Mexican food is my absolute favorite hands down no contest. I grew up eating it, I love cooking it, I love studying it, I just love Mexican food. So I’m on a mission to veganize as many Mexican dishes as I possibly can. With that said, please brace yourself for the most labor intensive recipe to exist on So, Ya Hungry?
Birria tacos started making their rounds on the internet around summer of 2020 while we were all stuck inside. And rightfully so, the tacos getting their spotlight, not us being locked inside. Birria tacos are a longstanding favorite of mine but since moving to the east coast, I’d pretty much all but forgotten they existed. But once I saw them online I knew I had to veganize them. It took a lot of trial and error but what resulted was one of the best tacos I’ve ever created.
I used oyster mushrooms to create the meat. I read a few different recipes and interpretations and honestly, oyster mushrooms are the only thing I found that give the right amount of chew to be comparable to meat. They also shred which is pretty rad. But if you happen to hate mushrooms I encourage you to experiment with your favorite meat replacements and find what you like best. The world is your oyster (mushroom). Okay, I’m sorry, here’s the recipe.
Consommme (sauce)
- 4 whole dried california chiles
- 3 whole dried arbol chiles optional if you don’t like spice
- 4 whole dried guajillo chiles
- 1 large white onion
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 4 bay leaves
Taco “meat”
- 8 oz oyster mushrooms or 2 flats
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
Serve with
- 10 corn tortillas
- 1 cup vegan cheese shreds
- diced onion, ciliantro and lime for garnish
- Begin with sauce. Cut open each dried chile and discard the stem, seeds and ribs. Place chiles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover with dish towel and allow to rehydrate for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut onion into quarters and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Coat in a small amount of vegetable oil and broil on high until onions begin to char.
- In a blender or food processor (you may have to work in batches) add in charred onions, garlic, drained chiles, 1 cup chile soaking water, vegetable oil and seasonings (except bay leaves). Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- *Strain into a large pot on high heat and add vegetable broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 45-60 minutes. Remove bay leaves.
- While sauce is simmering, shred oyster mushrooms into a bowl. Add in other “meat” ingredients, toss, and allow to marinate for 30 minutes. This will remove a lot of the mushroom flavor.
- Once mushrooms have marinated, add a small amount of oil to a large pan over medium heat. Add in all the mushrooms and allow to crisp, around 15 minutes. Once crisped, add 2 cups of sauce to the pan and allow to cook down for 5-8 minutes. Remove mushrooms from pan.
- To assemble tacos, dunk 1 tortilla into sauce and then place into same pan used for the mushrooms. On one half of the tortilla, add a small amount of cheese and meat. Allow tortilla to fry a bit and crisp up, about 1-2 minutes. Gently (and with tongs) fold the tortilla in half to make the taco and gently press to seal. Repeat with remaining tortillas and meat.
- Serve immediately with onions, cilantro, lime wedges and extra sauce for dipping.
*Depending on the power of your blender, you may not need to strain your sauce. I like my sauce thin and smooth so I take the time, however, I think if you have a Vitamix you should be okay. You will have 1-2 cups of sauce leftover after all is said and done. I like to freeze mine to use in other recipes.