Cynthia Rahman is an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, studying Development in Africa. From a very young age, she fell in love with food and the way it is made by various different cultures. She loves the way food brings together people of all walks of life to create new habits, recipes, and stories to pass down. Food documentary making is a passion of hers that brings together her two favorite things in the whole world: food and story-telling.

INGREDIENTS

WET BATTER

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Brundo Mitmita Chili Blend (or more depending on how spicy you want it)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder 
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp of white pepper 
• 1 tsp of black pepper
• 1 cup of water

DRY BATTER

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Brundo Mitmita Chili Blend (or more depending on how spicy you want it)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp of white pepper 
• 1 cup of water
• ½ cup of panko bread crumbs
• 1 tsp of black pepper

FOR ASSEMBLY OF THE SANDWICH

• Brioche bread or buns
• Coleslaw: mix a little bit of yogurt and mayo with honey, salt, and pepper, cabbage
• Sauce: mix sriracha and mayo (quantity depends on your taste)

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the ingredients for the wet batter, and in a separate bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dry batter. Make sure they are mixed well and the wet batter has no lumps! 

2. In a frying pan, start heating your oil over medium heat. For the best results, use enough oil to cover at least half of the mushroom so you can easily flip it to cook both sides. To check if the oil is hot enough, try dropping a pinch of the wet batter and if it's sizzling, it means your oil is ready.  

3. Wash your oyster mushrooms and dry them with a paper towel. It is a lot easier to evenly cook mushrooms if it is separated into smaller chunks. After that, dunk the mushrooms in the wet batter, take them out, and shake off the excess wet batter. Then dunk the mushroom in the dry batter and shake out any excess dry batter, then place it in the hot oil. 

4. Fry for 3 minutes or until it’s golden brown. I recommend lowering the heat and covering it with a lid so the mushroom can cook more slowly and the oil doesn’t spill everywhere!

5. On a toasted brioche bun/bread spread the sauce mixture with kewpie mayo, sriracha, and honey. Put your mushroom and coleslaw in between. Drizzle with some honey if you’d like!

Find out more about Cynthia's work here!