This crispy toast slathered with homemade vegan kaya jam and butter is a famous Singaporean breakfast food and once you try it, you will get why!
Kaya is a spread made with coconut and eggs but we’ve made it vegan by using sweet potato, coconut cream and pure coconut sugar. Pumpkin is also a great substitute, but I personally prefer sweet potato for a creamier taste and texture.
I used to regularly frequent Toast Box or Ya Kun Kaya Toast in Singapore during weekends and the breakfast queues are snaking long. You can also find other variations like – pork floss toast, thick peanut butter toast, butter sugar toast or plain kaya toast without the butter. They are traditional served with runny half boiled eggs which you can mix and add some soy sauce to turn it into a dip. This may sound gross, but it surprisingly goes well together!
This crispy toast slathered with homemade vegan kaya jam and butter is a famous Singaporean breakfast food and once you try it, you will get why!
Prep Time25 minutesmins
Cook Time5 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: Asian, Fusion
Keyword: kaya jam, toast
Servings: 15toasts
Ingredients
Homemade Kaya Jam
2 mediumsweet potatoes(about 2 cups)
1 cup coconut cream
1/2 cup coconut sugar
3 pandan leaves(sub 1/2 tsp pandan extract)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract(optional)
Kaya Toast
white bread(or wholemeal bread)
vegan butter
vegan homemade kaya
Instructions
Blend sweet potatoes, coconut cream and sugar until it forms a smooth paste.
Add the paste to pan on low heat. Tie together the pandan leaves and add to the mixture. If you don't have pandan leaves, you can add pandan extract.
Stir until the mixture thickens. Remove the pandan leaves.
Wait for it to cool. Transfer to a glass container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks*.
Notes
*The earlier you consume your kaya, the fresher and less sour it tastes. Do not keep for more than 2 weeks as the kaya is fresh and will have a high tendency to spoil.
These rice paper dumplings with a spicy, indian twist is the comfort food that you didn’t know you needed – paired with a spicy chilli-tomato chutney.
These keema (minced meat) dumplings are to die for – made with a mix of plant based meat, potatoes, peas and flavourful indian spices. The viral sushi-inspired rice paper dumplings are amazing, but once you try this, I think you’ll love this one more.
Paired with a spicy chilli-tomato chutney that was inspired by the dipping chutney for nepalese dumplings called Momos, these taste phenomenal. Crispy on the outside and stuffed with a punchy keema filling on the inside to make the perfect snack. Of all time.
Try this vegan version of the popular braised minced meat rice bowl from Taiwan – it’s an absolute comfort food with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that’s simply addictive.
Lu Rou Fan traditionally consists of braised pork, hard-boiled eggs, vegetables and steaming hot rice. In this vegan version, all you need is one substitute for the meat and the flavours remain strong and satisfying. Try it for yourself and let me know in the comments!
If you’d like to substitute the meat for a vegan look-alike pork belly, my friend Anh has a beautiful recipe for it – you can check it out here.
But if you’d like to keep things simple and make a braised minced meat pork dish, I have a few pointers for you on ingredients and the method of cooking. It’ll also take you only 30 minutes to make this, making it a wonderful dinner idea.
What You Need for this Lu Rou Fan
Extra firm tofu – make sure your tofu is frozen and thawed. Squeeze out all the excess water beforehand.
Shiitake mushrooms (fresh or dried ones) – for dried mushrooms, you would need to rehydrate them in some hot water for 30 minutes
Brown sugar – any other sugar would work in place too.
Light & dark soy sauce – for gluten free version, skip the dark soy sauce. However, the colour may not be as dark as you would like.
Vegetarian oyster sauce
Rice wine vinegar or Shaoxing rice wine
5-spice powder
White pepper
Steamed rice
Green vegetables of choice
Most of the time spent cooking comes from simmering the aromatics. You can make this dish gluten free by substituting out the dark soy sauce with gluten free soy sauce and veg oyster sauce (if it contains gluten) to a mushroom powder/seasoning.
Vegan Lu Rou Fan (Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice Bowl)
Try this vegan version of the popular braised minced meat rice bowl from Taiwan – it's an absolute comfort food with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that's simply addictive.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time25 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Taiwanese
Keyword: braised tofu, healthy
Servings: 2
Ingredients
400 g extra firm tofu
5-6shitake mushrooms
1 tbspminced ginger
2 tbsp olive oil
2 star anise
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsplight soy sauce
1-2tbspdark soy sauce(add more depending on colour)
1 tbsp veg oyster sauce
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 tsp5-spice powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tspbrown sugar
1/2 cup water
salt(as required)
hot sesame oil
scallions(garnish)
blanched vegetables
Instructions
Freeze tofu overnight and thaw in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Squeeze out excess water.
