this post was submitted on 19 Jan 2025
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Been wanting to expand my recipe list, what are your favorites?

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[–] NotMushroomForDebate@lemmygrad.ml 16 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Egypt's national dish, Koshary. Uses lots of pots and pans so make sure you have a few (and probably someone to help you do the dishes).
Koshary in a takeaway dish

Also, Egypt's most popular/commonly consumed dish, Ful Medames (Fava beans).
A dish of Ful Medames with tahini and a bright red chili pepper in the middle

And, of course, Egyptian-style Falafel.
A couple plates of Egyptian Falafel, they are green on the inside and crispy brown on the outside

[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 8 points 1 month ago

Never had Koshary, may have to try! But Ful Medames is shooting to the top of the list, I adore beans and I already love falafel, so that seems like an easy enough dish to love that I haven't had yet. Thanks!

[–] Frivolous_Beatnik@hexbear.net 6 points 1 month ago

Falafel, my beloved

[–] woodenghost@hexbear.net 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I always liked how Koshary has all kinds of carbs: rice, pasta, lentils and you even eat it with bread (and your hands). It tastes great and with the typicall serving size, it's impossible to be hungry afterwards.

[–] NotMushroomForDebate@lemmygrad.ml 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Interesting. I've never seen or heard about anyone eating Koshary with bread (or using their hands for that matter). Usually you'd just eat it with a spoon.

An upside with the dish is that you can control the carb/protein ratio by adjusting the amount of lentils and chickpeas compared to pasta and rice, for example.

[–] woodenghost@hexbear.net 3 points 1 month ago

Yes, Egyptians eat it with a spoon. When I was there we used bread because we shared this and other stuff and I enjoyed adding more carbs, because I was very hungry.

[–] krolden@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 month ago

I thought fava beans only grew on Bajor

[–] sourquincelog@hexbear.net 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

My favorite: Pot of pinto beans, batch of Mexican rice, fresh salsa, chopped toppings (cabbage, radish, cilantro) and some fresh masa tortillas. It's not a vegan exclusive channel but I got a bunch of good recipes from the yt channel "Rachel cooks with love".

Egyptian koshary is traditionally vegan. Have never had it, but it looks good

[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 4 points 1 month ago

Beans and rice topped with goodies makes up, like, 80% of my meals, haha. Thanks for the channel rec!

[–] NewAcctWhoDis@hexbear.net 12 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Ratatouille, a stew made from eggplant, zucchini, tomato, peppers and mushrooms.

[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 5 points 1 month ago
[–] crime@hexbear.net 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] crime@hexbear.net 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Def my all-time favorite Indian dish chickpea That one, masoor dal, and tomato rice got me through college. I've been really enjoying making veggie korma lately too.

[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 3 points 1 month ago

Dal Makhani is still at my personal top, it's such a labor of love though.

[–] kota@hexbear.net 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)
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[–] BodyBySisyphus@hexbear.net 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Tofu with spicy peanut sauce. Here's the recipe I use for the peanut sauce:

spoiler1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce/sriracha (or to taste)
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon lite soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch

Combine all ingredients, bring to a simmer until thickened

Also, while not traditionally vegan, saag paneer can be made with tofu and it is good.

[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 5 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Thanks for the recipe, love peanut sauce! And it's been forever since I've had saag paneer, may need to do as you suggest and make saag tofu!

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[–] nohaybanda@hexbear.net 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Since someone already mentioned chana masala, I'll go with aloo palak. Love me some spinach, yum doggirl-thumbsup

[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 3 points 1 month ago

Yummy greens

[–] Alaskaball@hexbear.net 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Fried tofu basted in soy sauce, red peppers, green onions, garlic, and ginger.

Saw you mention making your own kimchi. You just need to skip out on using fish sauce when making your own. Just make sure to salt and red pepper in layers and if you're doing Napa cabbage make sure to get the salt into the crevices.

