Spicy King Oyster Mushroom Salad

This “meaty” Spicy King Oyster Mushroom Salad is a tasty, refreshing Chinese-style cold appetizer. It’s sure to satisfy, and only takes a little bit of prep to pull off.

If you’re like me, king oyster mushrooms have entered your regular rotation at mealtimes because they are a snap to prepare, and are so versatile for plant-based cooking!

This time, we’re making these mushrooms into a spicy salad, packed with gingery, garlicky goodness, and a hint of intensity from Sichuan peppercorns and dried red chilies.

When You’re Tired of Standard Salad

If you’re sick of your same old lemon vinaigrette, my mom’s All-Purpose Chinese Cold “Salad” Dressing is a delicious option.

This dressing is intended for “salad” in the broader sense. Basically, tasty things tossed in tasty dressings, as is the case with Chinese cold dishes, often served as appetizers.

In the summertime, people like to make 凉拌菜 (liángbàn cài), with whatever they have on hand to minimize cooking and heat in the kitchen. The concept is indeed similar to making salad, but lettuce isn’t the main ingredient.

For this particular recipe, we’re using king oyster mushrooms, but you can simply blanch or steam any vegetables, say: carrots, celery, zucchini, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplantpeppers, or string beans.

You could also include some traditional Chinese add-ins like tofuI argue five-spiced tofu, bean threadsseaweed, wood earsnoodles, etc.

With the summer upon us, we hope you enjoy this recipe!

Recipe Instructions

Shred the mushrooms into strips between your thumb and forefinger.

Shredding king oyster mushrooms — Spicy King Oyster Mushroom Salad 36

Blanch for 90 seconds in boiling water. Drain with a sieve.

Blanching shredded king oyster mushrooms — Spicy King Oyster Mushroom Salad 37

Now, make the dressing. In a large heatproof bowl, arrange the minced garlic (I was a dummy and forgot to include it for our photos), minced ginger, the white parts of the chopped scallion, and the chopped Thai chilies (if using), so they are adjacent to each other at the bottom of the bowl. (Don’t messily pile them all on top of each other.)

Aromatics in bowl — Spicy King Oyster Mushroom Salad 38

Now infuse the Sichuan peppercorns in oil. In a small pot, heat the oil with the Sichuan peppercorns over low heat until fragrant, taking care not to burn the peppercorns.

After about 10 minutes, remove the peppercorns using a fine meshed strainer or slotted spoon. Heat the infused oil just until it begins to smoke. Pour it carefully over the arranged aromatics in the bowl.

Pouring oil through fine meshed strainer into aromatics — Spicy King Oyster Mushroom Salad 40

It will bubble and sizzle! Carefully stir to evenly distribute the heat.

Making aromatic dressing — Spicy King Oyster Mushroom Salad 41

Now add in the sugar, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt and five spice powder.

Mix well. (For this recipe, I omitted the black vinegar from my mom’s original recipe, but you can use it per your tastes.)

Finally add in the green parts of the chopped scallion and the cilantro. (If pre-making the sauce, leave these last ingredients out and add them right before serving.)

Toss the blanched mushrooms in the dressing, and serve your mushroom salad as an appetizer or side dish!