Smokey aubergine with chilli jam
Esra Muslu, chef founding father of Zahter, London
Aubergine is commonly discovered on Turkish tables. It’s such an exquisite vegetable, and I like cooking it proper over an open flame, which provides a pleasant smokiness, and serving with chilli jam and crisp, fried garlic. Be sure all sides of the aubergine are cooked over the flame, then peel the pores and skin. I make a chilli jam by mixing 250g sugar with 250g water till dissolved, then stirring in chopped chilli and lime juice to style, and heating till thickened. Thinly slice 50g garlic and fry in oil. Place the aubergine on the plate and roughly chop. Sprinkle some salt and za’atar, and garnish with parsley, 4 or 5 fried garlic slices, the chilli jam and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.
Baked celeriac
Neil Campbell, head chef at Rovi, London
I really like celeriac – so many issues could be achieved with it and none of them must be fancy. Bake them such as you would a baked potato, rubbed in olive oil and salt (they’re decrease in energy and better in nutritional vitamins than spuds) till they’re caramelised on the surface and comfortable and fluffy inside, then load up nevertheless you prefer to. Confit garlic, mushrooms and herbs is a winner, or I really like utilizing a home made zhoug. Make this by mixing parsley, coriander, inexperienced chilli, garlic and lemon juice with olive oil, then drizzle throughout. Some chopped nuts work properly with this, too.
Teriyaki maitake mushroom donburi
Luke French, chef director at Jöro, Sheffield
A hero vegan ingredient for me is maitake mushrooms, which have an insane flavour. You may typically discover them in grocery store packets of combined wild mushrooms. One among my favorite consolation dishes is a teriyaki maitake mushroom donburi (mushroom rice bowl) – I promise you it is likely one of the tastiest vegan rice bowls you’ll ever have eaten. Make a easy teriyaki by decreasing 200g mirin with 300g gentle soy sauce by half, then stir in a sachet of miso soup paste and reserve. Subsequent, brine the mushrooms by dissolving 10g salt and 20g caster sugar with 200g chilly water, then submerge the mushrooms in it for 20 minutes. After brining, pat dry on kitchen paper, then cook dinner on a scorching barbecue grill (or fry in smoked olive oil) till charred and crispy across the outdoors. Glaze the mushrooms within the teriyaki dressing and serve on freshly cooked sushi rice/quick grain rice, seasoned with just a little rice vinegar/mirin/sugar/salt. High with freshly chopped chives and crispy fried onions, and drizzle with extra teriyaki dressing.
Gnocchi … the flexibility of mashed potato. {Photograph}: Bartosz Luczak/Getty Pictures/iStockphoto
Gnocchi with cavolo nero and walnuts
Giovann Attard, government head chef at Norma, London
I make an excellent gnocchi with cavolo nero and walnuts. Put 550g mashed potato in a bowl with 5g salt, 20ml olive oil and 300g 00 flour, and blend till it has shaped a ball, ensuring that it isn’t too moist and sticky. Taking a small piece at a time, kind into an extended roll round 2cm thick, then lower the roll into 2.5cm items. Place the gnocchi items on a floured tray, then cook dinner by boiling in a big pan of boiling salted water till they float to the highest. These are good with a cavolo nero pesto, made by inserting 45g chopped and blanched cavolo nero in a blender with 100g walnuts, 5 tbsp olive oil, a bunch of basil leaves, two garlic cloves, 50g pine nuts, 10g vegan parmesan and ½ tsp every of salt and pepper. Mix till easy. If the blender is struggling, add a little bit of scorching water from the gnocchi pan.
Feeling chilli … lentil dal. {Photograph}: Sarah Crake/Alamy
Dal
Aktar Islam, chef at Opheem, Birmingham
My go-to vegan dish is dal. I adore it as a result of it goes with all the things; I often have mine with bread or rice, with some pickles on the aspect. Warmth just a little oil in a pan over a reasonable warmth, add 1 tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp cumin seeds, 2.5cm of chopped ginger, ½ tbsp chopped garlic and 20 curry leaves, then sauté for 30 seconds. Add a chopped onion and a chopped inexperienced chilli, and sauté till translucent, earlier than including 1 tsp crimson chilli powder, ¼ tsp turmeric powder and ½ tsp salt, then sauté for 2 or three minutes. Add 250g crimson lentils and 100g moong dal (be sure that each have been washed and soaked) and sufficient boiling water to cowl the lentils with 2cm additional, then cowl and simmer for 20 minutes. Whereas it’s cooking, put together the mood by caramelising a finely sliced shallot and setting it apart. Utilizing the identical pan and remaining oil, add three finely chopped garlic cloves and cook dinner till calmly brown, then add two complete dry Kashmiri crimson chillies, a pinch of asafoetida, ½ tsp Kashmiri crimson chilli powder and blend effectively, then pour over your ready lentils.
