Bloomin’ Maitake (Vegan Hen of the Woods Recipe)
If you’ve foraged a cute little maitake- even if you’ve foraged it at the grocery store- you are probably next in search of a vegan hen of the woods recipe. And we’re here to give you that- it’s our bloomin’ maitake! Crispy and seasoned, deep fried pull-apart maitake petals is the most delicious and fun shareable foraged appetizer I could think of. In fact, I’ve been dreaming about this one for over a year now, just waiting for the right mushroom to come to me. So go ahead into the woods, find your perfect mushroom, and make some amazing foraged fried goodness with me!
Skip the Post, Click for a Print-Friendly Recipe
Disclaimer- use caution when foraging wild edibles, and always be certain of your identification. While I assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided on this site, I can’t be responsible for the accuracy of your information. Consult multiple websites, books and local experts, and when it doubt, do without.
How to Identify Hen of the Woods Mushrooms
Maitake is a mushroom of many names- hen of the woods, sheep’s head, ram’s head and dancing mushroom are all names for the species called Grifola frondosa. Maitake mushrooms can typically be found between late September and early November in New England. They are a polypore, which is a type of large, fruiting fungi that hold their spores through a series of many small pores or tubes, instead of gills. Maitake mushrooms are most commonly found clustered at the base of mature oak trees, although they will sometimes opt for a different hardwood such as a maple tree. They grow in branching, cauliflower-like heads or clusters and range in color from gray to brown with white pores. Maitake can be anywhere from a couple ounces to 50 lbs. or more, although generally they’re best when there just a few pounds as larger mushrooms can get a little tough and eaten by insects. The best way I’ve discovered to find a maitake is to look for old oak trees, and walk in a circle around the base looking at the ground and repeat, doing figure 8’s through the forest. There have been many a time when a seemly empty tree was hiding a large maitake, just on the other side of the trail. When you do find a mushroom, look closer around the base as one oak tree will often have many hens. Also make a little mental note, as the same trees often will host maitake every year.
Looking for Vegan Maitake Recipes? Try one of these!
- Maitake and Wild Rice Thanksgiving Salad
- Seared Maitake Mushroom Steaks with Persimmon Salsa
- Black Walnut and Maitake Mushroom Pâté
- Collard Greens and Maitake Steamed Buns (Hen of the Woods)
Is Hen of the Woods the Same as Chicken of the Woods?
No, it is not. Although they might have similar names, they are two completely different mushrooms, with different flavors and textures. They do have some things in common- both are fairly large polypores (meaning they have small holes instead of gills on the undersides) that grow on our around trees. They are also both delicious edibles that are pretty beginner friendly, but that’s around where the commonalities end. Chicken of the woods is named so because it tastes a good amount like chicken. It is large and comes in a range colors from pale peach to traffic cone orange, and is usually found on the trunks of dead or dying trees and stumps. Hen of the woods (maitake) is named because it looks like a hen- or at least someone thought it looked like a hen. Hen of the woods range from light gray to dark brown, and cluster at the base of trees. They don’t have any chicken flavor, but they do have a rich, unique, umami mushroom flavor.
How to make Bloomin’ Maitake
Maitake selection is important here. In order to get your mushroom fully cooked, you’re going to need a small maitake that’s relatively clean since you won’t be able to disassemble it to clean. For the best bloomin’ maitake, lots of small “petals” and branching is also optimal. Although they’re much less flavorful, the small commercially grown maitake you can find at some grocery stores are actually well suited to this recipe. After you’ve got the right maitake, cleaning is your next step. Cut off the place where your mushroom sat in the dirt, and if needed use toothpicks to secure the mushroom at the base- just make sure to be careful about the toothpicks when eating later! Take the mushroom and gently swish it in cool water to remove any dirt- you can salt the water if you like, to draw out any hidden critters. Transfer onto a clean towel and gently pat dry. And by now, most of the hard work is done!
Mushroom prepped, it’s time to get cooking. Our coating for our bloomin’ maitake is going to be flour based, with the addition of several herbs and spices for some added flavor. That just gets quickly whisked together, and placed in a fairly large bowl so you have room to coat your mushroom. To bind our flour to the mushroom, we used aquafaba, which is the liquid found in a can of chickpeas or other beans. That’s right, the stuff you’ve been pouring down the drain all these years actually has some great properties that mimic egg whites. Save your chickpeas for something else- perhaps roasted or in hummus– and get that aquafaba in a second bowl. Before you go dropping that maitake in your aquafaba, get a pot of oil on. You’ll need a pretty good about to deep fry your hen of the woods. While your oil heats up, dunk the maitake in the aquafaba, and then into the flour. Get it nice and coated- using a spoon to sprinkle the flour into the nooks and crannies of your mushroom might be a good idea. Gently shake off any excess flour before dropping your breaded mushroom into the hot oil. After 2 or 3 minutes, flip the maitake over, and keep on cooking until a lovely golden color, about 6 minutes total.
Peel of the crispy petals and dip in your favorite dipping sauce. Vegan mayonnaise mixed with a little hot sauce was the winner for me!
Bloomin’ Maitake (Vegan Hen of the Woods Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 small maitake mushroom (about ¼ lb. in weight)*
- 1 can chickpeas (aquafaba only)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- ½ tsp. dried oregano
- ½ tsp. salt (plus more, for sprinkling)
- ½ tsp. ground pepper
- Vegetable oil, to fry
Instructions
- Clean your maitake without breaking it, as much as possible. Cut off the dirt on the bottom, and use toothpicks to secure the maitake from breaking at the bottom. Place it in a bowl of water, and gently swish it around to remove any dirt. Take out of the water, and gently blot dry with a clean towel.
- Separate the chickpeas from the liquid (aquafaba), and reserve the liquid in a medium-sized bowl. Save the chickpeas for another use. Combine the flour, nutritional yeast, and spices in a medium-sized bowl, and whisk. Prepare a baking tray with a cooling rack on top to place the fried mushroom on top. Heat enough oil to cover your maitake in a medium-sized pot to roughly 350°F (175°C).
- As your oil heats, dip your maitake in the aquafaba. Transfer to the seasoned flour, and toss, spooning the flour into the crevasses to totally cover the mushroom. Shake gently to remove any excess flour and place in the hot oil. Cook for about 6 minutes, flipping once or twice as it cooks. Once golden and crispy, remove from the oil and transfer to the cooling rack. Sprinkle with salt, let cool for a few minutes, and enjoy!
Notes
If desired, you can probably make about three small bloomin’ maitake from this recipe, but you’ll want to keep your mushrooms small so you’re easily able to bread and fry them.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. Garlic or sriracha vegan mayo are both delicious choices, as are maple mustard, vegan ranch, or an extra smooth tarragon pesto.
Click for a Print-Friendly Recipe
Like this Bloomin’ Maitake? Pin it!
2 thoughts on “Bloomin’ Maitake (Vegan Hen of the Woods Recipe)”