Vegan Birria Walking Tacos
Author: 
Recipe type: vegan
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
These vegan Birria Walking Tacos are a fun twist on classic quesabirria tacos! Get your favorite bag of chips, toss them with some melty vegan cheese sauce, then top them with the meaty birria mushroom, fresh pico del gallo and a squeeze of fresh lime! Seriously the most delicious portable snack that’s perfect for your next get-together!
Ingredients
Birria & Consomé Broth:
  • • 2 pounds king trumpet or oyster mushrooms (see recipe notes 1)
  • • 2 TBS apple cider vinegar
  • • 8 TBS vegetable oil, divided
  • • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • • 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
  • • 1 tsp tsp maggi seasoning sauce, optional, for color
  • • 2 dried California Chiles (see recipe notes 2)
  • • 2 dried chile de arbol, optional
  • • 2 dried guajillo chiles
  • • 1 dried pasilla chile
  • • ½ large white onion, quartered and roasted
  • • 5 cloves garlic,
  • • 2 teaspoons whole peppercorns, or 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • • 3 whole cloves
  • • 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
  • • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • • ¼ tsp allspice
  • • 3 cups prepared vegan beef or vegetable broth, divided (see recipe notes 3)
  • • 2 bay leaves
Walking Tacos:
  • • 4 (3-ounce) bags of your favorite tortilla chips
  • • Vegan cheese sauce, homemade or store-bought
  • • Pico de gallo, homemade or store-bought
  • • Thinly sliced radish
  • • Thinly sliced jalapeno
  • • Fresh lime wedges
Instructions
  1. If using king trumpet mushrooms, cut off the tops, slice them thinly and place them into a large bowl. Using your hands, shred the stems mushrooms into meat-like strips (kind of like you’re pulling string cheese). Place the shreds into the large bowl and season with apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil, garlic powder, and salt. Give it a good massage to ensure all the pieces are coated. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to 3 hours.
  2. Rehydrate the dried chilis in boiling hot water (see recipe notes 4) for 10 minutes. Drain and remove as many seeds as possible. Place the chiles in a high-powered blender with the roasted onion and garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, peppercorns, cloves, Mexican oregano, cinnamon, allspice, and the prepared broth. Pulse until smooth (see recipe notes 5). Transfer the sauce to a pot over medium-high heat and add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt, if necessary. Keep warm over low heat until ready to serve.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large, non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the mushrooms in an even layer and cook without touching, until the edges begin to crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Give them a good toss and continue to cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until crisped on all sides, another 5 to 6 minutes. Add 1 cup of the consomé to the sauté pan and continue to cook while stirring until most of the sauce cooks down, 10 to 15 minutes.
  4. To assemble the walking tacos, open a bag of the tortilla chips across lengthwise, and roll down the sides. Spoon over some vegan cheese sauce, followed by a generous portion of the birria ‘meat’. Finish with pico de gallo, thinly sliced radish and jalapeno, and a squeeze of fresh lime! Enjoy!
Notes
1. If you don’t have access to oyster mushrooms, use whatever you can find! Just shred or slice them as thinly as possible.
2. If you can’t access all the dried chiles, you can sub one out for the other (except for chile de arbol, as those are the spiciest).
3. I can find artificial beef powder or bouillon at my local Asian market or on amazon.
4. Contrary to popular belief, removing the seeds from the dried chiles is to avoid bitterness, it has nothing to do with spice. If your consommé tastes bitter, it’s most likely because you aren’t removing the seeds from the chiles!
5. I have a high-powered blender, which is why my recipe doesn’t call to strain the consommé. If you don’t, you can strain it for a smoother consistency.
Recipe by Eat Figs, Not Pigs at https://www.eatfigsnotpigs.com/vegan-birria-walking-tacos/