Sweet-and-Sour Vegetarian Eel Recipe | Tasting Table
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Cook Time:
10 minutes
Servings:
2 servings
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Chinkiang black vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
  • 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
  • 9 medium (1 ounce) dried shiitake mushroom caps
  • Boiling water, for soaking
  • Vegetable oil, for frying
  • ½ cup potato starch
  • One 2-inch piece ginger, julienned
  • ½ green bell pepper—stemmed, cored and thinly sliced
  • ½ red bell pepper—stemmed, cored and thinly sliced
  • Sweet-and-sour sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Directions
  1. Make the sweet-and-sour sauce: In a small bowl, whisk all of the sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
  2. Prepare the mock eel: In a small bowl, cover the dried shiitake mushroom caps with boiling water. Place a small plate or bowl on top to submerge the mushrooms and let sit until rehydrated, 30 minutes. Drain the water and dry the mushrooms well with paper towels, then cut into ½-inch slices.
  3. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 inches of vegetable oil to 350º and line a plate with paper towels. Toss the mushroom slices with the potato starch to coat, shaking off any excess. Add the mushrooms to the oil and fry until crisp but pale, 2 minutes. Using a spider spoon, transfer the mushrooms to the prepared plate to drain. Raise the oil temperature to 400º.
  4. Return the mushrooms to the oil and fry until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to prepared plate to drain again.
  5. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the fryer oil to a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and cook fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sauce and peppers to the pan, stirring until the sugar has dissolved and the peppers have softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the fried mushrooms and stir to coat. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil, then transfer to a plate and serve.