Crumble tofu until it resembles a 'minced meat' texture.
Add shitake mushrooms to a food processor and process until its diced into fine pieces.
To a pan, add some oil and add minced ginger. Saute until fragrant.
Add shitake mushrooms and saute. Add your star anise, then add extra firm tofu. Combine well.
Add your sauces – vinegar, light soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, oyster sauce.
Add seasonings – white pepper, 5-spice powder, garlic powder, sugar and salt (if required).
Combine well. Add more dark soy sauce for a deeper brown colour.
Add water, cover with a lid and simmer on low for 5-10 minutes.
Drizzle some hot chili oil and mix. Serve over steaming hot rice, garnished with fresh scallions and blanched greens. Enjoy!
This fabulous, spicy centrepiece doesn’t need a lot of prep time and is absolutely delicious! Pair it with a creamy mint chutney to make a statement.
This Tandoori Cauliflower is absolutely delicious, healthy and easy to make. Packed with flavours from the spices, baked to the perfect crunch and dipped in a creamy, tangy mint sauce – it’ll bring you out of this world!
All you have to do is combine your spices, make them into a paste and slather them over your cauliflower. Let it marinate for a few hours for more flavour or you can bake it right away if you’re pressed for time. Still tastes amazing, either wise.
You can also break them up into pieces and marinate them for a fuller flavour profile. I personally like to cut into the Tandoori Cauliflower like a steak, makes it so much more fun but breaking them up into chunks definitely makes them easier to eat.
What You Need
You need pretty much all the common spices Indian cuisine uses so here’s a list of what you would want to stock up if you’re making this recipe:
Kashmiri Chilli Powder: this specific type of chilli powder gives a nice, bright orange-red colour to the paste and you can choose the spice level too. I chose mild.
Fennel Powder: ground up fennel seeds that are often sold in packets of powder.
Coriander Powder: ground up coriander seeds
Garam Masala: an essential for curries, masalas, indian-style stir-fries.
Onion & Garlic powder: to amp up the flavour but you can omit it if you’d like.
Turmeric: again, very much needed for a lot of Indian dishes.
Kasthoori Methi: fenugreek leaves
Neutral oil: to ensure the cauliflower roasts nicely. You can also use olive oil.
Lime/lemon juice: for the extra tang
Black Pepper, Salt
This recipe is also easily gluten free and nut free!
This egg-free Japanese Tamago (egg) Sandwich tastes like the real thing and might be even simpler to make than the traditional version!
With just a handful of ingredients, try making this Japanese Tamago Sando (egg sandwich) which is basically an egg salad tucked in between slices of white milk bread (vegan of course). The filling is super creamy and is rich in that egg-yolk flavour. It can also be easily found in any convenience store in Japan.
I actually don’t like the egg yolk taste and texture of the actual Tamago Sando but this tastes really flavourful but also has that eggy taste at the same time.
Ingredients You Need
Japanese milk bread – a vegan version is really hard to find so you can either make it at home or substitute with any soft white bread!
Vegan butter – any brand works.
Extra firm tofu – this is going to be our egg substitute but it’s all in how you season it!
Mayo – vegan kewpie egg-free mayonnaise is the best for this but you can use any brand.
Chives – really brings this dish to the next level!
Seasonings – black salt is crucial to add that eggy flavour. Turmeric is needed for the colour too!
Gluten Free Option
Luckily, this egg-salad recipe is entirely gluten free (just make your vegan mayo/butter doesn’t contain any gluten). Substitute your white bread with soft gluten-free slices of bread of your choice.
This egg-free Japanese Tamago Sandwich tastes like the real thing and might be even simpler to make than the traditional version with just a handful of ingredients.
Servings: 3sandwiches
Ingredients
450gextra firm tofu
1/3cup chopped chives or spring onions
4tbsp vegan mayo
1tspblack salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp black pepper
2tbsp nutritional yeast
2tspgarlic powder
vegan butter
4-6 slices white bread
Instructions
Crumbled or mash the tofu with a fork until you get a 'mince' like texture.
Add all the ingredients – vegan mayo, black salt, turmeric, black pepper, nutritional yeast and give them a good mix.
