I ordered a box from Misfit Markets this week to try it out and among the various vegetables was a gorgeous oyster mushroom clump the size of my finger-extended hand. It seemed a pity to chop the beauty up so I took inspiration from the cauliflower steak recipes that were all over the internet last winter and treat the mushroom in the same vein.
I happened to have homemade BBQ sauce in the fridge left over from making ribs for my son before he left for college, but you could use any good store-bought BBQ sauce that you like for this, or even just mix a tablespoon of soy sauce with a teaspoon of brown sugar and a splash of white wine and use that in a pinch.
1 large clump of oyster mushroom
1 Tbsp favorite BBQ sauce
1/2 tsp olive oil
Place one teaspoon of water in a skillet along with the oyster mushroom. Place something heavy and heat safe on top of the mushroom (I used a ceramic bowl) to press it flat against the surface of the pan.
Turn the heat to medium and let the mushroom cook for three minutes, before flipping it and cooking for an additional three minutes on its other side, still with the heavy object weighing it down.
Pressing it down with something heavy will help the oyster mushroom to disgorge a lot of liquid so, when the cooking time is done, remove the mushroom from the pan and pour out whatever liquid has accumulated.
Put the pan back on the hob and let the heat dry it out for about thirty seconds before adding the oil.
As soon as the oil is shimmering, put the mushroom back in the pan and paint the upwards side with half of the BBQ sauce. Cook for ninety seconds before flipping and painting the other side with the remaining sauce. Cook for an additional ninety seconds, then flip again and cook for one more minute. This will allow your BBQ sauce to caramelize on both sides.
Remove from the heat and serve at once, perhaps with plain steamed rice and vegetables, or with a warm grain salad. I served mine with Takikomi Gohan, a seasoned Japanese rice dish with dashi and with a side of steamed pea shoots, both of which cooked on their own -- twenty eight minutes for the rice and a couple of minutes for the pea shoots -- while I tended to the mushroom steak.
This is a nine minutes to the table dish (part of a twenty eight minute dinner.)