Air-Fried Crispy Enoki Mushrooms with Miso Lime Sauce (Vegan)

I don’t know if you’re like me, but whenever I see enoki mushrooms at the supermarket, I can’t think of any way to cook them besides adding them to hot pot or noodle soup. So I rarely buy enoki, even though I really love chewing on them! Recently I ordered a FamilyMart x Yumei vegetable box, and to make good use of every ingredient in it, besides making vegan Japanese cold soba noodles with seasonal vegetables, I turned the enoki into a perfect side dish. And in fact, you can cook the noodles and fry the enoki at the same time, all within 15 minutes! It looks really impressive on the table, too. Whether you’re making noodle soup, dry noodles, or cold noodles, or different kinds like udon, ramen, or soba, this low-calorie, low-fat air-fried enoki goes perfectly with all of them.

Air-fried crispy enoki mushrooms with miso curry sauce

Just like with udon, I sometimes like to make simple vegetable tempura to go with soba. This time I’m recommending fried enoki, because I was using ingredients from the stay-at-home vegetable box that FamilyMart and Yumei put together. You can read my post for the full unboxing. I used to not particularly like buying enoki, because they come in a big bag that takes forever to finish, and besides adding them to noodle soup or a simple stir-fry, I didn’t know any other way to cook them. Then I had a flash of inspiration: why not fry them until they’re nice and crispy, kind of like tempura? Then I remembered I’d had something similar at a Japanese restaurant, fried enoki on top of ramen, and it was a perfect match. But I don’t like deep-frying, because preparing that much oil is a hassle, so I decided to make an air-fried version. The experiment turned out just as super crispy, and pairing it with a tangy, salty miso curry sauce was amazing! It felt like discovering a new continent. I’ll never again be stuck not knowing what to do with enoki~

Air-fried crispy enoki mushrooms with miso curry sauce

Air-fried enoki ingredients

Enoki mushrooms - First trim off the bottoms of the enoki, then wash them well. Here’s a super handy way to wash enoki that I only recently learned! I used to make a total mess, and this method is a must-share. Onion - Thinly slice the onion and coat it in batter to fry along with the enoki. It makes the enoki more fragrant, but if you don’t have onion, it’s fine to leave it out. Flour & cornstarch - Just like tempura, add liquid to make the outer batter. Baking powder - Baking powder makes fried food crispier. If you don’t have it, you can leave it out. Ground flaxseed - Ground flaxseed absorbs water, so like an egg, it helps the batter stick to the enoki. Rice wine - If you don’t have rice wine, beer is also a great liquid for frying batter. If you have neither, use water. Seasoning - Paprika, shichimi togarashi, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix and match to your taste. Vegetable oil - Do you still need oil with an air fryer? Yes, but you only need to spray a little on the surface for a good texture.

Steps for air-fried enoki

• Wash the enoki - Keep the enoki in their packaging and cut off the bottom 3 cm or so along with the bag. Fill the remaining plastic bag with water and shake it to wash the mushrooms; repeat 2-3 times. Take the clean enoki out of the bag, drain, cut them in half crosswise, and gently spread them apart.
• Onion - Slice the onion into thin strips, spread them out together with the enoki, and mix lightly with your hands.
• Make the batter - Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, paprika, ground flaxseed, and salt & black pepper, and mix lightly. Then add the rice wine and mix well with your hands or chopsticks, making sure the enoki are evenly coated in batter.
• Fry the enoki - Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper and place half of the enoki on it (cook in two batches). Spray with a little oil and air fry at 200°C (390°F) for 10 minutes. An air fryer works by circulating air, so it needs space to get things crispy. Frying in small batches gives you that crispy texture.
• Miso curry sauce - Combine the curry paste, miso paste, and the juice of one large fresh lemon, and mix well. If the flavor is too strong, add a little water.

Air-fried enoki steps and storage

Storing air-fried enoki

Since it’s fried food, I’d suggest not storing it. But if you have leftovers and don’t want to waste them, put the room-temperature air-fried enoki in an airtight bag and freeze. When you want to eat them, put them straight into the air fryer without thawing and fry at 180°C (355°F) until crispy.

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