Pasilla Chili Braised Mushroom Tacos with Walnuts and Dill
The #VeganMofo theme for today asks us to prepare an original vegan dish that isn’t trying to replicate meat/omni ingredients. We love a good taco, so we thought we’d start there. Mushrooms are wonderfully full-flavoured and hold up well to strong seasoning, so we’ve combined them with a roasted Pasilla chili sauce. We give it a little crunch with some toasted walnuts and some herb notes with fresh dill. It makes for an unusual, but fantastic, vegan taco. One of the keys to this recipe is the use of refined coconut oil. It adds a degree of richness that is common in Mexican cuisine. Refined coconut oil has had the coconut flavor removed, leaving behind a rich oil with a very mild flavor. I’m almost temped to suggest that you skip this if you don’t have refined coconut oil to work with. It makes that much of a difference to the final product. If you have to, substitute a neutral vegetable oil for the coconut oil.
- 2 dried Pasilla chilies, stems and seeds removed.
- 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1 cup water
- 1 lb assorted mushrooms (we used a mix of crimini, shiitake, oyster, Portobello and lion’s mane. The bits in the photos that look creepily like shredded pork are the Lion’s Mane mushrooms)
- 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil (substitute a vegetable oil if refined coconut oil isn’t available)
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- ½ cup raw walnut pieces, or roughly chopped walnut halves
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil (substitute a vegetable oil if refine coconut oil isn’t available)
- 8 corn tortillas, 4-in diameter, preferably freshly made
- Heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat until hot (a cast iron frying pan would be best)
- Add the unpeeled garlic cloves to the pan and toast until well charred on all sides, around 5-6 minutes. Transfer to a plate
- Add the pasilla chilies to the pan and toast for around 30 seconds on each side, or until well toasted but not burnt.
- Transfer to a bowl. Heat the 1 cup of water until hot and pour over the chilies. Allow them to rehydrate for 30 minutes.
- When they are rehydrated, transfer them to a blender along with their soaking liquid. Peel the garlic cloves and add them to the blender. Blend everything together until pureed.
- Heat the refined coconut oil in a large frying pan until very hot. Add the mushrooms. Cook until they are well browned.
- Lower the heat and add the pasilla puree to the pan. Cook until the sauce has almost completely reduced and the mushrooms are tender. Add a little more water if needed.
- When they are done, remove them from the heat and stir in the red wine vinegar and salt. Taste and season to taste.
- Heat a small pan over medium heat until hot.
- Add the refined coconut oil and when it is hot add the garlic. Cook gently for a minute to soften.
- Add the walnuts and cook, stirring frequently, until they are lightly toasted.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the dill
- Season with salt and set aside
- Top each of the freshly prepared corn tortillas with an equal amount of the pasilla mushrooms and top with an equal amount of the toasted walnut mix.
7 Comments
Katie
October 7, 2017 at 1:08 pmOh my gosh! This looks so good. I might have to try it for my next taco date night.
Two Happy Rabbits
October 8, 2017 at 11:08 amIt’s a nice combination. Not overly spicy (though pasillas can vary). The oil makes it a little rich, which is nice with mushroom. If you make it, I’d love to know what you think!
Jenny
October 8, 2017 at 5:22 amWow, they look good! I’ve never heard of Lion’s Mane mushrooms and now I feel like I’m missing out!
Two Happy Rabbits
October 8, 2017 at 11:07 amThey can be hard to find fresh outside of the areas they grow. They have a unique texture and mild flavour. In the pictures, they are the pieces that look eerily like shredded pork
Sara
October 8, 2017 at 9:39 amThis looks great! I love the combination of mushrooms with nuts or seeds, so I’m eager to try this (:
Two Happy Rabbits
October 8, 2017 at 11:04 amThanks, Sara!
Vegan Month of Food 2017 Week 1 Recap - Two Happy Rabbits
October 12, 2017 at 9:23 pm[…] Day 7: An Original Vegan Dish […]