similar soft lettuce to line
Method:
- Using a damp cloth, wipe the mushrooms of any surface dirt or else give it a quick rinse under the tap. Do not wet it too much or it will lose its flavour.
- Thickly slice the king oysters lengthwise. Leave aside. Slice the shitake and oyster mushrooms and break apart the bundles of willow and coral mushrooms.
- Heat 1 Tbsp peanut oil in a pan and when hot, sear the king oyster slices. Remove and keep aside.
- Add more oil if needed. Saute the garlic and soya bean paste over a low flame until fragrant. Add the mixed mushrooms. Add a splash of rice wine. Toss to mix well and cook till mushrooms are wilted. Add sliced green chilli.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if liked with a pinch of salt.
- To serve, place seared king oysters on a plate. Add a lettuce leaf or two and place a pile of mixed mushrooms on the leaves.
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