Spicy King Oyster Mushroom Stir-Fry

This spicy king oyster mushroom stir-fry recipe has three things going for it. 1) It uses just 8 ingredients. 2) It’s incredibly tasty. And 3) It’s completely vegan!

It’s one of those recipes that isn’t necessarily trying to be vegan/vegetarian. It is completely satisfying and delicious. Even if you’re not on a plant-based diet, you’ll enjoy this stir-fry as a main dish or side.

Yes, this recipe is modeled after a famous Chinese dish of…stir-fried pork kidneys! The kidneys are scored in a crosshatch pattern before frying, which is meant to improve the texture and mouthfeel, but also to help the kidneys cling to the delicious sauce/seasonings in the dish.

Not one for pork kidneys?

Me either, really.

But we’re in luck, because we have this vegan version made with oyster mushrooms. I got the brilliant idea from a recent video posted by one of our family’s new favorite YouTube channels, Dianxi Xiaoge.

We can't really just figure this out. We had to look for a variety of books and Youtube videos to make it work!

King oyster mushrooms, also known as king trumpet mushrooms, have thick, white edible stems and small brown caps. They have a very meaty flavor, and you can find them in Asian grocery stores as well as some well-stocked supermarkets.

It’s important to note that they’re different from regular oyster mushrooms, which look completely different (thinner stems, wide oyster-shaped caps, and white gills).

If you’ve never tried king oyster mushrooms before, this recipe is a great entry point!

Note that this dish is very spicy. If you’d like to make it more mild, substitute the long hot peppers with thinly sliced sweet bell peppers.