Mains Meze & olive-oil dishes Turkish

Turkish fried mushrooms with onions

Button mushrooms seared hard on their own, then tossed with onions softened in butter: the simple Turkish mantar kavurma, ready in half an hour.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 15 min
Serves: 3
Difficulty: Easy

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Button mushroom

How do you fry mushrooms with onions so they don't go watery? Sear the mushrooms on their own over a high heat without salt, set them aside, soften the onions separately and bring both together at the end.

In Turkey this simple dish, mantar kavurma, turns up at breakfast next to eggs, at dinner beside rice pilaf, or with nothing more than bread. With no tomato or paste, the mushroom flavour leads, so technique is everything.

Servings 3

Ingredients

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Pan-fry

500 g button mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 medium onions, sliced into half-moons
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp Turkish chilli flakes (pul biber)
½ tsp dried thyme
salt and black pepper

To serve

½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Method

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Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth, trim the stalks and slice thickly. Slice the onions into half-moons.
Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over a high heat. Spread the mushrooms in a single layer and leave them for two minutes. Cook for 6–7 minutes until their liquid has gone and the edges are browned, then tip into a bowl.
Add the butter to the same pan and lower the heat to medium. Cook the onions for 5–6 minutes until soft and golden, then add the garlic for half a minute.
Return the mushrooms, add the chilli flakes and thyme and toss for 2 minutes. Season at the very end, scatter over the parsley and serve hot.

Enjoy!

The mushroom in this recipe

Button mushroom Agaricus bisporus

About this species Grow it at home Fresh mushrooms

Mushroom swaps

Chestnut / cremini mushroom Agaricus bisporusReleases less water and tastes stronger.

Tips

Don't crowd the pan: piled-up mushrooms steam instead of browning.
Salt at the very end so the mushrooms release less water.
Cook the onions separately; they sweeten and the mushrooms stay dry.

Storage

Keeps in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a pan; we don't recommend freezing, as thawed mushrooms turn watery.

Read our guide to storing mushrooms →

The secret of good fried mushrooms

Mushrooms are mostly water. If the pan is not hot and wide enough, that water cannot evaporate and the mushrooms turn grey. That is why we always sear them on their own over a high heat and cook the onions separately.

For a tomato and pepper version see our Turkish mushroom sauté; for oyster mushrooms see our oyster mushroom stir fry.

Frequently asked questions

Why do my fried mushrooms go watery?

A crowded pan or early salt makes them release liquid and stew. Use a wide pan, a single layer and high heat.

How do I make it without onions?

Sear the mushrooms in olive oil, add butter and garlic at the end and season with salt and pepper.

How long does it take?

About 25 minutes including prep.

Oil or butter?

Both: olive oil for searing at high heat, butter added near the end for flavour.

When do the onions go in?

After the mushrooms have browned and been set aside; the onions cook on their own in the same pan.

What do you serve it with?

Eggs at breakfast, rice pilaf, grilled meat or chicken, or yoghurt as a meze.

Which mushrooms work best?

Button mushrooms are the classic choice; chestnut mushrooms release less water.

How do you fry mushrooms properly?

Wipe the mushrooms, cut them into large pieces, heat a wide pan until very hot and spread them in a single layer. Leave them alone for the first minutes; once their water has gone, add salt and onion if you like and fry until the edges brown.

How long do fried mushrooms take?

About 10–12 minutes in all: 2 minutes to heat the pan, 6–8 minutes for the mushrooms to release and lose their water, and a final 2 minutes for salt, pepper and an optional knob of butter.

How do you make breakfast mushrooms in a pan?

Quarter the mushrooms and dry-fry them in a hot pan for 3-4 minutes until their liquid evaporates, then add butter and a little garlic and cook for 2 more minutes; salt them last. Serve with an egg cracked over them, a little grated cheese or tomatoes on the side.

How do you make plain fried mushrooms?

Quarter the mushrooms and fry them in a hot pan with a little oil, in a single layer and without stirring too often, until both sides are browned; salt goes in at the end. For a breaded, crispy version see our fried mushroom recipe.

How do you make fried mushrooms with onions and peppers?

Fry the mushrooms separately and set them aside, then soften the onion and green peppers in the same pan for 3–4 minutes so the peppers keep some bite, and return the mushrooms. The peppers simply go in with the onion.

How do you make fried mushrooms with potatoes?

Fry or parboil the diced potatoes first, fry the mushrooms separately, then combine both with the onions for the last few minutes. Potatoes take much longer than mushrooms; cook them together from the start and the mushrooms go watery.

How do you make mushrooms with caramelised onions?

Cook thinly sliced onions slowly for 20–25 minutes, stirring now and then, until deep golden; fry the mushrooms hard in a separate pan and combine. Not rushing the onions is what makes them sweet.