Crispy roasted oyster mushrooms and chickpeas in a tasty Asian inspired marinade form the base of these incredible vegan tacos. With mango mint salsa joining the party, these fusion tacos will surprise you with their incredible mix of flavors despite being an easy weeknight dinner to cook!
For anyone still on the fence about vegan tacos, I have the definitive answer in the form of these oyster mushroom tacos. Plant based tacos can be absolute perfection.
There are so many naturally vegan options to work with and design your taco feast around. This recipe centers around oyster mushrooms, a “meaty” kind of mushroom, that bring amazing texture. They are roasted until crisp, alongside chickpeas, in a deeply umami Asian inspired marinade.
While I couldn’t quite pull this off as a 30 minute dinner, it is still a wonderful weeknight option because it’s got a great workflow. While the oyster mushroom and chickpea filling is in the oven, you can prepare the toppings, set the table and warm the tortillas with ease while it cooks. Simple.
How it works
This recipe was loosely inspired by Korean bulgogi tacos, in that we use a sweet soy and sesame marinade (though not a full bulgogi style sauce). The sauce uses a lot of toasted sesame oil – we are not being subtle here!
We then top them with a mango mint salsa, which is where all sense of genre goes out of the window.
For those who still feel like tacos need cheese or sour cream (me 10 years ago), this kind of fusion taco is perfect. You don’t expect cheese or dairy with these flavors. It’s therefore perfect to serve to new vegans, or vegan skeptic omnivores. It’s gonna be a crowd pleaser!
Which Oyster Mushrooms to Use
I have used grey oyster mushrooms here, which are the more common variety that you can find in supermarkets. Note that King Oyster mushrooms are a different ballgame – they make excellent tacos too, but the prep and cook times would be different.
I am a real fan of these oyster mushrooms for their ability to soak up flavors, and their robust texture. They aren’t as uniform as other mushrooms so you get thinner edges which can really crisp up, and the pieces will all be slightly different sizes and textures. This makes them perfect for roasting, and perfect for a dish like tacos which benefits from that variety.
Customize your tacos
- If you want to use a different mushroom, feel free to try it out, but keep an eye on the oven as the cook time may end up different. I tried these once with shiitake mushrooms and I didn’t love the result – it was umami overkill! I would suggest a less strongly flavored mushroom due to the richness of the marinade.
- If mango isn’t available, consider canned pineapple, or have a look at other fruit based salsa recipes. I definitely prefer other fruits over tomato with this recipe.
- In the photos I’ve used store bought guacamole because there were no ripe avocados around, but I actually prefer to use a slice of avocado in each taco.
- No stress if you don’t have any mint for the salsa. It’s a lovely touch but optional.
Oyster Mushroom & Chickpea Tacos
Ingredients
- 10 oz (300 g) oyster mushrooms, wiped clean
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and patted dry
- 1 avocado or pack of prepared guacamole
- red chili , sliced
- 1 lime
- 8 small tortillas, white corn tortillas are ideal
Marinade
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 1 Tbsp ginger, chopped (use a little less if grated)
- 1 Tbsp garlic, chopped (use a little less if minced)
Salsa
- ½ cup (100 g) mango, chopped into small cubes
- ¼ medium red pepper, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp red onion, finely minced
- 10 mint leaves, finely chopped
- 1 bunch coriander, finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 220C / 430F.
- Prepare the marinade by whisking all ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Add the chickpeas and oyster mushrooms to the bowl and mix to coat everything with the marinade.
- Lightly oil a baking sheet, and pour the chickpeas and mushrooms onto the sheet. Spread them out so there's no overlap, and then spritz or drizzle with a light coat of oil. (Optional – I like to add about 5 grinds of black pepper too, though there's no need for salt since the marinade contains soy sauce.)
- Place in the oven for 10 minutes, and then remove from the oven and flip the mushrooms and give the chickpeas a little mix around on the tray.
- Repace in the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes, until the mushrooms are crisp around the edges and the chickpeas are browning.
- While the mixture is in the oven, you can prepare your salsa by mixing all of the ingredients in a bowl and squeezing half of the lime's juice over it.
- Once the mushrooms and chickpeas are almost ready, warm your tortillas in the microwave or in a dry pan.
- Assemble your tacos! Spoon in some mushroom and chickpea mixture, add chili slices, salsa and avocado / guacamole on top. Squeeze a little lime juice over the top too, if desired.