Vegan Birria Tacos

[nverland]

Vegan Birria Tacos
Prep Time 40 minutes Cook Time 55 minutes Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

*For the Paste
4 dried guajillo peppers
3.5 ounces chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (half of a 7-ounce can)
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup fire roasted tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon ground cloves

*For the Vegan Birria
¼ cup olive oil
1 ½ pounds pearl oyster mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, diced
4 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste

*For the Tacos
2 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed
12 corn tortillas, or more as needed (Note 1)
¾ cup shredded vegan cheese


Instructions

Cut the tops off of your guajillo chiles, then shake the seeds out. You can cut slits up the sides of the peppers as well if this makes it easier.

Place the peppers into a small bowl or heatproof cup, then cover them with just boiled water. Let the peppers soak for 20 minutes. You can prep your other ingredients, such as the mushrooms and onion, while you wait.

Once the peppers have finished soaking, remove them from the water and place them into a blender or small food processor fitted with an s-blade. Add all of the remaining ingredients for the paste, and blend until smooth.

To make the vegan birria, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes, until they soften and shrink a bit.

Add the onion to the pot and cook it with the mushrooms for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it softens slighty.

Add the paste to the pot with the mushrooms and onion. Stir to combine the ingredients, then sauté the mixture for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.


Stir the broth and bay leaves into the pot. Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and let the mixture simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are very tender and the liquid has reduced by a third or more.

Once the birria has finished simmering, remove the pot from heat. Remove the mushroom filling (the birria) from the liquid (the consommé) either using a slotted spoon, or by carefully pouring the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Season the birria and consommé with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the tacos, coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil and place it over medium heat.

Once the oil is hot, dip one side of a tortilla into the consommé, then place the tortilla, dipped side down, into the hot skillet. Repeat the process for as many tortillas as you can fit into the skillet without them overlapping. Place about 3 tablespoons of the mushroom birria filling in a strip down the center of each tortilla, then top the filling with about a tablespoon of shredded vegan cheese.


Let the tacos cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the tortillas have gotten crispy, then carefully fold the tortillas in half over the fillings. Cook the tacos for a minute or two longer, until the cheese has started to melt, then remove them from the skillet and transfer them to a plate

Repeat the cooking process until all of the tortillas and filling have been used.

Serve the tacos with consommé on the side for dipping, along with any accompaniments of your choice.

Recipe Notes
Make sure you have about 16 tortillas on hand.
This recipe makes about 12 tacos. Each serving contains about 3 tacos.