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Can Indian food be served with vegan ingredients?
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Monday, 19 December, 2022, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Sanjay Vazirani
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India is known for its diversity, not just in its people but also in the food that is eaten in each state or region. Being a predominantly vegetarian country, veganism is not a new concept in India. India has had a rich heritage of food and a variety of different cuisines.
For thousands of years, followers of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism followed food habits that forbade them from eating meat, fish, and eggs. Nowhere in the world would you find such a large population predominantly on a vegetarian diet. As a result, when it comes to offering vegetarian dishes, India has an endless assortment of options that probably no other cuisine in the world has.
To a large extent, Vegetarian Indian food is vegan-friendly by default. Barring the use of ghee and other dairy-based items like paneer, other ingredients such as vegetables and spices all fall into the vegan norms. It is the spices that are used in Indian food that gives it it’s unique taste. All these spices are plant-based and thus can be freely used while preparing vegan food.
When it comes to the use of dairy-based products like ghee in cooking, there are many other options like coconut oil, mustard oil, ground nut oil or other oils derived from seeds that can be used as alternatives. For example- coconut oil is widely used in the southern part of India, whereas mustard oil in the north. It does not take away the taste but in fact, adds a different flavour to the food.
Even paneer can be replaced with Tofu, while cheese can be made in many different ways without using milk; for example- melon extract or cashews and other nuts. Tofu is not just cheaper but is healthier than paneer and it is higher in fibre. One of the most popular Indian cuisines across the world is South Indian cuisine. Everything from the light fluffy idlis to the thin crispy dosas or the soft appams and the sambar and chutney are all completely vegan.
Across the span of the country from North to South and East to West, Indians use a lot of vegetables and lentils in their cooking. We also have a lot of green leafy vegetables that are region-specific or season specific. Be it Haak or Sarson ka saag from the Northern part of India, Laal Bhaji or methi in western part or Helencha saag in Eastern Indian, or the sour Gongura from South India; each has a unique taste and a unique way in which it is cooked.
Our Garam Masala’s and Curry Powders have become hugely popular in the West. They form the foundation of all Indian cooking. It’s our spices that have drawn most invaders be it the British or the Portuguese to our country. All these spices that we use in our food on a daily basis are plant-based and hence can be used while cooking vegan food.
In conclusion, veganism or vegan cooking has always been a way of life as far as India is concerned. And hence we can safely say that one need not have to do anything drastically different while cooking vegan food with Indian ingredients.
The world is slowly and gradually moving towards sustainability. While consumers will not give up meat entirely, they are now more inclined than ever to switch to a Vegan diet or explore meat alternatives, a trend called the reducetarianism or flexitarianism phenomena. 26% of consumers have reported using meat alternatives to reduce their meat intake. Meat alternatives also known as “meat analogs”.
These are food products that mimic the taste, texture, and appearance of meat such as plant-based meat crumbles, bacon, burgers, hot dogs, Vegan Sausages. Meat alternatives are viewed by many as a strategy to reduce meat in an omnivorous diet. Millennials in particular are increasingly interested in vegan offerings.
(The author is founder at Foodlink)
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