Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 300 g / 10½ oz king oyster mushrooms*
  • 20 ml / 1½ tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large shallot or ½ small onion, finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
  • 1½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne, adjust to taste
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 30 ml / 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari (for GF version)
  • 200 g / ½ x 14 oz can of plum tomatoes
  • 25 g / 2 tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup
  • 20 ml / 1½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • a few drops of liquid smoke (optional)
  • salt, to taste
  • 150 g / 2 packed cups finely shredded young cabbage
  • 6 radishes finely shredded
  • 1 carrot, finely shredded
  • small handful of coriander, super finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp / ¼ cup vegan mayo
  • 2 tsp lime (or lemon) juice
  • ½ tsp maple syrup
  • 1 garlic clove, finely grated
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 burger buns, I used homemade Pretzel buns
  • pickles (optional)

Instruction

  • Wipe the mushrooms clean and cut off the caps. Slice the caps thinly.
  • Dig a fork's tines into the stems to shred them and then pull individual strands apart with your hands (see photos).
  • Heat up the oil in a heavy bottom frying pan.
  • Throw in the diced shallot / onion, fry on a gentle heat for about 10 minutes (stirring from time to time) until translucent and lightly browned in places.
  • Add the diced garlic and fry for another 2-4 minutes, until fragrant.
  • Lower the heat, add all the dried spices. Fry them off gently, stirring the whole time, for a minute or so.
  • Add in soy sauce, plum tomatoes, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke and about 120 ml / ½ cup of water. Simmer on medium-low for about 20 minutes until the tomatoes break down - top the pan with water if it's starting to look too dry at any point.
  • At this point, I like to transfer the mixture (keep the pan for the next step) to a small blender and blitz until smooth. If you want to skip this step, make sure tomatoes are fully broken down before adding the mushrooms in.
  • Return the sauce to the frying pan, add in all of the mushrooms (caps including) to the pan and stir well to coat.
  • Add approximately 240 ml / 1 cup of water to the pan. Allow the mushrooms to simmer in the sauce for about 20 minutes until excess water evaporates and the mushrooms are soft.
  • At this point, you may want to store the cooled off mixture in the fridge overnight to intensify the flavours.
  • Set the oven to 180° C / 355° F fan function (or 200° C / 390° F if your oven has no fan setting).
  • Spread the mushrooms on a baking paper-lined baking tray and bake for about 25-30 minutes, giving the mixture a good stir every 10 minutes or so.
  • Bring the first four ingredients in a bowl together. I like to keep the cabbage in a bowl of ice water for 30 minutes or so to make it extra crunchy.
  • In a separate, small, bowl combine vegan mayo, lime juice, maple syrup, grated garlic and Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Stir the mayo dressing through the veggies until evenly coated. Check the seasoning before filling the buns with the slaw.
  • Cut the buns in half, spread some vegan butter (or ripe avocado - that's what I like to use) on both halves of the buns. Fill with pickles (if liked), pulled mushrooms, slaw. Consume straight away.