So we’ve travelled to North Africa, we’ve stepped foot in Europe, but now it’s time to cross the Atlantic to the home of an incredible cuisine, exploding with flavours in everything from their national dish of Ackee and Saltfish, to curried goat and of course Jerk.
Today, however, we’re looking at something different – the humble patty.
Living in the UK or US, when the word patty crops up, it’s likely that a burger patty is the first thing to spring to mind. Actually, Jamaican patties are similar to pasties/empanadas, whatever you want to call them – basically a delicious thick and flaky pastry filled with a spicy, juicy mix of most commonly ground beef, but the possibilities are endless, with other options including shrimp, chicken and fish.
The pastry often has a yellowish tint, tinted by the spices mixed into the dough, which can include turmeric and curry powder.
Following the British colonisation of Jamaica, pasties were introduced, and so the Jamaican Beef Patty developed as a derivative of those that were first imported. From there, the influence of spices from Indian workers in the Caribbean led to the curried, cumin flavours in the pastry.
I first tried a patty from the Jamaica Patty co. in London but instead of the traditional beef, I opted for a curried goat version. The pastry was a really vivid orangey hue, and was incredibly flaky – imagine it like biting into a croissant, and as you do so, loads of flakes of pastry, big and small, break away, and at the end, you’re left with a paper bag full of thin pastry flakes. The filling was so delicious – a super rich, deep in colour curried goat, tender in texture and full of flavour. My first patty experience was a winner and I’ve loved the concept of them ever since. I’d even say the flavours appeal to me way more than Cornish pasties – I much prefer a pastry packed to the brim with a meaty filling rather than padded out with carby veg and potatoes.
Now that was around 6 months ago and I hadn’t tried one since, but the other day, flicking through my favourite cookery book – Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen (such beautiful photography in there, and full of colour), I realised I already had all the ingredients to try his patty recipe. I hadn’t expected much and wasn’t particularly bothered about making them, I just wanted to use up the ingredients I had.
In some ways, having no expectation made it even more exciting when they turned out like this:
So the pastry wasn’t as flaky as I’ve heard is common in Jamaica (and like the one from Jamaica Patty Co) but I’m pretty sure for an amateur cook this is more difficult to achieve anyway. The flavour, however, in the pastry alone was insane. I could’ve eaten a load of the baked dough on its own; a shiny, golden shell full of spices. The filling I enjoyed, a rich, almost gravy-like minced beef mix, but it didn’t compare to the curried goat one I’d tried previously.
These patties can be eaten as the main part of a meal with sides, as I had for my dinner, or simply as a snack.
I desperately want to visit Jamaica to indulge in all their amazing food, so hopefully when travel becomes possible again, that’ll be my first stop.
If you’re bored of baking sweet treats this lockdown, why not give a savoury bake a go – there are so many simply patty recipes online.
But for now, I’ll leave you with some food for thought – Team Patty or Team Pasty? You decide…
I love following recipes. When I’m conscientiously working step by step through someone else’s instructions for a masterpiece, I’m learning.
More recently, however, I’ve started to think that although I do love other people’s recipes, the only way to take my cooking to the next level, is to trust myself a little bit more, and take what I’ve learnt, trying to put that into practice to produce my own recipe-less meals.
I had an Indian takeaway the week before last, and realised that my absolute favourite kind of curry is that creamy, thick, slightly sweet sauce. Sort of like a korma, but sweeter. That’s not to say that I’m not good with spice, because I love the heat, but I’m just such a sucker for sweetness.
That creamy takeaway curry that I adore
I don’t think I’ve ever followed a cookbook or internet recipe that has successfully emulated this sweet and fragrant kind of curry sauce, so that’s where my mission came in.
I’m very happy with the paste I’ve managed to produce. It’s so full of flavour, and could be adapted to work with a variety of main ingredients, so if you’d rather try chicken, or wanted to substitute the spinach for chickpeas, etc., it would work.
This curry didn’t end up being as thick and creamy as those I’ve tried and loved in the UK, however, thinking back to my recent visit to India, curries over there really aren’t like that at all. They tended to be either slightly more runny, or towards the other extreme, lacking in sauce and instead focusing on the paste as a sort of coating.
So there’s my excuse for the consistency of this delicious, healthy curry.
