New recipe time! These mushroom tacos have so much flavour and texture and are completely vegan. Simple to make and I’m calling them ‘carnitas’ as they have the texture of my favourite kind of  carnitas taco… when the pork has been tossed on the grill before serving and got delightful crispy edges.

You can also make the mushroom filling in advance and heat it up briefly in a pan before serving, or just eat cold. Making them a perfect meal to prep for lunches, if that’s what you need. The fried jalapeno slices add a pop of fresh heat and crispy texture that’s perfectly balance by that cashew lime crema.

I’ve added some slightly different spices to the mushrooms to give them a lovely caramel colour – a touch of cocoa and cinnamon. Sounds a little odd right? Mixed with the oregano and smoked paprika the flavour makes me think of a mole and it’s incredibly delicious.

The type of mushrooms you use will effect the texture so try to source oyster mushrooms if you can. A mixture of enoki and swiss brown or button mushrooms would also be yummy but finely sliced oyster mushrooms give a texture closest to shredded meat.

The ingredients list looks long but as long as you have some cabbage, the mushrooms, sauce and jalapenos everything else is up to you! It is best to soak the cashews for a minimum of 2 hours or just overnight to get the creamiest texture. It looks more complicated than it is, all the processes are super simple you just have to go step by step and ake sure you have everything prepped before you start. It doesn’t actually take long and is totally worth it.

Makes 6 tacos multiply to make more

Ingredients

Lime Crema

1/3 cup cashews

juice and zest of 1 lime

salt to taste

1 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil.

Mushrooms

200g oyster mushrooms

1/4 cup finely chopped spring onion

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cocoa powder

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 tomato

Cabbage

1.5 cups finely shredded red cabbage

1 tsp white wine vinegar

pinch of salt

Fried Jalapeno Slices

1 Jalapeno (fresh) finely sliced

1 Tbs cornflour

salt to season

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

To serve

6 corn tortillas

1 radish, finely sliced

2 Tbs spring onion

1/2 an avocado, finely sliced

1/4 cup coriander leaves

Directions

Place cashews in a bowl and cover with warm water. Leave to soak for at least 2 hours or overnight. Once softened, drain and blitz in a food processor to a smooth paste. Add the lime zest, juice, oil and salt and 2 Tbs of water. Process until smooth, add more water 1 Tbs at a time until it resembles mayonnaise in consistency.

Place cabbage in a bowl and toss with vinegar and salt. Set aside for 15 minutes before using. Or just until you’re finished making the ‘shrooms!

Slice the mushrooms finely so that they look ‘shredded’. Set aside. Quarter the tomato and remove the pulp. Set aside, and then dice the flesh, this will garnish the tacos.

Toss the jalapeno slices in the cornflour. Place a medium sized fry pan on medium high heat and add the 1/4 cup of oil. Once hot, shake the excess cornflour off the jalapeno slices and add, one at a time so they don’t clump, to the pan. Fry for 30 seconds-1 minute either side or until golden. Remove and drain on a wire rack. Sprinkle with salt while hot. Leave oil in the pan.

Add the mushrooms, spring onion, garlic, oregano, cocoa, cinnamon and paprika to the oil and stir to combine. Fry for 5 minutes, moving around the pan regularly. Add the tomato pulp and stir, cook for a few more minutes. The mushrooms should now be softened, with crispy edges and a caramel colour. Remove from the pan, wipe the pan out and return it to heat.

Warm the tortillas in the pan Then build your tacos: cabbage on the bottom topped with the mushrooms, radish, avocado, spring onion, tomato and drizzle with the crema. Sprinkle over the fried jalapenos and enjoy!

HH. x