When I heard that the joint party for my mom and my niece’s birthday will be held at a park, I decided to make my grilled vegan Isaw.
Isaw (pronounced “ee-sao”) is a popular Filipino street food. Sometimes it’s made of pig parts, sometimes of chicken parts. It is marinated in simple ingredients then grilled. For the AstigVegan version, I used oyster mushrooms.
The first time I tried my vegan Isaw was when I catered for my friend’s wedding party with the theme of vegan Filipino street food. I remember that night, the Isaw was the most in-demand dish for both Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike, which was why I was excited to serve it again at my family’s event.
You can grill the oyster mushrooms as is or cut out the top part and use only the stems to a coil and make them into spiral shapes, just like the traditional Isaw shape. You can shape using your hands, no fancy equipment needed.
- 5½ ounces oyster mushrooms
- about 25 pieces bamboo skewers
- ¼ cup organic ketchup
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 tablespoon coconut nectar
- few drops liquid smoke (if smoking indoors)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable broth (optional)
- Wash oyster mushrooms before use. Alternatively, wipe clean using a damp paper towel.
- Soak the bamboo skewers in a glass of water for about a minute or two to prevent them from burning on the grill.
- Skewer oyster mushrooms 2-3 pieces per stick. To create the traditional Isaw look, form into spiral shapes.
- Prepare the grill. It’s best if you use an outdoor charcoal grill. But if you prefer an indoor grill using a stove or a George Foreman grill, you’ll need a liquid smoke.
- Combine ketchup, oil, coconut nectar, liquid smoke, and vegetable broth.
- Brush the mixture all over the mushrooms.
- Make sure your grill or grill pan is very hot. Place the mushrooms on the grill and cook for 3 minutes or until sugar has caramelized. Turn over to cook the other side and grill for another minute or two.
- Remove mushrooms from the grill and serve hot.
The Isaw was a hit at the party; it didn’t even make it to a serving tray. People were picking the skewers from the grill. I had to take pictures quickly hence the poor plating (sorry).
*Below are some scenes from the party (where I brought vegan red velvet cupcakes and the vegan birthday cake from “The Sweet Art of Cake“).
Happy Birthday to my mom and my niece. I wish you all the happiness in the world!
Oh my gosh, thanks for sharing this! I can’t wait to try it. I love my mushrooms and this looks so tasty.
Yes please do 🙂 The marinate is SUPER simple but very very yummy.
how easy! i love mushrooms and the idea to put them on a skewer is perfect!
That’s an interesting name, “isaw!” How do you pronounce it? Pls teach me tagalog! Mmmmm oyster mushrooms! Do they have to be that mushrooms?
Hi Rika, that’s “ee-sao” I wish we could meet up so I could pronounce it in person haha. You could also use shiitake mushrooms but my fave is the oyster kind 🙂
Beautiful! I’d be on those like brown on rice!
I am going to make the mushrooms!
Looking forward to hear all about it 😉
Mushrooms look really good; love that they’re BBQ’ed.
Looks so good. Will explore more recipes as they look delicious. While living in Manila my friend made a battered eggplant dish. Do you know it & may I request a recipe?