Vegan Recipe: Easy Stir Fry Black Pepper Mushrooms
Black Pepper is a naturally sweet gravy with hints of spice and a lovely depth of flavour. Usually cooked with meat such as chicken, pork or beef, this recipe uses Eryngii mushrooms to replace the proteins. They have a distinctive meat-like texture and a delicate flavour that even meat-lovers will enjoy.
Oh, and did I mention that this Black Pepper Mushrooms dish is vegan-friendly? You can save the firm tofu for a soup, or a recipe for another day!
This recipe serves 4.
Ingredients
Eryngii Mushrooms, which are also known as King Trumpet Mushrooms. They make a great substitute for meat and are very low in calories. In this dish, they retain their shape and volume, adding a lovely meaty texture and lightly sweet, earthy flavour. I recommend cutting them into 1cm thick half-circles to enjoy the chewy texture.
Coarse Black Pepper is one of the main seasonings for this recipe. Chunky black pepper is not only nutritious; it also adds to the appearance, fragrance and even texture, as opposed to ground pepper. Cracked whole black pepper would contribute a significant amount of spice and presence, so less should be used if it is used as a substitution.
Salt, is the basic seasoning to add taste and bring out the mushrooms and gravy’s flavour.
Red capsicum, or red pepper. As I did not add any chilli to this dish, this ingredient adds both a spicy flavour and sweetness. The seeds and core were removed to both reduce the heat level and improve the appearance of this dish.
Green capsicum, or green pepper. As it had been plucked before it ripened, this ingredient adds a touch of bitterness that enhances the sweetness of the black pepper gravy.
Light soy sauce adds a little more saltiness and umami to the mushrooms, capsicums and gravy.
Water, to soften the ingredients while braising and softening them.
Tapioca flour makes a flour slurry, which thickens the gravy, making it velvet-like. Cornstarch can also be used as a substitute; use 1/3 of the amount as it is thicker and has more starch.
Minced garlic is fried and caramelized to add a light sweetness to the gravy and bursts of flavour in tiny pieces. It also caramelizes and infuses its flavour into the unscented cooking oil to carry the complex black pepper flavour.
Unscented cooking oil, to caramelize and make the garlic crispy.
Steps
Here are the brief steps to make Black Pepper Mushrooms:
- Cut the mushrooms and capsicums.
- Make the flour slurry.
- Fry garlic until fragrant, then set aside.
- Stir the mushrooms, salt, light soy sauce and water together, then braise them for 3 minutes, covered.
- Add the capsicums and continue to braise for another 2 minutes.
- Taste and adjust.
- Stir in the black pepper.
- Pour in flour slurry and stir until well-combined.
- Add most of the crispy fried garlic and stir.
- Dish it out onto a serving plate.
- Garnish with the rest of the crispy fried garlic.
- Serve with white rice.
Tips
- Eryngii mushrooms are the best type for this recipe; they keep their shape and have a similar texture to meat.
- While I usually recommend washing mushrooms just before cooking, Eryngii mushrooms do not release too much water so they will not wilt beforehand.
- Mixing the tapioca flour with water into a slurry prevents it from clumping up in the hot gravy. This also prevents lumps and ensures a smooth, thick gravy to evenly coat the rice.
- Frying garlic beforehand until crispy and caramelized infuses the oil with the flavour, and makes the gravy sweeter with an occasional nutty, garlicky sweetness.
- Crunchy capsicum only needs 2 minutes to cook, while soft ones only need 4 minutes.
- The nutritional facts do not include the servings of rice.
- Leftovers can be kept overnight in the fridge to be reheated and consumed the next day latest.
- Watch the video to see exactly how I made it!
Storage Instructions
This Black Pepper Mushroom dish is best enjoyed immediately after cooking. It can be kept refrigerated for no more than a day. Be sure to reheat until boiling before consuming.
I do not recommend freezing as the ice crystals will change the texture of the Eryngii mushrooms and the smoothness of the silky gravy.
Recipes You Might Like
- Stir Fry Black Pepper Chicken
- Stir-Fried Black Pepper Tofu Recipe
- Rice Cooker Recipe: Mushroom Chicken Rice
- Easy Mushroom Soup
Black Pepper Mushrooms Recipe
Equipment
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Chopping Board
- Non-Stick Frying Pan
- Silicone Turner
Ingredients
- 6 pieces Eryngii Mushrooms, King Trumpet mushrooms, chopped
- 2 capsicum, (bell peppers), red & green mixed, cut to pieces
Flour Slurry
- 1/2 tbsp tapioca flour
- 25 ml water
Seasonings
- 3 tbsp cooking oil, unscented
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 50 ml water
- 1/2 tbsp coarse black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the mushrooms into 1 cm thick half circles. Set aside in a bowl.
- Remove the stems and seeds from the capsicums. Cut the flesh into 1 cm squares and set aside.
- Mix the tapioca flour and 25ml of water to get a smooth flour slurry. Set aside.
- Rinse the mushrooms and the capsicums once or twice to remove loose debris, and seeds from the capsicums. Set aside.
- Heat the cooking oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. When it is warm, add all the minced garlic.
- Stir fry the garlic for about 2 minutes, or until brown and crispy. Switch off the heat. Remove most of them from the pan and set aside.
- Switch on the heat. Add the mushrooms, salt, and light soy sauce and stir until well-combined.
- All 50ml of water and mix. Then, cover the pan and braise for 3 minutes, or until the mushrooms are slightly softened.
- Open the cover and add the capsicum. Stir to coat them with all the gravy. Cover the pan and braise for another 2 minutes.
- Taste and adjust. Stir in the coarse black pepper until evenly distributed.
- Stir the flour slurry before pouring all of it into the gravy. Switch off the heat and stir until the sauce is smooth and viscous.
- Add 1/2 of the crispy fried garlic and mix well. Stir well. Dish it onto a serving plate.
- Top with the rest of the crispy fried garlic and serve with some white rice.
Video
Notes
- Eryngii mushrooms are the best type for this recipe; they keep their shape and have a similar texture to meat.
- While I usually recommend washing mushrooms just before cooking, Eryngii mushrooms do not release too much water so they will not wilt beforehand.
- Mixing the tapioca flour with water into a slurry prevents it from clumping up in the hot gravy. This also prevents lumps and ensures a smooth, thick gravy to evenly coat the rice.
- Frying garlic beforehand until crispy and caramelized infuses the oil with the flavour, and makes the gravy sweeter with an occasional nutty, garlicky sweetness.
- Crunchy capsicum only needs 2 minutes to cook, while soft ones only need 4 minutes.
- The nutritional facts do not include the servings of rice.
- Leftovers can be kept overnight in the fridge to be reheated and consumed the next day latest.
- Watch the video to see exactly how I made it!