Combined greens bruschetta
Conor Gadd, chef proprietor of Trullo, London
My spouse and I usually cook dinner vegan meals at house and, after we do, it’s far more about celebrating greens than it’s making an attempt to do a vegan model of a meat dish. For a easy supper, I make a bruschetta of combined greens utilizing cavolo, kale, cime di rapa – issues like that. After taking them off the stalk, I chop the greens roughly and blanch them for 2 to 3 minutes. Whereas they’re blanching, I sweat garlic and chilli in a pan (twice as a lot as you suppose you’ll want), then add the greens and cook dinner for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and a squeeze of lemon, and drench in new season Tuscan olive oil, then merely eat with some grilled bread.
Masala poori
Sameer Taneja, government chef at Benares, London
One among my favorite vegan dishes to make is masala poori – that are Indian crispy, spiced flatbreads. They’re spiced with turmeric, coriander, fenugreek and chilli powder, and are scrumptious on their very own or dipped into curries and sauces (my favorite is with a black chickpea curry). To create the masala poori, I put together a flour and semolina dough (250g complete wheat flour, 25g semolina, 100ml water, 10g sunflower oil) and blend effectively with spices, resting for half-hour earlier than kneading and rolling into small flat discs. You then deep-fry till golden on either side (30 seconds or so) and nudge the discs across the pan, which inspires them to puff up, creating scrumptious crispy flatbreads. Easy however so tasty.
Caramelised onion yeast sauce
Jan Ostle, head chef at Wilsons, Bristol
On the restaurant we all the time have a vegan menu working alongside our common menu, and sometimes dishes from the vegan menu are so scrumptious that they transfer throughout. This caramelised onion yeast sauce is a kind of that can be utilized for any hearty, savoury dish. Flippantly caramelise six shallots and a clove of garlic. Roast 200g baker’s yeast at 160C till crispy. Add the 2 collectively, cowl with water and simmer. Mix and go by means of a sieve, then add a splash of sherry vinegar if it wants some acidity. It’s nice with roasted root greens.
Gaji namul … a favorite of Judy Joo’s, founding father of Seoul Hen. {Photograph}: from_my_point_of_view/Getty Pictures/iStockphoto
Gaji namul
Judy Joo, founding father of Seoul Hen, London
I really like the silkiness of aubergines, and I’ve many recollections of consuming gaji namul, a vibrant aubergine-based aspect dish. My mum would sauté the aubergine very rigorously with chopsticks, in order to not bruise or discolour it. Asian aubergines work finest for this recipe as their skins are thinner and they’re much sweeter in style. Reduce three Asian aubergines into finger-sized batons and toss in ½ tbsp salt. Place in a single layer in a colander over a plate or in a sink and permit the surplus water to empty off for 25–half-hour. In the meantime, make the sauce by whisking collectively two chopped garlic chives, 1 tbsp grated garlic, a thinly sliced spring onion, 1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes), 2 tsp roasted and crushed sesame seeds, ½ tbsp white sugar, 2 tbsp soy sauce and a pair of tbsp roasted sesame oil. Put aside. Sauté the aubergines in oil for 2-3 minutes, then take away from warmth, coat with sauce, season with salt and eat.
Let’s have a toast … Sofian Msetfi’s mushroom ‘ragu’ on toast with lime and pistachio
Mushroom ‘ragu’ on toast
Sofian Msetfi, government chef at Ormer Mayfair, London
My go-to consolation dish in January is a vegan mushroom “ragu” on toast. It’s easy to make and ideal as a nourishing lunch or gentle supper. Grill a few slices of sourdough till golden brown, then drizzle with olive oil. Fry a roughly chopped banana shallot and a finely sliced garlic clove with some salt. After 2-3 minutes, add 300g chopped wild or button mushrooms with ½ tsp chopped thyme. As soon as cooked, add 40ml rice milk, 20ml balsamic vinegar and a squeeze of lime juice. Scale back till thick and the mushrooms are coated within the sauce. Spoon the ragu on high of the toasted sourdough and end with 50g roughly chopped pistachios, the zest of 1 lime and a handful of watercress for garnish.