Beoseot Gangjeong (Sweet Crispy Mushrooms)

Korean temple cooking is primarily based on seasonal plant-based ingredients. As such, temple dishes are vegan. Beoseot gangjeong is deep-fried crispy mushrooms tossed in sweet and sour sauce with a hint of heat. I tried to recreate the restaurant version and as this is a temple cuisine inspired dish, I did not use any garlic here. Gangjeong is a traditional Korean confectionery that’s deep-fried and coated with a sticky syrup. The same technique is used to make many other sweet and savoury dishes such as dak gangjeong (sweet crispy chicken). This preparation only takes a few minutes!

Ingredients

1. 100 grams mushrooms See note

2. 1 cup bell pepper red, orange or yellow or a combination

3. ½ cup cornstarch

4. Oil for deep frying

5. 2 tablespoons soy sauce

6. 1 ½ tablespoons gochujang

7. 1 ½ tablespoons vinegar (rice wine vinegar or any other clear vinegar)

8. 1 ½ tablespoons honey