These Salt and Pepper Mushrooms are crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and tossed with garlic, chili, and that signature peppery kick. It’s the kind of dish you’d order at a cozy restaurant… but it comes together so easily at home.

🧂🧂Soulmates On The Dining Table

I guess we all have at least once seen a pair of shakers on a dining table, in a restaurant or at home, one is salt, and the other is pepper. These shakers are actually quite young, culturally speaking, since they probably became common in the early 20th century. The appearance of seasonings on the table, especially where one could freely serve oneself, has pointed to something exceptional in humanity's progression: we show care and respect for each other's preferences.

In Vietnamese cuisine, most meals are also accompanied by a dipping bowl of fish sauce (or soy sauce) and chilli, served for the same reason: to allow room for personal taste. We are more alike than we think we are different, even more so when it comes to food.

💞Why You’ll Love Salt and Pepper Mushrooms

• Quick and Easy to Make: This recipe is ready in just under 20 minutes!
• Simple but Satisfying: ordinary kitchen-ready ingredients can be full of surprises and deeply savoring.
• Good all-round: can impress well on multiple occasions as a side dish or a snack.
• Feels like restaurant food, but made at home.
• Perfect for sharing… or not.

More quick and easy recipes:

• Vegan Fried Chicken (KFC Copycat)
• Vegan 'Fish' Sauce Wings

📝How to make Salt and Pepper Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 200g oyster mushrooms
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup corn starch
• Chilli, garlic and spring onions

Instructions

1. Finely chop the chilli, garlic and spring onions.
2. Wash or wipe the mushroom with a damp cloth. Then tear each mushroom into bite-sized clusters.
3. Mix water with flour (1:1) to form a batter and dip the shredded mushrooms until evenly coated.
4. Heat the pan to medium heat, then fry the coated mushrooms until light golden and crispy on both sides.
5. Set aside, then use the same pan to sauté the chilli, garlic, and spring onions until fragrant.
6. Put the mushrooms back in the pan and stir fry for 1-2min.
7. Add salt and pepper and stir evenly before turning off the heat.

🎯Tips for success

• If you wash the mushrooms, make sure to let them dry a bit so it’s easier to coat and fry them.
• Don’t over-fry the mushrooms since we need to stir-fry them again.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan when frying the mushrooms.
• You can add more salt later or make a dipping sauce, so it’s advised to season it lightly while cooking.

Garnish and Serve

• Garnish with chilli and spring onions before serving.

🌶️🍄‍🟫Final Thoughts

Salt and Pepper Mushroom is simple enough because it only requires ingredients that you might already have. But surely it’s a good all-round dish. The smell, the look, the taste, even the frizzling sound when an ordinary mushroom turns into something so precious, so gold, so crunchy, and so addictive. 

I made this recipe when I need moral support to get back on track after long holidays, and it has worked wonders for me. How about you? If you like this recipe, please let me know in the comments or tag me on Instagram @veggieanh. Happy cooking!

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