As almost 9 million people in the UK embrace Veganuary, the month-long celebration of all things plant-based, we’ve reached out to some of the most innovative chefs across the culinary spectrum to share their favourite vegan recipes from their restaurants.
From the kitchens of Twelve Triangles, the Edinburgh bakery that gain a cult following after it opened in 2015, indulge in the rich flavours of carrot dhal and roast squash, and the vibrant combination of rainbow carrots with corn puree. Jun Tunaka, chef-patron of The Ninth, shares his roast cauliflower, pomegranate dressing and walnuts, while Saiphin Moore, co-founder of Rosa’s Thai, presents an enticing coconut soup with oyster mushrooms, and a tantalising pad kra prow taohu, AKA tofu holy basil stir-fry.
Executive chef of Nessa Tom Cenci shares his unconventional wood-fired leeks with almond ricotta, green sauce and caramelised pecans, as well as Not Avocado on Toast, for the avo haters. Andrew Clarke and Daniel Watkins of Acme Fire Cult also offer up leeks, this time coal roast leeks with pistachio romesco, alongside grilled trombetta courgettes with vadouvan butter.
Joining this esteemed lineup are Stevie Parle of Pastaio with his take on the Sicilian classic caponata and Natasha Sideries of tashas with her heartwearming Good Intentions Porridge.
Carrot dhal and roasted squash
A comforting bowl of lightly spiced dhal and glistening roasted squash— (Murray Orr)
Recipe by: Twelve Triangles
Serves: 4
“Euan who owns Pittormie Farm in Fife grows the most glorious squashes at this time of year. This is a comforting bowl of lightly spiced dhal to crown with wedges of glistening roasted squash.”
Ingredients:
For the squash:
1 large or 2 small squash
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the dhal:
3 onions
2 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chilli flakes
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tin green lentils (390g)
400g coconut milk
1 thumb sized piece of ginger
3 carrots
½ lemon zest
1 tsp sea salt
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 190C.
2. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds then cut them into wedges leaving the skin on.
3. Toss the squash wedges in olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Roast in the oven until the flesh is soft and the skin is starting to colour and go crispy.
5. Finely chop the onions and garlic.
6. Slowly cook these down in a pan with the olive oil until they are translucent and soft.
7. Add in all of the spices and cook for 1 minute.
8. Pour in the lentils and coconut milk along with a splash of water and salt and cook gently for 15 minutes.
9. Whilst this is cooking, grate the ginger, dice the carrots, zest the lemon and set aside.
10. After the lentils have been cooking for 15 minutes, add in the ginger, carrot and lemon zest and simmer for a further 15 minutes.
11. Finally check the seasoning and you are ready to serve.
12. To assemble, spoon the dhal into bowls and top with some wedges of the roast squash.
Rainbow carrots and corn puree
This dish is a celebration of the stunning seasonal produce available in the UK— (Murray Orr)
Recipe by: Twelve Triangles
“This dish is a celebration of the stunning seasonal produce available in the UK, as summer starts coming to a close and before we are completely submerged into the autumnal warmth this is a dish to make the most of the bright flavours. Fragrantly spiced carrots on a bed of smooth sweetcorn puree and little crunchy spicy kernels to finish.”
Ingredients:
For the spice mix:
2 tsp fennel
½ tsp cardamom seeds
2 tsp nigella seeds
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 tsp fenugreek
2 tsp mustard seeds
For the carrots:
600g rainbow carrots
2-3 tsp of spice mix
20g extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to season
For the corn puree:
2 corn on the cob (slice the cobs off and cut the cores in half )
250g oat milk
½ tsp vegetable stock
Salt and pepper
For the roast corn:
1 corn on the cob ( cobs sliced off)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pinch chilli flakes
Salt and pepper
Method:
1. Toast of the spices then grind to a rough powder and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 190C.
3. Peel and cut the carrots in half lengthwise, then coat in the oil, spices, salt and pepper.
4. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes until they have a little bit of colour and have softened but still have a slight bite.
