Growing up in San Francisco, Toriano Gordon always had big dreams. He was either going to be a big-time rapper or a famous chef. But life got in the way. After a stint studying at Le Cordon Bleu, he ended up on the streets, where he fell into drugs and addiction, and experienced a brush with death.
As he put his life back together, he and his wife decided to try veganism, even though he yearned to open a barbecue restaurant. That's how he launched Vegan Mob, initially selling plates from his car.
"Once I knew that I was going to start selling the food, something clicked," Gordon says. His first dish? Calamari made with hearts of palm and seaweed from a recipe he found on YouTube. He graduated to gumbo, using what he had learned working with those two ingredients. After testing various non-dairy milks for his mac 'n cheese, he chose pea milk, which he likes because it doesn't have an underlying sweetness, the way many vegan milks do.
Eventually, Gordon expanded Vegan Mob into a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Oakland. Although it was an instant sensation, it closed in the fall of 2023. Gordon now has franchises in Oakland and San Francisco. He also wrote a cookbook, Vegan Mob: Vegan BBQ and Soul Food.
The Mobby Fried Chicken is a customer favorite at Vegan Mob. Photo by Ed Anderson.
Mobby Fried Chicken
Serves 4 to 6
There’s nothing better than some good-ass fried chicken. At the restaurant, we serve these patties with Mob Sauce, but you could definitely make a bomb sandwich with them, too. I use plant-based Better Chew Shredded Chicken for this recipe. When it’s coated and fried, it really gives you that chicken-like texture and taste. This recipe will work with any vegan chicken strips, though. Making these can get hella messy, but I promise you, it’s smackin’. Enjoy with Mob Sauce or build a po’ boy with a French roll and Tasha’s Slaw.
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning, preferably Slap Ya Mama
- 1 tablespoon seasoned salt, preferably Lawry’s
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups water
- 1 pound vegan chicken (shreds, strips, or drumsticks), preferably 2 (7-ounce) packages of Better Chew, thawed if frozen
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
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In a large bowl, mix 3 cups of the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, Cajun seasoning, seasoned salt, kosher salt, and pepper. While whisking, add the water to the bowl until the batter comes together. It should resemble a thick cake batter with no lumps. On a separate plate, mix together the remaining 1 cup of flour and a pinch of salt.
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If using vegan chicken shreds, take a small handful (about ¼ cup) and lightly coat them in the batter until you can form a disk in between your palms. Place the disk on the plate with flour and gently coat. Transfer the battered disk to a separate plate and repeat with the remaining chicken shreds. Refrigerate until firm enough to handle, about 15 minutes. If using vegan strips or drumsticks, coat each piece in the batter, roll in flour, and set aside.
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Pour 3 inches of oil into a heavy skillet or Dutch oven. Heat the oil over medium high to 350°F, or when a little bit of batter slowly bubbles up when dropped into the pan. Line a plate with paper towels.
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Working in batches, slip the battered vegan chicken into the oil and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Drumsticks will take a bit longer, about 6 minutes. Drain the chicken on the paper towel–lined plate and add a sprinkle of salt. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
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Serve immediately.
Toriano Gordon dishes out a meal at one of his Vegan Mob food trucks. Photo by Ed Anderson.
The cookbook "Vegan Mob" focuses on plant-based versions of popular soul food recipes. Photo courtesy of Ten Speed Press.