Cochinita Pibil Tacos Made Vegan
Cochinita pibil tacos are a beloved traditional Mexican dish from the Yucatan Peninsula. Made with marinated pork meat in achiote paste, bitter orange and aromatic spices, then wrapped in banana leaves and slow cooked until fork tender. You’re going to love my vegan spin!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 162kcal
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs. oyster mushrooms shredded*
- 2.5 teaspoons achiote paste
- 3 to 4 whole garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 large bay leaf crushed
- ¼ teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1.5 teaspoons salt adjust to taste
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup orange juice
- Banana leaves
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
Toppings
- warm corn tortillas
- pickled onions
- habanero salsa
Instructions
- Shred the oyster mushrooms into even sized strips and place into a large glass bowl.
- In a blender cup add the achiote paste, garlic, oregano, cumin, bay leaf, black pepper, salt, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, apple cider vinegar and orange juice. Blend until completely smooth and the achiote paste has broken down completely.
- Pour the sauce over the mushrooms and allow to marinade for at least 30 minutes.
- After the mushrooms have marinated, preheat the oven to 390F or 200C. If your banana leaves have not been toasted then place them over a hot griddle or pan for a minute or two until they turn a darker green color and become more flexible.
- Lay the banana leaf or leaves over a baking dish (I used a 9x9) then drizzle a little bit of olive oil and rub the banana leaf with the oil. Pour in the marinated mushrooms, drizzle a little more oil over them. Then cover the mushrooms with the banana leaf. Try to push them down to create a cooking pocket.
- Roast in the center of oven for 30 minutes. Then open the banana leaf pocket, cut away the excess to expose the mushrooms. Give the mushrooms a good stir, then place back in the oven and roast another 40 minutes or until the marinate liquid has mostly evaporated and the mushrooms begin go brown a bit.
- Carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
- Serve on warm corn tortillas with chopped pickled red onions and habanero hot sauce for extra heat. Enjoy!
Notes
PLEASE NOTICE that the nutritional information doesn't not include the tortillas, pickled onions or salsa.
Other ways to serve: This delicious and easy recipe also makes a great filling for panuchos, salbutes, quesadillas and even tamales!
*If you don't like oyster mushrooms you could use jackfruit instead. Other plant protein options would be soy curls or even garbanzos would work well.
**To make an easy habanero salsa for your cochinita tacos simply finely chop habanero peppers and mix it with fresh lime juice and a little salt.
***Instead of roasting you can also cook the mushrooms in a nonstick pan until they are slightly caramelized.
Nutrition
Serving: 6servings | Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 613mg | Potassium: 806mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 3mg
