Chef and food blogger Kate Hackworthy from Veggie Desserts has shared a recipe that abandons oil entirely in favour of butter and soy sauce to achieve golden, non-soggy mushrooms.
Mushrooms are typically cooked in oil, but achieving that perfect golden, juicy result without them turning soggy can be quite the challenge. Kate's recipe swaps oil for butter, and the real secret weapon is a teaspoon of soy sauce.
Why Butter and Soy Sauce Work
Kate explained: "As a veggie, mushrooms are my friend when I want a substantial texture in a dish. I love mushroom pasta, mushroom steaks and mushrooms on fried gnocchi." She continued: "There's just something so lovely about their firm-yet-soft texture and the way they soak up flavours and impart their own into dishes."
She revealed: "Add a teaspoon of soy sauce once the mushrooms have released and cooked away most of their juices for extra umami flavour."
How to Cook Mushrooms on Toast
What you'll need:
- 200g of mushrooms (mixed, chestnut, shiitake, button)
- Two cloves of garlic
- One tablespoon of butter
- Two sprigs of fresh thyme
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- One teaspoon of soy sauce
- To serve: two to four slices of bread, butter, extra sprigs of thyme
This recipe requires five minutes to prepare and ten minutes to cook. It serves two people and contains just 142 calories per serving.
Method: Start by cleaning your mushrooms with a quick wash. Next, roughly chop the mushrooms into a variety of shapes and sizes to add extra texture. Finely dice the garlic before heating your pan to a medium-high temperature with butter. Sauté the mushrooms and garlic in the melted butter, incorporating the thyme leaves as they cook. Stir regularly until the mushrooms turn soft, golden and have released their moisture, then season with salt and pepper. For additional depth of flavour, mix in the soy sauce and cook briefly until well combined. Serve the mushrooms heaped onto buttered toast, garnished with a sprinkle of fresh thyme. For a more succulent finish, add a splash of water to the hot pan after plating the mushrooms, swirl it around to create a rich mushroom sauce, then drizzle it over the toast.
