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Snacks & starters Modern Turkish / American

Crispy fried oyster mushrooms

Oyster mushrooms soaked in garlicky yoghurt, dredged in spiced flour and deep-fried until crisp, served with a dill and garlic yoghurt dip.

Prep
15 min
Cook
22 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Medium

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Oyster mushroom Oyster mushroom

The thin, frilly edges of oyster mushrooms turn into a crust that's remarkably close to fried chicken, while the inside stays juicy and tender. A quick soak in yoghurt helps the coating stick and adds a gentle tang.

The garlic and dill yoghurt on the side is half the point. Serve them as a snack for a crowd, or pile them up as a main for two.

Servings 4

Ingredients

Tick them off as you go.

Mushrooms and yoghurt soak

Spiced coating

Garlic yoghurt dip

Method

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  1. Don't wash the mushrooms; wipe them with a damp cloth. Trim off the tough stem ends and tear the clusters by hand into large pieces of two or three caps each. Tearing rather than cutting leaves ragged edges for the coating to cling to.

    ~5 min

  2. For the dip, mix the strained yoghurt with the garlic, lemon juice, dill and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle with the chilli flakes and chill until you're ready to serve.

    ~5 min

  3. Whisk the yoghurt, milk, grated garlic and salt in a bowl, then add the mushrooms and toss until every piece is coated. In a second bowl, combine the flour, cornflour and all the spices.

    ~5 min

  4. Pour the oil into a deep, heavy pan to a depth of at least 5 cm and heat over a medium-high heat to 175–180 °C. No thermometer? A cube of bread should turn golden in about 30 seconds.

    ~8 min

  5. Lift the mushrooms out of the yoghurt one at a time, let the excess drip off and press them firmly into the flour mix; drizzle a few drops of yoghurt into the flour for an extra-craggy crust. Fry in batches of 4–5 pieces, turning now and then, for 3–4 minutes until deep golden and crisp.

    ~12 min

  6. Transfer to a wire rack rather than kitchen paper so the undersides don't steam and go soft, and sprinkle with a little salt. Let the oil come back up to 175 °C between batches. Serve straight away while hot, with the yoghurt dip.

    ~2 min

Enjoy!

The mushroom in this recipe

Oyster mushroom
Oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus

About this species Grow it at home Fresh mushrooms

Mushroom swaps

  • King oyster mushroom
    King oyster mushroom Pleurotus eryngiiCut the stems into finger-thick batons for a meatier result, a bit like fries.
  • Maitake / hen of the woods
    Maitake / hen of the woods Grifola frondosaBreak into small clusters; the thin edges brown fast, so lift them out 30 seconds sooner.

Tips

  • Oil temperature is everything: below 170 °C the mushrooms soak up oil, above 190 °C the coating burns before the inside is cooked.
  • Don't overcrowd the pan; too many pieces drop the temperature and leave you with a soft crust.
  • For more heat, add half a teaspoon of hot chilli powder or isot (smoky dried Urfa chilli flakes) to the coating.
  • You can leave the mushrooms in the yoghurt for up to 30 minutes for a deeper flavour.

Storage

They stay crisp for only 15–20 minutes, so eat them straight away. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a day; reheat in a 200 °C oven or air fryer for 4–5 minutes to bring back some of the crunch. Strain the frying oil and you can use it once more.

Read our guide to storing mushrooms →

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Kitchen guides

Before you cook: clean, store, dry

How to clean mushroomsPractical ways to clean everything from button mushrooms to morels without waterlogging them or ruining their texture. How to store mushroomsHow to keep fresh, cooked, frozen and dried mushrooms at their best — and how to tell when they’ve gone bad. How to dry mushroomsA step-by-step guide to drying mushrooms at home in the oven, in a dehydrator or on a string — and how to store and rehydrate them.