Spicy Korean Pulled Mushroom Sandwich
how to pull mushrooms + the best homemade Korean hot pepper sauce + easy cabbage slaw
Welcome to another weekly issue of Live More Veg - the place to be if you ever think about adding more vegetables to your everyday meals but need encouragement, inspiration, and exciting recipes! And ideas - lots of ideas!
Today, I’ve got a really delicious mid-week mushroom recipe for you that is possibly one of the best ways to eat mushrooms. Pulled mushrooms tossed in a flavour-packed homemade sauce and stuffed in your favourite bread for the most epic veg sandwich.
This recipe is a very giving recipe. Giving, because there are really 3 recipes here - Marinated pulled mushrooms, Korean hot pepper sauce, mixed cabbage slaw; all of which can be used together or repurposed for other meals. Really good when you are meal prepping.
The mighty King Oyster Mushroom
Not to be confused with oyster mushrooms, King oyster mushrooms are the largest of them all. They grow to be about 8 inches tall and 2 inches wide with a thick, white, meaty stem and golden brown tops. Their stems are not at all woody, instead, they are tender but firm with a delightfully chewy texture. This makes them ideal for substituting in meat dishes. Like this pulled mushroom sandwich!
They have a nutty, earthy and intensely umami flavour (if you read the Puttanesca Salad post from a couple of weeks ago, you know we are all about umami here!). They have often been compared to scallops or calamari and are absolutely delicious when cooked in fat, as this releases their flavour and aroma.
But, you can’t always find them. Which is okay! Because I show you the best king oyster mushroom substitution in my recipe notes below.
Homemade Korean hot pepper sauce
I first created the recipe for this sauce for a Korean editorial spread when I was Elle Australia’s food columnist almost a decade ago. Since then, this beautiful sauce has gone through quite an evolution. This current version takes about 10 minutes to make and even if you don’t cook this entire recipe, I urge you to make this sauce. With a bright tone that teethers between coral and ember, it has all the usual Korean suspects - chilli, garlic, miso and gochujang. The heat is just right, a warmth infusing your tastebuds with a gentle tingle.
It is absolutely divine and can be used in myriad ways (dipping, stir-frying with chewy udon noodles or even as a dressing for a Korean-inspired salad). Plus, it uses whole red pepper (capsicum) in all its blistered, charred glory.
If you are wondering how to char a red pepper in the absence of a flame, this is how you do it.