All About the Veg! is a bi-weekly recipe column in which Best of Vegan contributor Seiran Sinjari breaks down one amazing plant at a time. In today’s column, she’s revisiting the fascinating world of fungi with oyster mushrooms that work particularly well for veganized dishes that traditionally would be made with meat or chicken. Her recipe for Vegan Loaded Fries with Oyster Mushroom Shawarma is a must-try!
We’re revisiting the world of fungi this week because they are in season so why not enjoy the seasonal abundance! This time our star is the beautiful oyster mushroom.
There are different varieties of oyster mushrooms and the one we most commonly see and use is the pearl oyster mushroom, it’s also what we’re using for today’s Vegan Loaded Fries with Oyster Mushroom Shawarma. The pearl oyster mushrooms are very mild in flavor with slightly earthy notes. Their texture is tender yet a little firm, they absorb seasonings in no time and don’t require much cooking time, which makes them the perfect substitute for meat. Really a wonderful ingredient for vegan cuisine that I’m sure you’ll love if you haven’t tried it yet.
You can get really creative with oyster mushrooms and they work particularly well for veganized dishes that traditionally would be made with meat or chicken. One of my favorite methods for cooking them is to shred them by just gently pulling them apart with my hands into thin or chunky strips (depending on what I’m cooking) and season while I pan-fry them. Another favorite is to coat them whole in batter and fry for a crispy bite.
If you don’t know where to start, I’ll make it easy for you. Start here, with these Vegan Loaded Fries with Oyster Mushroom Shawarma. Traditional Shawarma, which is a very popular Middle Eastern street food, consists of thin slices of cut meat that has been marinated and then cooked on a rotating spit vertically and typically served in a wrap or pita bread with condiments such as tahini sauce, veggies, onions, and pickles.
The recipe I’m sharing today is full of flavor and texture, it’s something for those days you crave something really indulgent, aromatic, and savory. You have the crispy fries, meaty oyster mushroom shawarma with warm spices (that will fill the house with an incredible smell), creamy and garlicky tahini sauce, tangy pickles, and sumac shallots (plus some hot sauce for us who like it spicy). Yes, it has it all and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do! PS. You can of course also serve this the traditional way in a wrap or in pita bread instead of the fries.
Ingredients
For the Oyster Mushroom Shawarma:
- 400 g pearl oyster mushrooms
- 1 white or yellow onion - sliced
- 1 ½ tbsp shawarma seasoning - recipe below or use ready-made blend
- pepper to taste if needed - it’s already in the seasoning blend
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- optional: 1 tsp dark mushroom soy sauce for nice brown color and extra umami - add before salt so you can adjust salt accordingly
For the Crispy Fries:
- 3-4 large waxy potatoes - scrubbed (keep skin if tender) and cut into fries sized sticks
- 1 tsp salt
- flaky sea salt
- oil for frying
For the Garlicky Tahini Sauce:
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 3 tbsp vegan natural unsweetened yogurt - preferably Greek-style yogurt
- 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove - minced
- salt to taste
- 3-4 tbsp cold water
For the Sumac Shallots:
Other Toppers:
- 2 tbsp finely chopped savory pickles
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- optional: hot sauce of preference
Shawarma seasoning:
- 1 tbsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp ground allspice
- ½ tbsp ground cumin
- ½ tbsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tbsp onion powder
- ½ tbsp ground turmeric
- ½ tbsp ground sumac
- ½ tbsp sweet paprika powder
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp chili powder
- Mix everything together and store in an air-tight glass container.
Instructions
Oyster Mushroom Shawarma:
- Clean the mushrooms by either gently giving them a quick rinse and let dry on clean kitchen cloth or clean them individually with a slightly damp kitchen cloth. Then shred them by pulling them apart with your hands into 1 cm thick strips.
- Heat a large pan, add the mushrooms and cook over medium heat, occasionally tossing, until most liquid has evaporated. Then add the oil, onion, all seasoning and salt, combine well. Fry over medium heat, stirring every now and then, until onions are soft and some pieces of the mushrooms turn slightly crispy.
For the Crispy Fries:
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add 1 tsp salt and the cut potatoes. Boil for 2 minutes then drain and let cool completely and dry on clean kitchen or paper towels.
- Add 3-4 cm (1 ½ inch) of oil in a dutch oven or other pot suitable for frying. Heat the oil to 150 °C / 300 °F, add potatoes (in 2-3 batches) and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove from oil and let excess oil drip off on paper towels while they cool.
- When you’ve fried all batches and the fries have cooled, heat oil to 175-200 °C / 350-400 °F and start over again and fry each batch for 3-4 minutes again or until they are golden brown. Remove from oil and let excess oil drip off on paper towels and sprinkle with flaky sea salt immediately. (Second fry should be done just before serving so prepare all other steps before making this recipe.)
For the Garlicky Tahini Sauce:
- Whisk together all ingredients except for the water in a small bowl then slowly add one tbsp of water at a time until you have a creamy sauce, add water more if it’s too thick.
For the Sumac Shallots:
- To cut down the sharpness of the onions a little, place the sliced shallots in ice water for 15-30 minutes then drain well (you can also skip this step).
- Mix onions with remaining ingredients in a small bowl, set to the side.
Serving:
- The mushroom shawarma can also be served in a wrap or pita bread with the same condiments and more vegetables.
Notes
Recipe, text, and photography by Seiran Sinjari.
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