Vegan Culinary Course

Episode 1: Introduction to vegan diet: the classics

Chef: Michael Lachur

Scrambled tofu with sun dried tomatoes and home made chapati
Ingredients:
Chapati:
1/2 cup of white spelt flour
1/2 cup of wholemeal flour (spelt or wheat)
1 teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt
1/2 cup of hot water (or more)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon of black sesame seeds
1 teaspoon of caraway seeds
Scrambled tofu:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 small onion, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
200 g of natural tofu
5-6 tablespoons of water
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
3 tablespoons of chickpea flour
1/2 - 1 teaspoon of kala namak salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes, sliced
A few leaves of basil

Prepare the dough: mix white spelt flour and wholemeal flour, add sesame seeds and
caraway seeds. Pour in hot water and mix it using a spoon. Then add olive oil and salt and
knead the dough for about 1-2 minutes. Form a ball, cover with a kitchen towel and set
aside for about 30 minutes. Prepare scrambled tofu: start with mixing chickpea flour with
water, add kala namak salt, turmeric and a pinch of black pepper. Mix it together until
smooth and set aside. Start by preheating a skillet on a medium high heat, pour in some
extra virgin olive oil. Crush 2 cloves of garlic with a knife and slice it thinly. Chop finely
onion and add it to the frying pan, fry for about 2-3 minutes and mix from time to time.
Using a paper towel squeeze out as much of excess water from tofu as you can. Add sliced

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garlic to the fried onion and fry for about 40 seconds. Using your fingers, crumble tofu
onto the frying pan, mix it well and fry for a couple of minutes. Add chickpea flour and
water mixture to the tofu and mix it well. Fry it to achieve your desired consistence. Cut
sun dried tomatoes into stripes and add to the pan. Prepare the chapati: take a small ball
of the dough and using a rolling pin roll it out until very thin. Just remember to sprinkle
some flour on the surface of your table and on the dough. Plac a chapati on a dry skillet
and fry for about 3 minutes on each side or until brown bubbles appear. Serve scrambled
tofu with warm chapati breads and some fresh basil leaves. Et voilà!

Sweet potato, black beans and quinoa burger with chimichurri and avocado
sauce
Ingredients:
4 burger buns
Sweet potato:
1 big sweet potato
Olive oil
Black pepper
1 pinch of salt
Quinoa:
1/2 cup of red quinoa, rinsed
1 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Burger:
1 bunch of coriander
1 bunch of basil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger root
1/2 cup of peanuts, chopped
1 can of black beans, rinsed
2 flaxseed eggs (2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed + 6 tablespoons of hot water)
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon of ground coriander seeds
1 teaspoon of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 - 1 cup of bread crumbs
Chimichurri & avocado sauce:
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed

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1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of parsley
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1 small chili pepper, chopped
3/4 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 ripe avocados
Additions:
Slices of tomato
Slices of red onion
Slices of pickles
Micro greens or herbs

Preheat the oven to 200°C with air-flow mode. Rub some olive oil on a sweet potato and
place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Using a fork, prick the skin of sweet
potato in severa places, cover it with aluminium foil and place in the oven for about 40-60
minutes. Rinse the quinoa under running water for at least 30 seconds to remove any
bitterness, place it in a pot, add twice as much water as quinoa, bring it to boil and cook
for 25 minutes. Then turn the heat off, cover with tin foil and set cooked quinoa aside.
Prepare flaxseed egg: place ground flaxseed in a bowl and add hot water, using a whisk,
mix it to avoid clumps and set aside for 5 minutes - it will thicken. Take baked sweet
potato out of the oven and set aside to cool down. Prepare the burger mixture: place black
beans, cooked quinoa, ground coriander, lemon juice, crushed or chopped peanuts,
coarsely chopped fresh basil, and coriander, olive oil, tamari soy sauce, flaxseed egg,
pressed garlic and grated ginger root in a big bowl. Peel baked potato and add the flesh
into the bowl with beans and quinoa. Mash it with your hands and mix it well. If the dough
is too watery, add bread crumbs (not too much, because some water will evaporate in the
oven). Season the dough with some salt and black pepper. Using your hands or a ring, form
burgers on a tray lined with parchment paper. Bake them in the oven preheated to 200°C
for 20 minutes, flip it on the other side and bake for 10 more minutes. Prepare the
chimichurri sauce: chop finely parsley and coriander and place it in a bowl. Crush the
garlic, chop chili peppers finely and add to your chopped herbs. Add dried oregano, red
wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, black pepper and avocado flesh. Smash the avocado using a
fork and mix with herbs and spices. Cut burger buns in half and grill them on a pan on a
high heat. Cut additional vegetables into thin slices. Place 1 half of the burger bun on a
plate, place 2 tablespoons of the chimichurri & avocado sauce on the bun, then place the

