Air Fryer Mushroom Chilli

No ratings yet

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Snacks & Appetizers

Cuisine: Chinese

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: portions

Author: Richa

2 teaspoons dark soy sauce + 2 teaspoons light soy sauce OR 3 tsp ching’s secret soya sauce
2 teaspoons ketchup
1½ teaspoon synthetic white vinegar
1 teaspoon pepper
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cornflour / cornstarch
½ cup water + 2-3 tablespoons if required for gravy, use 1 cup water

3 tablespoon vegetable oil see note 4 - any neutral flavoured oil like canola, rice bran or sunflower
3-4 green chillies slit lengthwise
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
½ tablespoon finely chopped ginger
1 medium onion cut into 1 inch squares, approx ½ cup
1 medium green capsicum cut into 1 inch squares, approx ½ cup
¼ cup chopped spring onion greens for garnish (can be substituted with fresh coriander)

Prep - Preheat the air fryer or oil (if deep frying). Also whisk together all the ingredients under sauce and set aside.
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce + 2 teaspoons light soy sauce OR 3 tsp ching’s secret soya sauce, 2 teaspoons ketchup, 1½ teaspoon synthetic white vinegar, 1 teaspoon pepper, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cornflour / cornstarch, ½ cup water + 2-3 tablespoons if required
Dry Coat Mushrooms - Rinse and pat dry all mushrooms and cut them into halves. Take cornflour, all purpose flour, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix. Add halved mushrooms and toss to coat. Add water one tablespoon at a time and toss just to get the coating to stick to mushrooms.
400 grams button mushrooms, 3 tablespoons cornflour/cornstarch, 3 tablespoons all purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper

For Air Fryer - Preheat air fryer for 3 minutes at 180C. Arrange the mushrooms in the air fryer (My air fryer is 5L and I air fried in two batches) and lightly brush the tops with oil. Cook on 180C for 2 minutes on one side, flip each mushroom & cook the other side for 3 minutes. Repeat the same process for the second batch of mushrooms too.
3 tablespoon vegetable oil

Deep Frying - Heat one and a half inches of oil in a wok or pan and add coated mushrooms to hot oil one by one so they do not stick to each other. Fry them on high heat for 2-3 minutes, turning once till they are pale brown and crisp. Take them out on a plate and set aside. Repeat the same process for the rest of the mushrooms.
Oil for deep frying
Saute Aromatics - Remove excess oil from the wok, leaving behind 2 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, add ginger, garlic and green chillies. Saute for a minute and add onions and capsicum. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes on high heat, add fried mushrooms and toss with the aromatics for a minute.
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic, ½ tablespoon finely chopped ginger, 1 medium onion, 1 medium green capsicum, 3-4 green chillies
Adding Sauces - Add the sauce mixture and toss together on high heat for 2 minutes till corn flour is translucent and the sauce has a thick, glossy finish. Add 2 tablespoons of water if you want a little more sauce. Garnish with chopped spring onion greens and serve hot.
2-3 tablespoons water, ¼ cup chopped spring onion greens

Make sure to prep everything (chopping, measuring sauces etc) before you start cooking. The stir-fry happens quickly on a high flame and you will not have time to gather ingredients once you start.
For best results, use fresh mushrooms as they are the main ingredient in this recipe
Using a wok adds an intense flavour to the dish. If you do not have one, you can use a pan or kadai.
If you want to turn this into gravy, double the ingredients for the sauce and use ¾ teaspoon cornflour mixed with 1 ¼ cup water to make this more saucy.