As always I come with disclaimers – my oven behaves like a bonfire, and so any recipe that says roast for 40 minutes, in my oven, has to be converted to about 20 to prevent a lump of charcoal emerging 40 minutes later. Therefore, timings may need to be adjusted accordingly to account for differences in appliances. Just use your common sense.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
½ butternut squash + seeds
olive oil
chilli or paprika flakes
1 tbsp turmeric
200ml coconut milk
2 mini packs of raisins
2 handfuls of spinach
small handful coriander
rice of your choice to serve
For the paste:
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
2tsp ginger paste or thumb of fresh ginger
1tbsp curry powder
½ tsp cinnamon
1tsp cumin
½ tsp chilli powder
1 tsp fenugreek
large pinch of salt
seeds of 1 cardamom pod
large handful of coriander
handful of almonds
4 dates or 2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp water
Preheat overn to 180
Cube the butternut squash then rub the cubes and seeds with olive oil and chilli or paprika flakes
Roast for 10 minutes (ish) or until almost cooked through. Then put to one side.
Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onion and garlic. It doesn’t particularly matter how they’ve been chopped, as they’ll end up blended anyway.
Add all the paste ingredients to a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Don’t worry if the colour doesn’t look particularly appetising; we’ll correct that shortly.
Begin to cook the paste in a pan, adding the turmeric, coconut milk and raisins.
The coconut milk will make the curry very runny so around 20 minutes on a medium heat should allow it to reduce and thicken slightly.
5 minutes or so before the curry has reduced to your taste, add the butternut squash, making sure to reserve the seeds for later.
Seconds before you remove the pan from the heat, throw in the spinach and mix through so that it wilts slightly but not completely.
Serve with rice, sprinkling over the squash seeds and chopped coriander.
This would also be wonderful served with naan to soak up all the delicious juices.
The paste is absolutely the star of the show, so as I said, the bulk ingredients (meat/veg) are pretty interchangeable so feel free to adapt this as you wish.
The lovely thing about making your own pastes and sauces is that you know exactly what’s gone into them. This is definitely one of my favourite things about cooking from scratch – no dodgy added ingredients with long-winded scientific names.
So next time you fancy a curry night, try and give those jarred curry pastes a miss. This time it’s down to you, throwing in as much or as little spice as you need to create your own Indian masterpiece.
Deep fried dough. No one can explain why something that sounds so basic and actually quite gross is in reality so delicious. It still baffles me that there are so many different ways of making deep fried dough into snacks and meals, each one of them bringing something completely different to the table, literally.
My travels are this week taking us to the home of the Lángos – a deep fried dough featuring as many customisable toppings as you’d like. And where does this delicacy hail from?
Hungary.
If you’ve read my post on my trip to Budapest last November, you may already have known that.
Don’t be too tempted to jump on the idea that this is like a Hungarian pizza. There are many differences. Obviously here the dough is fried, and that’s key, but sometimes mashed potato is added for a fluffy, slightly creamy texture. Secondly, the main topping tends to be sour cream – not a tomato sauce in sight. And last to mention, is unfortunately, the (optional) cheese topping on a Lángos doesn’t tend to be melted, but don’t let that put you off, this actually allows you to get a lot more flavour from the cheese, even if the texture isn’t quite as mouth-wateringly gooey.
Despite not being as large as a typical medium-sized pizza, as it’s deep-fried, it can be pretty heavy, so don’t underestimate just how filling they are, even if the toppings are minimal.
The Lángos is often described as a street food – in fact, once again, it was in my Lonely Planet Street Food guide that I first came across it. Having said that, one of the main qualities of street food tends to be that it’s super easy to eat on the go. As a pretty stodgy flatbread, the Lángos doesn’t really fulfil this brief, and so whilst it’s cheap and easy to quickly whip up outside the confines of a restaurant, you’re probably going to want to take a seat to eat it.
Back when bread was regularly baked in every household, the Lángos dough would be excess leftover from bread-making, and would be baked in the same way, however seeing as such daily home baking is no longer practised, the dough now ends up being deep-fried instead. Back when it was baked in the bread oven, it was placed right at the front, close to the flame, which is where the delicacy gets its name, with láng being the Hungarian word for flame.
