Mushrooms are the unsung heroes of the vegetable burger. While pulses and potatoes can turn soft and mushy, mushrooms deliver a satisfying chew. Roasting brings out their natural umami and drives off moisture, leaving them chewy, caramelised and occasionally crisp. In this recipe they team up with an unexpected trio of peanut butter, soy, agave and sesame.
Oyster mushroom burgers with five-spice slaw
This recipe from Meera Sodha takes 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook, and serves four. The mushrooms are roasted at high heat until their edges char, then piled into brioche buns with a five-spice cabbage slaw.
If you only have light agave syrup, use that instead of dark – dark is richer and more caramel-like, while light is simpler and neutral. The mushrooms can also be threaded onto skewers and cooked on a barbecue, but keep them over indirect heat and stay alert.
Ingredients
For the mushrooms
- 600g oyster mushrooms
- 60g smooth peanut butter
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp dark agave syrup
- 2 tbsp red or brown miso
- 1½ tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
For the five-spice cabbage
- 200g white cabbage, finely shredded
- 5 spring onions, trimmed, greens and whites finely shredded
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp ground five-spice
- 1½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 15g coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise, plus extra to serve
To serve
- 4 brioche burger buns
Method
Heat the oven to 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9 and line two baking trays with baking paper. Break the oyster mushrooms into individual pieces and toss them in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, mix the peanut butter, sesame oil, agave, miso, soy sauce, vinegar and garlic until smooth. Pour this over the mushrooms and, using your hands like claws in an arcade machine, carefully toss until every mushroom is coated.
Spread the mushrooms across the two trays and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated and the edges are charred. Remove from the oven.
While the mushrooms roast, make the slaw. Put the cabbage and spring onions in a large bowl, sprinkle over the salt and scrunch with clean hands. Add the five-spice, vinegar, coriander and mayonnaise, and stir everything together.
To assemble, split the brioche buns and toast them for about a minute – a toaster does the job. Spread mayonnaise on one cut side of each bun, pile a quarter of the mushrooms on top, add a generous amount of slaw, clap on the lids and serve.
