Hooooly mooooly. These mushrooms. All I feel I need to say about these mushrooms is - my husband hates mushrooms, but even he was loitering around while I was taking these photos, asking when he would be able to have another one (I felt very cruel). These things are the bomb.
I am honestly shocked that this beer batter was so easy to make. I used to work in a (rubbish) restaurant, and we would literally use a bag of pre-prepared batter mix, which we would combine with a pint of beer to make our batter. I am now wondering why on earth the restaurant owners didn't realise that plain flour is much cheaper, much more authentic, and tastes just as good as the processed stuff - and it's just as easy. You literally just mix your flour with some beer and whatever spices you fancy, and you're done. It takes about twelve seconds, and ends up just incredible - light and crispy, and just wonderful in every way.
I usually avoid deep frying things, because of a) the whole health thing and b) The Fear. But I can well and truly say that The Fear is now just a little mini fear that I have pretty much overcome.
Turns out, deep frying isn’t actually that hard. Of course it will still only be a very rare treat for me (see the first reason above), but at least it doesn’t petrify me any more. I definitely still winced every time I added another mushroom to the pan, but after a few seconds, it was more like a 'huh, that wasn't so bad'.
A few tips for deep frying: wear an apron to protect your clothes from any stray spits of oil (I speak from experience). Don't overcrowd the pan, or your mushrooms will all stick together and end up looking absolutely nothing like mushrooms (as you can see). And, wipe up any drips of batter from your counter top before they dry, because it's sooo much easier that way (again... experience).
I only used about two thirds of an inch of oil so as not to be too wasteful - it doesn't matter if the mushrooms aren't 100% covered, since you can flip them around a bit anyway. You can also keep the oil for another occasion if you can't bring yourself to throw it all away (I am already fantasising about what else I can deep fry). If you have any excess batter, that will keep for a few days in the fridge too.
(if you need one more reason to make these babies: this recipe only takes a cup or so of beer, so you'll have half a can left to keep all to yourself. I may or may not have polished mine off just before writing this, so I apologise for any glaring errors)
Beer battered mushrooms
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Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 100 g plain flour
- 100 ml beer
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon hot chilli powder
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Oil for frying
- 200 g medium-sized mushrooms or whole button mushrooms if you prefer, quartered
Instructions
- Combine the flour, beer, spices and seasonings in a large bowl, and whisk well until smooth.
- Heat between half an inch and one inch of oil over a medium heat in a large pan or wok. Drip a tiny amount of batter into the oil, and when it starts sizzling, you can add your mushrooms.
- You will probably need to cook your mushrooms in two batches to avoid overcrowding your pan. Dip a mushroom in the batter, making sure it is fully covered, and then carefully drop it into the oil. The oil should audibly sizzle. Repeat with the rest of the first batch of mushrooms.
- After a couple of minutes, use a slotted spoon to flip the mushrooms over. Continue cooking, turning as necessary, for around 5 minutes, until the batter is a deep golden colour. Remove the mushrooms from the oil, and transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper.
- Repeat with the other batch of mushrooms.
- Finish the mushrooms with a bit more salt if they need it (mine did), and serve with your choice of dipping sauce.
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Kathy says
Hmmmm I have an air fryer....
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Not sure these would work in an air fryer, sorry!
Mary says
These look awesome. My husband loves fried mushrooms but not spicy food. I am a bit concerned about the spices in the recipe. Any feedback from anyone?
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
It's been a while since I made these but I don't recall them being particularly spicy! The paprika brings smokiness rather than heat, and you could easily skip the chilli if you want to :)
Trudy Reusser says
Translate the g and ml to cup size.
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Hi Trudy, I'm British so my older recipes are written using the UK measurement system. All of my recipes from the last few years are written in both the UK and US styles, so perhaps you'll find something else you're inspired to make instead :) Otherwise, a cheap set of electric scales will always be useful in your kitchen!
Alison says
Or just google it to figure out how to convert the measurements. Shouldn’t be too hard.
Jeremy Paul Carroll says
Worked very well indeed! Don't be afraid to be liberal with the spices - it can stand a bit more.
I added a bit of rice flour to the recipe to dry it out a little, which gave the mushrooms a thicker coating.
Thanks for the recipe!
J. x
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thanks Jeremy, glad you enjoyed them :)
Kels says
We just tried these tonight and they're so tasty! But how on earth did you keep those suckers from sticking to the bottom of the pan? For your reference, I used about an inch of oil in the pot.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Haha! I've never had a problem with them sticking... Maybe a little more oil? Otherwise just keep gently stirring so they don't have a chance to stick!
Mary Jane Dover says
What is
100 g
100 mil
In cups
Thank you
Mary Jane
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Hi Mary Jane, 100 ml is a bit less than half a cup. 100g will be a different volume depending on what you're measuring. With flour, it's about 2/3 cup :)
David Bewers says
Do you think corn starch would work in place of flour
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Hmm I've never tried it, but I don't think it would work. I think some recipes use a combination of both flour and cornstarch, you could try that?
David Bewers says
Thanks for the reply..... I'll let ya know