Moving on to my own experiences of the dish. I first tried it at the Central Market in Budapest last year. The upstairs section of the huge market hall has an area dedicated to food, which is comparatively small in size, meaning that queues of people are packed in to one small space, all eagerly awaiting their delicious lunch meal. Whilst my friends opted for slightly more nutritious salad and veg-topped versions, I of course went for the meatiest feast I could find. Sour cream, grated cheese, onion, chicken, pepperoni and ham struggled to contain themselves on top of the dough base as we hunted for somewhere to perch. This is by no means a light snack; be prepared to feel a little heavy afterwards, but it’s worth it. To be honest, Lángos aren’t the most flavoursome meals – other than the flavour from the toppings, there’s little seasoning or added ingredients, other than perhaps a garlicky rub on the base, but the appeal here is definitely more due to tradition and doughy, fried indulgence.
Having said that, when I attempted my own version at home, I have to admit that it was even better than the one I tried in Budapest. After frying, along with the standard sour cream and cheese base, I topped the dough with shredded chicken, pancetta, rocket and onion. Whilst the onion on my Lángos in Budapest was raw, I decided to cook it this time, just to avoid the pungency that raw onion can have. The seasoned toppings were really tasty, and the addition of mashed potato to the dough made it super soft, whilst still maintaining the slightly crispy exterior.
I would definitely make Lángos again at home. They’re really simple, although I would fry the dough for slightly longer next time, just for extra crispiness, as my fear of overcooking it this time made it a little too squidgy in the centre.
And that’s dish number 2 in the series complete. We’ve gone from a healthy, plant-based tomatoey pasta lentil dish last time round, to a deep fried fully- loaded doughy delight, so you can be sure that there are no rules when it comes to deciding which dishes to showcase next.
There are loads of recipes for Lángos online, so with so much time at home at the minute, why not try your own hand at one of Hungary’s signature dishes for an indulgent weekend treat.
The first in a new series, here I’ll be taking a look at key dishes from countries around the globe, how they compare in London, and how you can attempt to whip them up in your kitchen at home.
Before I get stuck in, I’d like to point out that I began writing this before things really spiralled with regards to the Coronavirus. I talk later on about my love for London’s street food pop ups, and urge you to visit your local, independent restaurants, however, as things stand at the minute, obviously that isn’t necessarily possible. So many places I love have closed down, some not knowing if they will ever be able to reopen. It’s a massively tough time for so many people, so I just hope that when all of this subsides, as many of these places as possible can get back on their feet. So, continuing with my original request, please consider investing your time and money (and stomach space) in these amazing small businesses when it’s safe to do so again – they will really appreciate your support, and it’ll be exciting to try something new.
But getting stuck back in, my first stop is Egypt, an underrepresented cuisine here in the UK, with my Egyptian dish of choice being Koshari (also written as ‘Kushari’).
I first came across Koshari in the Lonely Planet Street Food guide, which highlights some of the world’s best street food, offering readers simplified home recipe versions.
But what is it? As the national dish of Egypt, Koshari consists of brown rice and lentils mixed with chickpeas and macaroni, and topped with a tomato sauce and crispy fried onions. All the elements within the dish are super basic, but combined, create a fibre-filled snack, which is full of flavour. Traditionally, koshari doesn’t use any animal products and so is suitable for vegan diets, although nowadays, some places mix up their menus to include meat versions. Koshari initially came about as a street food dish, being sold on carts throughout Egyptian towns and cities; however, it can now also be found on more formal restaurant menus.
One of the most wonderful things about living in London is the diversity of its food scene. The concept of ‘street food’ in the UK has come under scrutiny recently due to the rapid increase in super popular, commercialised food halls offering ‘street food’. Authenticity and motivations have been questioned, and one of the key issues has been the idea that this kind of food, which initially existed across the world to be sold to labourers as a quick and cheap lunch option, has been ‘gentrified’ in a sense. For ‘street food’ in London, you could find yourself paying over £10 for one dish to enjoy as part of a social outing. Despite this, I strongly believe that our street food scene shouldn’t be given a bad name. I love the fact that many of my favourite food stalls and pop ups are run by people who are so passionate about their food products that they want to channel that into preparing traditional dishes here in London. There may be wider issues, but not to the extent that we should feel guilty for enjoying incredible international food created by experts.
No matter how obscure you think a dish may seem, there’s a 99.9% chance that you’ll still find it in London, and Koshari is one of those. Koshari Street is a small business with a little store on St Martin’s Lane, Covent Garden, which serves the classic dish alongside meat and chicken options, protein bowls, and build your own bowls. The store is a really relaxing space with a small number of tables, and all the ingredients for the dish lain out in front of you behind the counter.
