Oyster Mushroom Escargot

The first time I heard about Escargot was when I was a kid, probably around ten years old, dining with my family at a seafood restaurant in the Philippines. Over there, we would refer to Escargot as Ginataang Kuhol which means “Snails in Coconut Milk.”

Snails? As a young kid, the thought of eating slimy snails not only disgusted me but also made me feel sorry for the tiny creatures. I thought, “Must we eat everything and anything that moves?” However, my elders would convince me that not liking it is a bad thing, that I should act like everyone else who loves it  (same negotiation with balot or duck embryo).

So to assimilate, I braved up and slurped the soup of Ginataang Kuhol. The soup wasn’t that bad. In fact, it was delicious. It was a savory coconut curry with a spicy kick from the chili peppers.  The snails, however, I had to muster up some courage to dig in the shell with a toothpick and put in my mouth. The snails tasted good too, except I didn’t like the act of having to disturb the way they live.

That dining experience and the whole deal still resonate in me. I realized if the taste is that easy to recall then maybe I can recreate it with a guilt-free twist…Oyster mushrooms!

I was able to incorporate some flavors from the classic French version. The marriage of the two cuisines produced complex but complementing flavors that I was tempted to make this “my secret recipe.” Then again, I concluded that this discovery had to be shared.

Oyster Mushroom Escargot

 

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Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 3-5 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed, and minced
• ½ medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and thinly cut into strips
• 2 packages oyster mushroom
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons white wine
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1-2 pcs long green chili pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons black bean sauce

Instructions

1. In a medium pan over medium heat, sauté garlic with oil until fragrant. Add onion and ginger and sauté until onion is soft and translucent.
2. Mix in mushroom, butter, and parsley.
3. Lower down the heat and add white wine.
4. Mix in the coconut milk, chili pepper, and black bean sauce. Add more black bean sauce to taste.
5. Simmer for 5 minutes or until flavors blend well. Turn off heat and serve hot.

3.5.3208

I served my Vegan Filipino Escargot at a recent potluck with a group of Filipino food enthusiasts in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before serving, I stuck some toothpick to resemble the Ginataang Kuhol I oh so vividly remember. The guests seemed to enjoy eating them and took some to-go.