Recipes: Australian chef reveals how to cook mushrooms in Mexican, Japanese and Chinese style dishes

Courtney Roulston loves the versatility of Australian mushrooms and shares three international cuisine-inspired dishes that utilise each kind best.

Spiced Mushroom Tacos

Makes: 8 Country: Mexico Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

Note: You can also add things like hot sauce, sour cream, salsa or cheese to serve

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 500g Australian Cup Mushrooms, cut into 1cm pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon each paprika, ground cumin, dried oregano
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large ripe avocado
• 1 lime
• ½ white onion
• 1 long green chilli, seeded, diced
• 1 cup coriander sprigs to serve
• 8 street tortillas, warmed

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for two minutes or until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and stir through for one minute before adding the paprika, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for three minutes, or until the spices are fragrant and the mushrooms are tender. Turn off the heat and leave the mushrooms in the pan to keep warm.
2. Place the avocado flesh into a bowl and squeeze in the juice from half the lime and a pinch of salt. Smash with the back of a fork until combined.
3. Spread the avocado onto the base of the tortillas. Spoon over the spiced mushrooms then scatter with diced onion, green chilli and coriander sprigs. Serve warm with extra lime wedges on the side.

Spicy Honey-Soy Mushroom Noodles

Serves: 2 as a main or 4 as part of a shared meal

Country: China

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 12 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 500g Australian Button Mushrooms, sliced
• 3 spring onions, sliced, white and green parts separated
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled, sliced into thin matchsticks
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 400g ready-to-eat Hokkien noodles
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 30g butter
• 1 small Lebanese cucumber, sliced into matchsticks
• 3 red radish, sliced into matchsticks
• ½ lime
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Chilli oil to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil over a medium-high heat in a large frying pan or wok. Add the mushrooms and cook for one to two minutes, or until starting to soften.
2. Add the white parts of the spring onion, ginger and garlic. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally for two to three minutes, or until the aromatics are fragrant.
3. Gently break up the noodles so they are separated, then add into the pan and stir fry for one minute to warm through. Pour in the soy sauce, oyster sauce and honey, then toss for one to two minutes to coat everything, adding a splash of water if the mixture needs loosening. Stir through the butter to add richness, then add the reserved green spring onions and turn off the heat. Toss the cucumber and radish with the juice of the lime and a pinch of salt.
4. Place the noodles into serving bowls then top with the cucumber mixture and spoon over chilli oil before serving.

Mushroom and Sesame Katsu Sandwich

Makes: 2

Country: Japan

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 large Australian Flat Mushrooms
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• Oil for frying (around 2 cups)
• Sea salt to taste
• 1½ cups white cabbage, shaved
• 1 spring onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
• 2 tablespoons kewpie mayonnaise
• 4 thick slices soft white bread

For the Tonkatsu Sauce

• 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
• Pinch garlic powder

Method

1. Mix all the tonkatsu sauce ingredients together until smooth, then set aside.
2. Heat the oil to 170C in a high-sided frying pan. Remove the stem from the mushrooms, then toss in the egg mixture until well coated. Place into the panko crumbs, then press to coat the outside. Repeat with a second coating of egg then breadcrumbs again so you have an even coating on the mushrooms.
3. Fry the mushrooms gently for three minutes each side, or until golden on the outside and cooked through. Remove from the oil and place on kitchen paper to drain. Season with a pinch of salt while they are hot.
4. Toss the cabbage, spring onion and sesame seeds together in a bowl.
5. To assemble, spread the kewpie mayonnaise onto two slices of the bread then spread the tonkatsu sauce onto the other two slices. Divide the cabbage mixture on top then add the fried mushrooms. Place the other piece of bread on top then slice in half before serving.

Tip: These can also be cooked in an air fryer or baked in the oven with a little oil spray.

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