Crunchy Shiitake Fingers
In Burma, snacking is not an afterthought. Teahouses, roadside stalls, and market lanes are always stocked with something crisp, golden, and irresistible. Fried snacks, or mont pyar thalet, are a staple of Burmese eating culture. They are often served alongside tea or shared between friends during long conversations. From chickpea fritters to stuffed samosas to battered vegetables, the Burmese love the crunch.
Shiitake mushrooms don’t grow natively across most of Burma. But forest-foraged mushroom varieties like oot por, pauk hpa, and da nyin gyi are widely used. In the monsoon season, Burmese home cooks and tribal communities frequently turn fresh mushrooms into fritters. They fry them tempura-style, coated with flour or flash-fry them with seasoning to whip up a quick snack for tea time. This custom of a crispy snack paired with tea is what inspires our Crunchy Shiitake Fingers.
These crunchy, fried fingers are perfect as a shared starter, something to nibble between conversations, or the kind of snack you order to try but can’t eat just one. Enjoy them with tea, pair them with bubble teas, or bring them to the centre of the table.
Ingredients:
For the marination
Shiitake mushroom: 100 gm
Salt: 2 gm
Aromat: 3 gm
Tamarind: 10 gm
Chilli flakes: 5 gm
Garlic juice: 8 gm
For the coating
Slurry (made with refined flour): 20 gm
Semolina: 50 gm
Furikake: 10 gm
For the furikake
White quinoa: 2 tsp
Red quinoa: 2 tsp
Hemp seeds: 2 tsp
Sesame seeds: ½ tsp
Nori sheet: ½ sheet
Red chilli flakes: ¼ tsp
Salt: ¼ tsp
For the dip
Bandle cheese: ½ piece
Fried cashew: 50 gm
Red chilli (seedless): ½ piece
Fresh coriander: 5 gm
Chaokoh milk: 50 ml
White vinegar: 1 gm
Basil leaves: 4 nos
Method:
Prepare the furikake
Toast each furikake ingredient separately.
Allow everything to cool to room temperature.
Crush all toasted ingredients together.
Keep aside until ready to use.
Marinate the shiitake
Soak the shiitake mushrooms for 24 hours.
After soaking, slice them into thin strips.
Mix tamarind, chilli flakes, and garlic juice to create the marinade.
Toss the sliced shiitake in this mixture and set aside to absorb the flavours.
Coat the shiitake fingers
Prepare a smooth slurry by mixing refined flour with water.
In a separate bowl, combine semolina and the prepared furikake.
Dip each marinated shiitake stick into the slurry.
Roll it immediately in the semolina–furikake mixture for a crisp coating.
Repeat the process for all the shiitake pieces.
Frying the shiitake fingers
Deep-fry or shallow-fry them in a pan, as per your preference.
You can also opt to air-fry them until they are crisp.
Serve them hot
Make the dip
Combine all dip ingredients in a blender.
Blend until fully smooth and creamy.
