Wicked Asian Ribs

Wicked Asian Ribs

These are genuinely one of our favourite things we've ever made. We wanted to capture that sticky, smoky, finger-licking rib experience but with king oyster mushrooms doing all the heavy lifting, and honestly they nail it. The mushrooms soak up every bit of that Asian-inspired glaze, going beautifully caramelised and chewy with the most incredible depth of flavour. They're messy, bold, and a little bit ridiculous in the best possible way. Make these tonight and try not to eat them all before they reach the table.

Cook: 60 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 180°C
  • Cast iron skillet (x2)
  • Oven dish
  • Mixing bowl
  • Tongs

Ingredients

  • 10 king oyster mushrooms
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 ½ tbsp Peri Peri seasoning
  • 1 tbsp plant-based pork seasoning
  • 2 tbsp Sriracha
  • 235ml hoisin BBQ sauce
  • Handful of parsley

Method

1

Preparing the mushrooms

  • Cut the head off the king oyster mushroom and then slice off slithers from the thick stems of the mushroom
  • Repeat this process with all the mushrooms
2

Seasoning the mushrooms

  • Put the prepared mushrooms in a mixing bowl, pour over the toasted sesame oil and stir it around so the mushrooms are well covered (this will help the rest of the seasoning ingredients to stick to the mushrooms)
  • Put the rest of the seasoning ingredients into the bowl and stir it round so the mushrooms are well covered
3

Cooking the mushrooms

  • Heat some vegetable oil (around 2 tbsp) in a cast iron skillet, put the mushrooms in the skillet and then put another skillet on top of the mushrooms
  • Apply some pressure to the top skillet with your hand (be careful not to burn yourself) to sear the mushrooms and lightly char the edges
  • Take the top skillet off the mushrooms and turn them round in the pan with a pair of tongs
  • Put the second skillet on top of the mushrooms again and apply more pressure
  • The mushrooms need to be seared and lightly charred all over the skin
4

Adding the sauce and oven baking

  • Put the mushrooms in an oven dish, cover them with sriracha and BBQ sauce, cover them with tin foil and prick the tin foil a few times
  • Put the tray in the oven and bake the mushrooms for 50-60 minutes at 180℃ (350℉)
5

Time to serve

  • Take the mushrooms out of the oven, take off the tin foil, turn the mushrooms around in the BBQ sauce and serve them on a nice board
  • Pour some of the left over BBQ sauce over the mushrooms, garnish with parsley and serve

Tips & Variations

  • Get your slices right: We find the thicker the slices, the better the chew. Go too thin and they'll crisp up too fast and lose that meaty bite you're after.
  • Double the glaze: Trust us on this one. Make extra and brush on another layer halfway through cooking. The more sticky coating, the better these get.
  • Serve them fast: These are at their absolute best straight out of the oven while the glaze is still bubbling. They do lose a bit of magic if they sit around too long, so get everyone to the table first.

Why This Works

The trick here is all in how you prep the king oyster mushrooms. Slicing them into strips from the thick stem gives you that rib-like texture that holds up brilliantly in the oven and really grips onto the glaze. Coating them in toasted sesame oil first is key too, it acts like a primer so every bit of seasoning clings on and nothing slides off.