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Every good cut of steak deserves the best mushroom sauce. We share our top 3 secrets to achieve just that – life’s too short for bad mushroom sauce, anyway!
For our classic mushroom sauce recipe, click here.
1. COOK THE MUSHROOMS
DRY FRY
It’s important to start off by frying the mushrooms in a dry, hot pan. This prevents them from becoming oily sponges. Make sure to let the mushrooms brown well – more caramelisation means more flavour!
COOK IN A SINGLE LAYER
A single layer means the mushrooms will cook evenly. There’s a fine line between steaming and sautéing mushrooms – avoid steaming, as this also results in soggy mushrooms with no texture. Do not add salt right away, as this draws out moisture and results in steaming.
CARAMELISATION
Make sure to let the mushrooms brown well – more caramelisation means more flavour!
2. ONE CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH GARLIC
There’s no greater combination than fresh garlic and mushrooms. Garlic adds a boost of flavour to any dish. Use either fresh or already crushed and only add after mushrooms have caramelised. If you add garlic too soon while you’re still caramelising the mushrooms, it will burn and add bitter notes to the sauce.
Click here for an extra creamy garlic sauce recipe.
3.THE SECRET INGREDIENT
We all know that caramelisation adds flavour to a dish; each step in cooking builds onto the previous flavour. By adding a secret ingredient, the already built-in flavour becomes more complex. Our secret weapon to adding more complex flavours is Bovril – yes, you read that right. Only 2 Tbsp (30ml) of this thick and salty meat extract adds depth of flavour to this sumptuous sauce.
SPLURGE A LITTLE
Now that you have the basics of what makes a really good mushroom sauce, splurge a little with exotic mushrooms. Don’t worry, you don’t need punnets of the stuff – a small handful of exotic mushrooms can lend flavour to a bulk of stock-standard white mushrooms. From shiitakes to roughly chopped oyster mushrooms and even little shimejis, a small amount of these can make a huge difference, providing the sauce with a depth in flavour and texture.
And that’s really all there is to it – with a few key steps to remember, one secret ingredient and a little patience, you’re on your way to making some of the best mushroom sauce!
