Szechuan-Style Chili Shrimp of the Woods
If you like spicy food, foraging, and the delightful tongue numbing quality of Szechuan peppercorn, then chili shrimp of the woods is your dish! Foraged shrimp of the woods mushrooms (aborted entoloma) are the star of the dish, which is heavy on chili peppers and only takes a few minutes to whip up. Serve over rice, and enjoy the bounty of the fall forest.
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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.
Check out the Mushroom Expert for more information about the aborted entoloma.
Foraging Aborted Entoloma
I found the most amazing shrimp of the woods this year. In previous years I’ve found most of my aborted entoloma scatted across the forest floor reminiscent of packing peanuts, these mushrooms were all collected on one tree like a conveniently boxed collection of packing peanuts. At the base of a tree, pushing through the bark, were tightly clustered, packed together shrimp of the woods mushrooms. The way they were growing was very similar to how honey mushrooms hug the base of a tree- and in fact when I went back weeks later the entoloma had been replaced with honeys. You can learn more about the somewhat mysterious connection between the aborted entoloma and the honey mushroom here.
Shrimp of the Woods is just one of the names for Entoloma abortivum, or the aborted entoloma. The non-aborted form looks like a small, greyish, gilled mushroom- it is not recommended that you eat the non-aborted form as there are several poisonous look-alikes. The aborted form is irregularly shaped, white when fresh and bruising brown. There is often a slight indent in the center, rather like the bite-surface of a molar. They grow on or near decaying wood, often near leaf litter and typically appear in September. Most mushrooms I pick I throw in my bag and clean later, but with the aborted entoloma I make a point to cut off the bottoms that are covered in dirt. Because the shrimp of the woods have irregular shapes with the slight cavities, it really helps not to have too much dirt around as it gets stuck.
Pick mushrooms that are white and firm- as they age they will become spongy or hollow in the center. Shrimp of the woods don’t keep very well, so try and eat them within a few days of harvesting. As the name suggests, they can be used as a vegetarian shrimp alternative for the shape and texture, although the flavor is very much that of a mushroom. I think they taste a lot like a button mushroom, but more flavorful.
Looking for Vegan Shrimp of the Woods Recipes? Try one of these!
Looking for Spicy Recipes? Try one of these!
- Spicy Stinging Nettle Kimchi Recipe
- Thanks USPS! Spicy Chocolate Cookies
- Flavor-Bomb Vegan Snacking Hominy Recipe
- Vegan Lime and Coconut Spicy Cashews
- Vegan Chili Braised Tofu
- Spicy Vegan Cold Noodles, Sichuan Style
- Spicy Jackfruit and Black Bean Stew with Bananas
- Stir-Fried Spicy Chinese Sweet Potatoes
- Giant Buffalo Beans- White Beans in Buffalo Sauce
How to Make Chili Shrimp of the Woods
This recipe is a simple stir-fry, and only takes about 15 minutes to throw together. One ingredient you will have to track down are Szechuan peppercorn- they’re a red peppercorn used in Chinese food, that have the same tongue-numbing quality as cloves. You can find it at your local Asian grocery store, specialty spice stores, or buy it online. You can also get dried Thai chili peppers at the same types of stores. Once you’ve tracked down your ingredients, and foraged your mushrooms, you’re ready to cook. Start by cooking your mushrooms, sauteing them so they lose excess moisture and start to brown and caramelize. Once they’re cooked, remove them from your skillet and set them aside. From there you can fry the chili peppers, and then add the onions, garlic, ginger, and after that the celery and sauces before adding the cooked mushrooms back in. We didn’t use them in this recipe, but if you wanted to add additional vegetables or toasted peanuts, you can bulk up the dish a little. Toss it all around and serve with rice.
Szechuan-Style Chili Shrimp of the Woods
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Shrimp of the Woods Mushroom
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 20 dried Thai chili peppers
- ½ purple onion
- 1 tsp. grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 stalks celery
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. mirin
- ½ tsp. ground Sichuan peppercorn
- 1-2 scallions
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Clean your shrimp of the woods well. Chop the onion into 1-inch squares, grate your ginger, mince the garlic, cut the celery into small batons, and finely chop the scallions.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the shrimp of the woods mushrooms to the hot oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms brown and start to caramelize. Remove the mushrooms from the skillet.
- Add the dried chili peppers to the oil. After a few minutes reduce the heat to medium and add the onions. Cook the onions until they start to soften. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for another couple minutes until fragrant. Add the celery, mirin, soy sauce and toss. Let the sauce come to a simmer, and add the mushrooms back into the pan. Toss to coat all the mushrooms, add the Sichuan pepper, scallions, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy with rice.
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