Recipe: Mushroom Fritters with Gingery Mango Sauce

I was scrolling through my Instagram, and I saw my friend Tabitha’s IG story. She was experimenting on some Shiitake Mushroom Tempura with Ginger Sauce—and it looked really good. I remembered in an instant that my friend Lui (who also happens to be my roomie) asked what we could do with her extra mushrooms. And of course, I already had an idea thanks to Tabitha.

These mushroom fritters are all-veg, are bathed in egg, and then coated with Panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese before frying. Compared to the more generic breadcrumbs, Panko is used in Japanese cuisine and is made from crust-less bread. Because of its airy and light texture, it yields to flakier and crispier fried food. It’s a bit pricier than regular breadcrumbs, and I didn’t have much of a choice because this was the only available breadcrumb in the grocery. The Ginger-Mango Sauce was Lui’s, and it conveniently came in a bottle (but I’m sure there are lots of recipes in Google). We tried it with an avocado dip, and it fell flat. Tabitha used a ginger sauce, so I guess what complements this dish are sauces that are punchy and are more on the tangier side (Asian sauces; particularly Vietnamese nuoc chams and Thai nam jims that you can get in bottles, maybe even a fresh marinara, or even ketchup). But it any case, it’s addictive and pairs well with creamy scrambled eggs with gouda! Lui and I had this for brunch today, and here’s how we made it.

INGREDIENTS (makes 2 portions)

• 1 pack brown mushrooms
• 1 egg
• 2.5 cups Panko breadcrumbs
• 2 cups Parmesan cheese (grated)
• S&P
• Thyme
• Oil (for frying)
• Gingery-mango sauce

• Chopsticks for dredging the mushrooms
• Paper towels

PREPARATION (around 15-20 minutes)

1. Slice the mushrooms from top-to-bottom. Leave the stems if you like (we do).
2. Heat up your skillet. Make sure that the heat is spread evenly. We use an electric stove in the apartment, so it’s a bit tricky.
3. While heating up the skillet to super-high heat, prepare your work station where you’ll separate your wet ingredient (the egg) from the dry.
4. Crack your egg in one bowl.
5. In a separate container, place in your Panko breadcumbs, Parmesan cheese, S&P, and thyme, and then mix.
6. Add your oil into the pan.
7. Lower the heat to medium, and using chopsticks, dip a mushroom slice into the egg, then into the Panko mixture. Do this for the other mushrooms until the whole pan is occupied.
8. Keep face-down for 1-2 minutes or until the side is golden brown. (Don’t be impatient and check if it’s done after 30 seconds or else the breadcrumb mixture will separate from the mushroom.)
9. Flip mushrooms and cook until the other side is golden brown.
10. Place paper towels on a plate and put the mushrooms on top so that the paper towels absorb all the oil.
11. Serve with the gingery mango sauce, or any sauce you want!

REFERENCE PHOTOS BELOW!