Here’s a delicious and practical way to serve King Oyster mushrooms and prepare an original vegetable side dish that is, of course, completely vegan. Oven cooking is straightforward and maintains the mushrooms’ texture, while curry and soy sauce create a sort of delicious salty caramel. No need to add salt to this recipe.

Ingredients

• King Oyster mushrooms – 4
• Butternut or acorn squash – ½ (about 1 pound)
• Soy sauce – ½ cup
• Curry – to taste
• Olive oil – 2 tablespoons
• Water – ¼ cup
• Fresh parsley, chopped – 2 tablespoons
• Leek – ½

Method

Wash the mushrooms and slice them. Make incisions with the tip of a knife to create a grid pattern on each slice. Peel the butternut or acorn squash and slice into pieces.

Preheat the oven to 180-190°C (350-375°F).

Line a low baking tray with parchment paper. Spread 1 tablespoon of olive oil and ¼ cup of water over the paper.

Distribute the mushroom slices on the tray. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley and half of the soy sauce.

Arrange the squash slices on top. Pour the remaining soy sauce over the squash. Add the ½ leek (sliced), 1 tablespoon of olive oil, curry to taste, and 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil. Using a spoon, collect the cooking liquid and pour it over the squash.

Continue baking uncovered for another 15-20 minutes until the squash is tender and the top is lightly caramelized.

Serve hot, drizzling any remaining cooking liquid over the vegetables.

Tips

This recipe is very versatile and adapts well to seasonal ingredients and personal preferences. You can use other mushroom varieties or other vegetables as you like, for example endive.

Adjust cooking time slightly if using vegetables that cook faster or slower than the squash.

Notes

No additional salt is needed—the soy sauce provides sufficient seasoning.