So many of the bowls looked great, but for ‘research purposes’ I wanted to try the classic. With bowls coming in regular and large, I can confirm that the regular portion is a really good size. The base, as is customary, is made up of lentils, macaroni and small noodle pieces and is topped with the classic zingy tomato sauce, chickpeas and a deliciously spiced nut mix, which also adds a lovely crunchy texture to the dish. Koshari bowls are super healthy, but really filling, and I’m really happy to see Egyptian food on the mainstream here in London.
But then it was over to me. To be honest, the task of recreating this at home probably wasn’t as daunting as some of the other dishes I will be attempting, after all, it only really consists of boiling your rice, lentils and pasta and mixing up your tomato sauce before piling everything together. Even so, I was pretty happy with how it turned out…
As a lunchbox meal to eat at work or on the go, this kind of dish is perfect, and is also the kind of thing you can batch cook. I added lots of diced onion to the top of mine for added flavour, but really the classic is so satisfying that you really don’t need to mess with the traditional ingredients. The tomato sauce is actually just a tomato puree mixed with garlic, onion, cinnamon, cumin, salt, pepper and chilli flakes. Because the carb/protein base of this dish is so simple, the beauty of it comes from the spices so the cumin and cinnamon really do bring the whole thing together.
This post has been short and sweet, but hopefully you’ve learnt something. I’d love for this series to encourage you to try something new; to venture out and indulge in a kind of cuisine you’d never really considered before, and maybe even try tackling an unusual dish in your own kitchen. We’ve probably all tried French, Spanish, Mexican, Indian etc., but there is so much more out there that’s hidden from our mainstream dining options. Don’t get me wrong, some of the dishes in this series will be pretty well known, but others I hadn’t even heard of before researching potential material.
Most towns and certainly all cities will have at least a handful of independently run restaurants or cafes dishing up amazing food from lesser-publicised corners of the world, so for your next date, family celebration or friendly catch-up, why not try something new and support those who are kind enough to share their national cuisine with us?
What is that?? I hear you ask. The deadest, most unphotogenic breakfast of all time?
Well, when it comes to unphotogenic, maybe, but I was so surprised how delicious this spicy cheesy omelette turned out that I just had to do this spontaneously basic post. I debated not including a photo because it looked so shit, but ultimately I felt like a recipe with no photo was a bit of a cop out, and I may as well open with something that looks a bit grim to grab your attention. Despite the world of instagrammable symmetrical plate aesthetics that we live in, let’s not forget that if you genuinely care about food, it’s all about the enjoyment of eating it rather than what it looks like, although a pretty plate is a pleasant bonus.
I used to find eggs so incredibly boring to eat and dull in flavour, which is a madness considering how versatile they actually are.
So now I’ve gone the other way; jumped on the ‘add a fried egg to everything’ bandwagon – burgers, toast, rice, you name it, there are very few dishes that can’t be enhanced by the addition of a fried egg.
But anyway, today isn’t about fried eggs, at least not in that sense. My breakfasts (when I actually have them) typically consist of something that I don’t deem to be time-consuming – granola, porridge or some kind of frozen leftover treat that I just need to reheat. This morning, however, I decided to push the boat out before work and cook an entire omelette!!
Obviously this whole notion of it being more effort is flawed anyway as stovetop cooked porridge probably takes longer and requires more patience and standing around, but still, I felt that this morning was going to be a major commitment.
Granted, only an idiot wouldn’t know how to whip up a standard omelette (if that’s you, yes, you are an idiot), but this one turned out to be so delicious that I had to share my satisfaction. With the kick of chilli and creaminess of the melting cheese, this breakfast was an absolute winner.
Makes 1 omelette
Ingredients:
2 eggs
Splash of milk
1/2 chilli (I used scotch bonnets but they don’t have to be this fiery)
Oregano
20g ish of smoked cheese
Mixed spices
Butter
1. Beat the eggs and add the milk, oregano, crumbled up cheese and chopped chilli then swirl to combine.
2. Heat a knob of butter in a non-stick pan over a medium heat.
3. Pour in the mixture and leave to cook and set.
4. When starting to set on top, use a spatula to examine the underneath to check when it’s golden with some darker brown patches. If you’re satisfied with the colour, instead of flipping the whole thing, just fold one half over the other.
