Black Bean Enoki Mushrooms
These Black Bean Enoki Mushrooms are the viral Korean dish in mukbangs. They’re made with black bean paste and have the crunchiest texture.
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What are Black Bean Enoki Mushrooms?
Black Bean Enoki Mushrooms are enoki mushrooms simmered in an earthy and savoury black bean sauce. It is a trending Korean dish, gaining attention through Korean mukbangs and ASMR videos on YouTube.
The black bean sauce is made with 3 simple ingredients: Korean black bean paste, sugar, and garlic, with the optional addition of fire sauce for some spice.
Enoki mushrooms are hard to overcook, making this a fool-proof recipe – perfect for beginners.
If you like my Black Bean Enoki Mushrooms recipe, try out Spicy Enoki Mushrooms recipe!
Please watch my video, as I walk you through how to make them, and hopefully entertain you with my witty sense of humour.
Now let’s get Black Bean Enoki Mushroom-ing!
What are enoki mushrooms?
Enoki mushrooms are a species of white mushroom that have clusters of long and thin mushroom stems.
Please head to my Spicy Enoki Mushrooms recipe to learn more about enoki mushrooms.
How to choose the best enoki mushrooms
It’s important to find the freshest enoki mushrooms for the crunchiest texture and umami flavour.
Below are a few tips to choosing the freshest enoki mushrooms:
- Enoki mushrooms create moisture in the packaging easily; try to find the ones that have the least amount of water droplets in the package.
- The mushrooms stems should be an opaque white. If the mushroom is turning a slight yellow, it’s not as fresh but still edible. When they are translucent yellow, it has already absorbed a lot of moisture and is not safe for consumption.
- The stems of the mushroom should be dry. Wet stems with a sticky film around them should be avoided.
- An earthy, and fungus smell is normal for enoki mushrooms. The mushrooms should not smell sour, or ammonia-like.
What is Korean black bean paste?
Korean black bean paste, chunjang, is made from black soybeans and wheat flour, blended, and then fermented in salt. Mass manufactured black bean paste typically have caramel colour added, to make it a deep brown/black.
This thick, black paste is sold in jars and can be found in most Asian supermarkets or bought online. It is the same paste used in the popular Korean black bean noodles, jajangmyeon.
It has a similar consistency to soft caramel, with an earthy and savoury flavour. Though it looks like Vegemite, it is not nearly as salty. For those that have no clue what it tastes like, in my opinion, the flavour is most similar to canned black olives.
Is Korean black bean paste the same as the Chinese version?
No. While both Korean and Chinese black bean pastes are made with fermented black soybeans, they are very different.
The Chinese black bean paste, Tianmianjiang, is the equivalent to Korean black bean paste. It is sweet and savoury, whereas the Korean paste is not sweet.
The main ingredient to Tianmianjiang is fermented wheat flour, and not black soybeans. Some brands don’t even use soybeans. It also has added spices and flavourings that the Korean version does not have, making it unsuitable for these black bean enoki mushrooms.
What is fire sauce?
Fire sauce is a Korean style chicken-flavoured hot sauce that, even a spicy-connoisseur like me, would make you sweat.
This spicy sauce is optional, but it gives these black bean enoki mushrooms a nice kick. However, since it contains chicken bullion it is unfortunately not suitable for my plant based besties.
Are there alternatives to fire sauce?
Yes, you may use gochujang in replace of fire sauce. Just make sure it’s a spicy version and not a mild version, or else you won’t be feeling any heat.
You can also use 1/4 – 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper if you don’t have access to gochujang.
How to serve Black Bean Enoki Mushrooms:
Black Bean Enoki Mushrooms can be eaten as a main meal or a side dish alongside an assortment of other dishes.
Since it is fairly hard to overcook enoki mushrooms, this dish is perfect for meal prep. I like to make a bulk batch of these mushrooms and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
In fact, they taste even better the subsequent days since the mushrooms have marinated in the earthy black bean sauce for longer. Simply reheat in the microwave with a wet cloth over it – this prevents the mushroom and sauce from drying out.
