We often see comments like “why do vegans make their food look like meat or egg?” We find this a really interesting concept.
I think this type of “argument” is from non-vegans trying to get “one-over” on vegans – but we’re not really on board with this type of thinking, because we think veganism should be inclusive for everyone, and we want to break down barriers like this.
The reason vegan food often emulates non-vegan food is two-fold (in our opinion):
- No one said that people who choose to be vegan didn’t like the food they ate before – they’re just now choosing a more compassionate lifestyle for the planet, the animals, and their own health.
- Mimicking non-vegan food like meat and egg is often an easy way of getting non-vegans to try vegan food. If it looks like something you already recognise, it can’t be that scary, right?
This recipe only uses nine ingredients and they’re mostly vegan staples! The one thing you might not already have is kala namak – it’s now a staple for us because it takes anything that’s trying to replicate an eggy flavour to the next level.
What Is Kala Namak?
Kala namak (Indian black salt or even Himalayan black salt) is an ingredient that’s gaining popularity in vegan recipes because of its ability to create an “eggy” flavour. The salt starts out as Himalayan pink salt and is heated to a very high heat and mixed with Indian spices, as well as harad fruit which contains sulfur, and this is the ingredient that gives it the egg flavour.
There are two main things to note – it’s not usually black, more of a pink colour, and it smells pretty bad. Try not to let this put you off!
Additionally, go careful with the amount you use. You can add more but you can’t take it away! This ingredient has a powerful flavour, that’s why we only use a quarter of a teaspoon in this recipe.
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:165]Need more vegan eggs in your life? This plant-based breakfast burrito features tofu egg scramble as well as coriander rice and avocado.
This recipe was republished with permission from Vegan Punks.