5. Place the corn kernels, cores, oat milk, stock and seasoning in a pan and cook until the liquid is reduced by half.
6. Take out the corn cores and then blend the remaining mixture until you have a puree.
7. Finally, season to taste.
8. Preheat the oven to 190C.
9. Slowly cut along each side of the cob, rotating it until all of the kernels are removed.
10. Toss the corn kernels in olive oil, chilli flakes, salt and pepper then roast for 10 minutes.
11. Spread the sweetcorn puree on the base of the plate then lay your carrots on top.
12. Finish with the roasted corn kernels.
Roast cauliflower, pomegranate dressing and walnuts
Recipe by: Jun Tunaka, chef-patron of The Ninth
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 cauliflower
1 packet pomegranate seeds
50g walnuts toasted
2 red chicory (separated into leaves)
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tbsp chopped mint
For the pomegranate dressing:
1L pomegranate juice
2g ground cumin
2g ground coriander
1 lemon
1 garlic crushed
100ml olive oil
Method:
1. To make the dressing, pour the juice into a pan and reduce by ¾. Add the garlic, lemon juice, spices and olive oil.
2. Separate the cauliflower into florets and salt. Leave for 30 minutes then drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven at 220C for 15 minutes. For the last 2 minutes add the red chicory.
3. Place the cauliflower, red chicory, walnuts into a bowl and spoon some of the pomegranate dressing on top.
4. Place on a plate and finish with the mint and coriander.
Coconut soup with oyster mushrooms
You can find tom kha like this all over Thailand— (Louise Hagger)
Recipe by: Saiphin Moore, co-founder of Rosa’s Thai
Serves: 2
“You can find tom kha all over Thailand – different versions according to location. Mine has a northern taste, as it’s based on my mum’s recipe. I still remember my dad teaching me to climb coconut trees when I was 10 years old to collect the fruits – these trees were at least 25m (80ft) high and I’d have no harness on. I had to be very picky once I reached the top, as only the mature coconuts would do for the soup.”
Ingredients:
200ml (7fl oz) coconut milk
200ml (7fl oz) water
5 slices of greater galangal
1 lemongrass stalk, sliced diagonally
3 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
3 small red chillies, sliced
4 coriander roots (or use 20 fresh coriander stalks), roughly chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
150g (5½oz) oyster mushrooms, broken into pieces
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
handful of fresh coriander leaves
Method:
1. Pour the coconut milk and measured water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves, chillies, coriander roots or stalks and salt.
2. Leave to bubble away over a medium heat for 2 minutes, until the flavours come through, then add the mushrooms and the tomatoes and cook for a further 2 minutes, until the mushrooms are cooked.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice, soy sauce and coriander leaves. Serve immediately.
Pad kra prow taohu: tofu holy basil stir-fry
Pad kra prow is a national dish found on many a Thai street corner— (Louise Hagger)
Recipe by: Saiphin Moore, co-founder of Rosa’s Thai
Serves: 2
“Pad kra prow is another national dish found on many a Thai street corner, and that includes the vegetarian version. In Thailand we use holy basil, the very pungent sister of Italian basil, which is a key ingredient in Thai cooking. You’ll notice the sudden bursts of aroma from the wok as soon as you start tossing the ingredients together over a high heat – it’s a smell that wakes up my senses every time.”
Ingredients:
3 red bird’s eye chillies
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
150g (5½oz) firm tofu, cut into chunks
1 tbsp light soy sauce
½ tbsp dark soy sauce
½ tbsp sugar
Pinch of white pepper
½ onion, chopped
¼ red pepper, sliced
¼ yellow pepper, sliced
30g (1oz) yard-long beans or green beans, cut into 2cm (¾ inch) pieces
Handful of holy basil leaves
2 kaffir lime leaves, chopped
Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
Method:
1. Using either a pestle and mortar, grind the chillies and garlic to a paste.
2. Heat the oil in a wok set over a high heat. Add the chilli and garlic mixture and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until nice and golden brown.
3. Now add the tofu chunks, both soy sauces, the palm sugar and white pepper and cook, tossing everything around in the pan, for about 1 minute, until the tofu is well coated and has taken on a little colour from the sauces.
4. Once everything is mixed well, add the onion, peppers and long beans and cook for a further 30 seconds, all the while tossing the mixture together. Throw in the basil and lime leaves and stir-fry for a further 30 seconds. Serve immediately with jasmine rice.
Chu chi curry with tempeh
Chu chi curry is typically made with seafood— (Haydon Perrior)
Recipe by: Saiphin Moore, co-founder of Rosa’s Thai
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
3 tbsp red Thai curry paste (we make our own)
300ml coconut milk
200g tempeh (we recommend Club Cultured!)
2-3 lime leaves, finely sliced
1 long red chilli, sliced
1 long green chilli, sliced
Vegetable oil for frying
Steamed rice, to serve
Method:
1. Fry the tempeh in oil until golden brown then set aside.
2. In a frying pan or wok, add the curry paste and fry for 2 minutes until fragrant.
3. Add the coconut milk, mix and cook until it thickens and starts to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, then add the chillies and lime leaves.