What does Black Bean Enoki Mushrooms taste like?
When you first take a bite, you get hit with the creaminess, earthiness, and a hint of sweetness, of the black bean sauce.
Then you chew a little, and you can taste the bubbly and popping, crunchy texture of the slippery enoki strands. The popping texture of the cooked enoki is similar to caviar or fish roe.
Ingredients for Black Bean Enoki Mushrooms
Enoki mushroom
Enoki mushrooms are the original mushroom species used in mukbangs.
You may also use shiitake, maitake, oyster, or beech mushrooms – just don’t use button mushrooms.
Black bean sauce
Our black bean sauce consists of Korean black bean paste, white granulated sugar, grated garlic, fire sauce (optional), and water.
Fire sauce
It’s optional, but it is the ingredient used in the original black bean enoki mushroom mukbang/ASMR videos.
You may substitute it with spicy gochujang or 1/4 – 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper.
How to make Black Bean Enoki Mushrooms
1.
Slice enoki mushrooms into thin sheets
With some enoki mushroom brands, you’ll notice that the trunk of the enoki is brownish and tough. That’s the mycelium AKA the root of the mushroom. It looks a bit strange, but it’s normal, and not edible, so chop it off.
Briefly rinse the mushrooms under cold water and pat them dry to prevent it from water absorption.
Keeping in mind we want thin sheets of mushroom, cut a few inches into the base of the mushroom. Depending on the surface area of your mushroom base, you will get 4-5 sheets per enoki mushroom. Each mushroom sheet should be around 1 cm thick.
2.
Make black bean sauce
To a small bowl, add in the Korean black bean paste, white granulated sugar, grated garlic, fire sauce (optional), and water. Mix it until all ingredients are well incorporated.
3.
Cook mushrooms in black bean sauce
To a nonstick, well-oiled pan, on medium-low heat, transfer the mushrooms. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan, and pan fry both sides for 2 minutes each.
Once the mushrooms are lightly golden, grab your black bean sauce, and drizzle it onto each and every mushroom sheet.
Take a brush or spoon to further coat the sauce onto the mushrooms so that every inch gets the bean sauce treatment.
Flip them over and dab on more sauce onto the naked mushroom portion so it’s nice and coated as well.
Pour in 3 tbsp of water and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes to let the enoki marinate and bathe in the black bean sauce.
4.
Stack them methodically onto plate
Once the sauce has thickened, remove from the pan, and line them up onto a rectangular plate.
With the leftover sauce in the pan, pour in 2 tbsp of water, and bring it to a simmer until it has a thick consistency.
Drizzle the leftover black bean sauce on top of the plated mushrooms, and serve with a bed of warm white rice.
Dig In!
Lookcatchu! We have Black Bean Enoki Mushrooms, and before the mushrooms cools down, let’s dig in!
Black Bean Enoki Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 3 bundles enoki mushrooms 600g
Black bean sauce
- 3 tbsp Korean black bean paste
- 2 tsp white granulated sugar
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 1 tbsp fire sauce or gochujang, optional
- 3 tbsp water
Instructions
Mushroom preparation
- Cut off the root (mycelium) of the mushroom.
- Wash mushroom in cold water and thoroughly pat dry.
- Make 1 cm thick cuts into the base of the mushroom, and peel the mushroom sheets off.
Cook mushrooms in sauce
- To a nonstick pan on medium-low heat, drizzle in some olive oil, and transfer the mushrooms. Pan fry both sides for 2 mins each.
- Once lightly golden, drizzle the black bean sauce onto each mushroom sheet, and take a brush to further coat the sauce onto the mushrooms. Flip them over and dab on more sauce so it’s nice and coated as well.
- Pour in 3 tbsp of water and let it simmer 2-3 minutes.
Serve
- Once the sauce has thickened, line and stack them onto a rectangular plate.
- With the leftover sauce, pour in 2 tbsp of water, and bring it to a simmer until it has a thick consistency.
- Drizzle the leftover spicy sauce on top, and serve with a bed of warm rice.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Tag me @lookcatchu so I can drool over them.
