Recipe: Learn how to make healthy Mushroom Chicharon
MANILA, Philippines — You love the crunch of Chicharon. That glorious crackling sound whenever you take a bite never fails to tickle your fancy. But must it always come from pork rind?
You can now get that crunch — and awesome mouthfeel and flavors, too — from oyster mushrooms.
Mama Sita’s marketing executive and weekend kitchen warrior Ces Nepomuceno-Gamad shows you how.
White Oyster Mushroom Chicharon, Sinamak at Pipino
Ingredients:
300 grams white oyster mushrooms
Salt
Ground black pepper
Paprika
100 grams all-purpose flour
100 grams cornstarch
Crushed black peppercorns
1/2 cup milk or cold water
Coconut/lauric oil for frying
Spiced vinegar or sinamak for dipping
Sliced pipino
Procedure:
1. In a bowl, season white oyster mushrooms with salt, ground black pepper, and paprika. Toss them together. Set aside to marinate for a short while.
2. Meanwhile, in a wide container, combine all-purpose flour, cornstarch, a little salt, crushed black peppercorns, and paprika.
3. Prepare an assembly line of the flour and cornstarch mixture, milk or water in a bowl, and seasoned oyster mushrooms. Dip oyster mushrooms in milk or water one at a time, then onto the flour and cornstarch mixture, until all the oyster mushrooms are well-coated.
4. In a deep frying or sauce pan, heat oil. Drop a bit of the flour mixture to test if it is hot enough. If it is, the mixture should float easily. Fry the mushrooms, making sure there is enough space between the mushrooms so they get crispy. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan to maintain the right oil temperature.
5. Serve crispy mushrooms with spiced vinegar or Sinamak and with sliced pipino. Perfect pica-pica for entertaining guests or for merienda.
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