Lion’s Mane Mushroom Fritters
Crispy lion’s mane mushroom fritters with sweetcorn and herbs. Golden edges, tender centre, and a structured, satisfying bite.
Back when I used to live in Thailand, one of my favourite things to order as a sharing plate was corn fritters – called “Tod Man Khao Pod” in Thailand. They are available in most Thai restaurants, and are basically just sweetcorn in a batter along with a handful of other ingredients, and fried. This lion’s mane mushroom fritters recipe is inspired by those restaurant snacks I used to love.
I chose to use lion’s mane mushroom for this recipe because they’re mild in flavour and their texture works particularly well in fritters. Their natural fibres give a genuinely meaty structure, so when you bite into them you get a satisfying tear rather than that dense, compact texture you often get with other mushrooms.It’s the reason why lions mane also works really well for vegan crab cakes and nuggets too. It’s all about the texture.
Sourcing Lion’s Mane Mushrooms
Lion’s mane mushrooms are occasionally available at farmers’ markets, especially from small-scale or specialty growers. In season, they can also be foraged with care, though proper identification is essential as with any wild mushroom. This guide can help you identify them, but only consume any foraged mushroom if you are 100% certain that you have the correct mushroom. Luckily, Lion’s Mane has no poisonous lookalikes.
An easier way to access lion’s mane outside of the season is to grow it at home. It’s one of the more straightforward species to cultivate and can produce well on simple grain spawn and hardwood pellets, without the need for additional supplementation for a solid yield.
I grow lion’s mane both to cook with and to make my own supplements for their supposed health benefits. At any one time I usually have around six fruiting bags on the go, producing roughly 1kg of fresh mushroom per week. It’s a cost-effective way to access an unusual ingredient, and it makes for a fun, interesting hobby.
Ingredients Breakdown
To make these lion’s mane mushroom fritters, you’ll need the following ingredients…
- Lion’s mane mushroom
- Sweetcorn
- Thai red curry paste
- Fish sauce
- Palm sugar
- Spring onions
- Fresh red chilli
- Fresh ginger
- Coriander
- Plain flour
- Rice flour
- Baking powder
- Lime zest
- Neutral oil for frying
Optional: Kaffir Lime Leaves would work very well here, and are traditionally used in Tod Man Khao Pod.
I chose to omit them because once I got a very bad case of food poisoning, and (probably) the dish that caused it contained them. Since then, I am unable to even smell them without feeling extremely nauseous.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prepare all vegetables
Finely slice the spring onions, chilli, and coriander (include the stems). Grate the ginger. If the lion’s mane strands are long, tear or roughly chop into bite-sized pieces so the fritters hold together evenly.
Dry-cook the lion’s mane
Heat a large frying pan (24–26cm) over medium heat with no oil. Add the mushroom and cook 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it releases moisture and the pan looks mostly dry again. The mushroom should feel lighter and slightly firmer, not wet. Remove and cool slightly.
Squeeze and chop
Transfer the cooked lion’s mane to a clean tea towel or paper towels. Once cool enough to handle, gently squeeze out any remaining liquid. Roughly chop into smaller pieces so the mixture binds evenly.
Build the flavour base
In a large bowl, combine the chopped lion’s mane, well-drained sweetcorn, spring onions, chilli, ginger, coriander, Thai red curry paste, fish sauce, palm sugar, and lime zest. Mix thoroughly so the curry paste distributes evenly.
Make the batter
In a separate bowl, mix plain flour, rice flour, and baking powder. Fold into the mushroom mixture. Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until you have a thick, spoonable batter. It should hold its shape and not run.
For this particular run, it took 6 tbsp of water to make a proper batter. The amount you need will depend on how much water you squeeze out of the mushrooms.
If you accidentally over loosen it, you can just add a little more rice flour – 1 tsp at a time – to re-bind it.
Heat the oil
Pour 1–2cm neutral oil into a wide frying pan and heat over medium. Test with a small drop of batter — it should sizzle immediately but not darken too quickly
Fry the fritters
Drop heaped tablespoons into the oil and flatten to about 1cm thick. Cook 3–4 minutes per side until deep golden brown with crisp edges. The centre should feel set when pressed lightly.
Drain and rest
Transfer to a wire rack or paper-lined tray. Rest 2–3 minutes before serving so they firm up slightly.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the fritters hot, straight from the pan, with a Thai lime–palm sugar dipping sauce:
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp grated palm sugar
- 1 tbsp warm water
- Thinly sliced red chilli
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander
Stir until the palm sugar dissolves. The sharp lime and savoury depth balance the richness of the fritters.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Fritters
Ingredients
- 300 g lion’s mane mushroom torn
- 120 g sweetcorn well drained if tinned
- 2 spring onions finely sliced
- 2 small red chilli finely chopped – adjust for heat preference
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 2 tsp Thai red curry paste
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp grated palm sugar brown sugar is also fine
- Zest of ½ lime
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander stems included
- 80 g plain flour
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 3–5 tbsp cold water
- Neutral oil for shallow frying 1–2 cm depth in pan
Instructions
- Heat a 24–26 cm frying pan over medium heat without oil. Add the lion’s mane and cook 3–5 minutes until moisture releases and evaporates. Light browning is ideal. Remove and cool slightly
- Transfer to a clean tea towel or paper towels and gently squeeze out excess liquid. Roughly chop into smaller pieces.
- In a bowl combine mushroom, sweetcorn, spring onions, chilli, ginger, curry paste, fish sauce, palm sugar, lime zest and coriander. Mix thoroughly.
- In a separate bowl mix plain flour, rice flour and baking powder. Fold into the mushroom mixture. Add cold water gradually until a thick, spoonable batter forms. It should hold its shape when scooped.
- Heat oil to approximately 170–180°C over medium heat. Drop heaped tablespoons of batter into the oil and flatten slightly. Fry 3–4 minutes per side until deep golden and crisp. Avoid overcrowding.
- Transfer to a wire rack or paper-lined tray. Serve hot.
Notes
Substitutions:
- Cornflour can replace rice flour for crispness.
- Brown sugar can replace palm sugar if needed.
Storage:
Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat in oven or air fryer at 200°C for 8–10 minutes until crisp.Usually the mushroom wasn’t cooked or squeezed enough before mixing. Lion’s mane holds a lot of moisture, and if that water stays in the batter, the fritters steam instead of crisp. Dry-cook thoroughly and squeeze out excess liquid once cooled.
Yes. Use light soy sauce in the same quantity. The flavour will be slightly different, but you’ll still get the savoury depth needed to balance the palm sugar and lime.
You can mix everything except the baking powder and water up to 6 hours ahead and keep it chilled. Add the dry ingredients and water just before frying to maintain lift and crispness. The batter should be thick and freshly mixed when it hits the oil.
You can, but they won’t be quite as crisp. Brush or spray generously with oil and cook at 190°C for 10–12 minutes, turning halfway. Look for deep golden edges rather than relying only on time.
Place them on a wire rack in a low oven (100–120°C) while finishing the rest. Avoid stacking or covering them, as trapped steam softens the crust. They should stay crisp for 20–30 minutes this way.
Serve immediately with a sharp lime and fish sauce dip to cut through the richness. They also work well with a simple cucumber salad or fresh herbs to add contrast.
