Today I made vegan food: it’s easy to be part of Veganuary

Now that veganism has gone properly mainstream, it is hard to remember the time when soy cubes tasted nothing like fermented cheese, or when coconut yogurt didn’t have the creamy consistency it boasts today.

In the past few years, vegan food has made leaps and bounds in terms of creativity, flavour and, of course, texture, and it is important to acknowledge the many chefs and kitchen pioneers who have been making a green mark.

6 places to enjoy vegan afternoon tea in Hong Kong

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A little layered salad for #meatlessmonday, to satisfy all those eggplant and chickpea cravings. . . Here are the layers: > grilled eggplant, peeled and smashed with 1 clove garlic, big handful of soft herbs (dill, parsley, scallions), lemon juice, lashings of olive oil, Aleppo chilli, and lots of sea salt and black pepper > pan-fried cavolo nero (lacinato kale) > crispy smashed chickpeas > pomegranate seeds > feta cheese Serve with sourdough or flatbread for easy dinner. . . . . #eattheworld #myamazonkitchen #f52grams @food52 #ebdailypic #eggplant #salad #f52beans

A post shared by Hetty McKinnon (@arthurstreetkitchen) on Jan 7, 2019 at 3:33am PST

The New York-based Hetty McKinnon is one of them. The vegetarian chef shot to fame on Instagram with her beautifully presented account, but more than anything else, she was also instrumental in starting a community that fell in love with her salad recipes.

And it all began with her self-published book Community, which made her to a well-known “salad queen” among the shrewdest of cookbook lovers.

How to have yourself a merry vegan Christmas feast

In her next book, Neighbourhood, she writes about her move from Australia to the Big Apple. “Neighbourhood is a collection of salad and sweet recipes inspired by ‘places’, journeying from Brooklyn in New York to greater Americas, the Mediterranean, Asia, France, my native Australia and many other places around the world for salad-making inspiration.”

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SOOOOO HAPPY AND EXCITED to announce that the US/UK edition of FAMILY is now available for preorder from all the usual places (@amazon, @barnesandnoble @penguinrandomhouse etc) ahead of its 9 April release. FAMILY is full of comfort food, made healthier and greener, using simple pantry ingredients. These are the recipes I turn to when cooking a weeknight veggie meal that I know everyone will love. Beautifully photographed by my longtime collaborator @luisabrimble, styled by the wonderful @erikarax.

A post shared by Hetty McKinnon (@arthurstreetkitchen) on Jan 10, 2019 at 3:37am PST

And that is exactly what she set out to do in Veda, Hong Kong’s first and so far only vegetarian restaurant in a hotel. McKinnon developed a menu “serving the type of food that I love best – big, bold-flavoured vegetable dishes that are hearty and nourishing”, she says in one of her posts on Instagram.

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No usual Christmas fare for us this year. It’s going to be all dumplings and rice and all things asian. These spinach and ricotta momos are served with a smoky tomato and chilli achaar are my current obsession. They are from the #Chinatown issue of @peddlerjournal and are part of the menu which I developed for soon-to-be-opened @vedahk. I love the flavour contrast of creamy dumplings with fiery, tart achaar. • if you are in Hong Kong this Wednesday 19 December, join the VEDA team and I for a special #vedahk popup preview dinner! Tickets via @vedahk profile. . • #arthurstreetkitchen #f52grams #f52spicy #hongkongfood #myamazonkitchen

A post shared by Hetty McKinnon (@arthurstreetkitchen) on Dec 17, 2018 at 3:05pm PST

How to have yourself a merry vegan Christmas feast

In celebration of Veganuary, we caught up with McKinnon when she was visiting Hong Kong to chat about her rise to fame and find what it’s like to be a vegetarian chef, all while learning how to cook her fabulous Aloo Gobi – whole-roasted turmeric and coconut cauliflower with crispy potato and lentils dish (available at Veda, of course).