Recipe by David Chang
"Tangsuyuk is a Chinese-Korean dish. Basically it’s sweet-and-sour pork: crunchy fried meat with a cornstarch-thickened sauce. For this episode, I made it with fried oyster mushrooms, which I’ve really come to love. In fact, the first time I ever fried mushrooms was for the J.B. Smoove and Sarah Silverman episode. I don’t even think it’s a step down from meat. If you’re not vegan, you can make this same recipe with slices of pork tenderloin, but you should give this version a try.”Mushroom Tangsuyuk recipe:
- 1 lb oyster mushrooms
- Oil for frying
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup mochiko (sweet rice flour)
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon potato starch
- Salt
- MSG
Marinade:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 Asian pear, peeled and cored
- 2 tablespoon agave syrup
- 1-inch piece ginger, peeled
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Sauce:
- Rice wine vinegar
- Sugar
- Soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
Make a dredge by combining the flours and starches, and seasoning with a bit of salt and MSG. You don’t have to stick to these exact proportions. Honestly, I just grabbed whatever flour and starch was nearby and eyeballed it. The starch gives a crispier fry while the flour gives more body. Set aside.
Make the marinade by combining all the ingredients with a splash of water. Puree in a blender, then pour over the mushrooms. Allow to sit for 30 minutes, but not longer. The mushrooms will soak up flavor quickly.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by combining rice wine vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and a splash of water in a saucepan. Do this to taste. If you like things a little more acidic, use more rice wine vinegar. As a rough guide, I’d say about 2:1:1 rice wine vinegar, to soy sauce, to sugar. Give it a taste, then bring to a simmer. Add a couple teaspoons of cornstarch slurry (2:1 cornstarch to cold water). Allow to thicken, then turn off the heat.
Heat a couple inches of neutral oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit in a deep, heavy-bottomed pot.
Working a few at a time, coat the mushrooms in the dredge, shaking off the excess. Fry for 3–4 minutes, or until the mushrooms are browned and crunchy. Retrieve with a slotted spoon or spider strainer, and allow to drain over a rack. Season with salt, and serve with the sauce.
Watch Dinner Time Live with David Chang on Netflix now, and tune in every Tuesday at 4 p.m. PST to watch live.