Spicy Stir-Fried Wild Mushrooms with Thai Sweet Basil and Coconut Milk
This one doesn't appear on the Farang menu. It's what I cook at home, usually after a mushroom foraging trip with our neighbour Marco. We go out every now and then and come back with whatever we can find, and this is a reliable way of making good use of whatever that turns out to be.
The mushroom selection matters more than people think when it comes to stir-frying. You need mushrooms with body and girth - ones that can take serious wok heat without disintegrating. Field mushrooms, shiitake and king oyster are the backbone here. Cut at an angle to maximise the surface area touching the wok and they colour up beautifully, each one bringing its own texture and flavour to the finished dish. Enoki are more delicate and don't need as much time in the pan, but they hold their own and add something completely different. If you can't find all four, use whatever looks good - the principle stays the same.
The chilli technique in this recipe is worth understanding. A roll cut is when you cut the chilli at an angle, working around the core where the seeds sit, so you end up with uniform pieces but with very little heat. Long red and green chillies prepared this way can go into a stir-fry in large amounts without blowing the dish apart - the fruity, floral notes of the chilli come through without the fire. It's a useful thing to know.
Cashew nuts are in here for texture and flavour. Peanuts work just as well if that's what you have - they're a great combination with mushrooms and soy. The only reason to skip them entirely is if nuts are off the table.
Spicy Stir-Fried Wild Mushrooms with Thai Sweet Basil and Coconut Milk
Serves: 2 as a main with rice, 4 as a side | Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 10 mins | Total: 25 mins
Ingredients
For the paste
2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
10g fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tbsp coriander roots, washed and roughly chopped
Small pinch coarse sea salt
For the stir fry
2 field mushrooms, peeled and sliced at an angle
8 shiitake mushrooms, washed and roughly sliced at an angle
2 king oyster mushrooms, sliced lengthways into thick chunks
2g enoki mushrooms
8 Thai shallots, peeled and roughly sliced
2 long red chillies, roll cut (cut around the core at an angle, removing seeds)
50g green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp toasted cashew nuts (peanuts work well too)
10g Thai sweet basil
80ml coconut cream
80ml vegetable stock
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp ground white pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
To finish
Crispy shallots
Crispy garlic
Julienned makrut lime leaves
Julienned red chilli
Thai basil sprigs
Steamed jasmine rice
Method
In a pestle and mortar, pound the garlic, ginger and coriander root with a pinch of coarse salt to a rough paste. The salt helps break everything down.
Heat the oil in a wok over high heat until smoking. Add the green beans and stir fry for about a minute until they take on some colour.
Add the field mushrooms, shiitake and king oyster. Toss frequently - you want them to catch colour from the wok heat rather than steam. Cook for around 2 minutes until softened and lightly browned.
Add the paste and roll cut chillies. Stir fry for another minute until the paste turns golden.
Deglaze with the soy sauce, stock, sugar, white pepper and coconut cream. Add the cashew nuts and enoki mushrooms and simmer until everything is softened and the sauce has come together.
Remove from the heat and fold through the Thai sweet basil and Thai shallots. Taste - it should be savoury, lightly creamy, fresh and a little spicy.
Serve immediately over jasmine rice. Finish with crispy shallots, crispy garlic, julienned makrut lime leaves and a little extra chilli.
Chef's notes
Cut your mushrooms at an angle rather than straight across. The extra surface area makes a real difference to how they colour in the wok.
If you're foraging your own mushrooms, use this as a base recipe and work with whatever you have. The paste and coconut cream are flexible enough to work with most varieties as long as they have enough body to take the heat.
Visit us at faranglondon.co.uk. Sauces and pastes for cooking Thai at home at payst.co.uk.
For more recipes, signed copies of my cookbooks are available at Payst: Cook Thai and Thai in 7.
Head chef & founder of Farang London restaurant. Cookbook author of ‘Cook Thai’ & ‘Thai in 7’. Chief curry paste basher and co-founder of Payst London.