Slice the crust of the bread – you can toast the crust and blend them to make homemade breadcrumbs!
Butter both sides of the bread and fill one side with around 2 scoops of the 'egg salad' mixture. Cover with the other slice.
These grilled vegan Japanese skewers are packed with the juiciest marinated tofu and crunchy bell peppers – it will leave you wanting for more! Gluten free option.
Yakitori is traditionally a Japanese style skewered chicken dish with bamboo sticks and are grilled over a charcoal fire. We’ll be making a vegan version today with extra firm tofu and crunchy green bell peppers. You can be versatile and substitute the vegetables with sweet pineapples, leek, spring onions or even make separate sticks with blistered shishito peppers.
Even though traditionally these are grilled over charcoal, we can make it simple by just pan fry them in minimal oil and flipping them until they get that grilled or ‘charred’ look.
You can also broil them in the oven at 220°C for about 15 to 20 minutes until they look ‘charred’, flipping them halfway.
The marinade and coating will be similar to the sauce used in the traditional version, called tare – it consists of a simple blend of soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar. If you make Japanese recipes at home frequently, these condiments are a must have!
You can serve this dish over some Japanese sushi rice, leftover marinade, toasted sesame seeds and nori flakes. All the ingredients are naturally gluten free except for light soy sauce – you can always substitute it with a gluten free option or coconut aminos. Here are some of my favourite substitutes:
Lee Kum Kee Gluten Free Soy Sauce | Image Credits to Fairprice OnlineMeridian Tamari Soya SauceCoconut Secret Coconut Aminos
These grilled vegan Japanese skewers are packed with the juiciest marinated tofu and crunchy bell peppers – it will leave you wanting for more! Gluten free option.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: Main Course, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: quick, skewers
Servings: 2
Ingredients
8-10yakitori sticks (or short satay sticks)
400gextra firm tofu
1 green bell pepper
3 tbsp soy sauce
2tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sake
2 tsp brown sugar
toasted sesame seeds
nori flakes
2 servings white rice(or unseasoned sushi rice)
Instructions
Freeze extra firm tofu overnight. Thaw on the counter for a few hours or microwave for 2 minutes.
Squeeze the extra water out and dap with paper towels to ensure there's no moisture.
Make your marinade – combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, and brown sugar. Give it a good stir.
Break your tofu into chunks and add to the marinade. Toss it until fully coated and marinate for about 20 minutes.
Soak your bamboo or wooden sticks in water. This is to prevent them from burning when you are grilling them.
Meanwhile, chop your desired vegetables like green bell pepper into 1cmx1cm chunks or squares.
Insert them one by one – tofu followed by green bell pepper and repeat until your stick is 3/4 full.
Add some oil to a flat frying pan. Lay down your skewers and flip them once they are grilled and slightly charred. Drizzle with more of the marinade as they are frying.
Once done, sprinkle some marinade and nori flakes on your rice. Place the skewers on top and top with sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Spicy kimchi combined with a twist of melty mozzarella cheese with crisp toasted bread calls for perfection – another one of my classic sandwich favourites!
Adding layers to a sandwich always makes it extra delicious – and this melty kimchi toastie is the one. I used applewood smoked vegan mozzarella which melts exceptionally well and goes so well with sautéed kimchi and gochujang. Smearing your bread with butter and drizzling it with a generous amount of mayonnaise adds that extra buttery and creamy kick that would not be able to get enough of!
Spicy kimchi combined with a twist of melty mozzarella cheese with crisp toasted bread calls for perfection – another one of my classic sandwich favourites!
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time5 minutesmins
Total Time10 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine: Fusion, Korean
Keyword: grilled cheese, kimchi
Servings: 1
Ingredients
160gkimchi (1 can)
1 tbsp gochujang
2 slices bread
2 tbspvegan butter
vegan mozerella (or any cheese)
vegan mayonnaise
2 tbspspring onions
toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Add some butter to a pan. Once it melts, place a slice of bread and vegan cheese. Cover the lid so that while the bread gets toasted, the cheese melts.
Saute your kimchi for a few minutes or a separate pan and add gochujang. Mix until combined.
Once the cheese has melted, transfer the bread to a plate. Toasted the other slice of bread separately with vegan butter lathered on both sides.
Add your stir fried kimchi without the kimchi juice, followed by vegan mayo, spring onions and sesame seeds.
Cover with the slice of bread, cut into half and serve!
You can use the remaining kimchi juice to add to kimchi fried rice, kimchi jjigae etc.!
