Most people, especially those in India, are under the impression that to be vegan — given up all animal products — means giving up on all things good. There is a reason why we think that. In our country, vegetarians rely on dairy products. Paneer, curd, milk and cheese are part and parcel of many households. To imagine a meal without one of these is unthinkable. ‘What will we eatij Will the question. Where will we get our protein fromij And what about our sweet toothij What will we eat for dessertij
While these questions may be a tad difficult to answer at present if you are an Indian, in the rest of the world being vegan is a lifestyle change and a revolution that is slowly but steadily changing food habits. The best part is that none of them have given up on eating any of the good stuff including the most sinful of desserts that one can think of.
The only difference is that instead of using dairy to make these delights, vegans are using substitutes that are readily available like soy milk and almond milk instead of the regular milk. Or using vegetable oil instead of butter.
One such chef who is making waves in the world cuisine of veganism is Chef Toni Rodríguez who held a four-day masterclass at Academy of Pastry Arts in Gurugram.
Toni is the co-founder of the most innovative, delicious patisserie within the vegetable cuisine world. His reason for visiting India was to provide hands on training to budding chefs on how to bake vegan pastries without compromising on the taste.
Major Dinesh Sharma, co- founder, Academy of Pastry Arts, India tells you the reason for inviting a renowned vegan chef to India. “We used to get at least five-six inquiries every batch if there was a class where vegan cuisine was being taught. Some would ask if we could invite Chef Toni for a class. This time, we did. Budding chefs have had a blast in his class and this is great news for us,” Sharma says.
How Chef Toni became a vegan, is an interestingly story. “It was some 15 years back. My sister sent me a link on the treatment of animals in a slaughter house. I had a rack of pork ribs in front of me that I was about to eat. But the minute I clicked on the link and saw the way the animals were being slaughtered was enough to put me off. I couldn’t even bite into the rib. That led me to be a vegan. Being a chef I wanted to explore the options in the desserts that could be offered to not just vegans but also non-vegans,” Toni says.
In fact, many of his customers at his pastry shop used to be non-vegans. But because the chef wanted to do a lot more than just bake, he closed down shop and opened an academy in Barcelona where he teaches young people on how to create vegan desserts. He also spends at a week in a month to come up with new ideas on how a particular dessert can be modified into veganism.
He tells you how making vegan desserts are much cheaper and healthier since it is sans cream. “We cook using soy milk instead of regular milk. We don’t use cream. So a lot of fat content is eliminated which is healthy. We use brown sugar instead of white. Some of the regular ingredients that go into baking are expensive. Vegan desserts are cheaper in comparison,” he tells you.
It is another matter that veganism is no where on the Indian plate and hence for us to make a vegan dessert would be costlier. But Chef Toni tells you that one doesn’t always have to make fancy deserts and rattles off a quick and easy vegan recipe for carrot cake that people can bake in their kitchen.
“Take 600 gm of white flour, 450 gm of brown sugar, 30 gm of baking powder, 4 gm cinnamon, 3 gm of mixed spices, 450 gm of grated carrots, 100 gm raisins, 330 ml of water and 225 gm of sunflower oil. Mix all the ingredients together. Grease a baking dish. Bake in a pre-heated over — 180 degree C till the toothpick comes out clean,” Toni shares.
Does this cake taste just as good as the real oneij Apparently it does or so say some of chef’s non-vegan customers.
He tells you that the art of cooking lies not in the ingredients but on how you use those ingredients.
“I tell my customers and students that one can use the most expensive of ingredients and yet the result can be the worst thing that one could have eaten. When you make something, do it from the heart. Then even with the simplest of ingredients one can have a fantastic dish. It is not what ingredients you use but how you use them,” Toni says.