King Oyster Mushroom 'Dengaku' with Wasabi Mayonnaise and Sweet-Sour Radish
A refined, Japanese-inspired appetizer featuring a two-way preparation of king oyster mushrooms. The stem is cooked sous-vide and glazed with miso, while the cap is pan-fried in butter, served with compressed radish for a perfect contrast in texture.
20m
Prep Time
45m
Cook Time
1h 5m
Total Time
Ingredientsparts
- 2 thick king oyster mushrooms
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp mirin (for the marinade)
- 1 small drop sesame oil
- 1 heaping tbsp white miso paste
- 1 tsp sugar (or extra mirin for the glaze)
- Knob of butter
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- Pure wasabi (to taste)
- 2-3 radishes (washed thoroughly, unpeeled)
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (white or black)
Instructionsparts
Slice the caps off the stems. Score the flat top of the stems and the rounded side of the caps with a shallow crosshatch pattern. Store the caps in the refrigerator.
Place the stems in a vacuum bag along with the soy sauce, mirin, and sesame oil. Seal the bag and cook the stems for 45 minutes at 85°C (185°F) in the water bath. Allow the sealed bag to cool afterwards.
Mix the white miso paste with a teaspoon of sugar or mirin. If necessary, add a tiny drop of water to create a smooth, thick paste.
Slice the radishes (with the skin on) extremely thin. Mix the rice vinegar with the sugar. Place the radish slices and the sweet-sour liquid in a vacuum bag and seal tightly to force the liquid and color into the cells.
Mix the mayonnaise with wasabi to taste. Transfer to a small piping bag and chill.
Briefly toast the sesame seeds in a dry, hot pan until fragrant, then set aside.
Briefly warm the cooked stems in the vacuum bag (e.g., in the sous-vide bath that has been cooled down for a subsequent course).
Melt the knob of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Pan-fry the raw caps for 1-2 minutes per side until they are beautifully golden brown and tender.
Remove the warm stems from the vacuum bag and pat the top (the scored side) bone dry. Spread a generous layer of the miso paste on top. Heavily torch this 'dengaku' glaze with a blowtorch until the sugars caramelize and show slight charring.
Pipe a few neat dots of wasabi mayonnaise onto the plate. Place the torched stem and the butter-roasted cap nearby. Remove the neon-pink radish slices from the compressed bag, drain slightly, and drape them playfully around the mushroom. Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds.
💡Tips & Notes
- •The crosshatch scoring helps the marinade and dengaku glaze penetrate the dense stem and gives the torched top extra surface area for caramelization.
- •The compressed radish trick works only with a chamber vacuum sealer; a regular edge sealer will not pull a deep enough vacuum to push the liquid into the cells.
- •Use pure (real) wasabi if you can find it; the flavour is far cleaner and less harsh than the green horseradish paste typically sold as "wasabi".