5. Flip the folded omelette and leave for 30-60 seconds longer.
6. Serve up with your choice of seasoning. I used a mixed Spanish spice from the brand Toque which I think you can get online.
This is such a simple recipe but the flavour and the textures still wowed me. Feel free to alter the amount of chilli to your taste. You could also serve with a salad or even chips for a main meal. A drizzle of pesto would also be delicious on top.
This will make getting up for work in the morning so much easier, I promise.
Any eagle-eyed readers may notice similarities between the title of this post, and my very first piece that I wrote last year, both revolving around Italian food. Whilst the title of the first one centred around the notion that Spaghetti Bolognese isn’t in any way, shape or form an authentic Italian dish, this one serves to educate the reader on the, what I’m sure any Italians would consider very obvious, differences between a panzerotto and a calzone.
So, with the Italians’ culinary pride in mind, I’ll attempt to highlight those differences, and do justice to the much-loved Southern Italian street food snack.
greenwichmarket.london
Panzerotti (plural form) originate from the region of Puglia, in the south, and consist of a savoury fried parcel filled with pizza-style fillings. It is much lighter than a calzone, with thinner dough, meaning it’s perfect as a hand-held snack. Another notable difference would be in the cooking – as mentioned above, panzerotti are fried, whilst the calzone is oven-baked.
The most basic filling is tomato and mozzarella, but these can be customised as easily as pizza toppings. Despite originating in Puglia, this perfect on-the-go street food has spread throughout Italy, gaining particular popularity in Milan, and has now reached international waters including the US, Australia, and of course here in the UK.
When it came to starting my background research for this post, it’s interesting that nearly every single one of the first three pages of Google results was specifically related to the London street food business that I’m going to focus on today. In fact, there were relatively few results discussing this dish in general.
I was inspired to do a little bit more research on Panzerotti after being invited to try the street food stall Panzerotto Blues, who trade at both Greenwich and Tooting Markets.
I headed to Tooting, which is a market that I’d never visited before. It’s covered, and is open on weekends with various seating areas, so is a great place to go with friends and family for a chilled outing. There are a number of traders with everything from butchers, to organic beauty products, to record shops and bars, and of course street food.
Panzerotto Blues is located towards the back of the market, surrounded by fellow street food businesses, and there’s plenty of seating. There are a number of options for your panzerotto filling, from mozzarella, to gorgonzola, olives to meat feast. I went for the Diavola, with pepperoni, mozzarella and added chilli flakes for a subtle kick.
I loved that you get to watch this being made in front of you. It’s so fresh, and super interesting to watch the dough being made, rolled out, stuffed with fillings then folded and crimped before being dunked into the deep fryer. Despite the fact that it’s deep fried, it’s actually not that greasy at all, and it ends up being surprisingly light as it’s not overloaded with fillings. The crunch from biting into the outer shell was so satisfying, and that combined with the ooze of the melted cheese on the inside just made the perfect contrast. Although at Greenwich there isn’t any seating so you’re given the panzerotto in foil to hold and bite straight into, here at Tooting it can be served on a plate complete with knife and fork so it doesn’t have to be messy!
They also do a number of side dishes which I’m keen to go back and try. As well as mozzarella sticks and onion rings, they have a dessert of little fried dough balls served with mini marshmallows and nutella. To. Die. For.
Panzerotto Blues is 100% somewhere I’d recommend in London. It’s exciting to see small businesses strive to recreate ‘authentic’ local dishes, even when they’re not widely known over here. Yes, we all love pizza, pasta and arancini, but there’s a lot more to Italian grab and go food, and this is the place to try it.
Running an independent street food business that trades in various locations is a tough gig. Factors completely out of anyone’s control such as the weather can so easily affect profits meaing that without that stability, it’s a job to be done only by those who really care about the food they produce, and it’s vital that businesses like Panzerotto Blues get our support. London has such an excitingly diverse culinary scene, and so much of that is down to its markets and street food. Let’s continue to celebrate our city’s culinary diversity, and most importantly, listen to the experts – IT IS NOT A CALZONE!
Porridge is typically a breakfast meal. And it’s one that when I was growing up, seemed to carry connotations of unappetising, Oliver Twist-style force-fed gruel. There was an almost onomatopoeic disgust to the way we would stretch out the sickly sounding syllables.