This vegan version of the TikTok viral Baked Feta Pasta is packed with flavour and is ultra cheesy WITHOUT any vegan cheese! You can make it gluten free too.
It has been a few years since this TikTok Viral Feta Pasta recipe took over social media, but I’m here to remind you that this vegan version of it tastes amazing that you might actually not forget it!
Without using vegan cheese, this recipe makes a cheesy and tangy sauce with just one ingredient – extra tofu. Hence, this recipe is nut-free, seed-free, dairy-free and can be easily made gluten-free.
I don’t like most commercial vegan cheeses out there so I try my best to make mine at home. For this, all you have to do is blend your tofu and spices to make the ‘feta’ cheese. Line your baking dish with tomatoes and add the feta cheese to the centre. Top with some herbs and bake it! Give it a good mix, add your pasta and it’s good to go.
This vegan version of the TikTok viral Baked Feta Pasta is packed with flavour and is ultra cheesy WITHOUT any vegan cheese! You can make it gluten free too.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time45 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Fusion
Keyword: pasta, tiktok
Servings: 2
Ingredients
Vegan 'Feta Cheese'
400g extra firm tofu
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tbspvinegar
1 tbspgarlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
salt
Baked Pasta
2 cupsdry pasta
20 cherry tomatoes
1 tsp dried herbs (dill, rosemary, thyme)(each)
1 tspred pepper flakes
1/4 tspblack pepper
salt
olive oil
4 tbsppesto(optional)
Instructions
Preheat over to 200°C / 392°F.
Blend together the ingredients for the Vegan Feta Cheese.
Line the baking tray with the ingredients in these order: cherry tomatoes, vegan feta in the middle, herbs, chili flakes, salt, black pepper and drizzle or spray some olive oil.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the tomatoes are roasted and the top layer of the feta is golden brown.
Boil and cook your pasta according to package instructions. Drain, rinse and save your pasta water.
Take your baked pasta out of the oven. Add your desired amount of pesto (if you're adding) and smash with a fork, giving it a good mix.
Add some pasta water to combine the ingredients into a creamy sauce.
The secrets to the most flavourful Banh Mi are a flavourful paté, succulent vegan ‘meat’ filling, pickled vegetables and fresh herbs – learn how to make them here!
Make the BEST Banh Mi with the tips below!
What is Banh Mi?
Banh Mi is also known as a Vietnamese Baguette made with traditional ingredients used in Vietnamese cuisine. They are a street food, said to originate in Saigon. They are often served with French baguettes, that are on the softer side compared to traditional ones. Typically, they contain pickled carrots, white radish (daikon), chilies, coriander, mayo, sauce and a protein, like chicken, pork, beef or paté. But obviously we want to make this without any cruelty involved, so I used a plant-based soy ‘chicken’. You can also use tofu or tempeh if you want to keep it whole foods plant based.
The easiest part of making this Banh Mi Sandwich is the filling – the vegetables doesn’t require much precision as you can see in my recipe below. They are also completely plant-based making this sub 100% vegan and healthy.
The easiest part of making this Banh Mi Sandwich is the filling
The best Banh Mi I have tasted so far is the Saigon Delight from The Kind Bowl, a fully vegan Vietnamese Restaurant in Singapore. The flavours in this Banh Mi are heavily inspired by this and can be made in the comfort of your home to satisfy your cravings.
What Do I Need to Make This?
There are 5 components to this dish: let’s break it down.
First, obviously you would need a soft French baguette. You can use a regular french baguette for this if you can’t find a Vietnamese baguette. I had trouble finding a vegan Vietnamese Baguette but after stumbling upon a few places, I managed to find them here (not sponsored). I’ve double checked with the chef that the baguette is 100% vegan. Disclaimer: some of their ingredient listed on their website is inaccurate.
It’s also not the most traditional version so I’m taking this as a sign that I should learn how to make my own bread. Haha.
Then you would need all the ingredients to make a good veganpaté – vegan of course! I made mine with:
white button mushrooms
chives
walnuts
seasonings
vegan fish sauce
soy sauce
After which comes your pickled vegetables – these are super important to make your sub taste like Banh Mi. I used carrots and white radish submerged in the vinegar solution for a day. Make sure you eat them within 4 days to retain the crunchiness of the vegetables.
For protein, I made a soy glazed vegan ‘chicken’ with soy sauce, vegan fish sauce, agave, lime juice and corn starch slurry. Pro tip: Smash your vegan ‘chicken’ pieces for a deeper and richer flavour.
