Experiment: Shiitake Mushroom Bacon aka Vegan Bacon

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Experiment: Shiitake Mushroom Bacon aka Vegan Bacon

Experiment: Shiitake Mushroom Bacon aka Vegan Bacon

I was curious to try it because it sounded like such a crazy idea that it might just work. I sliced the mushrooms and soaked them for 10 minutes while the oven was preheating. I left the smaller stalks on as I thought that this would be fine as they were less than a centimetre long and popped the drained mushrooms in the oven for 8 minutes.  When I took them out, ignoring the fact that they were hot I eagerly tried one. The firs thing that hit me was the smokey flavour followed by the saltiness.

Experiment: Shiitake Mushroom Bacon aka Vegan Bacon

Too thick with stalk on the left, better thickness and crisped up on the right

Was it bacon? Perhaps not _exactly _but it wasn't too bad. It's like the Jessica Seinfeld Spinach and Carrot brownies, it's pretty good but if you're a diehard fan expecting the real thing you may be a tad disappointed. The thinner cut pieces got crispier and therefore more bacon like than the rest, certainly the ones with the small stalk end didn't crisp up enough and just tasted like shiitake mushrooms with soy so I would suggest removing the stalk and cutting each piece about 3-4mms thick so that all of the pieces crisp up nicely. Also I found that after a while they lost their crispness and once they did, they transformed to salty Shiitakes again. I'd also suggest marinating them for a shorter amount of time as the saltiness is quite strong and the mushrooms act like sponges. As for a name? Perhaps I Can't Believe It's Not Bacon -of course advertised by Fabio.

Experiment: Shiitake Mushroom Bacon aka Vegan Bacon

Shiitake Bacon aka Vegan Bacon

  • 100grams/3.5ozs fresh shiitake mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup light soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oil

Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 400F/220C. Slice shiitake mushrooms thinly (about 3-4mms). If they have a stalk remove it and slice it in half.

Experiment: Shiitake Mushroom Bacon aka Vegan Bacon

Step 2 - Toss in soy sauce and marinate it for a couple of minutes. Drain and place on an unadorned baking sheet.

Step 3 - Bake for 8 minutes (they burn quickly so watch them!)

Experiment: Shiitake Mushroom Bacon aka Vegan Bacon

With a spinach and feta salad