Yet now, it’s experiencing something of a rebirth. This is partly due to health, fitness and nutrition bloggers, and the customisability of the dish which lends itself perfectly to the millennial Instagram aesthetic. Frequently referred to as oats and oat bowls to avoid that dreaded word, this revival of a time-old staple has got me hooked.
Now back to my first point – typically a breakfast meal, yes, but I’m never one to stick to the rules. Sometimes on a cold evening, or after a long day at work, it’s porridge that I crave.
But hold it right there. Because what happens when I’m not only craving a lovely, warming bowl of porridge, but also a stack of light and fluffy pancakes topped with salty bacon and a drizzle of maple syrup? No one could possibly eat both.
Until now.
This is my poffertjes porridge with pancetta, maple syrup and pecans to satisfy every single one of your cravings.
Serves 1
Ingredients:
1 egg
Plain flour
Milk (I use soy milk)
Porridge oats
Pancetta cut into cubes, or more specifically cuboids if you’re using the good stuff like I have (you want the good quality thick deli stuff that comes in slabs, not supermarket wafer thin slices)
Pecans
Maple syrup
Cinnamon (optional)
Disclaimer: As I’ve mentioned before prior to going into my recipes, I’m not going to be precise and focus on measurements. I’m not a recipe developer and so instinct and a bit of common sense should be enough to work things out!
Crack your egg into a bowl and add as much flour as you think you might need for 3 mini pancakes (told you it wasn’t precise…). If in doubt, use less than you think as it’s always easier to add more.
Mix until smooth and then add a tiny bit of milk. Because you’re looking to make mini American style mini pancakes, the batter needs to be pretty thick so it doesn’t spread out in the pan. If the mixture is too loose, you can add some more flour at this point until your batter is the perfect consistency for dolloping in the pan.
In a pan, heat a tiny amount of butter or oil and fry the pancetta until crispy on the outside then remove from the pan and set aside.
Heat another small amount of butter in the same non-stick pan and dollop your batter into the pan in tablespoon size blobs. You should be able to do a few at a time. Cook for a few minutes and turn over – the base should be golden brown. Repeat on both sides until you have all of your poffertjes.
Meanwhile put the oats into a saucepan and add enough milk and/or water to just about cover them. Cook on a low-medium heat until soft and creamy. You can add cinnamon at this point if you wish.
Pile the porridge into a bowl and add the poffertjes. Sprinkle over the pancetta and pecans and finish with a drizzle of maple syrup.
This may not be a conventional meal, but it certainly was satisfying. Why stick to the same old flavours, following the same old rules when you can be a bit more creative? A comfort meal with a twist – do let me know if you try this one!
I’ll leave you with a few other porridge ideas that have gone down a treat…
Baked banana oats with walnuts
Vanilla porridge with desiccated coconut, marshmallows and raspberry jam
Cinnamon porridge with chopped dates, chocolates chips and maple syrupVanilla oats with poached pears, honey and flaked almondsBlue porridge with magic stars and funfetti sprinklesOrange flavoured porridge topped with semolina halwa
Controversial documentaries, tofu breakthroughs and gross pasta have all featured in part 5 of my vegan week diary, but overall I have to say, it’s been a tasty one. There’s been a lot more of the home cooking than eating out, and most have been deliciously successful.
Before I go into the food itself, let’s stop for a minute to talk about Netflix’s The Game Changers, which has got a lot of people talking recently. The documentary focuses on a UFC fighter addressing the prospect of going completely vegan, and looking at other athletes who have done so, and the consequences on their bodies, from the ‘world’s strongest man’, to college footballers in the US.
The research done is entirely in favour of 100% plant-based eating, and so you want to know what my thoughts are? It’s a load of preachy bullshit 🙂 🙂
I’m all for science and research, but as someone who is happy to embrace plant-based eating, I just couldn’t deal with the pushy ‘evidence’ insisting that it’s as straight forward as converting to a plant-based diet, and you’re suddenly bursting with energy and performing athletically at the top of your game. These one-sided diet A is better than diet B arguments are just such nonsense. The reality is that our bodies, as individuals, react differently to different diets, and so it is impossible to say that we would all be more ‘physically successful’ by only eating plants. Of course they’re only going to show the studies that prove their points (including a ridiculous one about how men’s sexual performance was enhanced after having eaten literally just one plant-based meal…). The whole programme was just masculinity-targeted propaganda, and whilst I understand that there are gender-stereotyping issues linking masculinity and the reluctance to cut down on meat, I just found the documentary very unconvincing. There was even a point where they made a group of people undergo a plant-based diet for a week, and at the end of it they all came back saying how they felt amazing and had so much more energy than usual…
Well maybe they did. But guess who else eats plant-based for an entire week every single month and feels absolutely no difference whatsoever??? ME.