[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yep, I've seen vegan fish sauce recipes so I was going to go for that to keep the flavor similar. Thanks for the advice!

[–] Alaskaball@hexbear.net 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You can also try your hand at water kimchi. That might be an easier and quicker trial run for making kimchi for beginners

[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Love that too, but I have a need for Kimchi Jjigae and Dubu Kimchi as well so that would be in addition to, not replacing.

[–] Alaskaball@hexbear.net 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I get it. I'm a right fiend for kimchi stew too. Quite literally a food I could eat for the rest of my life and not get sick of it.

Honestly Koreans have historically pickled or preserved almost everything they could get their hands on so honestly the limits of side dish making comes from oneself and their willingness to delve into the unorthodox.

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[–] StillNoLeftLeft@hexbear.net 6 points 1 month ago (5 children)

I love a tomato based lentil & veggie soup.

Chickpea curry.

And from my local foods pea soup is a favourite.

Yemista/gemista.

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[–] krolden@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Love Korean food! Have to make my own kimchi though, most of it isn't vegan. That's a good idea though, I should make some!

[–] LaGG_3@hexbear.net 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Is you have an east Asian supermarket near you, it's worth checking. The one near me carries a handful of vegan options - I usually buy this Assi brand one.

I think the Target stores near me also carry a vegan kimchi.

You can also make Korean pancakes with different goodies inside!

[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 5 points 1 month ago

Oh, will check that out! But I also think it would just be fun to do, haha. My partner and I have been wanting to do that for a while.

[–] krolden@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 month ago

I found some of these in the frozen section at my local grocery and fell in love with then. Haven't tried making my own yet.

[–] dkr567@hexbear.net 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

In addition to Kimchi jeon, garlic chive pancakes (https://www.koreanbapsang.com/buchujeon-garlic-chive-pancakes/) are also really good which I believe you should be able to get (garlic chives) in most east asian grocery stores.

[–] Kereru@hexbear.net 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I've been enjoying recipes from Hermann. He's got a youtube series making traditionally vegan recipes.

Also: masoor/red lentil dal

[–] LaGG_3@hexbear.net 3 points 1 month ago

I totally forgot about the Wunderbar! guy lol

[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 3 points 1 month ago

Thanks for the awesome resource!

[–] Pisha@hexbear.net 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Fuchsia Dunlop has a recipe by Buddhist monks in her Hunan cookbook that's simple and vegan. You cut some celery and smoked tofu into strips, you fry the tofu in a wok, take it out, fry the celery, put the tofu back in and season with soy sauce and chili flakes. Serve the whole thing over rice et voilà.

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[–] SpiderFarmer@hexbear.net 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I love making pumpkin stew. While I've generally used a small amount of lard, it's not required. The secret is cumin, black pepper, and some sort of kicker like cayenne. Basically sautee onions, carrots, and mushroom. Add in pumpkin and water. Once it starts simmering for about an hour, you hit it with the immersion blender. Additional spices I tossed in last time were things like celery seed and I think I used a little cardnamon and allspice. Making it vegan, a dash of MSG wouldn't hurt. Just keep cooking till it's ideal.

[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 5 points 1 month ago

Will so! It is soup season, love a good warming meal. My partner still hasn't forgiven me for making our last squash soup with too much spice though so I'll lean off the heat this time, haha. Thanks!

[–] electric_nan@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Just use vegan substitutes for non-vegan ingredients in recipes you already like. Or if it seems particularly difficult, look on YouTube (ie, vegan chile relleno).

Here's a staple in our house: garlic and black pepper tofu. You can add it to other recipes or use it as is. We make it for thanksgiving as it goes great with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Tear a block of extra firm tofu into chunks (I prefer this to cubing it). Fry it in a pan with no oil, until all the water is evaporated. Then add oil and fry til golden brown. Move all the tofu to one side of the pan, and add some more oil to the empty space. Fry a bunch of minced garlic in that oil til it's brown, then mix it up with the tofu. Add 5 or 6 good dashes of your favorite soy sauce and remove from heat. Add a generous amount of black pepper (preferably fresh ground). You'll want to play with the amounts of garlic/soy sauce/pepper, but don't be afraid to use a lot!

