Sticky Sweet and Sour Mushrooms Recipe

Mushrooms are so wonderful because they have a great flavor on their own but still take on any seasonings and tastes you add to the recipe. Their chewy texture is almost meat-like and has been known to fool people. Our recipe for sticky mushrooms features crispy mushrooms and a really zesty sweet and sour sauce. Maybe zesty isn't the right word. It's not spicy but the flavors are really strong and a perfect blend of sweet brown sugar and sour red wine vinegar. And soy sauce is amazing in everything.

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 1/2 cups mushrooms, chopped into chunks
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch chunk fresh ginger, minced
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 1 tbs red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp water

In a wok or large skillet, start heating up the oil. While that's going on, sprinkle a little water on your mushrooms to dampen them and mix in the 1/4 cup of cornstarch so that they are well coated. When the oil is really hot, toss in the mushrooms and fry until they are brown and starting to get crispy.

Ok, I'm clearly not a professional food photographer but trust me when I say this is a delicious vegan dish.

While the mushrooms are cooking, mix the 1 tsp of cornstarch and 1 tsp water together in a little dish and set that aside for the sauce later. If you are serving your mushrooms over rice or noodles, you can start that cooking now. I use a cup of long-grain rice and it serves perfectly with this.

Back to the mushrooms: Scoop them out when they are done, and set them aside in a bowl while you make up the sauce. Pour out any remaining oil in the wok, and turn the heat. Once it's cooled down a bit, add the sesame oil and along with the garlic and ginger. Saute until browned and really fragrant. Make sure you've let the wok cool after the mushrooms though, or the garlic will scorch pretty quick.

Toss in the brown sugar and stir until it caramelizes in the hot oil. It will only take a moment, so don't wander off. Now in goes the soy sauce, red wine vinegar and the cornstarch mixture you made already. Stir for a few more minutes until it get thick and a little syrupy.

Add in the cooked mushrooms and stir until coated with sweet and sour sauce. Let them cook for a few minutes more to get all heated through. Spoon your sticky mushrooms and sauce over rice, and that's all there is to it.

This is an easy vegan recipe with a lot of bright bold flavor to it, but it only serves 2 people. You might want to double it if you want to serve up a larger family.

I find that the sauce for this cooks up really quickly and it can be a helpful idea to measure out your soy sauce, vinegar and sugar beforehand so you can just pour them in at the right moment instead of fussing with measuring spoons while all the action is going on.