This is almost starting to sound like I’m against plant-based diets. I’m not at all. I’m all for reducing our meat and dairy intake for a range of reasons and I actually really look forward to these meat-free weeks and the exciting meals they bring, but I’m more for balance, and feeding myself things that I enjoy. What I’m not a fan of is this overrated documentary.
If you want to read any more on it, Paul Kita’s piece in Men’s Health basically covers all the issues I have with it in a more articulate and scientific way.
But feel free to have a watch yourself, and who knows, maybe it’ll convert you.
I did always want this ‘diary’ to incorporate plant-based related issues, as well as the actual mealtime side of things, but that’s enough for this week, time to get to the good stuff. What did I actually eat??
Monday
I’m really excited by this first one, the reason being, it’s yet another successfully satisfying tofu-based meal. Rachel Ama makes a spread out of tofu, cashews and chives, and I had this on seeded bread, topped with griddled aubergines. The combination actually worked so well, and the recipe gave enough of the spread to have on my toast for multiple breakfasts in the morning. On the side of that I made Nadiya’s Hasselback Butternut Squash with Burnt Garlic Rice. The squash was delicious and had slightly caramelised in places whilst in the oven.
Surprise, surprise I was also back on Mrs Hollingsworths’ energy balls. Like I’ve mentioned before, these are the perfect snack to take to work and are so quick to make, basically just blending everything together in the food processor. The first lot are cocoa raisin oat balls. Weirdly, I love the stodginess of these types of snack, and even tastier than the cocoa ones were the lemon meringue balls. Honestly, these tasted insane, I can’t believe how much flavour there was in there, and these ones were cashew-based rather than oat-based. When you start cooking plant-based, it’s crazy how much you can do with cashew nuts. They will become your best friends, for both sweet and savoury meals.
Tuesday
Next up is actually one of my own recipes. I’ve been trying out developing recipes recently, rather than always stealing other people’s and this one was pretty good. Along with cashews, another ingredient that works a treat is oyster mushrooms. They have a fantastic texture that makes them perfect meat substitutes, without having an overwhelming flavour. Here I fried them in a jerk sauce and then baked them after to get rid of excess moisture. I used them to top coconut quinoa and black eyed beans (I’d defo use rice next time as the quinoa texturally wasn’t as strong), and then added a row of delicious fried plantain. Roll it all up in a tortilla and you have a delicious vegan burrito.
Wednesday
So Wednesday was my indulgent eating out day, and I finally got round to trying ByChloe. ByChloe is entirely plant-based, and they have restaurants in the US as well. It has a very informal fast-food style to it, and I got all my food to takeaway. I’d heard lots of good things about the Pesto Meatball Sub, which obviously isn’t actually meat, but uses mushrooms to create the meatballs. They are massively convincing and taste great along with the pesto. The roasted red peppers on top finish the whole thing off beautifully.
They also do two different pastas – a Cashew Mac ‘n’ Cheese, and an Avocado Pesto Pasta, so of course I had to try both. The Mac ‘n’ Cheese I was really impressed with. It was creamy and slightly spicy and the mushroom and crumb topping added extra flavour and texture. But… then we come to the avocado pasta. I gotta be honest, I hated it. I’m sure this is probably partly because I’m not the biggest avocado fan, but I do eat it. It just was way too bland as a pasta sauce though, and there were random heavily-salted patches. It’s very rare that I don’t finish something because I don’t like it, but it does happen from time to time…
Finally I had one of their London menu specials, which was the Sticky Toffee Pudding with Coconut Cream. This dessert was really good. I was sceptical about how the dessert would travel, as it didn’t seem like the kind of thing that would be good to take away, but I did it, and it tasted delicious. It was syrupy and sweet, with a super-moist spongy texture and a lovely coconutty cream, which added an extra dimension of flavour.
There’s plenty more I could’ve tried, but my stomach ain’t gonna stretch that far, so overall it’s definitely somewhere that I’d recommend, whether you’re eating in or ordering to takeaway, or via UberEats.
