This vegetarian floss uses dried shiitake stems, the part that usually gets thrown away. The stems are chewy and tear into strands that look just like meat floss. The only tricky stage is the drying in the pan.
The stems go straight into the seasoned pot without soaking and boil for 15 to 20 minutes until tender. Once cool they are squeezed very dry, pounded flat and torn into strands, the finer the better. Stir over low heat until the mushroom is dry, then take the pan off.
This batch weighs about 1kg, at roughly 23 calories per 100g.
Method
Pour 4 bowls of water into a pot, season with 1 tablespoon vegetarian seasoning powder, 2 tablespoons vegan fish sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce, stir well and bring to a boil.
Once the water boils, add 100g shiitake stems and boil for 15 to 20 minutes until tender. Turn off the heat, lift them out, let them cool and squeeze them very dry.
Pound the mushroom in a mortar until flat and soft, then tear it into fine strands, the finer the better.
Set a pan over low heat with 1 tablespoon cooking oil, swirl to coat, then add the mushroom and stir through.
Stir until the mushroom is dry, turn off the heat and keep stirring for another 1 to 2 minutes in the hot pan. Cool, then pack into a glass jar with a tight lid.
Tips
Boiling the stems without soaking them first keeps their sweetness.
Let the mushroom cool on its own before squeezing it dry.
Over drying in the pan turns the floss hard.
In a sealed glass jar kept somewhere cool and out of the sun, it holds for up to 2 months.
The stems boil in the seasoning liquid itself, so keep that liquid full flavored or the mushroom comes out bland.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.