4. Cook for 2-3 more minutes then turn off the heat.
5. Pour the hot curry sauce over the tempeh, garnish with more lime leaves and serve immediately with rice.
Wood fired leeks with almond ricotta, green sauce and caramelised pecans
Almond ricotta deserves to take off— (Rebecca Hop)
Recipe by: Tom Cenci, executive chef at Nessa
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2 whole leeks
100g almonds
1 lemon
1 green chilli
1 clove of garlic
100ml olive
Mixed soft herbs like parsley, tarragon, dill, mint etc
100g pecans
50g sugar
Method:
Cover the almonds with water and place in the fridge to soak overnight.
First, make the almond ricotta. Drain the almonds and blend them with the zest and juice of 1 lemon, adding a little olive oil and water until the mix is smooth. Taste for seasoning, then leave at room temperature until needed.
Next, wash the leeks before placing them whole on the BBQ. Allow them to char to black on the outside and soft in the middle. Set aside and allow to cool.
Make the green sauce by finely chopping up the chilli, garlic and herbs, binding with a little olive oil.
Lastly, place the pecans and the sugar in a non-stick pan on a medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until all the pecans are coated in the caramel and then cool on a tray.
To assemble the dish, peel the leeks and discard any charred bits. Place a large spoonful of the almond ricotta on a plate and place the leeks on top (you can reheat them on the BBQ if needed).
Finish with the green sauce, caramelised pecans, and some fresh herbs.
Not avocado on toast
This recipe uses British broad beans as a sustainable alternative to avocado— (Justin De Souza)
Recipe by: Tom Cenci, executive chef at Nessa
“This recipe uses British broad beans as a sustainable alternative to the evil avocado, which is known for deforestation, being water-intensive to grow and has a significant carbon footprint because of transportation. Broad beans are also a good source of protein, fibre, and vitamins so it’s a win win.”
Ingredients:
250g broad beans fresh (or frozen make a great replacement)
50ml olive oil
Zest and juice 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Pinch fennel seeds
Pinch cumin seeds
Pinch caraway seeds
Pinch cumin seeds
Pinch chilli flakes
Mixed herbs like dill, parsley, mint and tarragon
2 slices of sourdough bread
Method:
1. Peel the broad beans, cooking them in boiling hot water for 30 seconds. Cooling them in ice can make peeling the skins off easier, but it isn’t necessary.
2. Pulse the peeled beans in a blender with the olive oil, lemon and salt and pepper. Don’t make it too fine, just blend enough to break the beans up. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
3. Next, toast the spices in a pan until the aroma starts to come out of them and allow to cool in a bowl.
4. Toast the sourdough bread then spread the broad bean mix over. Sprinkle with the toasted seeds and finish with soft herbs and an extra drizzle of olive oil.
5. They can also be served with poached eggs for that extra brunch treat.
Soy-fried sprouts with clementine, chilli and peanut brittle
Recipe by: Tom Cenci, executive chef of Nessa
“A great way to spice up your sprouts, adding a sweet, nutty crunch too.”
Ingredients:
200g sprouts
2 clementines
100ml soy sauce
1 orange zest and juice
1 red chilli
100g roasted salted peanuts
150g caster sugar
Pinch of five spice
Method:
1. First, start by making the peanut brittle; place the sugar into a medium-sized pan and gently heat until it starts to caramelise.
2. Add the peanuts and coat in the sugar; turn the heat down and allow them to caramelise fully; once all the peanuts are covered in caramel, take off the heat and add five spice. Allow to cool on a plate.
3. Prepare the clementine by segmenting and placing it in a bowl, keeping any juice, too, then slice the red chilli and set aside.
4. Next, cut the sprouts in half and pan fry in a hot pan with oil; once they start to colour a little, add the soy sauce, orange juice and zest, and the clementine segments, allow to cook out a little, then take off the heat.
5. Place into a bowl and finish with the red chillies. If you want to spice it up, of course, then sprinkle the peanut brittle over.
Cabbage with piri piri glaze
Cabbage is the perfect vehicle for spicy piri piri glaze— (Matt Russell)
Recipe from: JOIA, Battersea
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
900g cabbage (approx 1), see below
80g piri piri glaze
90g picada, see below
20g roasted pine nuts
Crispy garlic
Coriander cress
Cabbage
1kg cabbage
200g piri piri marinade
6g bird’s eye red chilli
Salt (to taste)
For the picada:
15g shallots, brunnoise
15g capers
A handful of chopped coriander
50g olive oil
1 red chilli, julienne
15g black olives, julienne
Method:
1. Wash and trim the cabbage and then cut in half.
2. Place each half in a bag with salt, piri piri marinade and chilli and refrigerate for 24hrs.
3. Cook in the oven at 180C for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, make the picada.
4. Mix all ingredients for the picada until combined
5. Roast the pine nuts until golden brown.
6. Remove the cabbage from the oven and glaze with the remaining piri piri, cook for a further 10 minutes or until caramelised.
