Spicy Enoki Mushrooms
These Spicy Enoki Mushrooms are the viral Korean dish found in mukbangs. They’re made with fire sauce and have the perfect crunchy texture.
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What are Spicy Enoki Mushrooms?
Spicy Enoki Mushrooms are the viral sweet and spicy mushroom dish that makes a tingly, crunching sound when you munch on them.
If you’re well-versed in the mukbang world, then I know you’ve seen those eye-poppingly red, Spicy Enoki Mushroom thumbnails on YouTube. They’ve become a viral sensation in Korean mukbangs and ASMR videos.
Made with a spicy sauce concoction mainly comprised of gochujang, gochugaru, and the popular fire sauce – they are sure to please your spicy and sweet tastebuds.
Feel free to watch my Spicy Enoki Mushrooms video for detailed instructions and for your entertainment~
Now let’s get Spicy Enoki Mushroom-ing!
What are enoki mushrooms?
Enoki mushrooms are a species of white mushroom that have clusters of long and thin mushroom stems. With a uniquely crunchy texture and mild, umami flavour, enoki mushrooms are popular amongst Korean, Chinese, and Japanese dishes.
You can find enoki mushrooms at your local Asian supermarket. I’ve also seen enoki mushrooms in the mushrooms section of some larger Western supermarkets.
Can I use other kinds of mushrooms?
Yes, however, it depends on the kind of mushrooms you want to use.
I don’t recommend using button or portobello mushrooms. These kinds of mushrooms excrete a lot of water once cooked and will dilute the spicy sauce. They also don’t hold the spicy sauce well, as the surface is smooth and slippery, compared to the many crevices of the enoki mushroom.
You can use the spicy sauce with enoki, shiitake, maitake, oyster, or beech mushrooms. These kinds of mushrooms are drier and have a meatier texture than the button mushroom.
What is gochujang?
Gochujang is a sweet and spicy chilli paste, with a sticky consistency similar to caramel. It’s made from red Korean chilli pepper powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, barley malt powder, and salt.
Please head to my Creamy Gochujang Pasta recipe to read more about gochujang and how it’s made.
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.
Fire sauce is simply the popular name for Samyang Buldak Hot Chicken Flavour Sauce – the sauce used in their Korean instant noodles.
It is the secret ingredient for these Spicy Enoki Mushrooms and is the weapon of choice that every mukbanger uses in their spicy enoki mushroom videos.
Do I need to use fire sauce?
No, it is optional and not for the faint of heart. It also contains chicken bullion, therefore it is not vegetarian or vegan – it is halal though!
What do Spicy Enoki Mushrooms taste like?
When you first take a bite you get hit with that spicy and sweet gochujang and fire sauce, then you chew a little and you get the multitude of crunchiness that each strand of enoki brings.
Pair it with rice and a side of roast seaweed to soak up that saucy goodness.
Ingredients for Spicy Enoki Mushrooms
Enoki mushroom
The star of the show! These funny-looking, white mushrooms come in clusters of thin strands. They have a mild umami flavour which won’t overpower this spicy dish.
Gochujang
Gochujang is fermented Korean red chili paste. It’s sweet, spicy, and will thicken our sauce right up.
Gochugaru
Gochugaru is finely grounded Korean chilli pepper – not very spicy but adds a vibrant, red colour.
Granulated sugar
Though gochujang is sweet, the addition of sugar will help thicken the sauce, as well as balance out the savoury flavours.
Soy sauce
Soy sauce adds an umami flavour and saltiness to the dish.
Garlic
You must used grated garlic to let the juices and fragrant aroma come out. Chopped or minced garlic won’t have bring out the same flavour.
Fire sauce
A spicy, chicken-flavoured sauce used in the Samyang nuclear fire noodles. This sauce is optional but it is what the mukbangers use in their Spicy Enoki Mushrooms. I used 2x the spice, but you can also use the original spice level.
How to make Spicy Enoki Mushrooms
1.
Slice enoki mushrooms into thin sheets
You’ll notice that the trunk of the enoki is brownish and tough, that’s the mycelium AKA the root of the mushroom. Looks a bit strange and it’s not edible, but it’s normal, so chop it off.
Briefly rinse the mushrooms under cold water and pat them dry to prevent it from water absorption. To slice the mushrooms, cut a few inches into the butt of the mushroom, then carefully peel the mushroom sheets off.
They should be more or less around the thickness of your left pinky. I managed to slice my mushrooms into thirds, but it depends on how wide of a base your mushrooms have.
3.
Cook mushrooms in spicy sauce
To a nonstick, well-oiled pan on medium-low heat, transfer the mushrooms, making sure not to overcrowd the pan, and pan fry both sides for 2 minutes each.
Once the mushrooms are lightly golden, grab your spicy 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 spicy sauce treatment.
Flip them over and dab on more sauce on the naked mushroom part so it’s nice and coated as well.
Pour in 3 tbsp of water and let it simmer for 5 minutes to let the enoki marinate and bathe in the spicy sauce.
4.
Stack them methodically onto plate
Once the sauce has thickened, line and stack them onto a rectangular plate.
With the leftover sauce in the pan, pour in 1/4 cup of water, and bring it to a simmer until it has a thick, drizzling consistency.
Drizzle the leftover spicy sauce on top of the plated mushrooms, and serve with a bed of warm rice and some roasted seaweed sheets.
Dig In!
There we have it, spicy enoki mushrooms, and before the mushrooms run away, let’s dig in!
Spicy Enoki Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 3 bundles enoki mushroom 450g
Spicy Sauce
- 2 tbsp gochujang
- 1 tbsp gochugaru
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 3 tbsp water
- 2 tsp Samyang Buldak fire sauce optional
Instructions
Prep
- Cut the root of the enoki mushrooms, wash it in cold water, pat it dry, and slice the mushroom into thin sheets (Note 1).
- Mix the spicy sauce ingredients into a bowl until well combined.
Cooking
- 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.Â
- Once lightly golden, drizzle the spicy sauce onto each mushroom sheet, and take a brush or spoon 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 5 minutes.
- Once the sauce has thickened, line and stack them onto a rectangular plate.
- With the leftover sauce, pour in 1/4 cup of water, and bring it to a simmer until it has a thick drizzling consistency. Drizzle the leftover spicy sauce on top, and serve with a bed of warm rice and roasted seaweed sheets.
Video
Notes
- I sliced mine into thirds. They should be around the thickness of your pinky.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag me @lookcatchu so I can drool over them.
oh my goodness, THIS is the recipe I was looking for! Thank you for this and consider me subbed.
LORI! yay! thank you for your kind words
I went to South Korea last year and I really missed this dish. Your recipe is M A G I C !
Thank you!
Hi david! happy you enjoy 🙂
I MADE THIS AND ITS SOOO GOOOODD
Thank you for your kind review and rating Willow! 🙂