Fresh herbs are a must for Banh Mi: specifically coriander (or cilantro, they’re the same) and red chillies. If you can’t take spice, feel free to leave the chillies out.
Optionally, you can also add some vegan mayo and sriracha for a sauce boost – because why not?!
What’s more, with this recipe you can make around 5 to 6 sandwiches that you can either meal prep or make for your family. People around you can taste the goodness of this!
The secrets to the most flavourful Banh Mi are a flavourful paté, succulent vegan 'meat' filling, pickled vegetables and fresh herbs – learn how to make them here!
Mix vinegar, sugar, water on heat until the sugar dissolves and combines fully. Add the mixture to a container, followed by your shredded vegetables and close the lid.
Leave the pickled vegetables to stand for an hour. If you're making this the day before, wait for the mixture to cool down and store it overnight in the fridge.
Make your mushroom pate – chop mushrooms, chives and walnuts.
To a pan, add olive oil and add mushrooms. Wait until they are cooked and release water. Let 1/2 of the water evaporate.
Add your chives, chopped walnuts, followed by your seasonings. Mix them all together in the heat until they are well combined without much water in the mixture.
Add these to your food processor and blend until it becomes a smooth paste.
Make your marinade for soy glazed 'chicken'. Defrost your vegan 'meat' and smash them with your hands. Fry them on a pan on both sides.
Pour your marinade over, followed by the corn starch slurry. Mix them until the mixture thickens.
Slice the baguette into half. Layer with 2 spoonfuls of pate, vegan mayo and sriracha. Top with vegan soy glazed 'chicken', pickled veggies, coriander and red chilies. Serve!
This easy sushi bake will satisfy your cravings for sushi and baked rice at the same time – it’s made with shredded tofu and is absolutely DELICIOUS!
Easy Sushi Bake made with Tofu ‘Salmon’
When that sushi craving hits you, try this easy sushi bake you can make from the comfort of your home! It requires some steps but that mostly involves putting ingredients together. Especially when you bake and broil it in the oven to crispy perfection, it’s so addictive! You can pair it with a nori sheet and top it with avocado too. This TikTok viral dish is one of those good ones, I swear.
How to Prepare Sushi Rice
First, you would need to prepare your sushi rice. For that, prepare these:
sushi rice
rice wine vinegar
salt
sugar
Rinse the sushi rice 3 to 4 times to remove he excess starch. Bring it to a boil with water and simmer for 18-20 minutes with a lid on. Once done, leave it to cook further in the steam for about 10 minutes.
Make the perfect sushi rice every time!
Vegan Shredded ‘Tofu’ Salmon
This is the most delicious part of the recipe – in traditional sushi bakes, there is usually shredded salmon or imitation crab but we’re using shredded tofu to make it vegan and protein-rich!
You would most need pantry staple ingredients for this like light and dark soy sauce (gluten free if required) and seasonings like onion and garlic powder to boost the flavour profile.
Can I make this Gluten Free?
Absolutely! Just swap out your soy sauces for a gluten free version. Also ensure the vegan mayo and sriracha you’re using are gluten free too!
1/2tbsp dark soy sauce (sub with gluten free soy sauce)
1/2 tbsponion powder
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
salt
3 tbspvegan mayo
2 tbsp sriracha(more if you like it spicy)
Toppings
white toasted sesame seeds
black toasted sesame seeds
nori flakes
vegan mayo
sriracha
spring onions
la yu chili oil(japanese chili oil)
Instructions
Preheat over to 200°C / 392°F.
Rinse and drain sushi rice 3-4 times. Combine with water and simmer for 18-20 minutes until rice is cooked with the lid closed. Cover with lid and let it cook in the steam for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, shred your tofu. Add some oil to a pan and add your tofu.
Fry until it crisps up. Add soy sauces, onion powder, garlic powder and salt. Combine well.
Take off heat. Add vegan mayo and sriracha and give it a good mix.
Combine cooked sushi rice with sushi vinegar, salt and sugar. Mix well.
Add the rice to a baking dish. Layer with white sesame seeds and crushed nori sheets.
Add your shredded tofu mix. Drizzle with more sriracha, vegan mayo and black sesame seeds.
Bake for about 20 minutes until the top layer looks baked.
Top with spring onions, sesame oil and cut them up into slices. Serve with nori sheets and creamy sliced avocado. Enjoy!
