Meaty, Versatile, and Nutritious, Oyster Mushrooms Have It All—Right here’s The best way to Cook dinner With Them

Regardless of the title, oyster mushrooms don’t have anything to do with mollusks or the ocean. You’re truly more than likely to seek out one within the wild in case you’re strolling by way of one of many world’s temperate or subtropical forests. But when that’s slightly out of attain, you may as well simply discover them in grocery shops.

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Oyster mushrooms are nutritious, versatile, and infrequently hailed by vegans for his or her meaty texture. However how do you prepare dinner with them? And what plant-based recipes do they work greatest in? Don’t fear, we’ve obtained you coated. However first, let’s take a more in-depth take a look at what oyster mushrooms truly are.

What are oyster mushrooms?

Oyster mushrooms (or, in case you’re sciencey, Pleurotus ostreatus) are extremely widespread. They’re a sort of fungi that grows naturally on bushes, however they’re additionally cultivated in lots of nations for industrial functions. They earned the title “oyster mushroom,” due to their form, which is analogous to an oyster shell. They arrive in many various colours and varieties, however the king oyster mushroom, which has a thick meaty stem, is the biggest.

The world’s prime producer of oyster mushrooms is China, which is chargeable for greater than 85 p.c of the market. However they’re additionally produced in a number of different nations, like Japan, Italy, and Thailand.

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How do oyster mushrooms style?

With a easy, meaty texture, oyster mushrooms have a barely earthy style to them, with a touch of anise. However some additionally say they style type of like seafood—which makes their title much more apt. “Oyster mushrooms are sometimes described as ‘briny’ or having a fragile seafood taste,” notes the Mushroom Council. “Their texture is velvety and dense, and when pan seared, their edges flip deliciously crisp.”

Oyster mushrooms vitamin 

Oyster mushrooms aren’t simply tasty, like most edible sorts of fungi, they’re additionally good to your well being. They’re a supply of protein and carbohydrates, they usually additionally include fiber, vitamin B5, niacin, folate, potassium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, and choline. Plus, they’re additionally a superb supply of antioxidants. These are plant molecules that assist to scale back mobile injury attributable to free radicals within the physique.

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In China, oyster mushrooms have been famend for his or her potential well being advantages for hundreds of years. “The pink oyster mushroom and different mushrooms of the genus Pleurotus have been prized for hundreds of years for his or her dietary worth and scrumptious style,” notes Hifas da Terra, a biotechnology firm targeted on mycology. “In Conventional Chinese language Medication (TCM), oyster mushrooms are prescribed for ‘rest of muscle groups, joints, and tendons, to strengthen circulation and to extend kidney perform.’”

The best way to prepare dinner with oyster mushrooms

There are a number of other ways to prepare dinner oyster mushrooms. You may roast or bake them or you might boil them in salted water. However among the finest, and hottest methods, to prepare dinner oyster mushrooms (and get that scrumptious crispy texture) is to pan-fry them over excessive warmth.

Vegan oyster mushroom recipes

Lauren Toyota

1 Oyster Mushroom Po’Boy

A Louisiana traditional, po’ boy sandwiches are often stacked with salad and a few kind of meaty filling, like roast beef. However seafood is one other in style selection. Nonetheless, you will get all the identical deliciously satisfying style and texture by swapping in crispy oyster mushrooms. For further mouthwatering taste, drizzle over some home made Thousand Island dressing.
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Nadine Horn and Jörg Mayer

2 Tangy Grilled King Oyster Mushroom Skewers

Increase the flavour of your king oysters by marinading them in tangy balsamic vinegar, which is combined with garlic and thyme, in addition to some oil and slightly salt. After that, they’re able to be skewered onto bamboo and cooked over the grill. That is the final word recipe for vegan barbecue season.
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Jeeca Uy

3 Vegan Korean Bulgogi Mushrooms

Once more, this recipe is an absolute should for the summer season months whenever you’re gathered across the barbecue. Bulgogi (which accurately means ‘hearth meat’ in Korean) often refers to marinated beef, which is grilled over a barbecue. However beef is completely not a necessity relating to cooking this conventional dish, as mushrooms work simply as properly. Simply ensure you make sufficient, as your family members are assured to be asking you for extra when grilling season rolls round.
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Alejandra Graf

4 Mexican Pozole

Pozole often refers to a spicy Mexican soup that options hominy and pork meat (typically it’s made with hen too). However due to the meaty texture of oyster mushrooms, you will get the identical deliciously fiery style and expertise, with none animal merchandise in any way.
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Martin Nordon

5 Miso Soup With King Oyster Mushrooms

If it’s chilly and drizzly outdoors, a pleasant warming bowl of miso soup is simply what you want. And, for an additional increase of vitamin, in addition to texture and taste, improve the usual recipe with oyster mushrooms, quinoa, and seaweed.
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Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Urquiza

6 Vegan Poc Chuc With Mushrooms

Poc Chuc is a meaty flavorful dish that hails from Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Once more, it’s historically made with pork, which is marinated in citrus juice, grilled, after which served with pickled onions and rice. However if you wish to skip the meaty half, substitute in portobello or king oyster mushrooms (or each) as an alternative.
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Charlotte is a author and editor based mostly in sunny Southsea on England’s southern coast.