Vegan Satay Skewers with Oyster Mushrooms
You won’t miss the meat when you try these Vegan Satay Skewers made with Oyster Mushrooms and a plant based satay sauce. Get the recipe below.
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Inspired by the flavours of Indonesia
One of my favourite dishes coming out of Southeast Asia is satay. I loved it when I ate meat and I still love it now. It’s such a versatile dish that you can adapt it for meat eaters and vegetarians/vegans so everyone is happy!
Satay usually refers to skewers of grilled meat that is served with a spicy peanut sauce. Depending on the location, you might find chicken, beef, pork or tofu varieties. But, I wanted to swap the tofu for something that was closer to meat in flavour and texture but still suitable for people who followed a plant based diet like myself.
I’ve used mushrooms in place of meat in lots of different dishes: Mushroom Bourguignon, Vegan Crispy Duck Pancakes and even Miso Mushroom Sausage Rolls. This time I’ve used oyster mushrooms as they perfectly mimic strips of meat. When they are grilled they stay juicy in the middle but crispy around the edges. Their shape also makes them perfectly for collecting pools of my creamy satay sauce.
Peanut sauce
The spicy peanut sauce that we drizzle over our oyster mushroom skewers goes by many names: satay sauce, bumbu kacang, sambal kacang, or pecel. But from here on our we will just refer to it as satay sauce! It’s made using roasted peanuts, coconut milk, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and other spices.
Water is also sometimes added to get the desired consistency. Some like it thick, others like it thin. I like it somewhere in the middle but you can adjust it to your own personal preference.
I like to serve mine with just a drizzle of sauce and a smaller bowl for dipping in. If you’re serving this as a starter at a meal you might want to let your guests decide how much sauce to add rather than pouring all of it over in one go!
Get grilling
There are a couple of different ways of cooking the skewers. My preferred way is to heat my griddle pan up high and add the skewers to the pan. They get nice and crispy in no time. You could also place them under the grill or pop them on a BBQ. If you do either of these two methods I’d recommend soaking the bamboo skewers first so that they don’t char when they are under/over a direct heat source.
Serving suggestions
These Vegan Satay Skewers can be served as a canape, appetiser or even as a snack or light lunch.
If I am enjoying mine as part of a light lunch I will serve with a simple shredded slaw made up of red and white cabbage, carrot, red pepper and coriander that has been lightly dressed with lime juice and a few extra peanuts.
To bulk this dish out even further you could enjoy it with sticky lime and coriander rice.
The recipe
Vegan Oyster Mushroom Satay Skewers
Equipment
- Bamboo skewers
Ingredients
For the satay skewers
- 450 g oyster mushrooms
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
For the peanut sauce
- 4 tbsp peanut butter heaped
- 250 ml coconut milk
- 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegan fish sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 lime juice only
- 1 tsp chilli flakes optional
Instructions
- Begin by soaking the bamboo skewers in water (this is particularly important if you are going to cook the mushrooms under a grill or over a BBQ).
- Toss the oyster mushrooms in the sesame oil and tamari then thread them on to the skewers.
- Heat a griddle pan or your grill on high. Cook the skewers for 5 minutes on both sides or until the mushrooms are crispy. Carefully drizzle over any leftover sesame oil/tamari as they cook. Alternatively, cook the skewers over a medium heat on a BBQ.
- While the mushrooms are cooking, put all of the peanut sauce ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth. Add a little water if you prefer a more thin consistency.
- Once the skewers are cooked, drizzle over a little sauce and serve the rest in a dipping bowl.
Nutrition
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As ever, if you do make any of my recipes please do leave a rating and a comment. I love to hear what you think!