PRESS RELEASE: British Chef Giving us His BBQ Tips….And All Plant Based Too!

British Chef Giving us His BBQ Tips….And All Plant Based Too!

I find it really exciting to create plant-based meals based on local favourite recipes.

The great thing is that all over the world there are lots of traditional dishes which are very healthy and economical and can be made with little or no meat. Often they were padded out with beans and then plans to provide more protein.

At home Scotland has Scotch Broth. In Ireland there is Irish stew and in Wales where I live there is Cawl which is a hearty one pot stew. Traveling through Europe these beany stews are at the heart of healthy Mediterranean food and country cooking.

I love going to different places finding their local dish and creating a plant-based version of it. It’s normally goes quite well! But the UK we travelled up to Scotland. And there we made a plant-based version of Scotch broth. It started off okay with the barley, onions, kale and carrots. Then it went wrong when I said potatoes instead of tatties, and swede which are called neaps up there. The biggest question was where is the meat?

Not to be discouraged I have come to Australia and I’m taking on my biggest challenge yet! It’s going to be a real Aussie veggie barbie. I’m up for it and I have got some great new twists on this cultural favourite. I am sure you will give me a great reception.

I had a practice run at home and substituting the meat for tofu and using veggie burgers. Unfortunately no one was convinced. They said it just doesn’t cut the vegan mustard! Plus some ruder comments.

So I decided to spice it up a bit! With Keith’s Tandoori Veggie Barbie. In India this is traditionally cooked in a tandoor. Which is a long pot placed over charcoal. It’s a bit like having a barbecue everyday.

My fantastic tandoori paste add to sparkle to simple vegan foods. And now the tofu and veggie burgers will now zing with flavour.

Keith Top Vegan Barbie Tips

You may think it is just at Christmas Lunch when the families vegans and meat eaters are going to meet head on! Just when you thought it was safe to come out of the kitchen the barbeque presents another opportunity!. We want to invite all our family and friends but you can pretty much guarantee there are going to be quite a few special diets and allergies to take into account.

There are lots of readymade vegan burgers and cutlets and marinades to go with them. So that part is easy, but like Christmas it’s important to keep it all separate. Especially as the barbeque cooking is done in front of everyone. One answer is to have 2 barbeques on the go with separate implements.

If that sounds like too much hard work why not try something completely different. Make it all vegan but so exciting that everyone will be happy. Tandoori is like a barbeque every day as everything is made on an open fire.. It’s a great way to make vegetables and vegan burgers super exciting. With some nan bread and the usual salads everyone is going to be happy.

It’s easy to make some really spicy tandoori style marinades that are going to bring everything to life. It is gluten and dairy free so will cover a lot of allergies and special diets in one go.

Also without the meat and dairy it is going to be a lot cheaper and safer too. Plus you don’t have to worry so much if its cooked through properly or how long it’s been out the fridge.

Just make this tandoor or Thai Curry paste recipe the day before.

Marinade your vegetable kebabs, tofu, vegan burgers and sausages overnight and you are ready to go.

Tandoori Paste for Marinade

1/2 tsp black pepper corns
1 cm cinnamon stick
12 cloves buds

1 onion peeled and roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic peeled and roughly chopped
3cm ginger root peeled and roughly chopped
1 tomato

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
¼ tsp chilli
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp curry powder
1 teaspoon salt

1 lemon (juiced)
400ml coconut or other vegan yogurt
1 tbsp tomato puree
Handful fresh coriander (chopped)

Grind the cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon in a grinder or pestle and mortar.
Put the tomato, ginger, garlic and onion in a food processor and blend until it is a smooth paste.
Heat the coconut oil in pan and add the pureed onion mixture cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add freshly ground and powdered spices and cook for another 2 minutes.
If mixture gets too dry, add 1-2 tbsp water.
Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice, yogurt, salt and tomato paste.
Mix well and reheat then add the fresh coriander.

Thai Green Curry Paste

1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. black pepper corns
1/2 tsp. coriander seed
1 stalk lemongrass sliced
1 green chilies sliced
1 shallot sliced
4 cloves garlic
2 cm fresh ginger sliced
Handful fresh coriander chopped
Handful fresh basil chopped
1 Tbsp tamari
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. coconut sugar
3 to 4 Tbsp. coconut milk (enough to blend ingredients together)

Green Curry

2 tbsp coconut oil
Green curry paste (see above)
100ml stock
250g tofu diced
1 red pepper diced
1 cougette diced
200ml coconut milk
2 kaffir lime leaves optional
Salt to taste

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 to 3 tbsp. oil and swirl around, then add the green curry paste. Stir-fry until fragrant (1 minute), then add the stock plus the tofu, pepper and courgette. Simmer until ingredients are cooked, gradually adding the coconut milk and kaffir leaves.
As you’re cooking, you can also add 2 to 3 kaffir lime leaves (left whole).
Season to taste and garnish with generous amounts of fresh basil.

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Keith is currently in Australia touring his book “Cooking With Love”, for more information or to set up an interview please contact: