Shiitake “Bacon”
Let me make this clear: for many situations, there is no alternative to bacon.
Bacon comes from the bellies of happy, fat pigs. It is salty and smoky and nothing, not turkey bacon, not smoked tofu shaped and pressed to look like bacon, and especially not mushrooms, can ever take its place.
But you know what? Sometimes I get a little curious. I mean, come on. If I told you that if you take mushrooms and soak them in a little bit of soy sauce and bake them, they taste vaguely like bacon, would you believe me?
Well, you should. And even though these won’t be quite as good in, say, a BLT, and they wouldn’t hold up to being made into bacon jam, they would be fantastic crumbled on top of a salad. Or you can do what I did and just eat slices of them from the bowl whenever you happen to pass by. And you know what? They taste genuinely delicious and don’t have any of the guilt association that eating an entire plateful of bacon would have. It’s kind of like the kale chip phenomenon: they’re not potato chips, but close enough, and waaaaay better for you. That’s worth trying.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms or similar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Directions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Stem the mushrooms (saving the stems for stock) and slice them into 1/4 inch slices. Toss the mushrooms with the soy sauce and olive oil.
- Spread the mushrooms out in one layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10-20 minutes until it reaches the crisp/chewy balance that you enjoy.
Notes
From The Delicious Life.
I like ‘em super crispy and super salty. If you would like a milder bacon substitute, cut the soy in half and the keep the baking time short.
You can also do these in a pan over the stovetop! I just… prefer oven baked bacon, so I guess I thought I’d prefer oven baked fake bacon? Anyway, just crisp them up in a skillet for about 10 minutes if you prefer stovetop action.
Music to cook by: Janglin [Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros // Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros]
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Posted in:
cooking, snacks |
Tags: bacon, faux bacon, mushroom, shiitake, shiitake bacon, snack, vegan, vegetarian, vegetarian bacon, veggie bacon
What the?! YUM! I’m absolutely trying this tomorrow night.
Ok I really can’t wait to try this for meat-free boyfriend. This sounds amazing!!
is it a dry shitaki or fresh?! sounds amazing!
Fresh! I’ve never tried it with dry, but it might work if you rehydrate them first. No guarantees, though.
This is so creative! I must try it!
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Yeap, you made me curious! I am not a vegetarian but anything healthy and new just makes my fingers itch to try it…..I do rememeber it turning into a nasty “aubergine like bacon” experience once, but then I think I did not ‘believe in it’. This idea on the other hand really sounds great! Thanks for sharing!
Blech. I have never met an aubergine I liked that wasn’t cooked in lots of butter, oil, or cheese. I think the real win with the mushrooms is the texture: it’s spot on.
Totally love this! And such a great choice, shiitakes (instead of the obvious creminis).
This is super intriguing! I’ll have to try it some time!
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i too love bacon but gave it up a few years ago. this is a must try. I featured it on my Friday Five over at Feed Your Soul so more people could appreciate the recipe. See post – http://chefpeterskitchen.blogspot.com/2012/09/friday-five_14.html
Made this this morning to have with breakfast. Used san j teriyaki sauce and it was awesome! thanks for the recipe!
Hooray! I’m so glad it worked out for you, and thanks for the tip on teriyaki sauce.
Do you need to use fresh mushrooms or can you use re-hydrated?
I’ve never tried it with re-hydrated mushrooms, so I couldn’t tell you. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
Do you need to use fresh mushrooms or can you use re-hydrated?
I’ve never tried it with re-hydrated mushrooms, so I couldn’t tell you. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
Can you make these in a dehydrator?
I’ve never tried, but I think it would work. Give it a try!
Can you make these in a dehydrator?
I’ve never tried, but I think it would work. Give it a try!
I made this tonight… it was pretty awesome! I modified it slightly… I used a low sodium soy sauce and used it more liberally than the recipe called for. I used an Organic Picual Extra Virgin Olive Oil… but I am imagining how incredible it might be if I used a flavored oil… such as garlic or chipotle.
I made this tonight… it was pretty awesome! I modified it slightly… I used a low sodium soy sauce and used it more liberally than the recipe called for. I used an Organic Picual Extra Virgin Olive Oil… but I am imagining how incredible it might be if I used a flavored oil… such as garlic or chipotle.
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Congrats! Your recipe made it on my “Recipes Tried: Vegan” board on Pinterest with a rating of 5/5!
View your pin on my board, along with any modification that were made, by visiting http://www.pinterest.com/hudleree/recipes-tried-vegan/
And thank you so much for posting this delicious recipe for me to try with my family!