Veganuary in 14 recipes
the last time I'll say Veganuary this year
The first time veganism seemed attractive to me was in high school. At the time, only because it seemed COOL. The year was 2017. The word “aesthetic” had just entered my vocabulary. I wanted to be a granola girl! I wanted to go to Bali and Bondi Beach! I wanted to walk to the farmers’ market in my Birkenstocks with a little tote bag adorned with a cute comic of mushrooms talking to each other! A very shallow and questionable motive to explore plant-based recipes but a motive nonetheless.
So here are 14 recipes to make you cooler—but not the cringe “cool” described above. Maybe. I won’t make any promises.
I’ve felt far more energetic in the kitchen and behind the camera this past month. Perhaps for the first time in a year! A lot can be said about Veganuary, but I’d like to think it gave me some structure to realize that I missed creating things. I started with a series of essential recipes, some of which are admittedly not frequent guests in my kitchen but belong here anyways. I wanted the series to be representative of the ingredients I frequently use—mushrooms, legumes, tofu, vegetables, etc.—as well as the flavors and techniques I turn to again and again.
This post got cut off at the bottom because of all the pictures so open this up in your browser for mini spice rack :) (Edit: actually it didn’t - I just thought it would be)
achaari mushroom and caramelized onion galette
Oyster mushrooms and galettes are both very important to me, though usually separately. The flaky crust carries a filling that suits my mood. Although I started with sweet galettes, I’m really into savory galettes at the moment. I reckon this recipe would be delightful with any kind of mushroom. Or better yet, a mushroom medley!
Every culture has its take on lentils. I’m partial to dal. This is a classic dal tadka with a base of aromatics, tomatoes, and spices, followed by the final tadka—a method for tempering spices, where the fat carries the aromas of the spices and transforms the dal. Think of it like an extra layer of flavor. The effect that bright tights or cool sunglasses have on an outfit? That’s what a tadka is for dal.
Malaysian-inspired eggplant tofu curry
This Malaysian chicken curry recipe from Christie at Home is one of the first dishes I ever cooked for my parents that they actually liked enough to request again. It was super easy to adapt with eggplant and tofu, as the base is a mix of aromatics, coconut milk, and warming spices common in Malaysian cuisine. Bok choy, potatoes, carrots, and spinach also get some time to shine.
What seems like a misspelling of “Sichuan” or “Szechuan” leads to another cuisine entirely. Indo-Chinese cuisine is easy to approach, with bold, spicy, umami-rich flavors that come from just a few ingredients. The brussels sprouts are lightly battered, pan fried or air fried, and coated in a sauce of ketchup, soy sauce, and schezwan chutney. I do way too much advertising for Ching’s schezwan chutney these days but they deserve it. I’ll admit that my schezwan broccoli recipe is even better because broccoli’s crevices soak up the sauce more!
Whenever I’m asked about my favorite dish, I say chole. Specifically my mom’s chole, made from dry chickpeas and infused with aromatics, whole spices, and black tea for that deep color. There are many ways to serve chole, which is one of the reasons I love it. One of my personal favorites is samosa chaat!
Fried oyster mushrooms are getting plenty of love on restaurant menus these days and rightfully so. I grew up a fried chicken burger kid, so fried oyster mushrooms satisfy any nostalgic yearning I’ve ever felt for those post-swim practice burger days. The mushrooms are battered with besan (gram flour or chickpea flour), fried, and brushed with BBQ sauce. Make it a burger with a silken tofu aioli and brussels sprouts slaw!
spicy peanut noodles with sticky edamame
I do not use edamame as much as I should, but I do make these noodles every now and then to make up for my shortcomings. The edamame comes together in 5 minutes, and it’s a great snack, salad topper, addition to bowls, etc. I love the edamame on peanut noodles with cabbage and leeks. It’s a staple weekday lunch.
I try to prioritize Indian recipes that transcend creamy orange gravy, but nobody can deny that a good creamy orange gravy with homemade naan goes so hard. And so does soya chaap, a plant-based alternative made of soy and wheat that has been gaining popularity in India.
My take on the famous chickpea salad sandwich, inspired by the punchy flavors in chaat—a category of Indian street food that I will never not be obsessed with. I would turn everything into chaat if I could. Challenge accepted.
The first birthday cake I ever made myself was a few months after I’d decided to sort of go vegan. It was a chocolate cake with beet frosting, complete with flowers from my street (as one does). This year, I decided to add the beets to the cake batter, resulting in a moist cake with a slight pink hue. Cream cheese frosting to evoke red velvet vibes and sprinkles to evoke I-still-feel-10-sometimes vibes.
I always describe khichdi as a hug in a bowl. The way I like it is fairly straightforward, with white basmati rice, mung dal, spices, and veggies. While it’s often thought of as something to eat when you’re not feeling well (and it is certainly great for that), I think it’s so much more than that!
Creamy green pasta sauces are a wonderful way to use up those greens and beans. Broccoli and spinach are blended with white beans to make a hearty green sauce. On mafaldine, a pasta shape I’m late to but I’m here now.
A classic to rely on. I decided to roast the cauliflower and potatoes, and threw in some chickpeas to make it a meal that stands alone.
saag tofu
A recipe I’m planning on posting today, but I feel like it deserves a spot in this round up. Saag tofu has a lush green sauce of spinach, kale, aromatics, spices, and cashew cream. You can use any leafy greens you have on hand in addition to spinach, especially those that are more common in Indian cuisine like mustard greens, bathua, or methi. This is one of those recipes where kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) is not optional!
mini spice rack
reading
Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H, memoir of a queer Muslim girl reconciling her faith, relationships, and identity. Loved it!
watching
I’ve been working on my movie attention span for over a month now and even became an AMC A-lister! This week I enjoyed Poor Things and All Of Us Strangers.
listening
I don’t know anyone with a tree house but I wish I did and perhaps this is what we’d play in it. It’s really giving 17-year-olds in the suburbs who want to move far away but then they move and have no money and need to live in a tree house.
cooking
Bkeila and butter bean stew from Ottolenghi’s Flavor reminded me that I haven’t had an herb era yet. Miso apple crumble from
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Next time: a longer spice rack because I’m currently consuming a lot and it’s about time I make sense of it. Books, movies, podcasts, music, recipes, restaurants, etc. It’s hibernation season!
These all look delicious. I've just printed out several and plan to start experimenting with them tonight.
everything looks delicious 🤤 💗🍓💜💗💗