This recipe, with golden, caramelized king oyster mushrooms and gloriously garlicky (so garlicky it’s a little spicy!) glass noodles is a new plant-based favorite. It was inspired by one of our favorite seafood dishes, Steamed Scallops with Glass Noodles.
King Oyster Mushrooms: King of Plant-Based Cooking?
King oyster mushrooms, also known as king trumpet mushrooms, are a cornerstone of plant-based cooking for me. They don’t have the rubbery texture I sometimes find off-putting in portobello mushrooms, and they have a more delicate flavor reminiscent of steamed white fish or, yes, shellfish like scallops!
They’re also super easy to prepare. Just rinse and cut into whatever shapes you need. Plus, they cook very quickly! A godsend for fast weeknight plant-based or vegan meals.
Our Inspiration: Steamed Scallops with Glass Noodles
When Sarah and my parents were living in Beijing, there was a home-style restaurant a short walk from their apartment that had a vast menu of classic Chinese dishes, some more special and some more humble.
Many of them were favorite dishes that we’d order over and over. You can actually still find recipes on the blog from those days! Dishes like cabbage stir-fry with egg and glass noodles, and the inspiration for this dish: Steamed Scallops with Glass Noodles!
Delicate scallops are placed in decorative shells on a bed of glass noodles and topped with a sweet soy sauce, lots of garlic, and a little scallion. You eat it in one or two bites, and it’s so tasty and pure in flavor. We could never resist getting at least a couple every time!
So one night recently I was searching my refrigerator and pantry for something that would be tasty, easy, and due to my recent mission to eat less meat and more plants, VEGAN. I had a package of king mushrooms and glass noodles in the pantry, and this dish was born.
One of the Easiest Noodle Dishes Ever
This dish takes about as long as it takes you to cut the mushrooms and boil the water.
The king mushrooms sear and caramelize fast in a cast-iron skillet (if you’re making a larger batch, make sure they have room to brown—steamed mushrooms don’t have the same effect here), and the glass noodles only need about 2 minutes in boiling water.
While that’s happening, mince the garlic, cut the scallions, and then toss all the ingredients right in the serving bowl.
(Though we made things fun for the post and also show them served in scallop shells!)
That’s it! Really!
The real fun part is whether or not you want to cut the mushrooms in a simple dice, or in rounds to look like little scallops.
Cutting the mushroom in a disc using its natural shape, and then adding a few scallop-like shallow cuts along the rim of the mushroom gives it that uncanny scallop-look, and makes for a meatier bite of mushroom. Check it out both ways!
Recipe Instructions
Set a small pot of water to boil. Prep the garlic and scallions. In a serving dish, set aside half of the garlic and the scallions, along with the light soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper (if using).
Heat a skillet over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil, and add the diced king mushrooms. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt to draw out the water. Toss to coat in the oil, but don’t stir much from here to allow them to caramelize. (If cooking rounds, simply cook on each side until caramelized.)
Cook the noodles per the package instructions. This takes about 2-3 minutes. Set aside ¼ cup of the noodle cooking water. Transfer the noodles to the serving dish.
The mushrooms should be cooked by now. Add those to the serving dish as well.
In the mushroom skillet, add the garlic, and brown lightly in the residual oil. Add a few spoonfuls of the cooking water to deglaze the pan. Pour the mixture over the noodles and mushrooms. Toss everything together and serve.
King Oyster Mushrooms with Garlicky Glass Noodles
Ingredients
- 3-5 cloves garlic (minced, divided)
- 1 scallion (chopped)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons light soy sauce (or to taste; can substitute gluten-free soy sauce)
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 king oyster mushroom (diced in ¾-inch thick chunks or rounds)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 bundle glass noodles (mung bean vermicelli, 50g; reserve ¼ cup noodle cooking water)
Instructions
- Set a small pot of water to boil. Prep the garlic and scallions. In a serving dish, set aside half of the garlic and the scallions, along with the light soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper (if using).
- Heat a skillet over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil, and add the diced king mushrooms. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt to draw out the water. Toss to coat in the oil, but don’t stir much from here to allow them to caramelize. (If cooking rounds, simply cook on each side until caramelized.)
- Cook the noodles per the package instructions. This takes about 2-3 minutes. Set aside ¼ cup of the noodle cooking water. Transfer the noodles to the serving dish. The mushrooms should be cooked by now. Add those to the serving dish as well.
- In the mushroom skillet, add the garlic, and brown lightly in the residual oil. Add a few spoonfuls of the cooking water to deglaze the pan. Pour the mixture over the noodles and mushrooms. Toss everything together and serve.
Amy S says
Delicious recipe. The glass noodles (mine were Mung bean starch) have a low glycemic index and are low in calories. Good sub for pasta lovers. I added some julienne size green squash near the end after garlic was sautéing. Very easy to make. I think I might cut glass noodles smaller next time.
Judy says
Yes, Amy, I was so surprised at how tasty this dish is.
B. Chin says
I like that this dish sounds quick to fix and healthy to eat, like many of your other recipes. Best of all, I now can cook some of the dishes that I grew up with. We always had meals with rice for lunch and dinner. Breakfast was something with a a noodle base (or just American style eggs or cereal for something quick).! Of course, anything noodle is my favorite!
Now that I am a senior citizen, I have conditions that limit what I eat. Nutritional content is so important to kidney patients. Do you have a quick source to check the phosphorus contents of foods, like these king oyster mushrooms? I also watch my potassium and protein, but those numbers are can be found, and I also have to watch cted carbs and fat for my heart diets. So as you can see, knowing the phosphorus contents will allow me to enjoy more of a variety of dishes, whereas I’m not sure about this king oyster mushroom recipe yet as regular mushrroms do have phosphorus but that may not be true for the king oysters.
With half a cup of rice or noodles, adding more variety if I can check phosphorus would make a big difference. Thank you!
Kaitlin says
Hello! thank you for reading and commenting. We totally understand your concerns. I will admit I don’t have a go-to resource, but this website seems to have a comprehensive rundown of ingredients.
https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/3050/2
Cheers and hope you’re well!
Emily says
Okay: 1)These photos are out of this world beautiful. 2)I love how easy this is to make gluten-free (definitely trying it in my house this weekend) 3)Your blog has given much comfort during this self-isolation time.
Thank you so much for this beautiful post. I seriously cannot wait to try!!!
Kaitlin says
Hi Emily, thank you so much! Yes, it’s a great gluten-free recipe. I’m so glad we can help you escape some of the craziness even if just for a while.
<3 Stay safe and healthy!
Armaity says
When does one add the set aside garlic, scallions soy sauce pepper etc.? Thank you
Eleanor Barber says
I have the same question… also when do you use/cook either of the halves of the veggies?
R says
The set aside garlic and scallions go into (and stay) in the serving dish, along with the sauce.
The other half of the garlic goes into the pan after you have removed the mushrooms before you deglaze the pan with a couple of spoonfuls of the noodle water.