Crispy Lion Sandwich
A vegetarian sandwich with crispy battered lion’s mane mushroom and spicy special sauce
Few mushrooms are good to be eaten and most of them do suffocate and strangle the eater. Therefore, I give my advice unto those that love such strange and new fangled meates to beware of licking honey among thorns lest the sweetness of the one do countervaile the sharpness and pricking of the other.
— John Gerard, Gerard's Herball, 1597
There is no new fangled meate that quite does it for me like mushrooms, and if you too dare to lick the honey, I challenge you to make this crispy, meaty sandwich instead of one of those Impossibly processed patties at your next party.
Lion’s mane mushrooms are somewhat fantastical-looking balls of white fluff that don’t resemble lions’ manes so much as they do deer tails, which is what their name is in Korean. They have a host of health benefits, from boosting immune function to potentially improving cognition, and are also the closest substitute I’ve ever found for the chewy texture of chicken. They can be hard to find, but a mushroom vendor at a farmer’s market may be able to help, or there are several companies online that sell the mushrooms or kits to grow your own. Look for the biggest pieces you can, so that you can cut them into good-sized steaks. If you buy one with a “foot” — that is, the woody part near the base where the mushroom attaches to the tree — just cut it off. Rub any dirt off with a brush or wet paper towel instead of washing the whole mushroom.
Makes four sandwiches.
Ingredients
Special Sauce
1/2 cup Kewpie mayonnaise (if you use Hellmann’s or another plain mayo, add ½ teaspoon salt)
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce or sambal oelek
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
Mushrooms
10-12 oz lion’s mane mushroom
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 medium eggs, beaten
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
A few grinds of black pepper
6 cups canola or peanut oil
Fine sea salt, to taste
To serve
4 potato rolls
2 tablespoons butter
Romaine lettuce, washed and torn into palm-sized pieces
Bread-and-butter pickles, sliced
Method
Make the special sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise with the ketchup, chili garlic sauce, apple cider vinegar, and garlic. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Carefully slice the lion’s mane into steaks about ½-¾ inch thick. A sharp knife and sawing action should help you slice without breaking the mushrooms into small pieces.
Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and, once hot, lay the mushroom steaks on the dry pan. You’ll probably need to work in batches so that every piece can lie flat. Cook for 8-10 minutes, flipping the steaks several times throughout and occasionally pressing down with the spatula so that the whole side touches the pan. You want both sides to be dark brown but not to blacken, and for the mushrooms to just start losing their water. Remove the mushroom steaks to a sheet tray when they’re done.
If you’ll be making a lot of mushrooms and want them to be ready at the same time, preheat your oven to 350°F.
Prepare your battering station: Put the flour in one bowl, the beaten eggs into another bowl, and mix together the panko, cayenne, garlic powder, dry mustard, and black pepper in a third bowl. Get a plate to put the dredged and battered mushrooms on before they go into the oil, and another plate or sheet tray covered in paper towels to drain the mushrooms after they’re fried.
Pour the oil into a wok or a Dutch oven. You should have at least 1 inch of oil in the cooking vessel. Heat the oil until a thermometer registers 375°F or a wooden spoon inserted into the oil causes small bubbles to form around it.
Dredge and batter one batch of mushrooms. Using one hand that you keep dry, put each mushroom steak into the flour and turn it around to get it evenly coated. Shake off excess flour, then use the other hand to cover it in egg. Move the mushroom into the panko bowl and use your dry hand to press the panko all around the sides. Keep the battered mushrooms on a plate while you prepare enough for one batch.
Carefully slide the battered mushrooms into the hot oil, using tongs or a spider if you want to be particularly safe. Cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side, until the surface is turning a deep golden brown. Remove the mushrooms and place on the paper-towel covered surface. Sprinkle a little bit of salt over each mushroom steak as it comes out.
If you want the mushrooms to be ready at the same time, put them on a different baking sheet and keep them in the preheated oven until they’re all done.
For serving: Heat a pan on medium with a tablespoon of butter. Once it’s melted, swirl the butter to coat the pan. Place two potato rolls cut side down onto the pan and toast until they’re lightly browned. Repeat with the remaining butter and potato rolls.
Spread the special sauce on both halves of the potato roll, then add a layer of pickles, one or two mushroom steaks, and some lettuce. Eat immediately and enjoy.