Basic Mushroom Cutlets (King Oyster)
Questa ricetta è disponibile anche in italiano
Mushroom Cutlets are so easy to make and super meaty! They make the perfect substitute if you're craving meat.
I'm happy to show you today how I easily put this recipe together when we are craving something delicious, meaty and quick.
Crunchy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside, these Vegan Mushroom cutlets are cooked in the air fryer and they'll conquer your palate for sure.
They make such a good starter and a side, and can easily become a main with a bunch of greens and some grain o rice. I served it as a "secondo" (Italian for second course, typically meat or fish) with a side of chips (or French fries if you like) - and yes, fries too are cooked in the air fryer!
The technique used in this recipe is inspired from the very talented plant-based blogger Woon Heng.
How to make Mushroom Cutlets (King Oyster)
STEP 1: PREPARE THE MUSHROOMS
For this preparation it is advised to use a large king oyster mushroom stem. I suggest to use 1 mushroom per person.
Firstly we need to clean mushrooms with slightly damp a paper or clean kitchen towel.
Next boil the mushrooms in hot salted water for about 10 minutes and arrange on a plate with kitchen towels and allow to cool down.
STEP 2: CUT THE MUSHROOMS INTO CUTLETS
Pat the mushrooms dry (as dry as you can, but do not squeeze, as this moisture will be needed to achieve a juicier "meat").
Next you are going to need a sharp knife. Place the mushroom on a chopping board and make a large slit from the cap towards the stem. Turn the knife in a spiral motion as you were to peel an orange, making sure to keep around 5mm of the flesh. Place the mushroom flat on the chopping board and GENTLY score both sides into a diamond pattern (this will prevent the mushrooms to curl up during the next steps).
Continue for all the remaining mushrooms.
STEP 3: BREADING THE MUSHROOMS
Prepare 3 bowls or dishes: one with flour (use GF substitute if you cannot have gluten), one with plant milk (unsweetened - I used Soy) and a third one with panko breadcrumbs + salt and pepper (or GF/traditional breadcrumbs).
Note: You can add extra herbs and spices to taste to this mixture if you prefer to pack ever more flavours.
Evenly coat each mushroom first in the flour, then in the vegan milk and finally in the breadcrumb mixture.
STEP 4: COOK THE CUTLETS
For this recipe I use the air fryer method for a multiple reasons:
- it is healthier than deep frying
- it is quicker than baking
- it is overall less messy.
If you're planning to get an air fryer I cannot recommend enough the one I currently have. I've been using this Cosori air fryer for the last 3 years. It is quite cheap, sturdy and cooks in half of the time compared to traditional oven baking, It also saves time and energy as it doesn't need pre-heating!
The only con while purchasing an air fryer is the size of the baskets, so just keep that in mind if you have a large family. We are just two and we use it on a (almost) daily basis to heat up food that need to stay crunchy (like puff pastry preparations, pies, breaded veggies, chips, pasta bakes) or to cook frozen foods.
To cook the King Oyster Mushroom Cutlets all we need to do is to place the coated mushrooms in the air fryer basked, previously oiled (I use this handy oil sprayer) and set the timer for 7 minutes at 180° C (350° F). After the first timer, flip the cutlets, lightly spray with some extra vegetable oil and cook for another 5 minutes at the same temperature.
ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF COOKING
If you don't own an air-fryer and you're not planning to get one, don't worry, you can still make this recipe.
For an healthier alternative you can use a traditional oven, preheated at 200° C (390°F) and cook for 20 to 25 (almost twice the time as per the air fryer), flipping the cutlets half way through.
If you want to indulge even more, the other options you have is to deep or pan fry the mushroom cutlets.
For the deep fry method you'll need to heat up abundant vegetable oil into a deep pan, and fry the cutlets for 2-3 minutes on each side until crispy and golden.
To pan fry you can simply add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil to a pan, heat up for a few seconds then add the coated mushrooms and cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes per side.
I advice for both deep and pan fried methods to place the cutlets onto a plate covered with kitchen paper after cooking, so all the excess of the oil will be soaked up.
No matter which cooking method you use, finish up with a sprinkle of salt flakes and serve the cutlets straight away, while still piping hot.
Enjoy!
Basic Mushroom Cutlets Recipe
Ingredients:
4 King Oyster Mushrooms (1 per person)
½ cup Plant Milk (soy - 100 g)
½ cup Panko Bread (or GF alternative - 50 g)
⅓ cup All Purpose Flour (or GF alternative - 50 g)
½ teaspoon Black Pepper
½ teaspoon Sea Salt
½ tablespoon Vegetable Oil (to spray - optional)
Water + Salt to Boil
Method:
1. Clean the mushrooms with a slightly damp paper towel to remove debris.
2. Bring around 1 liter to water to a boil, add a pinch of salt and boil the mushrooms for 10 minutes.
3. Transfer the mushrooms on a plate with kitchen paper and allow to cool down.
4. Pat dry the excess of water and cut the mushrooms into a cutlet shape. To do so place them on a chopping board and, using a sharp knife, make a slit from the cap to the stem, then start slicing around 5mm thick of the flash in a spiral motion.
5. Gently score both sides into a diamond pattern to avoid the mushrooms to curl back up.
6. Prepare 3 bowls or dishes: one with flour, one with unsweetened plant milk and a third one with panko breadcrumbs + salt and pepper. Note: You can add extra herbs and spices to taste to this mixture if you prefer to pack ever more flavours.
7. Evenly coat each mushroom first in the flour, then in the vegan milk and finally in the breadcrumb mixture.
8. Spray the air fryer basket with some vegetable oil, then arrange the mushroom cutlets avoiding them to overlap. See notes for other cooking methods.
9. Cook first for 7 minutes at 180° C (350° F). Then flip the cutlets, lightly spray with some extra vegetable oil and cook for another 5 minutes at the same temperature.
10. Serve immediately with some sea salt flakes sprinkled on top.
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