Make the marinade by whisking together all the ingredients. Set aside.
Prep the oyster mushrooms by pulling them apart into smaller
pieces--about the size of real chicken wings or chicken thighs. Then,
pour the marinade over the mushrooms. Using your hands, toss the
mushrooms so they are evenly coated with the marinade. Then, place
them in an airtight container and into the refrigerator for at least
30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
While the mushrooms are marinating, prepare the dredge by whisking
together Korean tempura flour mix, corn starch, sugar, onion powder,
garlic powder, white pepper, and black pepper in one large bowl.
Then, take 1/2 cup of the dredge and place in a separate bowl. To this
second bowl, whisk in about 3 to 4 tb of soju--whatever is needed to
reach a pancake batter like consistency.
Bring your frying oil up to 375°F. When your oil is at temperature,
coat the marinated mushroom pieces first in the dry dredge, then in
the wet batter, and then once more in the dry dredge, before dropping
in the oil. Make sure not to crowd the pan, as this will
significantly lower the temperature of the oil.
Cook the mushroom pieces until they are golden brown (about 3
minutes), flipping as necessary. Remove and place on a cooling rack
to drain excess oil. Finish cooking the rest of the oyster mushrooms
and allow them to cool to room temperature.
While your vegan fried chicken is cooling, make the sauces. First,
combine all the ingredients for the soy glaze by whisking them
together in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup.
Pour the contents into a small pot over low to medium heat until it
comes to a boil (around 3 minutes), stirring regularly. Once it
reaches a boil, continue stirring but lower the heat to the lowest
possible setting. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens into a
glaze. Remove from heat and set aside.
For the Sweet & Spicy Sauce, simply whisk together all the
ingredients and set aside.
Once the vegan fried chicken has cooled to room temperature, bring
your frying oil up to 400°F. Then, add the vegan fried chicken to
your oil and cook for about 1 minute. Remove and set aside on the
cooling rack for about 5 minutes.