Thursday
Another one of my own again now! Trying my best to use up all the food in my fridge and freezer before I buy more, and so that led me to whipping up this Parsnip, Walnut and Honey Risotto. If anything, I’d go heavier on the walnuts and honey next time as it was really good with a nice creamy texture, and delicious parsnip flavour, but extra sweetness would make it even better.
Along with my energy balls, for work lunches I ran with the burrito theme and cooked up some Mexican-spiced rice to pad the tortillas out with. Using my food processor, I made a paste from various chillies, chipotles en adobo, tomatillos, onion and a load of spices, and then stirred this into the cooked brown rice. I often find that I’m not taking big enough lunches with me to work and so I end up wanting to snack, but this burrito was a big improvement on that because they’re actually really filling (I guess that’s double carbs for you…).
Getting off the tube at King’s Cross before work, I found myself directly opposite the Crosstown Doughnuts stall in the square. I didn’t need one and I definitely couldn’t justify the money, but yes, I did accidentally still do it. I bought two but only one was vegan so that’s the only one I’ve actually tried yet. To be fair, it was something that had been on my radar for a long time, ever since I’d seen that one of their seasonal specials was the Winter Crumble doughnut. Thoughts? Delicious crunchy crumble topping – I loved that. The actual apple crumble filling I initially thought was way too spiced; a very adult, sophisticated flavour, but this grew on me as I worked my way through it. I’m still not a big fan of their signature sourdough dough though, as it’s just too bready for me.
Right next to their stall was Amala Chai, serving up their incredible smelling hot drinks. The cardamom smell was so intense, I couldn’t not get an oat milk Masala Chai – the first I’d had since I got back from India last summer. To be honest it’s so difficult to live up to the dessert-like Chai you get in shot size paper cups in the street there. I like a properly milky, creamy, super sweet cinnamony chai, and whilst this one for most experienced tea drinkers was probably delicious, for me, someone who has never made a cup of tea at home or work, it just wasn’t the same.
Friday
A fantastic meal next up, and one to add to my ever-growing list of successful soup recipes that I’ve followed. Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen is probably my favourite cookbook as I’ve said before, and this was another winner. Spinach, Chickpea and Sweet Potato soup, with a side of Rachel Ama’s Caribbean Dumplings. The dumplings were crispy on the outside, and soft and doughy in the middle – perfect for dunking into the soup.
Friday night saw me devour an impulse giant bowl of porridge, after my plans kept changing and I needed something quick and comforting. To be honest it wasn’t actually that good, and I think this is in part down to my reluctance to add sugar to my porridge or extra syrup because god knows I eat way too much sugar anyway. Pecans, maple syrup and peanut butter sounds beautiful, and it was satisfying, but yeah, sweeter would’ve been better.
Saturday
Rachel Ama’s making another appearance here with her Roast Veg on Giant Cous Cous. The aubergines, tomatoes and courgettes smelt delicious as they were cooking, and the meal was surprisingly filling. This is a really healthy one for when you want to counteract a slightly less healthy evening.
Sunday
Aaaand the final one of this week. Ainsley and his soups. Or chowders. What actually is the definition of a chowder because I really don’t know? This is a spicy lentil, sweetcorn and butternut squash ‘chowder’ and it was so good. So I know creamy refers to a texture, and this chowder wasn’t that creamy, but the coconut milk gave it a creamy taste, if that’s even possible. I’m sure some of you will understand. I toasted some tortilla strips as well to dip in and ended up being very full by the time I’d finished it, so never fall into that old trap of thinking soup isn’t filling. It really ain’t just water.
Madness to think that my next post in the series will be halfway through (6 of 12!) – half a year of vegan weeks. That has gone scarily quickly, but yet again I have more treats in store for you (and by that I actually mean myself) as I will be heading to The Vurger Co, praying that I can still get my hands on their vegan Philly Cheezesteak sandwich, but only time will tell.
Also have plans to check out Yard Sale’s amazing-looking new vegan pizza menu, however that one will depend on how my body and purse are feeling. Gotta always be changing up my food plans based on if I feel too heavy or in the mood for a treat, and that’s the best way to work it. Listen to your body and adjust your meals accordingly. Not easy for someone who loves a solid plan, but there you go.
Breaking my meat fast with a bacon naan from Dishoom tomorrow morning. You will undoubtedly find images of it within 24 hours on my in-need-of-love Instagram account @foodtravelsldn.
¡Comemos! 