Crispy Bang Bang Chick'n Fried Shroom Sandwich with Broccoli Slaw

Broccoli Slaw

• 3 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
• ½ teaspoon each: kosher salt (fresh ground black pepper, celery seeds)
• 2 cups broccoli slaw coleslaw mix
• ½ cup thinly sliced red onion (about ½ small onion)
• 1 jalapeno (deseeded and thinly sliced)

Bang Bang Sauce

• ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
• ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
• 1 tablespoons sriracha hot sauce
• Zest of 1 large lime (plus its juice)

Chick’n Fried Shrooms

• 1 cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
• 2 prepared vegan eggs (*see recipe notes 1)
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 TBS garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon each: dried oregano (dried thyme leaves, dried sage, onion powder, cayenne pepper)
• Vegetable oil (for frying)
• 8 oz oyster mushrooms (*see recipe notes 2)

Sandwiches

• 4 split buns (toasted)
• Broccoli slaw (recipe above)
• Bang bang sauce (recipe above)
• Chick’n fried shrooms (recipe above)

1. 1

   To make the broccoli slaw, whisk together the vegan mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, relish, salt, pepper, and celery seeds in a large bowl until combined. Add the premixed slaw, onion and jalapeno, and toss until coated. Set in the refrigerator until ready to use.

2. 2

   For the bang bang sauce, whisk together its ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Set aside.

3. 3

   Prepare your dredging station for the chick’n fried shrooms. Whisk together the milk, vegan eggs, and vinegar in one large, shallow bowl – this is your “buttermilk”. It will curdle, so be sure to give it a good whisk right before you dip the mushrooms into it. In a second large bowl, whisk together the flour, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, dried oregano, dried thyme leaves, sage, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.

4. 4

   Before you start coating your mushrooms, heat 2 ½ -inches of the vegetable oil in a deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. If you want to tear up the mushrooms into smaller pieces, do so now (I like to keep mine quite large, about the size of the palm of my hand).

5. 5

   Carefully dip an oyster mushroom into the wet batter, tapping off any excess liquid. Then, using a dry hand or a fork, carefully toss the coated mushroom into the flour, tossing to coat thoroughly on all sides. Tap off the excess flour and dip back into the wet better, and once more into the flour mixture, this time keeping an excess or clumpy bits of flour stuck to the mushrooms – this is a double coating, making for extra crispy “fried chicken-like” mushrooms! Transfer the coated oyster mushroom to a wire cooling rack and repeat until all the mushroom pieces are coated.

6. 6

   Once the oil is hot - you’ll know it’s ready when you sprinkle a bit of flour into the oil and it starts to sizzle immediately - fry the mushrooms in batches, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and crispy, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer back to the cooling rack and repeat until all the mushrooms are fried.

7. 7

   To assemble the sandwiches, layer a few spoonfuls of the broccoli slaw on the bottom portion of the bun, followed by 1 to 2 pieces of chick’n fried mushrooms (depending on how big they are), and a generous drizzle of bang bang sauce. Top the sandwiches with the top bun and enjoy with your favorite potato chips or fries, and an ice-cold brew!