Seeding the Veggie Power

The foodies, meat lovers or simply punctilious readers amongst you may remember last week’s article raising arguments for meat consumption, or rather, for not feeling guilty about it as long as you accepted the responsibilities. And I thought there would be nothing better than hunting my friend’s arguments by growing from them.

Please bear with me. I know, for most of you, the “Veggie” in the title put you off. But, if you’re an Imperial student, it must be that you like challenge, so take it as a challenge and read the article until the end.

Let’s start from the beginning. Yes, I am vegetarian. Love vegan cuisine, too. And guess what? I have eaten meat for most of my life, 18 years, which is about 90% – you can do the maths in your own time. Oh, and I love meat. A steak tartare on a sunny summer day? I used to crave them. That’s right, I just said it. So just think about that whilst you still believe I am a green hippie trying to convince you that lettuce is so much better than a beef burger. I do actually think that, but that’s another story.

Reading last week’s article was very inspiring, and people could be surprised by it, but it does relate a lot to vegetarians too. The ethical debate that was raised is exactly the reason why I chose to be vegetarian, and which also explains why I am not fully vegan. But let me explain it to you, with my friend’s quote: “If you’re going to consume meat, you need to accept where it came from – a real, living, breathing animal that was killed and butchered.” That’s how it all started for me, a couple of years ago. I realised something just wasn’t right. I would cry seeing someone slaughter an animal and then feel perfectly emotionless – and greedy – facing that roasted lamb in my plate.

So I thought: ‘Eat what you could handle alone’. That’s my motto. Could I kill a lamb myself? No. Could I hook a fish? No. Conclusion: no meat for me. And I must say I have never felt as serene and full of integrity as I do now. Our ‘modern’ world has lost the connection between the art of hunting – or fishing, for that matter – and the art of cooking, as consumerism led to a lucrative manufacture industry. Personally, I just could not handle that huge lie I was concealing from my own conscious under the veil of the food chain supply, which made it easier for reality to be distorted.

Still, I have milked cows. I have made yogurt, even butter, and collected eggs from the henhouse. This partly explains why I don’t feel guilty about having a wedge of Tomme de Savoie from time to time, or spreading some churned butter on a slice of lightly toasted sourdough bread topped with my neighbour’s honey.

Oh, and I don’t live in a farm, for the sceptics. Just so that you don’t try to find yourself some excuses – I live in a capital city, actually. I mean, the point is not to indoctrinate you. That would be a waste of time. It has to be your choice, and choosing to be vegetarian is more than just not willing to kill unnecessarily, but it is a great starting point.

There are a significant amount of environmental factors that have rooted the veggie power, as I like to call it, even further, and one should not underestimate the impact of the cattle industry on climate change.

The intention here was to give you some thoughts to grow on. Long story short, be consistent with your values. Be true to your morals, and stick to them.

Sweet potato curry

And to show you vegan cooking can be easy, delicious and inspiring, if not more so than any other kind, here is a sweet potato, lentil and coconut curry just for you. And no – you will not be lacking protein!

This recipe is all about making it to taste – use lime juice if you want a sourer kick, or up the cayenne for a warmer heat. Feel free to add lemongrass, whole chiles or anything in that vein – but as it’s been requested by some readers, this is a recipe with fewer than five spices, so I’ll leave that up to you.

Of course, you could always add some browned chicken breasts, or some juicy prawns, but that wouldn’t really be in the spirit of the dish!Try it without, and see.

2 tbsp cooking oil- olive or sunflower

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 2cm chunks (~1kg)

1 tbsp of turmeric

1 tbsp of ground cumin

2 tsp of ground ginger

2 green cardamom

1 tsp cayenne

(or use pre-made garam masala for the above 5 ingredients – about 2tbsp)

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

1 onion, white or red, sliced

500g green lentils, rinsed

2 tins coconut milk

2 tins diced tomatoes

2 cups green olives

salt, pepper

1 lemon – or a lime, see note above.

Handful coriander leaves

Heat the oil in a large, high sided pan – a casserole dish would be ideal. Once hot, add the cubed sweet potato and get it browning. You want to caramalise each face of the cubes, so stir them moderately frequently.

When almost brown all over, add the spices, garlic and onion. Sweat them for a few minutes, and then add the lentils, coconut milk and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, and keep on a low heat for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are just cooked. If the sauce is now too thick, thin it out with a few splashes of water.

Finish the dish with the green olives and the juice of a lemon, before topping it with some fresh coriander leaves. Serve with some steamed rice.

Mango sticky rice

This is a perfect vegan pudding – especially as alphonso mangoes will soon be in season! If you want to find some, make a trip to Southhall for the best ones.

300g glutinous rice

1 tin coconut milk

3 tbsp sugar

pinch salt

2tbsp coconut cream

2 ripe mangoes

Soak the rice for 10 minutes in excess water. Drain, and add to a microwaveable bowl with water to just cover. Clingfilm the top, and microwave until tender – about ten minutes. Bring the other ingredients, apart from the mango, to a boil and pour over. Let it cool and then serve with the sliced mango.