It’s not the prettiest meal in the world, but it tastes absolutely divine! You can use any variety of mushrooms you have - and I think it would be equally nice with other spongy vegetables like eggplants or zucchini.
If it’s just me eating, I chop the mushrooms fairly roughly. If Tom is eating it, I chop them up quite finely (it’s a texture thing with him!). It will cook faster if the mushrooms are more finely chopped. Either way it will be delicious.
You can whip this up in about 20 minutes but with its velvety sauce and umami flavours, you’d think you’d slaved over a hot stove for hours. Enjoy!
Vegan mushroom stroganoff
Serves 2-3
Olive or coconut oil
3 large portobello mushrooms, chopped (see note above)
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4-5 stalks of silverbeet or chard, finely chopped (stalks and leaves)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (you will need LOTS of pepper!)
1 x 400ml can coconut milk
2 tablespoons brown rice miso paste
1 tablespoon tahini
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Vegetable stock powder
Fresh parsley and tarragon leaves, chopped, to serve
Basmati rice, to serve
Put the kettle on to boil.
Get a large saute or frying pan ( one with a lid) and add a splash of olive oil and place over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, garlic and chopped silverbeet stalks and cook until they start to soften and brown slightly. Add a little salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
Continue cooking for a minute or two, then add the coconut milk, miso, tahini, paprika and cayenne pepper, and turn the heat up slightly, stirring everything to combine. Make some stock from vegetable stock powder and the boiling water from the kettle - I usually do this in the coconut milk can to get every drop of it out, and it’s a handy measurement too, you want about 400ml or just under. Add the stock to the pan, stir well and allow the pot to come to the boil, then reduce right down to a simmer.
Add more freshly ground black pepper if you like. Stir one more time to ensure nothing is caught at the bottom and then put the lid on and set your timer for 15 minutes.
Make your rice while it’s cooking.
After 15 minutes, add the chopped silverbeet/chard leaves, and stir well to wilt the leaves. Allow to simmer another minute or two, taste for seasoning (I usually add more black pepper here), and scatter with chopped parsley and tarragon. Keep warm if you’re waiting for your rice to be ready, otherwise get your serving spoon out!
Serve in bowls with steamed rice and a satisfied smile - for even the mushroom haters tend to love this one.