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Air Fried Oyster Mushroom with Gluten Free Breading

Golden brown crispy outside and juicy, tender, layered, and easily pulled apart inside, no these are not fried chicken they are air-fried oyster mushrooms! These mushrooms are dredged in a gluten-free vegan "buttermilk" batter and whole-grain breading.

I know so many people would take one look at this dish and go "oh that's vegan fried chicken", well while they do look similar and indeed some restaurants and home cooks would serve this as an alternative to fried chicken, fried mushrooms is its own dish, especially common in Asian cuisines.

My mom made me fried mushrooms all the time, sometimes with oyster mushroom, sometimes maitake, sometimes enoki and my family is not vegan at all. We'd also order fried mushrooms at restaurants quite often. So yes this is a dish I have such fond memories with and have been enjoying since long before I went vegan.

I've made the recipe entirely gluten-free and whole grain, plus I opted for air frying instead of deep frying so we can have this indulgent treat as often and as much as we want!


INGREDIENTS:

8 oz oyster mushroom

Avocado oil spray for cooking 

For the buttermilk batter -

1 cup soy milk

1 tablespoon tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sriracha sauce

1/2 cup oat flour, I grounded old fashioned rolled oats myself

1 tablespoon arrowroot powder


For the dry dredge -

1 cup oat flour

1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper


TO MAKE:

- Make the buttermilk batter first, whisk the soy milk and apple cider vinegar together vigorously, the milk will quickly thicken and become a "buttermilk" consistency;

- Whisk in the rest of the batter ingredients until smooth, set aside;

- In another bowl, mix together the dry dredge ingredients;

- Clean your oyster mushroom and trim off any hard roots, tear apart into pieces of your preferred size;

- Dip the mushroom first into the wet batter, coat the entire piece, shake off any excess batter;

- Transfer the batter coated mushroom into the dry dredge, sprinkle the mixture to coat the whole piece;

- Repeat with the rest of the mushroom;

- Transfer onto an air fryer rack, spray with avocado oil;

- Air fry at 400°F for 20 minutes, check and monitor as it cooks, each air fryer is different so you might need to experiment with your appliance;

- Serve with your choice of dipping sauce, enjoy!


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