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burger and add some of the sauce. Place slices of fresh vegetables on top, add some fresh
greens and cover with a bun. And out burger is ready to eat!

Broccoli & red lentil Daal with brown rice

Ingredients:
Rice:
1 cup of brown basmati rice
2 1/2 cups of water
1 pinch of ground turmeric
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
Daal:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of mustard seeds
1 onion, chopped finely
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 carrots, sliced
1 cup of red lentil, rinsed
1 cup of coconut milk
1 red bell pepper, diced
1-3 teaspoons of garam masala
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1 teaspoon of ground coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon of chili flakes
2 cups of vegetable broth
1 big broccoli, divided into florets
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Rinse brown rice under the running water and transfer it to a pot, add twice as much
water as rice, pinch of salt, pepper and ground turmeric. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat
to low and cook for about 30 minutes. Rinse red lentils under running water and set aside.
Preheat a skillet over medium high heat and add some olive oil. Crush the garlic with your
knife and slice it thinly. Cut onion into small dice. When the olive oil is heated up, add
mustard seeds into the pot. Fry it until it starts popping, then add diced onion and garlic.
After about 30 seconds add the spices: ground garam masala, ground coriander, ground
cumin and turmeric. Fry for about 1 minute, add rinsed lentils and 1 cup of coconut milk.
Increase the heat and add vegan bulion. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat and cut the
carrots into thin slices. Add carrots to the pot and give it a stir, cover with a lid. Cut red

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bell pepper into small dices and add into the pot. Then add chili flakes and prepare the
pumpkin seeds - just toast them on a dry frying pan for about 2-3 minutes. When the
vegetables are almost ready, add broccoli florets and cook everything for 3 more minutes
under the lid. Place the Daal on a serving plate, add some toasted pumpkin seeds, a pinch
of powdered paprika and a wedge of lemon. Serve with cooked brown basmati rice.

Vegan ramen
Ingredients:
Noodles:
200 g of soba noodles
Water
Ramen:
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 onions, diced finely
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon of grated ginger root
2 small carrots, diced
500 ml of vegetable broth (without salt)
4 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoon of nori sheets
2 tablespoons of peanut oil
1 cup of sliced mushroom
1 cup of sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms
200 g of smoked tofu, sliced
2 cups of baby spinach
2 bulbs of bok choy
1 bunch of chives

Heat up a big pot and add sesame oil. Cut the onion into big chunks and add to sesame oil.
Then slice ginger root, garlic and chili pepper and add to the pot. Mix everything, fry for
about 5 minutes and add vegan bulion, tamari soy sauce and shredded nori sheets. Cut
carrots in half and add to the stock, cover with a lid, bring it to boil and cook for about
25-30 minutes. Preheat a skillet with peanut oil on a medium high heat. Chop coarsely
shiitake mushrooms and mushrooms. When the oil is hot start to fry off the mushrooms -
don’t fry too many at one time - if you overcrowd them, they’ll start steaming not frying.
Season with some salt and fry for a couple more minutes. Transfer fried mushrooms on a
plate. Squeeze out excess water from smoked tofu, slice it and fry on a pan (use the same
one, which you were using for frying mushrooms). Turn on the other side and fry for couple
more minutes, then transfer them on a plate. Now fry leaves of the bok choy and baby

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spinach. Transfer fried greens on a plate. Bring to a boil a big pot of salty water, place
soba noodles into boiling water and cook it for 3 minutes. Afterwards, strain cooked
noodles and rinse it with cold water. Chop finely the chives. Turn off the heat under the
ramen, taste it and season to your taste. Now place one portion of soba noodles into a
bowl, add slices of smoked tofu, fried greens, mushrooms and pour ramen over the
additives. Serve with pea or Mung bean sprouts, black sesame seeds and chopped chives.