Becoming plant-based: part 1 - Variety is the spice of life

If you have been reading about the environmental impact of food production and consumption, and the health benefits of adopting a more plant-based diet, but aren’t sure how to go about doing it in practise, our upcoming blogs may help you.

Ingredients & cuisines

In part 1 of this series, we explore ingredients and dishes from five countries from around the world to inspire the next plant-based meal you cook. These cuisines have plant-based options that are substantial, delicious and nutritious that the whole family will enjoy.

Indian

With the number of vegetarians in India, Indian cuisine lends itself to having a wide variety of plant-based dishes that you can explore making at home. When it comes to ingredients, Indian cooking is all about the spices - turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder are just the basics to get you started in the kitchen. To get the most punch from your coriander and cumin powder, it is best to make it yourself by dry roasting the coriander or cumin seeds on a low fire until you get a wonderful aroma. Then grind it in a dry or coffee grinder until it becomes a fine powder.

The subcontinent of India is extremely diverse, with each state having its own regional plant-based favourites. What is common among many of the diverse dishes across India is the use of lentils tempered with fragrant spices and a variety of spiced cooked vegetables, served alongside basmati rice or breads like chapati, roti or poori. The lentils used in Indian cooking include whole and split mung beans (green and yellow mung dal), black gram lentil (urad dal), whole and split garbanzo beans (channa dal), red lentil, pigeon pea (toor dal), black-eye beans (lobia) and kidney or pinto beans (rajma).

As well as our own recipes, we love trying Vegan Richa’s many wonderful dishes that are created through her Indian upbringing.

Chinese

The traditional Chinese diet primarily consisted of rice, vegetables and soya in the form of milk or tofu. The China Study that was conducted by Prof. T Colin Campbell and his son found that this diet had significant benefits to health and created minimal impact on the environment. In addition to the usual vegetables, the vegetables used in Chinese cuisine include chinese eggplant, white radish, snow peas and a variety of greens (chinese cabbage, pek chye, chye sim, kangkong, kailan). These are cooked very quickly on high heat with garlic and a little soy sauce making it tasty and simple to dish out. The versatile beancurd made out of soya beans is used widely in Chinese cooking and comes in a variety of forms. Hard tofu retains its shape well and is used to make the popular dish black pepper tofu. Silken tofu can be used as a milk substitute in sauces, smoothies, dressings, or in soup, while tempeh is a tasty alternative to grilled chicken and is used in stir fries. Rice and noodles feature widely in Chinese cuisine, seasoned with soy sauce and having a variety of vegetables.

Packed with flavour and goodness, these dishes are so satisfyingly balanced with the protein from the tofu, additional protein and carbohydrate from the rice or noodles and a wealth of vitamins and beautiful colours from the vegetables. For a super quick, simple stir-fry recipe take inspiration from this Healthy Living James recipe.

Thai

Thai food and its curries make it an excellent choice for a plant-based meal. The popular green and red curries are made from pastes that combine fragrant ingredients - coriander stems and leaves, galangal (a thai ginger), lime rind and juice, chillis, and spring onions. These pastes when cooked with coconut milk provide a great base for the curries. These Thai curries can be served with rice or over rice noodles making it a warm meal on a cold, winter evening but so tasty you’ll want to eat it all year round! The flavoursome sauces are the perfect base to add your favourite vegetables to and for extra texture and protein, add some tofu. Accompanying size dishes to the curries include stir-fry vegetables, or fried (or baked for a healthier version) spring rolls filled with shredded carrots and cabbage.

For some inspiration that is bursting with flavour and colour, try this Thai tofu curry from Healthy Living James.

Italian

Italian food is very vegetarian friendly but can actually be challenging cooking fully plant-based meals, when trying to avoid cheese and other milk products. A great staple to make and keep handy is a tasty tomato sauce that can be used to rustle up a quick meal for hungry kids. Using fresh ingredients makes all the difference in a good basic pomodoro sauce - adding vegetables like diced red pepper or grated zucchini into the onion, garlic, basil and tomato (polpa di pomodoro) base. Blending the cooked mixture into a smooth sauce makes it appealing to fussy eaters and freezes nicely for an emergency quick meal.

There are so many different types of past available now, it’s not difficult to find one that is gluten-free (if required) and vegan. Stores offer so much variety; corn, brown rice, lentil, black bean, chickpea and the list goes on. With a varying shapes, colours, tastes and textures, have fun experimenting what works best with different recipes.

Another firm favourite to stir through your pasta is the classic pesto sauce! For a super simple plant-based version, look no further than Deliciously Ella’s recipe to make fresh at home.

Mexican

Who doesn’t love a delicious taco or burrito at a Mexican food stand or restaurant (and at home!)? Using refried beans, kidney beans, sweetcorn and sauteed mushrooms is a great way to make tasty fillings. Supplementing this with guacamole, homemade salsa, sliced jalapeno pepper, lettuce and tomatoes make for a substantial and delicious Mexican meal.

An ingredient that is becoming increasingly popular in Mexican food as a meat substitute is young green jackfruit. This versatile ingredient is usually sold in cans (stored in water or brine) in the Asian section of supermarkets, and can be sauteed with garlic, onions and Mexican fajita seasoning. Jackfruit is a great addition for anyone who wants the texture of meat, and because the fruit pulls apart, it gives a similar consistency to pulled pork. For some inspiration on how to incorporate jackfruit in to you Taco Tuesday (although we love them any night of the week!), watch this mouth-watering tutorial by the BOSH boys for Pulled ‘Pork’ Tacos.

Spice up your life

When people think about giving up animal products there is a tendency to think about all the foods they will be missing out on. Hopefully this week we’ve given you some flavours, ingredients and recipes to inspire your meals to be plant-based, jam-packed with flavour and totally satisfying!

Image: Photo by monicore from Pexels