Savory Mushroom Tacos

Why This Savory Mushroom Tacos Works

As the onion and garlic sit in the warm oil, they soften and lose their sharp bite. They start to taste a little sweeter and mix into the oil, so that oil is no longer plain. When the mushrooms go in, they soak up that flavored oil right away, almost like little sponges.

During the next few minutes, the mushrooms give off a lot of water. At first they look wet and kind of gray. As that water cooks off, the pan dries out again and the mushrooms start to brown. Once they hit that stage, the smoked paprika, cumin, and chili powder stick to the outside and coat each piece instead of just sliding around the pan.

By the time the mushrooms are golden, they are chewy but not tough, and they hold together in the tortillas instead of falling apart. Warm tortillas bend without cracking, so they wrap around the filling. Fresh cilantro, lime juice, and a bit of salty feta sit on top and don’t sink in, so each bite has a mix of soft, chewy, and bright pieces.

Mistakes To Avoid

Letting the mushrooms crowd the pan in one tight layer makes them steam instead of brown. They release a lot of water, the liquid sits in the pan, and the pieces stay soft and a bit rubbery. The taco filling then turns wet and soggy and soaks through the tortillas quickly.

Starting with mushrooms before the onion and garlic are softened leaves the onion with a slight crunch and the garlic with sharp bite. By the time the mushrooms are cooked, the onion pieces can still feel firm and the garlic can hit in harsh little bursts instead of blending into the mixture.

Cooking the mushrooms on very low heat for too long causes them to leak out all their moisture slowly and then dry out. The slices shrink a lot, turn a bit chewy, and the filling ends up skimpy and slightly tough instead of juicy.

Skipping the step of warming the tortillas often leads to cracking and tearing. Cold corn tortillas are stiff, so when they’re folded around the mushroom filling, they split and the mixture falls out.