This 30-Minute Thai Mushroom Salad is tangy, spicy, amazingly delicious yet deceptively easy to make. Topped with toasted rice powder for a delicious crunch.
This Thai Mushroom Salad is a vegan version of my favorite Thai Beef Salad. It’s perfect for Meatless Monday or for when you’re looking for a light and healthy dish that’s not lacking on flavor.
It’s loaded with intense, tangy flavors. Citrus, lemongrass, mint and cilantro dance around with a bit of lime juice, spicy jalapenos, and a pinch of brown sugar to lend some sweetness and balance it all out.
Mushrooms are the perfect meat substitute for this easy & healthy weeknight dish. They cook up quickly, are filled with umami flavor, and they’re fat-free, cholesterol-free and super low in calories.
You can choose any of your favorite mushrooms for this dish, but they should be meaty. The good thing is mushrooms are always in season and you can always find plenty of varieties in the store. I chose to use portobellos and shiitakes. But you could also use cremini mushrooms or oyster mushrooms.
I grilled my mushrooms to give them an extra delicious smoky flavor. You’ll want to rub them with some oil first and slice any large mushrooms (like portobellos) in half. Then, set them aside and let them cool a bit while you prepare the dressing.
Thai mushroom salad dressing ingredients
- Garlic
- Jalapeno
- Lime
- Olive Oil
- Soy Sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Lemongrass
- Red Chile Flakes
Be sure to taste the dressing as you go and add more or less jalapeno or red pepper flakes to suit your taste, keeping in mind that jalapenos can vary drastically in heat. If you prefer a milder salad, you can remove the veins and seeds from the jalapeno before using it in the recipe. You can also omit the red chile flakes.
And, while you’re tasting for heat, it’s also a great time to add more or lime juice, sugar, or fish sauce. Give it a taste and adjust. You’re looking for the perfect balance of spicy, salty, sweet.
The final ingredient that I’m adding to this vegan mushroom salad is toasted rice powder. I think of this rice powder as my Thai alternative to croutons. It gives an amazing crunch to the Thai Mushroom Salad and has a nutty, almost creamy flavor to it.
To make it, just toast some white rice grains in a small sauté pan and then grind them up using a mortar and pestle, until they’re about the size of breadcrumbs.
You can also use a coffee grinder to get that breadcrumb like texture. Honestly, that’s what I do most often. Just be sure to run a batch of rice through there first, before you grind up the rice that you’re actually going to eat. That way you can wipe it clean and be sure that no coffee grounds remain.
Tip: This is also a great way to clean your coffee grinder.
Regardless of how you prepare it, don’t skip the rice powder, I guarantee it’s worth the extra little bit of effort, and just adds that perfect finishing touch.
Erin’s wine pairings for Thai mushroom salad
More Thai food recipes
More vegan dinner ideas
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Full Recipe
Thai Mushroom Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 jalapeno (halved)
- 1 lime (juiced)
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons lemongrass (minced, remove the tough outer leaves and slice the tender white core)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
Mushrooms
- 10 ounces mushrooms (such as oyster, king oyster, cremini, and/or wild mushrooms, tough stems trimmed and any large mushrooms halved through the stem)
- Drizzle vegetable oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 medium shallots (thinly sliced)
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves (loosely packed, roughly chopped)
- 3 Tablespoons cilantro (leaves and stems, roughly chopped )
Rice Powder
- 2 Tablespoons rice (uncooked )
Fore serving
- Lettuce (of your choosing)
- Cherry tomatoes (halved)
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Prepare a grill, to cook with medium heat. Or preheat a grill pan or heavy skillet over medium heat.
- Toss the mushrooms in a bowl along with just enough oil to lightly coat them. Grill the mushrooms, turning them over occasionally, until they’re cooked through and deep golden brown in spots, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the mushrooms, transferring them as they’re cooked to a cutting board. Cut any large mushrooms into bite-size slices, about 1/2 inch thick. Leave any small mushrooms whole. You should have about 1 cup of chopped, cooked mushrooms. Let them cool slightly as you make the dressing.
Dressing
- Mince the garlic and one of the jalapeno halves and place in a small bowl. Slice the remaining jalapeno half into thin rings and add it to the bowl, along with the lime juice, soy sauce, olive oil, lemongrass, brown sugar, and red chile flakes. Taste and adjust seasonings with additional lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, if needed. Stir well and set aside.
Rice Powder
- Put rice in a small frying pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the grains are toasted and golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and then grind into a coarse powder in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
Assembly
- In a medium bowl, combine the mushrooms (and any accumulated juices), shallots, mint, and cilantro. Stir the dressing and pour it on top. Toss gently. Add the ground toasted rice, and toss. Serve over lettuce with cherry tomatoes.
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