Char Siu is our son’s favourite sauce, and braised king oyster mushrooms have been an immediate sell-out in our dinners since I discovered this unappetizing mushroom turns to meaty deliciousness once marinated and roasted.

It was only a matter of time before I decided to try my luck at a mash-up!  Well, blending two delicious things together should give out even more deliciousness, right? The olive oil in this recipe has a very important role, which is to replace the fats of the pork which melt and mix with the marinade in the char siu pork recipe. Since the mushrooms themselves do not contain any fat, they would lose a little bite and shrivel too much without the oil. Do not worry about a strong taste, it will not be the case.

Do let me know what you think about this recipe. On my side, I already know we will be going back to it very often in the coming months.

Prep time : 20 minutes

Cooking time : 30 minutes

Ingredients for 4 pax

• 500 g whole King Oyster Mushrooms (delicately cleaned with a wet cloth, but not washed under running water)

• 4 table spoon extra virgin olive oil (here I recommend Impronta by Marco Rizzo for the chicory kick)

• 2 tablespoons of crushed garlic (previously peeled and degermed)

• 2 pieces of Nam Yue or Nam Yee (Chinese fermented red bean curd, here are the ones Dr Tay from ieatishootipost recommends)

• 1 tablespoon of maltose or honey

• 1 tablespoon of Chinese Shaoxing wine (or rosé wine or Mirin)

• 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce (normal soy sauce)

• 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce (try out this amazing homemade vegetarian oyster sauce recipe to avoid all the nasties)

• 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce (if you do not have, just replace with one more tablespoon of light soy sauce)

• 1 teaspoon of Chinese five-spice powder (or your own mix of ground cinnamon, star anis, Sichuan pepper, clove and fennel)

• 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper (alternative: black pepper if you do not have)

• 100 g or 8 1/2 tablespoons of sugar (alternatives: date concentrate or honey)

 Preparation

1. Tear the mushrooms into strips, then mix them with the olive oil. Let sit for a few minutes while preparing the char siu marinade.

2. Mix all the rest of the ingredients together.

3. Massage the marinade into the mushroom strips, ensuring each is well covered. Cover and let them sit in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 200 °C on fan mode

5. Line a large oven tray with baking paper; set up the mushrooms leaving some space between each strip.

6. Place the tray in the oven for a total duration of 20-30 minutes depending on oven power. Move the strips around at mid-time to ensure an even roast.

7. While the mushrooms are roasting, make a reduction with the leftover char siu marinade. You can then use it with any side dish you are planning (steamed rice and vegetables, or as a seasoning for a char siu mushroom bao burger… the possibilities are endless).

8. Take out of the oven when the mushrooms start to look crunchy and caramelized enough. Serve with your side of choice, or as part of a scrumptious bao burger !