Vegan Birria Tacos Recipe
Spicy and savory vegan birria tacos made with juicy oyster mushrooms simmered in rich, smoky adobo broth. 100% plant-based - perfect for taco night!
Servings: 12 tacos
Calories: 194kcal
Equipment
- 1 Large non-stick skillet for the mushrooms
- high speed blender for the sauce
- 1 small skillet for frying the tacos
- medium bowl for the strained sauce
- mesh strainer for straining the sauce
Ingredients
For the Consommé
- 20 oz oyster mushrooms I use a combo of king oyster mushrooms and pearl oyster mushrooms.
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 13 guajillo chiles
- 4 pasilla-ancho chiles
- 6 New Mexico chiles
- 1-2 adobo chiles in a can
- 3 Roma tomatoes chopped coarsely
- 1 med onion yellow or white, chopped coarsely
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2.5 cups vegetable broth
- 1/8 cup vinegar white or apple cider
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1/2 tsp whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
For the Tacos
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese
- 3 tbs cilantro chopped
- 4 limes cut into wedges
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Add coarsely chopped tomatoes and onions, chiles, bay leaves, peppercorns and a cinnamon stick to a large pot and cover completely with warm water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Cover and remove from heat allowing everything to soften. In the meantime, you can start shredding the mushrooms (see step 8 below).
- Remove solid ingredients from the pot using a slotted spoon, and transfer them to your blender. Don't throw away the chili water. You'll use some of it in the next step.
- Add 1 cup of chili water to the blender, then vinegar, garlic cloves, cumin, oregano, cloves and lime juice. Cover with vegetable broth almost to the top. You may have to work in 2 batches, if your blender is smaller.
- Blend on high speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Strain the sauce (I love this strainer) over a large bowl (optional but recommended).
- If straining, use a spoon to press down on the solids in the sauce in your strainer to ensure you get every drop of sauce into the bowl.
- Once all your mixture is strained in the bowl, set aside.
- Using your fingers, shred each mushroom into small, thin pieces. This will take the longest, that's why I suggest starting this step while your sauce is cooking.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and a teaspoon of black pepper. You'll salt them too, but wait until they're almost done so they don't get watery. I fry them on medium-high heat until browned and crispy on all sides.
- Add a cup or two of birria broth to the mushrooms, stir and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
- Before you dip your taco shell into the broth, heat on both sides over an open flame on your stovetop. This will keep them from getting too soggy when you fry them. Either dip the tortilla in the sauce or use a basting brush to spread the consommé over both sides.
- Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a small skillet. Add a tortilla. open-faced to the skillet, and fry each side for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, being careful not to burn it (a few charred marks are ok). If you need to, turn down the heat. Next, add a layer of vegan birria to the taco shell, followed by a layer of cheese and a sprinkle of chopped onion and cilantro.
- Using tongs, gently fold your taco over the ingredients and press down to ensure they meld together. Place each taco on a sheet pan or large plate with a layer of paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
- Continue frying each taco until all the birria is used up. Divide onto plates and garnish with more chopped onion and cilantro. Finish with a few squirts of lime. Serve immediately with my Cilantro Lime Rice and Cantaloupe Agua Fresca (you'll need it) and a side of consommé for each guest . Enjoy!
Notes
- Before dipping your taco shells in consommé and frying them, slightly char them, open-faced, on the burner of your stove. If you skip this step, the taco shells may turn out too soggy. If you don't have a gas stove, you can do this in a non-stick pan (don't add oil) on your stovetop.
- Avoid overfilling your tacos when adding ingredients to the taco shell in the skillet. Stuffing them too full may cause them to break open when folding them over.
- When frying the shells that have been dipped in consommé, use only a thin layer of oil. In addition, you may have to wipe the pan clean after frying a couple shells and replenish the the oil to ensure it doesn't become too loaded with the birria broth.
Nutrition
Serving: 1taco | Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 324mg | Potassium: 644mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4341IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 3mg