Cover Chana masala (Photo: Adobe Stock)
Chana masala (Photo: Adobe Stock)
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Vegan food doesn’t have to be boring with these foods from different cuisines, which are easy to make
If you’re turning vegan to reduce your carbon footprint, you may think that all that’s left for you are salads, tofu, and Impossible meats that don’t hold a candle to real meat.
But don’t say goodbye to the foods you grew up eating just yet. Cuisines all around the world boast traditional dishes that happen to be vegan. These dishes don’t have meat, nor are they pretending to have meat. They focus instead on extracting all the flavour that plant-derived ingredients have to offer. Here are five traditional foods that happen to be vegan to ease your transition to vegan-ism.
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1. Chana masala
You may have heard that Indian cuisine is the cuisine to master if you’re vegetarian. The same applies to veganism, where you’ll have no problems finding recipes to suit your vegan diet. One such recipe is chana masala, a hearty dish composed of chickpeas soaked overnight, then stewed with a bevy of spices for an intense hit of flavours. Easy and hearty, it’s best enjoyed with rice or naan.
2. Zaalouk
Morocco’s answer to baba ghanoush, zaalouk is a roasted eggplant dip that’s cooked with tomatoes, garlic, cumin and paprika for a warm and smoky flavour. A squeeze of lemon juice is not optional, as is a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top for an earthy and slightly fruity taste. It’s the perfect dip to bring to parties.
3. Ratatouille
Immortalised by the Pixar film of the same name, ratatouille is a hearty vegetable stew from Provence, France that’s fuss-free and easy to make. It sees bell peppers, zucchini, and eggplant stewed in a tomato base, perfumed with garlic, onions, herbes de Provence and basil.
If you want to replicate the upscale dish you saw in Ratatouille, look for confit byaldi instead—it sees the same ingredients sliced razor thin, roasted, then arranged artfully with a drizzle balsamic vinaigrette.
4. Mochi
Mochi is one of the most beloved Japanese desserts, and the best thing about it is that with its humble ingredients of rice flour, sugar and water, it is completely vegan. Savour these chewy rice balls with traditional fillings like red bean, or find more trendy fillings like matcha or black sesame.
5. Lokum
Lokum, or ‘Turkish delight’ as it’s more popularly known, is a confection of chewy, sweet cubes generously dusted with sugar. It’s made by cooking starch, water, and sugar until it forms a gel, then refrigerated until it can be diced. Coming in a range of flavours like rosewater, lemon, and bergamot orange, it’s impossibly sweet and addictive, just as tantalising as CS Lewis made it sound when he featured it in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
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Ethan Kan was Tatler Singapore’s dining writer.