7. Remove from the oven and slice the cabbage, finish with more glaze, picada, pinenuts, crispy garlic, and coriander cress on top.
Wild mushroom and onion soup
This elevated French classic is perfect for a cold day— (JOIA)
Recipe from: JOIA, Battersea
Serves: 3
Ingredients:
Onion soup, see below
Sauteed wild mushrooms, see below
Walnuts
Parsley cress
Juice of 1 lemon
For the onion soup:
400g brown onion, chopped (approx 2 large onions)
40g confit garlic
Handful of thyme
300ml of mushroom stock
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt
For the wild mushrooms:
240g wild mushrooms
60g confit garlic
60g shallots brunoise
30g spring onion
Olive oil
6g walnuts crumble
Lemon juice
Parsley
Method:
1. In a large pan cook the onion and garlic (with a bit of salt) in a pot until they start to brown.
2. Add the thyme, mushroom stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes.
3. Remove the thyme and blend everything in a magimix.
4. In a large frying pan, cook the garlic and shallots. Once they start to brown, add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes before adding the walnuts, salt, parsley and lemon juice to taste
5. Remove from the heat.
6. Plate the sauteed mushrooms using a ring. Finish with grated walnuts and parsley cress.
7. Heat the onion soup through and then pour over the sauteed mushrooms.
Coal roast leeks with pistachio romesco
This creative dish uses live fire to add smoky, charred flavours to leeks— (Steve Ryan)
Recipe by: Andrew Clarke and Daniel Watkins of Acme Fire Cult
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
For the coal roast leeks:
4 large leeks
For the leek oil:
1kg leftover leek tops
1kg pomace oil
For the pistachio romesco:
150g pistachio (plus extra for garnish)
150g almonds
1 clove of garlic
300ml leek oil
Salt
8 green bell peppers
Jalapeño vinegar or green Tabasco
Iced water, if needed
For the tofu whip:
1 pack of silken tofu
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt
Method:
To make the coal roast leeks:
1. Cut the green tops off and reserve for the leek oil.
2. Wash the leeks thoroughly and dry well.
3. Lay the leeks on hot coals and allow the outside to blacken evenly and the inside steams in its own juices.
4. Check the leeks occasionally, pressing gently to see if they feel soft. As soon as they do, remove from the coals.
To make the leek oil:
5. Wash well, slice the leek tops, shred and place in a Thermomix.
6. Cover with the oil, and set the Thermomix to 70 degrees for 7 minutes to speed 10.
7. Pour into a bowl over an ice bath, and refrigerate overnight.
8. The next day, pass through a sieve and season.
To make the pistachio romesco:
9. Roast the nuts slowly until evenly coloured set aside and allow to cool.
10. Over the fire, char the peppers evenly until the skin blackens and blisters, sit in a bowl with a lid allowing them to steam and loosens the skin.
11. Deseed and remove the skin from the peppers.
12. In a Thermomix, place the peppers, toasted nuts and garlic and a little of the leek oil, blend until fine purée, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is well blended.
13. Continue to blend on a lower setting adding the remaining leek oil.
14. If the mix is a little thick, add the iced water to soften the texture.
To make the tofu whip:
15. Blend all ingredients in Thermomix, until smooth and cream-like.
16. Store in a squeezy bottle.
To finish:
17. Using a piping bag or large spoon, spread the romesco into the centre of a bowl.
18. Cut the room temperature leeks into barrels (roughly 3 inches in length) and place on top of the romesco, season and dress with leek oil.
19. Top with a spoonful of tofu whip and extra chopped roasted pistachios.
Grilled trombetta courgettes, vadouvan butter
Trombettas lend themselves really well to live flames— (Steve Ryan)
Recipe by: Daniel Watkins, chef and co-founder of Acme Fire Cult
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
For the courgettes:
4 trombetta courgettes
For the vadouvan butter – makes a portion for 8 (can be halved to serve, the rest frozen):
400g dairy free butter (or normal butter, if not vegan)
220g Shallots
11g madras curry powder
11g turmeric
6g each of the following:
- Fennel seeds
- Cumin seeds
- Salt
- Cardamom Black
- Peppercorns
- Mustard seeds
Red chilli, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
Peel of 1 orange
2 inch ginger finely chopped
For the chickpea purée:
800g tinned chickpeas
5 tbsp olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 tsp thyme leaves
Juice of half a lemon
Confit garlic (optional)
For the tofu whip:
1 pack of silken tofu
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt
Method:
For the trombetta courgettes:
1. Simply wash, cut down into nice portion size.
2. Add a little olive oil and seasoning.
3. Grill all sides until they start to soften, depending on temperature of fire. Trombettas lend themselves really well to live flames.