[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Thanks for the recipe! I've done a lot of replacements, but I was more curious about naturally vegan recipes that I may not be familiar with. Will definitely give your recipe a try though!

[–] electric_nan@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Ugh, I went looking through food photos to find some of it and came up empty but hungry lol. It did remind me that that tofu recipe goes really well in a Vietnamese or Thai style noodle soup. Lots of fresh basil and bean sprouts, and we like to top it of with some crispy fried wonton wrapper triangles.

We ended up making this again for lunch, lol.

[–] mathemachristian@hexbear.net 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I am just gonna copy my bulgur salad comment because bulgur salad is GOAT

My lunch when I'm not at home and even typically at home is bulgur salad:

  • 3 parts of the coarsest bulgur to 4 parts water by volume. Add salt and bring to boil, then turn off, let it cool on the stove with a lid on.
  • dice: tomato, leek, pickled cucumber, red paprika and/or whatever else you like
  • once bulgur is at most luke-warm stir it so the drier bulgur ln top gets mixed in with the wetter bulgur. It still takes water while cold, so don't worry about homogeniety. -mix in a good amount of olive oil so the grains separate. Like a goooooood amount. This kind of food is what olive oil is for dont be shy about it.
  • Add loads of tomato paste and paprika paste (I go for half paprika half tomato but it's up to you). Like loads. Bulgur salad has a red/orange hue, sated colors=sated belly.
  • Whatever spices you want, I typically go for pepper, rose paprika, the mediterranean combo (thyme, basil, oregano and rosemary) and cumin. Gotta watch out with the cumin though, you can't really overdo the other spices but cumin has a very strong flavor. Also pul biber because I like it spicy.
  • Add your souring agent: lemon juice, vinegar or my favorite variant: pickle juice.
  • Parsley. Loads of it. Impossible to overdo, the arabic variant is mainly parsley with some bulgur. Doesn't matter which type or how finely diced, I buy deep frozen because it's already cut up and I dump half a box into it, but obviously fresh is better.
  • mix it all and taste it. It should be a bit too spicy and salty since we're gonna add all the veg and a bit too dry since it will soak up the veg juices later. You don't want a weird slosh later at the bottom but you can dump it or try to mix it in if there is.
  • mix in the diced veg and some chickpeas and let it sit on the fridge. I typically go for 50/50 veg and bulgur.

There are loads of variants obviously, but the main ingredients are tomato&paprika paste, olive oil, some kind of souring agent, PARSLEY(important!), veg. Seriously though don't forget the parsley.

It keeps at least a week in the fridge so it's perfect for meal prepping, it's eaten cold so perfect to pack while away, it has carbohydrates veg and protein (mainly the chickpeas but bulgur has a bit as well), and it doesn't make me feel drowsy like when I eat too much of some other carbs (looking at you noodles).

I love my bulgur salad.

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[–] whatnots@hexbear.net 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

fideo seco is really tasty. the version i've been taught to make is really cheap too. only needs noodles, an onion, and some ketchup. but the traditional recipe has a more robust sauce that is probably even better!

[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 4 points 1 month ago

Never seen that, it looks great!

[–] KuroXppi@hexbear.net 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

地三鲜 di san xian (braised potato, eggplant and capsicum) is vegan if you leave out the oyster sauce. You can sub with kecap manis.

[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 3 points 1 month ago

Oh, that sounds lovely! Thanks!

[–] LocalOaf@hexbear.net 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Peas paneer with a bunch of spices on basmati rice

[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] LocalOaf@hexbear.net 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

(Tofu) rogan josh on naan is up there too

Shout out to the awesome local Indian restaurant for inspiring me to cook better at home

[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 4 points 1 month ago

Indian food is always so yummy and super easy to veganize if it isn't already

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