Charred mushroom tacos with pickled onions and yoghurt sauce

Serves - 4

You’ll need

• 500g mushrooms, a mix of chestnut, portobello or oyster if you like, roughly torn or sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated or crushed
• Juice of ½ lime
• 8 small tortillas
• Small handful coriander, roughly chopped
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

For the pickled onions
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• Juice of 1 lime
• Pinch of salt

For the yoghurt sauce
• 150g Greek yoghurt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Juice of ½ lime
• Small garlic clove, finely grated or crushed
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Pickle the onions

Put the sliced red onion into a small bowl with the lime juice and a pinch of salt. Give it a good toss and leave it to sit while you get on with everything else. It does not take long, but it does make a difference.

2. Season the mushrooms

Put the mushrooms into a large bowl. Add the olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, garlic, lime juice, a good pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper, then toss well so everything is properly coated.

3. Make the yoghurt sauce

In a small bowl, mix the yoghurt with the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, a pinch of salt and some black pepper. It should be cool, sharp and just loose enough to spoon. If it feels a little thick, a tiny splash of water will sort it.

4. Char the mushrooms

Heat a large frying pan or griddle pan over a high heat. Cook the mushrooms in batches if needed, so they char rather than steam, for around 6–8 minutes until deeply golden, slightly crisp at the edges and smelling like they mean business. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

5. Warm the tortillas

Warm the tortillas in a dry pan, directly over a gas flame if you are careful, or wrapped in foil in a low oven. You just want them soft and pliable, not stiff and miserable.

6. Build the tacos

Pile the charred mushrooms onto the warm tortillas, top with the pickled onions, then spoon over the yoghurt sauce. Finish with plenty of chopped coriander.

7. Serve

Serve straight away with extra lime on the side if you like. They are best eaten immediately, while the mushrooms are still hot and the onions still have plenty of bite.

A couple of helpful notes

- A mix of mushrooms gives the best texture, but one good variety is absolutely fine.
- Do not overcrowd the pan or the mushrooms will give off water and sulk rather than char.
- If you want a little extra heat, add some chilli flakes to the mushrooms or a dash of hot sauce at the end.