For the vadouvan butter:
4. Sweat down shallots and all the other ingredients, cook out slowly (without colour) for approximately 2-3 hours.
5. Take off the heat and let it stand for 30 minutes.
6. Once the mix has cooled a little, place the mix in a high speed blender until the mix is smooth
7. Taste, check the seasoning, and add a little salt.
8. This can be frozen and makes for a great accompaniment for most vegetables but particularly works well with the courgettes.
For the chickpea purée:
9. Boil the chickpeas in a pan of water with the bay leaves and thyme (approximately 30 mins).
10. Drain the chickpeas, keeping back 2 tbsp of the cooking water and discard the bay leaves.
11. In a blender, purée the beans to a soft cream with the reserved cooking liquid and the olive oil, then squeeze in the lemon and salt to taste.
12. At this stage, add more lemon juice, olive oil or confit garlic, if you like.
For the tofu whip:
13. Blend all ingredients in Thermomix, until smooth and cream-like.
14. Store in a squeezy bottle.
To finish:
15. On a plate, take a generous amount of chickpea puree on to the center of the plate, place the grilled courgettes in the center.
16. Spoon over generous amount of butter.
17. To finish, add some tofu whip or creme fraiche.
Caponata
There’s no better way to harness the absorbing talents of aubergine than in a caponata— (Harriet Langford)
Recipe by: Stevie Parle of Pastaio
Serves: 4
“There’s no better way to harness the absorbing talents of aubergine than in this sweet and sour Sicilian number. It’s a wonderful mouthful, with texture and flavour coming from all directions. Eat this with mozzarella and a piece of bread or pair with a piece of fish or pork chop.”
Ingredients:
4 tbsp olive oil
2 small red onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
4 celery sticks, stickly sliced
1½ tbsp capers
20g stoned black olives, roughly chopped
20g pine nuts
20g raisins
Vegetable oil, to fry
700g aubergine, cut into 2-3cm cubes
2 handfuls of mint, chopped
10ml red wine vinegar
Method:
1. In a large frying pan, warm the olive oil and fry the onions and a pinch of salt for 15 minutes until soft. Add the garlic after 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring a small pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the celery for 2-3 minutes until al dente, then drain.
3. Add the capers, olives and raisins to the onion and cook for a few more minutes to incorporate, then scrape into a mixing bowl. Wipe the pan clean, then return to a medium heat and toast the pine nuts, shaking the pan until they’re golden; then add to the onion bowl.
4. Pour the veg oil into a heavy-based, deep pan or wok and place over a medium heat. Bring to a heat of 160C and deep fry the cubes of aubergine, cooking until they’re brown all over and tender inside, then scoop onto kitchen paper to drain. Once you’ve cooked all the aubergine, season the cubes well, then transfer to the onion bowl along with the mint and the vinegar. Toss everything together and season to taste. Allow to marinate for 4 hours at room temp before serving.
Good intentions porridge
This is the healthiest breakfast imaginable— (Natasha Sideris)
Recipe by: Natasha Sideris of tashas
Serves: 4
“This is the healthiest breakfast imaginable: no wheat, no gluten, no fat, no sugar, no lactose, no problem - just delicious goodness in a bowl. The milk can be substituted with water or soya milk to make it lactose free.”
Ingredients:
For the seed mixture:
40g linseeds
40g sunflower seeds
40g almond shavings
For the porridge:
500ml milk
500ml coconut milk
250ml seed mixture
2 bananas, sliced
4 dried figs, diced
Pinch of cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla essence
To serve:
4 dried figs, diced
16 almonds, halved
2 bananas, sliced
120ml honey
Method:
1. To make the seed mixture, grind the linseeds, sunflower seeds and almond shavings in your food processor. The mixture should look like coarse flour, but most of the linseeds will still be whole. Be careful not to overgrind or it will become a paste.
2. Make the porridge by mixing the milk, coconut milk and about 250ml of the seed mix in a pot. Add the sliced bananas, diced dried figs, cinnamon and vanilla essence. Bring the mixture to the boil. Allow it to boil for 4 minutes only, stirring often to avoid lumps. It must still be slightly runny. Don’t let it become too thick.
3. Once the porridge is cooked, pour it into 4 bowls and garnish with the remaining figs and almonds. Serve the last of the banana and honey on the side.
