Photo by Jeff Mensch
Provenance of Dish
Tinga has the perfect mix of savory, heat, and crunch to satiate all my cravings in one recipe. My mother, Gloria, used to entertain using this recipe to introduce all my friends to authentic Mexican cuisine. Every family has their own tinga recipe, but this is our family’s take on a Mexican staple. Traditionally cooked with chicken and refried beans with epazote, this recipe lends itself to a quick and myco-friendly version. If you aren’t able to source black king mushrooms use another shreddable mushroom such as king trumpets. Any oyster mushroom variety, sliced thinly, will work for this recipe as well. One thing to note is that the sauce can be made and frozen to reuse, depending on how many mushrooms you’d like to cook. Feel free to adjust the amount of mushrooms for your needs and save the sauce for later! - Camille
Recipe
Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds of black king mushrooms
1 white onion, half sliced, half cubed
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 bunch of cilantro, leaves chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 7 ounce can of chile chipotle
black ground pepper (to taste)
2 bay leaves
salt (to taste)
1 15 ounce can refried black beans
1 package of tostadas
Instructions
1. Cut the base of the mushroom off if it is tough. With the cap of the mushroom facing away from you, shred the mushroom stalks using a fork to achieve the “shredded chicken” texture. Cut caps of mushrooms into thin strips.
2. Cut onion in half, slicing one half and cubing the other, set aside.
3. Chop garlic finely. Chop cilantro leaves and set aside.
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet, add shredded mushrooms, 1/4 sliced onion, and all of the garlic. Cook until the mushrooms are tender, roughly 4 minutes.
5. While the mushrooms are cooking, add the chopped tomato, ¼ sliced onions and 1 chipotle chile to the blender. Blend until consistency is a runny paste (similar to salsa).
6. Taste to add more chipotle for desired spiciness.
7. Add the blended paste into the large skillet with the oyster mushrooms, making sure to cover them.
8. Salt and pepper to taste, and add 2 bay leaves for aroma and flavor, simmering for an additional 3 minutes.
9. Heat the black beans on the stovetop, roughly 3-4 minutes.
10. Serve with refried beans smothered on the tostada, layer the shredded mushrooms on top of the beans, and top off the tostada with fresh cubed onions and cilantro.
