3 ms·
What helped me when learning to cook vegan was focusing on the basics. I studied a few recipes (such as Indian curry) and identified the fundamental ingredient
by myshpa 3y ago
What helped me when learning to cook vegan was focusing on the basics.
I studied a few recipes (such as Indian curry) and identified the fundamental ingredients (onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, spices, and protein), creating a list of non-basic spices and other potential ingredients.
I mastered the process of this basic recipe: browning the onions with cumin and bay leaf, no salt, adding garlic and the remaining spices, introducing tomatoes with salt, then adding vegetable stock and protein, and cooking until finished.
From there, I began experimenting with additional spices, ingredients, vegetables (almost anything works), and proteins (beans, lentils, peas, etc.)
Always stick to the basics. Many recipes out there are needlessly complex. After all, you can make almost anything taste delicious with just onions, fat, salt, and pepper.
I'd recommend the book 'Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat' – I've only skimmed it, but it seems to ring true.
- robertlagrant 3y agoThe internet is amazing! I never thought I'd meet another person who cooks vegans!
- myshpa 3y ago:))
- selimthegrim 3y agoOne of the fundamental parts of curry making is cooking the spices until the oil separates - that is until all the water boils off, and the tomato skins blacken. This is usually not explained terribly well in written recipes.
- myshpa 3y agoYeah, I've seen the step, but decided to skip that to save time. Seems like I'll have to try that anyway. Thank you.
- selimthegrim 3y agoYes, please do - roasting the spices in oil in a water-poor environment in the pan is important to the final flavor.