If I have to name a favorite vegan ingredient that I love to cook with, I would have to go with mushrooms.
For those who are new to the vegan lifestyle, you’d be amazed by how versatile mushrooms could be. And for the vegan OGs, you know what I’m talking about!
Mushrooms can veganize dishes that would otherwise call for pork, squid, scallop, shrimp, even escargot. For this post, I’m veganizing calamari and guess what I’ll be using, yep, mushrooms. Trumpet mushrooms to be exact.
To add more flair and fun to my vegan calamari, I’ve made it into Vegan Calamari Lettuce Wraps. With just few additions of veggies like green lettuce, red onions, cilantro, and tomatoes, these vegan calamari lettuce wraps are ready to party.
While there are many vegan calamari versions floating online and in cookbooks (including one from the Millennium Restaurant!), I’m proud to say that I thought of this one after brainstorming for recipe ideas.
I did hear about one version using arborio rice. I thought, hmmm…arborio is known to be creamy and thick, maybe I could simply use glutinous rice flour instead arborio. And that I did.
Glutinous rice flour does NOT mean it has gluten. In fact it is gluten-free. Glutinous rice flour is also known as sticky white rice flour or mochiko flour. Just make sure you get the one with word “glutinous” and NOT plain rice flour which will not thicken anything.
- Calamari:
- 5-6 pieces trumpet mushrooms thinly sliced using a peeler, or sliced horizontally, core removed using an apple corer
- ¼ - ½ cup glutinous rice flour
- ½ - ¾ cup water
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon paprika (optional)
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- cooking oil (for frying)
Lettuce wrap:- 6-8 pieces lettuce leaves
- bowl of mushroom calamari
- ¼ red onion, slivered
- 1 roma tomato, slivered, seeds removed
- sauce of choice (I used assorted sauces like hoisin, dijon mustard, and cocktail sauce)
- cilantro (optional)
- In a bowl, mix glutinous rice flour and water. Add salt and paprika. Mix well.
- Prepare your frying station starting with the bowl of mushrooms, then bowl of glutinous rice flour mixture, and plate of bread crumbs.
- Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. Once hot enough, pour at least two inches of cooking oil.
- Test if the oil is hot enough by frying a small piece of mushroom. If it bubbles instantly, it's ready.
- Dip the mushroom in the sticky rice mixture then roll the mushroom on bread crumbs then fry it in hot oil until golden brown.
- Repeat steps for the rest of the mushrooms.
- Serve hot.
- Suggested Serving:
- Place 2-3 tablespoons of "calamari" mushrooms on lettuce leaf
- Top with tomatoes, onions, and cilantro.
- Drizzle with your favorite sauce on top.
You could use other kinds of mushroom but I find that trumpet mushroom is the best for this recipe.
I couldn’t get enough of how easily mushrooms can replace meat and other animal products. With just a few steps, I have myself some crunchy vegan calamari that is fun to eat by itself or in lettuce wraps.
But don’t let the lettuce wraps stop you from being creative with the “calamari”. Feel free to come up with your own way of serving these crunchy delights. Kain na, let’s eat!
yummmers
I will definitely try this! thanks!