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Su shan (crispy shiitake 'eel')
Crispy shiitake strips
Su shan si 素鳝丝: Shanghai temple-style shiitake strips fried crisp in a sweet soy glaze
Shanghai's old vegetarian houses, such as the restaurants beside Jade Buddha Temple, invented su shan to give monks and lay diners the look and taste of the city's famous stir-fried river eel without the eel. Dried shiitake are cut into long strips, coated in starch, fried until crackling and tossed in a dark, sticky sauce sharpened with black vinegar and white pepper. Serve it hot as part of a shared meal with rice and greens; it softens as it sits, so it is not one to make ahead. The common mistake is tossing the strips in sauce that is still thin, which turns the coating soggy at once. Chef's tip: cut the soaked caps in a spiral, round and round towards the centre, to get the long, eel-like ribbons.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
- 12 large dried shiitake mushroomsabout 60 g, soaked in warm water for at least 2 hours
- 5 tbsp potato starchor cornflour
- 2 cups neutral oilfor frying
For the sauce
- 3 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh gingerfinely chopped
- 1 ½ tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
- 3 tbsp water
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- 2 spring onionscut into 4 cm lengths
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Squeeze 12 large dried shiitake mushrooms firmly, cut off the stalks and cut each cap in a spiral from the edge inwards into strips about 7 mm wide. Pat them dry with kitchen paper.
Step 2: Toss the strips with 5 tbsp potato starch until every piece is coated, then shake off the excess in a sieve.
Step 3: Heat 2 cups neutral oil in a wok or small deep pan to 350°F (a strip dropped in should sizzle straight away). Fry the strips in two batches, stirring, until pale gold, then lift out.
5 minStep 4: Heat the oil to 375°F and fry all the strips again until deep brown and hard-crisp when you tap one with a spoon. Drain on kitchen paper.
2 minStep 5: Mix 1 ½ tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar, 3 tbsp water and ½ tsp ground white pepper in a cup.
Step 6: Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil. Over a medium heat, fry 3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp fresh ginger and 2 spring onions for 30 seconds until fragrant.
1 minStep 7: Add the sauce and let it bubble until it thickens to large, glossy bubbles and coats the spoon.
2 minStep 8: Turn off the heat, tip in the crisp strips and toss quickly so each one is glazed. Drizzle with 1 tsp toasted sesame oil and serve at once.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 240 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does su shan (crispy shiitake 'eel') take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of large dried shiitake mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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