King Oyster Mushroom Vegan Birria Tacos
These Vegan Birria Tacos are made with King Oyster Mushrooms and a red lentil consommé, making them meaty, delicious, and filling.
Servings 10 tacos
Calories 104kcal
Equipment
- Ninja Foodi
- Instant Pot
- Skillet
Ingredients
Sauce (Red Lentil Consommé)
- 2 dried Guajillo Chiles note 1
- 2 dried Anchor Chiles note 1
- 1 dried Pasilla Chile note 1
- 4 ½ cups water, divided
- 1 chipotle in Adobo sauce note 1
- 2 "Not Beef" broth cubes note 2
- 2 teaspoon Mexican oregano note 1
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ceylon cinnamon note 2
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ large white onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup red lentils note 3
- 3 bay leaves
- squeeze lime or key lime
- salt and pepper to taste
King Oyster Mushrooms Meat
- 1.5 - 2 pounds King (Trumpet) Oyster Mushrooms or 3 large King Oyster Mushrooms note 4
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter, divided note 5
Tacos and Toppings
- Corn Tortillas
- Vegan cheese (I like Violife)
- Cilantro
- Onions
Instructions
Sauce (Red Lentil Consommé)
- Start by cutting off the ends of your dried Guajillo Chiles, Anchor Chiles, and Pasilla Chile and remove the seeds. This helps calm down the heat of the peppers. These seeds carry the most heat so be sure to wash your hands after deseeding these peppers before you touch anything else.
- Over high heat, in a medium pot, bring 1 ½ cup of water to a boil. Add dried deseeded peppers to boiling water, then immediately turn off heat. Let it steep for 20 minutes to rehydrate.
- Once peppers are done hydrating, remove from pot and add them to a high speed blender. Discard the water that you use to steep the peppers (DO NOT USE THIS WATER AS IT IS BITTER). To a high-speed blender also add your 1 Chipotle chili in Adobo sauce, 1 cup of fresh water, not beef broth cubes, Mexican oregano, thyme, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder. Blend till smooth.
- In your Ninja Foodie or Instant Pot, turn on the sauté function to medium high until it heats up. Add your oil and then add your chopped onions. Sauté for 2 minutes and then add your minced garlic. Sauté for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
- Take your blender cup, and pour sauce into the pot (if you do not have a high speed blender, you will need to run your sauce through a strainer), along with your red lentils. Stir for a few of seconds to fully mix ingredients. Pour 2 cups of water in your blender, shake it up to remove any remaining sauce, and then pour that into your pot. Top with bay leaves.
- Place the pressure cooker lid on top. Make sure the knob is turned to seal. Press the pressure cooker button. The temperature should be set on high. If not, set it to high. Set the time for 25 minutes and press start. The pressure will take about 8 minutes to rise before it starts cooking.
- Once it is done do a natural release for 10 minutes and then release pressure by turning the knob to vent allowing the air to escape. Add squeeze lime and salt and pepper to taste, adjusting seasonings to your liking.
King Oyster Mushrooms Meat
- Preheat your oven 400° F. Take a large baking pan and oil it with ½ tablespoon of vegan butter.
- While the peppers are hydrating, begin to clean and shred your oyster mushrooms. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel wiping them down. Cut off the bottom ends of the king oyster mushrooms as that part is very tough and freeze them to add to homemade broths later. Cut off the tops and chop them up finely. Keep this part as it's very tender.
- Slice your king oyster mushrooms length wise down the middle. Then with each slice take your fork and comb through it creating a shredded texture. Do this for all your mushroom slices until they are all nicely shredded.
- Transfer your shredded king oyster mushrooms to a baking pan spacing them out. Season with onion powder, garlic, and top with ½ tablespoon of vegan butter. Toss to coat evenly. Add to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. This will help the oyster mushrooms crisp up and become tender and less chewy.
- Once 10 minutes has elapsed, remove mushrooms from the oven. Once the sauce is done, reserve 1 cup. Grab a skillet and place over medium heat. Add your oyster mushrooms to the pan along with your consommé sauce and stir until the sauce fully coats the mushrooms for 2 to 3 minutes.
- An alternative method is to keep your oyster mushrooms on a baking sheet, add your sauce on top, toss to coat and bake again for another 10 minutes uncovered. Either method is fine to incorporate the sauce with the king oyster mushrooms. Now it is time to assemble your tacos!
Tacos and Toppings
- On the stove, grab a pan and place on medium heat, add a bit more oil. Dip your corn tortilla into the sauce and place onto the pan – repeat with as many tortillas as will comfortably fit into the pan.
- Add a spoonful of vegan cheese and 2 tablespoons of the mushroom ‘meat’ onto one side of the tortilla and top with some more vegan cheese. Cook until the bottom of the tortilla is lightly browned and crispy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Fold tacos in half, gently by pressing down with a spatula and using your tongs to fold over the tortilla. Repeat the process for as many tacos as you will be serving.
- Add your consommé sauce to a small serving dish and add in fresh cilantro and onions. Serve tacos hot with sauce for dipping and/or sipping.
Notes
- DRIED PEPPERS: The BEST place to find these ingredients are at your local Latin Supermarket or order online on Amazon. You can freeze the remaining chipotles in Adobo sauce from the can.
- BROTH CUBES: You can use your preferred cubes or broth in general. If using broth, replace the 1 cup of water used to blend with 1 cup of broth.
- RED LENTILS: This is optional and can be omitted if you like a thinner sauce. I use it because it adds protein and thickness.
- KING (TRUMPET) OYSTER MUSHROOMS: You can substitute with regular oyster or jackfruit.
- VEGAN BUTTER: The vegan butter is needed to help tenderize the oyster mushrooms. I am not sure if oil will do the same thing.
- SLOW COOKER & STOVE TOP: To make in slow cooker, cook for 6-7 hours. To make on the stove, simmer for 1 hour.
- STORAGE: Store for up to 4 days. The sauce can be frozen for up to 1 month if you have left overs. The tacos themselves do not freeze well.
Nutrition
Serving: 1taco | Calories: 104kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 199mg | Potassium: 758mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 535IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 3mg