Oyster mushroom recipes: crispy, roasted, sautéed, kavurma

Wipe them, tear them into pieces and cook over high heat without crowding. 8–10 minutes in a pan, 18–20 minutes at 220 °C in the oven, or 3–4 minutes in oil at 175–180 °C.

No. Their spongy flesh soaks up water and then steams in the pan. Wipe them with a damp cloth or paper towel; if very dirty, give them a quick rinse and dry them straight away.

No. Like button mushrooms they go straight into the pan, oven or fryer. Boiling softens the texture and dilutes the flavour.

8–10 minutes in a pan, 18–20 minutes in the oven and 3–4 minutes in a deep fryer. They are done when the edges are browned and the liquid has gone.

It isn't recommended. Oyster mushrooms are meant to be cooked; cooking makes them easier to digest and brings out their flavour.

Yes, but trim off the tough, fibrous base of the cluster. Thin stems cook with the caps; with king oyster mushrooms the stem is the best part.

King oyster, maitake (hen of the woods) and shiitake are the closest in flavour and texture. Button mushrooms work too, but they release more water so take longer.

3–5 days in a paper bag or wrapped in kitchen paper. In a plastic bag they sweat and spoil quickly. Cooked dishes keep for 2 days in an airtight container.

Freezing them raw ruins the texture. Sauté them first, let them cool and they will keep for about 2–3 months; add them to dishes straight from frozen.

Yes, they are one of the easiest mushrooms to grow. With a grow kit you get a first harvest on the kitchen counter in about two weeks; see our oyster mushroom page for details.

Our favourite is a simple sauté with butter and garlic over a high heat; for crunch try crispy breaded oyster mushrooms, and for street food our mushroom kokoreç or oyster mushroom döner. The secret in all of them is a hot, uncrowded pan.

Tear them into strips, lay them in a single layer in a wide, hot pan with a little oil and leave them untouched for the first minutes. Turn once the edges are golden and add salt and butter at the end; a crowded pan steams them and makes them rubbery.

Beyond sautés, oyster mushrooms work crispy-fried, spiced kokoreç-style in a pan, baked with cheese, in kebabs and as a wrap filling. Torn along the grain they take on a meaty texture, so they also stand in for chicken or meat.

Tear the clusters into pieces, coat them in flour, egg and breadcrumbs, and fry at 170–180 °C for 2–3 minutes until golden. Brushing rather than washing them keeps the coating crisp; our crispy oyster mushroom recipe walks through it step by step.

Brown the chicken and the oyster mushrooms separately in the same pan, then bring them together with peppers and onion. Oyster mushrooms cook faster than chicken, so they go in last and stay firm rather than watery or rubbery.

Yes. Oyster mushroom soup is a little more fibrous and sweeter than one made with button mushrooms. We fry the mushrooms until their liquid evaporates, then cook them with flour and milk or stock; blending the tougher stems smooths the texture.

Cook the mushrooms in a hot, dry pan until they release and then lose their liquid, then add butter and garlic and toss for a minute or two. Adding the butter at the start makes it burn and leaves the mushrooms steamed rather than browned.

Sear the oyster mushrooms on their own over high heat and set them aside, soften the onions in the same pan, then return the mushrooms for the last minute. It is the same method as our fried mushrooms with onions; oyster mushrooms just cook faster.