Mushroom Chicharon

As I prepare to leave the country for a 2-week trip, I bid my kitchen farewell with a couple of mouth-watering recipes! In this first installment (2nd recipe: Mushroom Po' Boy), we make Mushroom Chicharon! 😋

Traditionally made out of pig's skin and/or intestines (eww 🤢) that are deep fried (also pretty eww 😵), are served with spicy vinegar and filipino gravy ("sarsa") as appetizer or snack. My oil-free vegan version has all the crunch and flavor that I grew up loving, without any of the cholesterol or cruelty!!

Mushroom Chicharon with Spicy Vinegar and Sarsa

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

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INGREDIENTS:

Mushroom Chicharon:

• 1 lb mushroom; I used Oyster mushroom

• Wet coat:

- 1/2 cup aquafaba

• Dry coat:

- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

- 1/4 cup almond flour

- 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs; I used homemade (see notes*)

- 1.5 tsp onion powder

- 1.5 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tsp paprika

- 1 tsp coconut sugar

- pink salt and pepper, to taste

OPTIONAL: Spicy Vinegar:

• 1 cup white vinegar

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1/4 red onion, minced

• chili peppers, chopped

• black peppercorns

OPTIONAL: Sarsa (not bad for first attempt, will tweak and fine tune soon):

• 1/4 cup of whole wheat bread crumbs

• 1/4 cup white vinegar

• 3 tbsp tahini

• 3 tbsp coconut sugar

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1/4 onion, minced

• 1-2 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire

• fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

• 2-4 tbsp of water, add 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency is achieved

DIRECTIONS:

Mushroom Chicharon:

1. Put aquafaba in a bowl. Combine all dry coat ingredients in a separate bowl.

2. Dip mushroom in aquafaba.

3. Then toss mushroom in dry coat.

4. Optional: For more crunch, you can repeat steps 2 and 3 before airfying.

5. Airfry at 400 x 8 mins, flip over. Then airfry for another 5-7minutes at 400. (Time will depend on how bulky your mushrooms are. Be careful not to burn them!)

Spicy Vinegar

1. Combine all ingredients in a jar and let sit in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, even better overnight, so the flavors can fully marry.

Sarsa

1. Whisk to combine all ingredients in a sauce pot.

2. Simmer until mixture thickens.

3. Adjust salt and spices to taste, and add water as needed for desired thickness.

Notes:

* I toasted 2 slices of whole wheat bread, then processed them in the blender