WHAT YOU DO
Step 1. First, make the MYO chilli oil, if using. In a small saucepan, bring the oil and grated ginger to 170C. This takes about 10 minutes over low heat; the oil will be shimmering but not smoking. In a large heatproof bowl, mix together the peppercorns, chilli flakes, fried shallots, garlic, spring onion, star anise, five-spice, sesame oil, sesame seeds and tomato paste. Set a fine-meshed sieve over the top. Being careful of spitting, pour the hot oil over the lot. Add the soy sauce and vinegar to taste, then leave to infuse. Once cool, pull out the star anise. The longer the oil stands, the more intense the heat and flavour will be. Store in the fridge, in a clean sealed jar.
Step 2. I learned to wet-fry mushrooms on a mushroom foraging tour with Jim, a tall Texan, and Chris, a mycologist-slash-Hobbit. Chris showed us how to find even the most magic of mushrooms, while Jim explained that as mushrooms aren’t technically vegetables, they behave differently when boiled; magic happens! Rather than their cell structure breaking down or toughening up, they pretty much stay the same, absorbing whatever flavour you throw at them — or into them. That’s why I wash mushrooms with abandon now and just crank the heat up to full blast to help the extra water to Exit, pan left. For maximum flavour infusion, it pays to keep the heat high until all of the liquid in the pan evaporates, holding off adding any fat until after the mushrooms have started turning browner. You may not go the full noodle every time, but I guarantee that frying mushrooms this way will revolutionise your breakfast ’shrooms forever.
Step 2. Plonk all of the mushrooms into your wok, or your widest pan with high sides. Add 125ml water and crank the heat up to high. Bubbles are good. The amount of mushrooms will appear to reduce by half (don’t worry — they’re still there). Allow at least 10–15 minutes over high heat for the water to completely evaporate and the mushrooms to start to brown. (I know, I know … they were already brown to begin with.)
Step 3. Splash in a tablespoon of the oil to help the caramelisation along. The mushrooms will quickly start to colour, but be patient and let them caramelise for about 10 minutes over medium–high heat, stirring now and then, so all the mushrooms have a sweet little burnished edge to them. Splash in the oyster sauce and dark soy sauce, stirring to deglaze the pan. Pull out the mushrooms and set aside in a bowl. Add the shallot to the wok with another tablespoon of the oil. Fry for a minute or two, until golden, then add the ginger and garlic and sauté for a few more minutes. Tip the mixture over the mushrooms.
Step 4. Crank the heat back up under your wok. Splash in the rest of your oil, add your noodles and leave them alone for at least a minute or two, or as long as it takes to get a little char on them (try not to move them too much, as this can cause breakage). Splash in another 1/2 cup (125 ml) water and let it evaporate; the steam will break up your noodles if you think they are stuck together. Add the mushrooms and ginger mix back in and toss everything about.
Step 5. Splash in the light soy sauce and the sesame oil and let it sizzle for a minute. Turn the whole thing off, top with the spring onion and serve with the chilli oil, if you like it spicy.
TIPS:
Depending on how fresh your noodles are, they might need a little love to soften them enough so that they stay pliable. If they start crumbling into many, many sad pieces as you pull them out of the packet, try popping them into the microwave, with a splash of water in the bottom of the bowl or plate, and zapping them for 20–30 seconds to bring them back to life.
Or, place the noodles in a heatproof bowl, pour a kettle of boiling water over them and stand for 3 minutes, then drain and add to the stir-fry. If your pan refuses to char the noodles without them sticking to its surface, use some baking paper as a go-between. Once the pan is hot enough, slip in the paper, pop the oiled noodles on top and let them colour without moving them about too much. You’ll find more about cooking noodles on page 82 of my book.
SUBS
Try hor fun rice noodles, which you’ll find in the fridge at specialty Asian grocers. You could also use fresh cheung fun noodle pastry, which can be cut to thick noodle size. Alternatively, you can use dried flat rice noodles, which will need to be softened in boiling water according to the packet instructions first. Go for a minute or so less than they suggest, as the noodles will get a quick cook-up in the pan. Oyster sauce is one of my go to splashes when stir-frying veg as it adds such a sweet, savoury boost. It’s also fab for marinades, especially if you’re a chicken-wing roaster. If you don’t have oyster sauce, use extra soy sauce and an extra sprinkling of sugar and/or honey.
DOUBLE DUTY
The wet-fry mushroom mixture is brilliant as an omelette or crepe filling, too. Or just keep them nude and serve on toast or as a side with dinner. This mushroom filling is also perfect for making cheung fun noodle rolls; you’ll find the pastry in the fridge at specialty Asian grocers. Wrap the pastry sheets around the filling, into log-shaped rolls, and steam them, then drizzle with light soy sauce and a pinch of sugar. Food writer Camellia Ling Aebischer has an incredibly clever recipe where she makes microwave cheung fun pastry, which is worth taking a squiz at online. This mixture is glorious repurposed into a soup on day two. Benjamin Cooper from the Melbourne restaurant Chin Chin once showed me a great mushroom broth using a shiitake-load of coconut water, and I love whipping it out when people with dietaries are coming for dinner on hot summer nights, because you can do all of the prep the day before, and just reheat it with about 1 litre coconut water as your stock and classic South-East Asian aromatics such as lemongrass, lime leaves, chilli and ginger just before serving. Finish with plenty of fresh herbs like Thai basil, coriander and Vietnamese mint.
RECIPE RIFFS
To keep this completely plant-based, instead of the oyster sauce, use 1 tablespoon mushroom sauce, or even mushroom soy and a pinch of sugar. Once you have the hang of the wet-fry, the sauce shelf is your oyster! Go Southern BBQ with barbecue sauce and smoked salt, or classic French with stock, thyme and butter.
You can totally bulk this dish out with some firm tofu, beef or chicken, if you’re so inclined, searing once the ’shrooms are out of the pan. Feel free to ‘velvet’ the protein first (à la the prawn stir-fry on page 90), for extra bounce. Go for a different spot on the globe once the ’shrooms are wet fried — add cream, then serve over pasta.
INGREDIENT SPOTLIGHT: EXOTIC MUSHROOMS
When it comes to building that elusive ‘umami’ flavour, the ’shrooms have it. More exotic types such as fresh shimeji or shiitake are thankfully becoming easier to find, but if you’re stumped, fear not. Just use whatever exotic mushrooms you can access — the slipperier the texture, the better. You can also use dried ’shrooms like shiitake instead,rehydrating them in warm water first. Be sure to pop the rehydration water into your pan for the wet-frying component instead of straight-up water. I love shiitakes bobbing around in broths for taste and texture, while slippery ’shrooms such as shimeji, enoki and oyster are wonderful in stir-fries like this one.
Recipe extracted from The Joy of Better Cooking: Life-changing skills & thrills for enthusiastic eaters by Alice Zaslavsky (Murdoch Books, RRP £25/€28). Photography by Ben Dearnley.
