Lions Mane Mushroom Skewers with Satay Sauce

Serves: 2

Prep time: 20 minutes (plus marinating)

Cook time: 25 minutes

Satay sauce has got to be one of the most popular recipes to come from south east Asian cooking. I certainly love it! It’s pretty adaptable too; you can add more curry paste if you like things spicy, or more lime juice if you're a sour fan.

You could definitely use this recipe for chicken or pork (obviously cook them for longer) or even other mushrooms such as oysters. I used lion's mane mushrooms as I had just grown some and I love experimenting with new and interesting ingredients.

You will need 18cm skewers which you can buy on Amazon. As with many of my recipes, this one relies on using a small high speed blender like a ninja. In a larger blender bowl the ingredients won’t be chopped enough which will leave your marinade and sauce a bit grainy.

Ingredients:

Satay sauce-

1-2 tbsp vegan red curry paste (homemade or store bought)

100ml coconut milk

1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari or coconut aminos

1/2 lime juice

1 clove of garlic

1/2 tsp grated ginger. You can chuck it in the blender but better grated as it can stay a bit fibrous

1/2 tbsp dark brown sugar

100g crunchy peanut butter

500g fresh lion's mane mushroom, torn into roughly 2 inch pieces and tough stalks removed

Marinade-

1 tsp light brown sugar

1 tsp ginger and turmeric paste from Waitrose or 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp grated ginger

1/2 tsp lemongrass paste

1 tsp curry paste

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

1.5 tbsp vegan fish sauce

1 tbsp Sriracha

3 tbsp satay sauce

1 clove of garlic

To serve-

Coriander

Cucumber

Jasmine rice

Method:

1. First make the satay sauce; blitz all the ingredients except the peanut butter until smooth. In a bowl, combine the peanut butter and sauce, stirring until well mixed and creamy. You may want to add a couple of tablespoons of hot water to get to a thick but pourable consistency. Taste and adjust to taste with salt, lime juice and chilli or more of the curry paste.

2. Steam the lions mane for 5 minutes. You want to ensure the pieces are evenly spread and not touching so do it in batches if necessary.

3. Remove to a chopping board and gently press the lions mane using another board or baking tray. You want it slightly flattened but not too compressed, around 2 cm thick is great. There may be some liquid from the pressing, just gently dry with a paper towel.

4. Add all the marinade ingredients to the blender and blitz until smooth. Place the lion's mane on a plate or tray and gently coat with the marinade. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

5. When ready to cook, put your griddle on a medium high heat and heat your oven to 160C. Put 2-4 pieces (depending on size) of the lion's mane on the skewers and once the pan is hot sear them in batches for a couple of minutes on each side until they have a nice char. Transfer them to a tray and pop them in the oven whilst you cook the rest.

6. Cook the rice according to the packet instructions, pick the coriander leaves and roughly chop the cucumber and serve alongside the skewers.