Nashville Hot Oyster Mushroom Sandwiches

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Torn oyster mushroom clusters soak in tangy soy-milk 'buttermilk,' get a craggy double-dredge, and fry up shatteringly crisp before a bath in cayenne-brown sugar hot oil. Piled on toasted buns with a cold, crunchy dill pickle slaw, they hit every note of a Nashville hot chicken sandwich — smoky, spicy, sweet, and sour — with nothing but plants.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lb oyster mushrooms, in clusters
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp dill pickle brine
• 1 tbsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1/2 cup hot frying oil (reserved from the pot)
• 2 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 4 cups shredded green cabbage
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped dill pickles
• 1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp dill pickle brine
• 1 tsp yellow mustard
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 6 cups neutral frying oil (peanut or canola)
• 4 soft sandwich buns (dairy- and egg-free)
• 2 tbsp olive oil, for toasting buns
• 16 dill pickle chips

Instructions

1. Tear the oyster mushrooms lengthwise into 4 to 6 large cutlet-shaped pieces per bun, keeping each cluster's stem and frilly cap attached so the pieces hold together. Trim off any tough, gritty bases.
2. Whisk the soy milk, apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons pickle brine, hot sauce, and 1 teaspoon salt in a wide bowl and let it stand 5 minutes until slightly thickened and curdled. Add the mushrooms, press them down to submerge, and soak 15 minutes while you make the slaw.
3. In a large bowl, toss the cabbage, carrot, and chopped pickles with the vegan mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons pickle brine, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Refrigerate until serving so it stays cold and crisp.
4. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne in a shallow dish. Drizzle in 3 tablespoons of the mushroom soaking liquid and rake it through with your fingers to create shaggy clumps — these become the crispy bits.
5. Pour the frying oil into a heavy Dutch oven to a depth of about 2 inches and heat over medium-high to 350°F (175°C), using a thermometer.
6. Working one at a time, lift a mushroom piece from the soak, let the excess drip off, and press it firmly into the dredge. Return it to the soak for 2 seconds, then press into the dredge a second time, packing the coating into every frill. Set on a rack.
7. Fry in batches of 4 to 5 pieces, never crowding the pot, for 4 to 5 minutes, flipping once, until deep golden and audibly crisp. Keep the oil between 335°F and 350°F. Drain on a wire rack set over a sheet pan and salt lightly. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms.
8. Turn off the heat. Carefully ladle 1/2 cup of the hot frying oil into a heatproof bowl holding the 2 tablespoons cayenne, brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisk 30 seconds until the sugar dissolves into a glossy, brick-red oil.
9. Brush the buns with olive oil and toast cut-side down in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until golden.
10. Brush the hot oil generously over both sides of each fried mushroom piece — it should sizzle and darken. Pile the mushrooms on the bottom buns, add pickle chips, top with a heap of cold slaw, and close the sandwiches. Serve immediately, while the crust is still crackling.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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