Have you ever tried Kung Pao mushrooms? 

If you love Chinese food, you’ve probably tasted or cooked Kung Pao chicken before. This spicy dish is a staple in most Chinese restaurants. However, Kung Pao is not just for chicken. It is equally tasty when it comes to cooking mushrooms.

This Kung Pao mushroom recipe is more than just a substitute for the classic chicken with mushrooms. The meaty texture and earthy flavor of mushrooms make this dish highly flavorful and satisfying. Why not try this recipe and indulge in the rich and complex flavors of Kung Pao mushrooms?

Before proceeding with the recipe, let me summarize the essential ingredients required.

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1. The main ingredients for making Kung Pao Mushrooms

• King Oyster Mushrooms 杏鲍菇. The key ingredient is the king oyster mushroom. Its thick stem, when cooked correctly, has a texture that closely resembles chicken meat. Hence, it is also called ‘chicken leg mushrooms.’ While this is the best choice for this recipe, feel free to experiment with other mushroom varieties, for example, shiitake mushrooms. However, your best bet to get king oyster mushrooms is from the Chinese grocery store near you. Another popular type of mushroom is lion’s mane mushrooms 猴头菇, but it is expensive and hard to get even in certain Asian countries.
• Dried chili. Dried chili is an essential ingredient for making any Kung Pao dish. It has a unique flavor and aroma compared to fresh chili. While some recipes call for fresh green and red chilies as an additional ingredient, they should never be used as a substitute for dried chili.
• Peanuts. Peanuts are the third main ingredient in the Kung Pao mushroom recipes. In restaurants, they are normally deep-fried for speed, but at home, lightly frying them with a bit of oil will still give them a crunchy texture. If you prefer to skip this step, purchase salted peanuts from the supermarket and use them directly. Cashew nuts are an alternative that you can consider.

The secondary ingredients that you need

• The sauce ingredients for the Kung Pao mushrooms are Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, black Chinkiang vinegar, dark soy sauce, white pepper powder, sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch. 
• Apart from chilies, vegetables such as green onions, carrots, and cucumber cubes are added to the dish for crunchiness and color. You can also consider adding diced green and red bell peppers to add color and crunchiness, 

The above are the essential ingredients required for making Kung Pao mushrooms. Let’s now move on to the detailed steps of cooking.

2. How to cook the mushrooms

The Kung Pao mushrooms recipe is a quick stir-fry Chinese dish, so it is best to gather all the ingredients, cut, and measure before cooking.

a. Prepare the ingredients

1. Cut the king oyster mushrooms into small uniform cubes, about half an inch long. 
2. Snip the dried chili into segments about 3 cm in length. Remove the seeds.
3. Cut the carrots and cucumbers into cubes about the size of the king oyster mushrooms.
4. Get 2 stalks of green onion (spring onions), cut them into half cm sections, and separate the white and green parts.
5. Prepare the Kung Pao sauce by mixing all the ingredients as in the recipe in a small bowl.

b. Cooking

1. Heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok or a large skillet. Fry the peanuts over low heat for a few minutes until they turn brown and become crunchy. Remove the peanuts.
2. Then add more oil to the wok and fry the Sichuan peppercorns over low heat to let the flavor infuse into the oil. After half a minute, remove the Sichuan peppercorns with a wire mesh strainer. If you don’t mind biting into them, leave the peppercorns and continue the next step. Sichuan peppercorns will give you a unique numbing sensation on your tongue, a signature flavor of Sichuan cuisine.
3. Now add the dried chilies and the white part of the green onions. Stir-fry until fragrant. Then add the chopped ginger and garlic and continue frying until aromatic. Remove them from the wok and leave the remaining oil behind. If you use a large wok, just push them up to the side of the wok and continue cooking.
4. Next, add the mushroom cubes and carrot to the remaining oil and stir-fry over medium heat until golden brown. Add a few tablespoons of water to cook the carrot until soft.  This process will take a few minutes.
5. Combine the dried chilies, garlic, ginger, and green onions with the mushrooms.
6. Add the cucumber cubes and turn to medium-high heat to stir-fry until aromatic. 
7. Add the Kung Pao sauce to the mushrooms and mix it thoroughly. Stir the sauce mixture before pouring, as the cornstarch may sink to the bottom.
8. Lastly, pour the fried peanuts into the wok and combine them with the mushrooms.

3. Other related Kung Pao Recipe

If you like Chinese cuisine, you can use the Kung Pao sauce in this recipe to create different Kung Pao dishes.

• Kung Pao chicken is the most popular dish and can be found on most Sichuan restaurant menus.
• Kung Pao tofu is a vegetarian alternative that’s high in protein.
• For seafood lovers, try Kung Poo shrimp. Although the seasoning is the same, the texture and flavor will differ due to the different main ingredients used.

Continue to Content

Kung Pao Mushrooms- Vegan recipe with spicy flavor

Yield: 3 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Flavorful Kung Pao mushrooms with spicy Sichuan flavor. Great alternative to Kung Pao chicken if you are looking for a vegan recipe.

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Ingredients

Ingredients A

• 400g king oyster mushrooms, cut into 2cm cubes
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 tbsp finely diced ginger
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 bunch green onion, cut into 1/4 cm thick rings
• 2 tbsp peanuts
• 5g dried chili
• 100g carrot, dice
• 100g cucumber, dice

Ingredients B

• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp black vinegar
• 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
• 2 tsp sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp cornstarch (mix with 1 tsp of cold water)

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients

1. Cut the king oyster mushrooms into small uniform cubes, about half an inch long. 
2. Snip the dried chili into segments about 3 cm in length. Remove the seeds.
3. Cut the carrots and cucumbers into cubes.
4. Cut the green onions into half cm sections, and separate the white and green parts.
5. Prepare the Kung Pao sauce by mixing all the ingredients B.

Cooking

1. Fry the peanuts over low heat with oil until they turn brown and crunchy. Remove the peanuts.
2. Fry the Sichuan peppercorns over low heat to let the flavor infuse into the oil. Remove the Sichuan peppercorns,
3. Now add the dried chilies and the white part of the green onions, chopped ginger, and garlic, and continue frying until aromatic. Remove them from the wok.
4. Stir-fry the mushroom cubes and carrot with the remaining oil and over medium heat until the mushrooms become golden brown. Add a few tablespoons of water to cook the carrot until soft.
5. Return the dried chilies, garlic, ginger, and green onions with the mushrooms.
6. Add the cucumber cubes and turn to medium-high heat to stir-fry until aromatic. 
7. Add the Kung Pao sauce to the mushrooms and mix it thoroughly. 
8. Lastly, pour the fried peanuts into the wok and combine them with the mushrooms.

Recommended Products

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  Soeos Authentic Szechuan Peppercorns (4 Ounces), Grade A Red Peppercorns, Sichuan Peppercorns, Chinese Peppercorns, Less Seeds, Szechuan Flavor Peppercorns, Szechuan Pepper for Mapo Tofu
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  Gold Plum Chinkiang Vinegar 18.6 fl oz
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  Soeos Szechuan Dried Chili，Dry Szechuan Pepper, Dry Chile Peppers, Sichuan Pepper, Dried Red Chilies, 4oz, (Very Mild Spicy)

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 271Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1095mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 6gSugar: 7gProtein: 8g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 12/14/2023