Vegan cookbooks and recipes to stir up a delicious meal

When it comes to fancy-looking dishes and deliciousness packed into one, Yotam Ottolenghi is the master. Knowing his way around a vegetable, his cookbook, Flavour, teaches you how to get the most flavour out of any form of produce. Among the standout recipes? Miso butter onions; spicy mushroom lasagne; romano pepper schnitzels; oyster mushroom tacos with all the trimmings. and a mushroom ragu. Yotam has also included suggestions of how to put all these recipes together into cohesive, multi-course meals so you leave your guests delighted.

Here are a few recipes to help you get started on a vegan meal!

Tropical Overnight Oat Pot (Recipe from Asian Green by Ching-He Huang)

Ingredients

4 tbsp rolled oats
2 tbsp chia seeds
200ml coconut milk

For the topping
3-4 mango slices
2 tbsp finely diced pineapple
1 tbsp golden syrup
Toasted sesame seeds, for sprinkling
ground sunflower seeds or flaxseed, for sprinkling
fresh mint, to garnish

Method

– Pour the oats into a glass jar. Top with the chia seeds and add the coconut milk.
– Stir and place, covered, in the refrigerator.
– The next morning, remove the pot from the refrigerator. Top with fresh mango and pineapple, drizzle over some golden syrup, sprinkle over toasted sesame seeds and your chosen ground seeds, then garnish with mint and serve.

Blanched Lettuce with Ginger Soy Sauce (Recipe from The Vegan Chinese Kitchen by Hannah Che) 

Ingredients

Lettuce leaves
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp wine
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp toasted sesame oil

Method

– Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice and water. Blanch the lettuce in the boiling water for about 30 seconds, until its leaves, are vibrant green but still crisp. Remove the lettuce and dunk it in ice water to halt the cooking, then drain and shake it as dry as possible.  Place the lettuce in a large bowl.

– In a small saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Cook the ginger briefly until fragrant and golden.

– Add the soy sauce, wine, and sugar, and bring to a
boil, stirring with a spatula until the sugar has dissolved

– Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil.
– Scrape the sauce out over the drained lettuce and gently fold to coat the leaves.

– Arrange the lettuce in a pile on a plate and pour on the sauce.

Roasted Aloo Chât (Recipe from Plant-Based India by Dr Sheil Shukla) 

Ingredients

450 g potatoes, peeled and cut
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp garam masala

2 tbsp unsweetened plain nondairy yoghurt
2 tbsp Mint Cilantro Chutney
2 tbsp Date Chutney
2 tbsp sev (optional)
2  pinches of chät masala
2 tbsp mint
Other toppings, such as pomegranate arils or finely diced onion, tomatoes, bell peppers

Method

– Preheat the oven to 230°C.
– Place the potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover them. Add the salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until fork-tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
– Drain the potatoes in a colander. Place them onto a large baking sheet and toss with oil until well coated. Spread the potatoes on the baking sheet, ensuring that the pieces don’t touch each other.
– Roast the potatoes for about 40 minutes, until browned and crisp, flipping halfway through. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with garam masala and salt to taste, and toss until the potatoes are evenly seasoned.
– Place the potatoes onto a large serving plate. Top with the yoghurt, chutneys, sev, chät masalã, cilantro, and other toppings as desired. Serve immediately to prevent the potatoes from getting soggy.

*Other vegetables, such as cauliflower, may be used instead of potatoes. 

Steamed Aubergines with charred chilli salsa (Recipe from Flavour by Yotam Ottolenghi) 

Ingredients

2 aubergines
1-2 spring onions
1½ tbsp ready-roasted and salted almonds, roughly
chopped
1 tbsp coriander leaves

Charred Chilli Salsa

2 large, mild red chillies
140g cherry tomatoes finely chopped
1½ tsp sherry vinegar, plus ½ tsp to serve

Garlic and Ginger oil 

40ml olive oil
2 small garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and very finely chopped

Method

For the salsa, place a frying pan on a high heat. Once the pan is very hot, add the chillies and cook for about 10 minutes,
turning a few times until well charred on all sides. Transfer to a small bowl, cover with a saucer and leave to soften for 10
minutes. Deseed one of the chillies (or both, for less heat), then
finely chop them, along with the skin. Place in a bowl with the
tomatoes, vinegar and ¼ teaspoon of flaked salt, stir together
and set aside.

For the garlic and ginger oil, put all the ingredients into a
small pan with ½ teaspoon of flaked salt and place on the lowest
heat. Cook very gently for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally,
until the garlic and ginger soften when mashed with the back of
a spoon. Make sure not to heat the oil too much or the garlic will
burn: if the oil does start to bubble, just remove it from the heat
until it cools.

Cut the aubergines into 7cm x2cm batons, then toss them
together with 2 tablespoons of flaked salt in a large bowl.
Transfer to a steaming basket (or colander which can sit over a
lore causenan and set aisde.

Fill a large saucepan with enough water to rise 4cm up the
sides. Bring to the boil on a high heat, then place the steamer (or
colander) in the pan. Cover with the lid or seal well with foil, to
prevent the steam escaping. Reduce the heat to medium and
steam for 20-25 minutes, or until the aubergines are very soft. Pour over the dressing and serve warm.