Crispy Enoki Mushrooms and Microgreens Salad
This Microgreens Salad is packed with flavors, textures and nutrients. The crispy enoki mushrooms toppings and bright lemon vinaigrette make it such a fun dish to eat, especially in summer.
Despite being tiny, microgreens are very nutritious. They can even contain higher nutrient levels than mature vegetable greens.
Microgreens often have an aromatic flavor with mild sweetness and sometimes spiciness, making them taste great in salads. I have always added microgreens to my bowls of noodle salads, such as in Vietnamese beef noodle salad.
We recently made this salad with microgreens as the main ingredient, and it turned out really tasty. Microgreens are tossed with carrots and a bright lemon vinaigrette. The fried enoki mushrooms then add a mild earthy sweetness and exciting textures to the salad. If you haven’t made crispy fried enoki mushrooms, you should give it a try.
Ingredients
You need just a handful of ingredients to make this fun microgreens salad.
- Microgreens: I use microgreens of yu choy sum, which have a subtle sweetness and spiciness. There are different types of microgreens with differences in taste.
- Carrots for some crunchiness.
- Lemon, shallots and extra virgin olive oil for the vinaigrette.
- Enoki mushrooms: you probably see these long, thin white mushrooms in soups and hot pots a lot. Once fried, they are very crispy.
Since the enoki mushrooms will be fried, this salad may not be the healthiest. However, it contains natural ingredients, is vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free with no added sweeteners.
Making Microgreens Salad with Crispy Enoki Mushrooms
The salad can be put together within half an hour. I would start with preparing the microgreens and carrots and making the vinaigrette. Once the mushrooms are ready, we will put them on top of the salad and serve immediately to retain their crispiness.
One way to make the vinaigrette is to slowly drizzle the extra virgin olive oil into lemon juice while whisking. However, there is an even easier way if you have a small jar/container with a secure lid. Just add all ingredients for the vinaigrette to the jar, put on the lid, and shake well to combine.
To make the fried enoki mushrooms toppings, we will need to lightly dust them with some cornstarch first and then fry over medium heat until golden and crispy. Fry in small batches to avoid overcrowding your pan.
Do you see how crispy the fried enoki mushrooms are in the photo above? You can find detailed instructions in the recipe card below.
Looking for more vegan recipes? You may want to give this Vietnamese Lemongrass Chili Tofu a try.
I’d love to hear what you think about the dish, so please feel free to leave a comment. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates.
Crispy Enoki Mushrooms and Microgreens Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 3-4 oz microgreens
- 1/2 cup julienned carrots (about half a medium or large carrot)
- 4.5 oz enoki mushrooms (with end part removed)
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- cooking oil for frying
For the Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon minced shallots
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl or shallow plate, toss together microgreens and julienned carrots, set aside. Add all ingredients for the lemon vinaigrette to a small jar/container with a secure lid, put on the lid and shake well to combine. You can also put lemon juice, minced shallots, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl and slowly drizzle extra virgin olive oil into the bowl while whisking to make the vinaigrette.
- In a shallow plate, combine cornstarch with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Separate enoki mushrooms at the base and lightly dredge them with cornstarch.
- Place a frying pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add cooking oil. When the oil is hot, shake off excess cornstarch from some enoki mushrooms and drop them into the pan. Fry until the bottom is light golden, flip and fry the other side until golden and crispy. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Place fried enoki mushrooms on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Toss the microgreens and carrots with the lemon vinaigrette. Transfer to serving plates and top with crispy fried enoki mushrooms.
I fried the enoki mushrooms without cornstarch, and it tasted great! Salt it when it comes out of the hot oil, like a french fry. 🙂
It’s good to know the fried enoki mushroom is still great without cornstarch. Thank you for your comment :)!
Hey! Just wondering .. can I airfry the mushroom??
Hi Shanki,
I haven’t tried it in the air fryer, so I can’t say with certainty. If you decide to air fry it, please let me know how it turns out.
Shanki,
I just tried air-frying the mushroom last week and I think it turned out okay. I coated the mushroom with cornstarch (tapioca starch worked too) and brushed it with oil. Then I air fried it for several minutes at around 160°C-170°C. This method can be quite time-consuming if you have a lot to fry since the mushroom needs to be placed in a single layer.
It’s delicious and easy to make! I made it last night and everyone in my family liked it.