Recipe: Vegan naan bread.

I adore Indian cuisine and I love naan breads - all flavours!
So when I became Vegan it was quite a dissappointment to discover that the vast majority of naan breads are made using dairy in the form of milk or yoghurt and that sometimes even eggs are used for 'richness' too. And my favourite peshwari can also be smothered in honey...

So after some online research & a lot of experimentation, I've come up with this recipe to make dairy-free, egg-free Vegan naans at home instead! 
NB You do not need a tandoor oven!
Chantal xx

 

Can't beat hot Vegan naans for scooping curry!

Gather:


1 x 7g sachet of easyblend yeast (or 1 tsp)
240g strong bread flour (this is the only time I use white flour)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

125ml warm water
60ml (4 tbsp) soya milk

A little oil for cooking (I use veg or hemp and you can also try it without any oil)

PLUS: Any additional ingredients you wish to add for flavouring. In the featured picture I made the following:
Kalonji (black onion seeds)
Coriander (fresh chopped)
Peshwari-style (ground almonds & sultana filling, brushed with agave syrup)



Create: [1-3 can been done in a mixer fitted with a dough hook]

1. Add all of the dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix with a fork to combine.

2. Mix the milk into the warm water and then pour into the bowl. Mix well to form a dough (adjust flour or liquid if too wet or too dry).

3. Kneed on a lightly floured surface for 6-8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

4. Leave the dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with cling film, in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour).

5. 'Knock back' the risen dough, kneed briefly again then cut in half with a sharp knife, then half again and each quarter into 3 pieces. (I find this size will fit 2 into a large frying pan - but you can make larger or smaller.)

6. Roll each piece of dough into a thin circle and add your flavouring / filling. Seeds can be spinkled on and rolled in, fillings can be added to one half, dough folded over and re-rolled to seal/secure.

7. Put your oven on low (to keep cooked naans warm if you need to cook them in batches) and heat a large flat based pan, wok or hot plate to high.

8. Lightly brush the naans with the oil and place in the pan for 2-3 minutes or until the surface starts to bubble and blacken (lift an edge up to check) then flip over and cook the other side.

9. Keep warm until serving and brush with extra oil or agave etc if you wish.

p.s. I realise that a second prove is usual with these things... but I've used both methods and this quicker one turns out the same! Life's too short for proving things twice ;)

3 types of naan served with an adzuki bean curry

Enjoy:

Amazing served with bean and veggie curries - tear and use for scooping / mopping!

Top tip: The raw dough freezes well.

Recipe: BBQ pulled 'pork' sandwich - Vegan-style!

Here's the thing:- when I used to eat meat, like millions of other people, I was pretty partial to something called a 'pulled pork sandwich'. Since I've been Vegan I've actually found that I very rarely miss eating meat or fish - but, just occasionally, my mind would wander back to my carnivorous years - and this is one of the dishes it would linger over.

However, what I've discovered in my 13 months (yay!) of cooking 100's of Vegan meals, is that many meat dishes actually get their flavour from the delicious herbs, spices and veggies that they're cooked with. THIS one is a prime example. 

So I have no qualms in recreating dishes that emulate traditional meaty ones, because much of the time it's not so much the meat that was loved, but the flavours that went with that meat... 

... and I've now seen that these Veganised dishes can lure many a non-Vegan into the lifestyle, because it helps them to realise they'll miss nothing, food-wise, at all.

And that has to be great news for them, for the animals and our planet.

Read, salivate and make it for non-Vegan friends ;)

Much love to you xx

BBQ pulled 'pork' sandwich - Vegan-Style!

Serves 4-6 depending on how hungry you are ;)

So unbelievably tasty!

Gather:

1 tbsp oil (veg, rapeseed, olive etc)

1 medium onion – quartered and thinly sliced

2 tbsp garlic puree (or approx 8 cloves garlic – crushed)

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp creamed horseradish sauce

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp agave syrup or unrefined brown sugar

Zest of half a lemon (make sure its unwaxed)

*[1 red chilli - deseeded and thinly sliced – optional, for heat lovers]

1 tin chopped plum tomatoes

2 tins braised gluten (mock ‘duck’) - drained, patted dry & shredded OR a large punnet of shiitake mushrooms - shredded into strips OR even 225g tempeh- shredded into strips

Salt and pepper to taste

#Bread rolls to serve

#Coleslaw and salad for the side

Create:

1.  Gently fry the onions in a pan with the oil over a low/medium heat for 5 mins or until soft.

2.  Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 mins.

3.  Add all of the other seasoning ingredients (except the tinned tomatoes & ‘meat’ of choice) and fry for a further 2 minutes – stirring constantly.

4.  Add the tomatoes and simmer gently over a very low heat for 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

5.  Add a little water if the mixture appears too dry, add the gluten, mushrooms or tempeh and simmer for a further 5 minutes to warm through.

Sticky BBQ lusciousness!

Enjoy:

Serve on hot toasted rolls (I used ciabatta) topped with homemade coleslaw and a fresh salad on the side! p.s. it’s great with a hot chilli sauce added too.

Cooks tips:

Coleslaw: For this recipe I used a combination of the classic ½ small white cabbage - shredded, 1 red onion – very finely sliced and 3 large carrots – grated, all seasoned with white pepper and mixed with Plamil egg-free mayonnaise.

Salad: totally ‘old school’ with shredded iceberg, tomatoes and cucumber! So it was just like my favourite from somewhere like Hardrock Café!

Crisp fresh 'old school' salad on the side ;)