How about a plate of deliciously smoky and juicy pulled mushroom tacos this weekend? Pulled what!? Mushrooms! No, I am not pulling your leg (sorry, could not help myself 😉 ), promise. They are a thing and they are blooming delicious! If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you might have guessed that I’m a big fan of young jackfruit, which I have used in many recipes to replicate the texture of meat with great success and I cannot believe I’m about to say this, but… Move over jackfruit, there is a new kid on the block!
I first learned about this trick of shredding King Oyster mushroom stems into a meat-like texture from Derek Sarno’s video and I thought it was genius. I knew that they make convincing vegan scallops, but this was way cooler and I had to give it a go. When I spotted the meaty mushrooms in an Asian store in town I was over the moon – I know, I need to get out more… I tried a couple of different ways of preparing them, but treating them the same way I prepare the jackfruit turned out to be a clear winner – stew in the spices and condiments first and then bake in a hot oven till the edges get a little charred and crispy. I tucked my smoky pulled mushroom filling in some small corn tortillas and dressed them with a simple tomato salsa, some cos lettuce, a few strands of sharp quick-pickled onions, a dollop of vegan sour cream and a sprinkle of fresh coriander and I was a very happy bunny indeed. These meatless ‘meaty’ tacos make for ideal finger food and go hand in hand with some beers in the sun (I’m counting on you this weekend, Bristol!) and some fairly relaxed hosting as you can prepare everything well in advance. I don’t know about you, but since this is a long weekend and the weather is meant to be gorgeous, that’s very much in my weekend plans.
15 ripe plum tomatoes ¼ red onion, finely diced ½ small jalapeno chilli (adjust to taste), finely diced small handful of coriander, super finely chopped 2 tsp lime juice 1 tsp olive oil ½ tsp maple syrup salt and pepper, to taste
REMAINING INGREDIENTS
15 small tacos (I used shop-bought 10 cm corn tacos) Romaine lettuce, shredded quick-pickled red onions (details in this recipe) small bunch of coriander vegan sour cream or creme fraiche (I used Oatly)
ASSEMBLY
