This spicy king oyster mushroom stir-fry recipe has three things going for it. 1) It uses just 8 ingredients. 2) It’s incredibly tasty. And 3) It’s completely vegan!
It’s one of those recipes that isn’t necessarily trying to be vegan/vegetarian. It is completely satisfying and delicious. Even if you’re not on a plant-based diet, you’ll enjoy this stir-fry as a main dish or side.
Recipe Inspiration
You may be looking at cross-hatch cuts in the oyster mushrooms here, finding them reminiscent of another famous Chinese stir-fry:
Yes, this recipe is modeled after a famous Chinese dish of…stir-fried pork kidneys! The kidneys are scored in a crosshatch pattern before frying, which is meant to improve the texture and mouthfeel, but also to help the kidneys cling to the delicious sauce/seasonings in the dish.
Not one for pork kidneys?
Me either, really.
But we’re in luck, because we have this vegan version made with oyster mushrooms. I got the brilliant idea from a recent video posted by one of our family’s new favorite YouTube channels, Dianxi Xiaoge.
The channel belongs to a young Chinese vlogger who films recipes from her family’s village in Yunnan province. Her recipes are crazy intricate and fascinating to watch, and all the ingredients come from the landscape around her.
It’s become a regular family activity to put her videos on the TV and gasp in surprise at every crazy twist and culinary turn! She recently posted this creative idea in a video about Buddhist vegetarian cooking, and I knew I had to give it a try and share it with our readers. I did make a few minor changes to the recipe, including the removal of the deep frying step!
What Are King Oyster Mushrooms?
King oyster mushrooms, also known as king trumpet mushrooms, have thick, white edible stems and small brown caps. They have a very meaty flavor, and you can find them in Asian grocery stores as well as some well-stocked supermarkets.
It’s important to note that they’re different from regular oyster mushrooms, which look completely different (thinner stems, wide oyster-shaped caps, and white gills).
If you’ve never tried king oyster mushrooms before, this recipe is a great entry point!
Note that this dish is very spicy. If you’d like to make it more mild, substitute the long hot peppers with thinly sliced sweet bell peppers.
Recipe Instructions
Cut each oyster mushroom in half lengthwise. Place each mushroom half flat side down, and score with your knife lengthwise. Make the slices deep, without slicing completely through the mushroom.
Then make perpendicular cuts across the lengthwise cuts, again making sure not to slice all the way through.
Every third cut, slice through the mushroom to create ½ inch pieces.
Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a wok over high heat. Fry the mushrooms lightly in the oil until golden brown on one side. Flip and fry on the other side until golden. Continue frying until the mushrooms are tender. Remove the mushrooms from the oil.
Reduce the heat to medium low. Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok. Add the ginger, and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Stir in the spicy bean sauce and cook for another 30 seconds.
Add the mushrooms back to the wok, along with the light soy sauce and ½ teaspoon sugar. Add the peppers to the wok and stir-fry everything together for another 2 minutes.
Serve!
It goes great with a bowl of steamed rice, and maybe an additional dish of leafy greens (like our stir-fried baby bok choy) for a full meal!
Spicy King Oyster Mushroom Stir-fry (Vegan!)
Ingredients
- 1 pound king oyster mushrooms (450g)
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
- 6 slices ginger
- 8 cloves garlic (sliced)
- 1 tablespoon spicy bean sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 5 long hot peppers (red and/or green, de-seeded and sliced diagonally)
Instructions
- Cut each oyster mushroom in half lengthwise. Place each mushroom half flat side down, and score with your knife lengthwise. Make the slices deep, without slicing completely through the mushroom. Then make perpendicular cuts across the lengthwise cuts, again making sure not to slice all the way through. Every third cut, slice through the mushroom to create ½ inch pieces.
- Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a wok over high heat. Fry the mushrooms lightly in the oil until golden brown on one side. Flip and fry on the other side until golden. Continue frying until the mushrooms are tender. Remove the mushrooms from the oil.
- Reduce the heat to medium low. Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok. Add the ginger, and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Stir in the spicy bean sauce and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the mushrooms back to the wok, along with the light soy sauce and ½ teaspoon sugar. Add the peppers to the wok and stir-fry everything together for another 2 minutes. Serve!
Simon Breen says
Great recipe – thank you! Just made this to use up some slightly tired King Oyster mushrooms and broccolini from the bottom of the fridge. Quick and easy to prepare, and love the flavour hit and heat from the doubanjiang. Super tasty! The method preparing the mushrooms is genius too…
Bill says
Hi Simon, yes, the doubanjiang makes this dish especially tasty!
Louise says
The beautiful photos on this post and the likeliness to pork kidneys prompted me to make this dish. This is another 5-star recipe! I had only about 12 oz of mushroom and forgot to get hot peppers, so subbed baby bok choy and red bell pepper. Even without the heat, it was still absolutely delicious. Thank you for including photos on how to cut the mushrooms – they were very helpful!
Sarah says
You’re welcome, Louise! So glad you enjoyed this dish!
Mary Veit says
Wow! I can’t believe how just a handful of ingredients can result in such an unbelievably delicious meal. Thank You for a truly wonderful meal. I loved this!
And the end result was gorgeous, too.
Sarah says
You’re welcome, Mary! I’m so glad you tried it! Thanks for coming back to leave us a 5 star review. :)
Stefanie says
Had to make this with sweet bell peppers to accommodate my boyfriend, delicious even if not spicy! Will make again for myself with hot peppers
Sarah says
Hahah I hope you enjoy that spicy version, Stefanie!
J. Ong says
My husband and I loved this dish. I saw the picture and had to try it. My package of King Oyster Mushroom only contained 10 oz, but I just followed the recipe as listed. Maybe next time I will get 2 packages for this recipe. The mushrooms help tame the heat, and they’re missed when they’re gone.
I’ve been following a lot of WOL recipes lately and finding the stir-fries come together way faster than other cuisines’ dishes. Thanks again for a great tasting recipe that put dinner on the table in less than an hour.
Sarah says
Thank you so much for the review and sharing your experience J. Ong! We’re so glad you enjoyed this dish––we have been loving king oyster mushrooms in general lately. :)
CC says
You inspired me. As a vegan on a SOS free diet, I made this without the oil, sugar and soy sauce, using jalapeños because that is what I had on hand. It was so good! I will make it again! Thank you!
Sarah says
You’re welcome, CC!
Victor says
I love Dianxi Xiaoge too and her dog DaWang!
Sarah says
We LOVE Dawang! Have you seen her new Dawang video?
Michael E Averyt says
Where would I find a recipe for the version made with pork kidneys?
Mimi says
Google lol
Sarah says
Hey Michael, we don’t currently have a recipe for that, but you could definitely do a search for it and see what you come up with!
Sophie says
I just made this – so spicy yet so delicious!
Sarah says
Yay, so glad you liked it Sophie! It’s true, those long hot peppers can get super hot!
Toni Jean says
This looks AMAZING! Thanks for another great vegetarian offering!! I would just issue a caution to other readers that some spicy bean sauce brands (including my pre-vegetarian favorite) have non vegetarian ingredients such as oyster extractives.
Cant wait to cook this one up!
Sarah says
You’re welcome, Toni Jean!