Cooking with Xianyitang dried ingredients
Whole large flower shiitake mushrooms have a delicate crisp coating and a substantial, tender centre. Rehydrate and cook them first, then dry thoroughly before battering and frying. Serve with lemon and a simple dipping sauce as a sharing dish.
Times are estimates and include preparation and the waits listed. Check hydration, tenderness and doneness as described.
Recipe illustrations; measure ingredients using the written quantities.
Rinse the mushrooms, cover with about 1.2 litres cold drinking water and refrigerate, covered, at 5°C or below for about 8–12 hours or overnight. Thick caps may take longer. The thickest centre must be soft with no dry, hard core; continue soaking in the fridge if necessary. Discard the soaking water, rinse grit from the gills and trim hard stems, keeping the caps whole. The roughly 8–10 cm dry size is a natural guide, not a uniform size guarantee.
Bring the caps to the boil in about 1.2 litres fresh water, then simmer gently for about 40–60 minutes, until thoroughly cooked and tender through the thickest part, topping up with boiling water if needed. This is an estimated pre-cooking time for this adaptation. Drain on a rack for about 20–30 minutes. Gently pat every surface, especially the gills and hollows, with kitchen paper until there is no pooled water or dripping. Do not flatten the caps. Never put wet mushrooms into hot oil. Fry promptly after drying.
Stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, 30 ml water and sugar; warm in a small pan to dissolve the sugar, then cool. Choose a deep, heavy pan comfortably wider than a rehydrated cap. Add oil about 3–4 cm deep, never more than one-third of the pan height, and heat to 170°C. Mix the beaten egg with 180 ml ice-cold water, then stir in 100 g flour and 20 g cornflour briefly with chopsticks. Leave small lumps rather than beating smooth. Keep the batter cold and use it immediately.
Dust one thoroughly dried, cooked cap with the extra flour and shake off excess. Dip in a thin layer of batter and let excess drip back into the bowl. Lower carefully into the oil, away from you, with long tongs, keeping hands clear. Fry one cap at a time for about 3–4 minutes, turning gently, until the thin coating is crisp and the centre is hot throughout. Pre-cooking does not replace this reheating check. Keep the oil around 160–175°C, allowing it to recover between caps; a cap should occupy no more than half the oil surface. Attend the pan throughout, keep a suitable lid nearby and never use water on an oil fire.
Drain on a rack without stacking, then serve immediately with lemon wedges and the dipping sauce. Present the caps whole and cut into portions at the table if desired. A crisp coating alone does not mean a rehydrated mushroom is fully cooked.
Contains wheat, egg and soya. Soy sauce usually contains wheat; check the actual label. The Xianyitang dried-ingredient packs state that they are packed in a facility also handling peanuts, tree nuts, sesame and soya. Check the actual labels of every brand used.
Best eaten immediately for crispness. Keep rehydrating mushrooms refrigerated. If not frying immediately after pre-cooking, cool promptly in shallow containers, refrigerate within 2 hours and use within 48 hours or freeze. Apply the same cooling and storage limits to fried leftovers and reheat only once until hot throughout. Refrigeration reduces crispness.
