"Chef Tiffani Faison brings the heat with her mala mushrooms at Tiger Mama, where she’s crafted creative Southeast Asian-inspired dishes in Fenway since 2015. The mushroom dish features king oyster, shiitake, and cremini mushrooms — along with other seasonal mushrooms — mixed with a classic Chinese mala spice, which is both numbing and hot. “The mala mushrooms are a meaty, umami-laden alternative to a wok-fired meat dish,” says Faison, also the owner of nearby restaurants Fool’s Errand, Orfano, and Sweet Cheeks. “We make a chile oil in-house with a ton of spices, chiles, garlic, and Sichuan peppercorn. We use it in the dish while we’re hard-roasting the mushrooms in the wok and finish with vinegar.” Find it on the dinner menu or at brunch, where it’s served with a fried duck egg and white rice to soak up the heat of the sauce." - Nathan Tavares