Category: Uncategorized

If creamy banana pudding met an iced matcha latte – you would have the best drink-dessert combination ever! Inspired by the viral magnolia bakery matcha latte but vegan!

This creamy dreamy vegan banana pudding topped on a cup of iced matcha latte is hardly a drink that anyone thought could work but Magnolia Bakery proved us all wrong – the bakery was founded in 1996 in NYC and they’re known for classic American desserts like banana pudding and cupcakes.

Visually, not only does this banana pudding latte look stunning – it also is said to taste amazing, hence explaining the hype around it on social media. The balance between the earthy, slightly bitter matcha and the creaminess of the pudding is smooth and not too overpowering, while also hitting the right notes of sweetness.

For this vegan version, you just need to use the right mix of products, plant milk and fresh ingredients to make the best Vegan Banana Pudding Matcha.

What’s in this Iced Banana Pudding Matcha?

• ice (obviously) but you can make it hot too!
• vegan banana pudding (made from scratch!)
  • plant milk – you use oat or soy
  • vegan vanilla pudding mix – I used this brand (not sponsored).
  • vegan wafers – if vegan nila wafers are hard to find, just use vegan vanilla wafer biscuits
  • fresh bananas – just make sure they’re not too ripe!
• plant milk – any milk works, but oat milk has the best taste in matcha
• ceremonial grade matcha – none of that flavoured, artificial stuff! Get fresh ceremonial grade matcha with a vibrant green colour: that should be the colour of your drink

This crispy and juicy tofu katsu is the perfect ‘chicken’ substitute, drenched in tonkatsu sauce and paired with crunchy shredded cabbage!

This recipe is a plant based twist on Japanese katsu – meat coated in a breading and fried to golden brown perfection and served with either Japanese curry or tonkatsu sauce. Today, we’ll be using tofu as the main protein to get the juiciest vegan katsu ever! And all in just 20 minutes.

Choosing the Right Tofu

Always, always use extra-firm tofu to hold its shape and avoid sogginess. You can press the tofu to remove excess moisture for a firmer texture. This has to be done especially if you freeze and thaw your tofu to drain any excess water compared to regular tofu out of the packet.

How to use frozen tofu: Freeze your tofu overnight and thaw in the microwave on high for about 2-3 minutes. Press all moisture out with paper towels or by putting something heavy on the tofu. Then you can use it as per normal!

The Crispy Breading Process

We need 2 mixes – one dry mix and wet mix.

Dry mix: Panko breadcrumbs. You can use ground corn flakes for a gluten free substitute.

Wet mix: Flour, sparkling water and spices. For the crispiest batter for frying.

Vegan Tonkatsu Sauce

This is one of the easiest drizzling sauces you can make: just combine a few ingredients like ketchup, vegan worcestershire sauce, sweetener and keep it for up to a week in the fridge.

If you have more time, you can also try my Vegan Japanese Curry recipe. You can serve it with white rice or noodles, such as udon.

Ingredients You Need

• extra firm tofu – I use the brand Fortune. You can choose to freeze and thaw the tofu or use it as is. Alternatively, you can also use tempeh or vegetables like eggplant or sweet potato.
• condiments – salt, black pepper, onion and garlic powder / hing (optional)
• wet mix – all-purpose flour and sparkling water
• dry coating – panko breadcrumbs or ground cornflakes
• tonkatsu sauce – ketchup, vegan oyster sauce, vegan worchestershire sauce, sake, agave and pinch of hing
• garnish – scallions, toasted white + black sesame seeds, shredded cabbage

Gluten free substitutions:

• Use ground corn flakes instead of panko breadcrumbs. Use gluten free flour instead or all-purpose flour.
• Ensure vegan oyster sauce is gluten free – if not substitute with gluten free soy sauce / tamari / coconut aminos.
• Use gluten free asafoetida (hing). If not substitute with 1 tsp garlic powder.

Allium free substitutions:

• Omit garlic and onion powder when breading and in tonkatsu sauce. Instead, use a pinch of asafoetida (hing).
• Omit scallions for garnish.

If the most iconic dairy free creamy potato salad dressing had a baby with crispy curly fries, the combination would be this out of the world crunchy potato salad!

This recipe is one of my favourites because it’s easy, definitely tastes like a potato salad and is super creamy, herby and tangy WHILE also being mega crunchy from the twister fries! It’s addictive and refreshing at the same time.

The best part? All you need is an air fryer to air fry the curly fries to perfection. . Using fresh herbs makes a whole lot of difference with the flavour too! However, you can still use dried herbs, still tastes superb.

If you love potatoes, you also must check out my Vegan Crispy Parmesan Potatoes recipe. And since the focus of these recipes are potatoes, these recipes are entirely gluten free too!

You can also try my Viral Smashed Roasted Potato Salad for all the boiling-potato tricks. As long as you’re at this page, we’re keeping it simple.

If you’re in for an Indian Twist on smashed potatoes, check out my Crispy Smashed Potato Chaat recipe.

Ingredients You Need

• curly fries – you can also use tater tots for this recipe! or even criss-cut fries. Just air fry them according to package instructions.
• olive oil – be generous with the olive oil for this recipe as it determines the crunch factor. You can also omit them if you want to go easy on the oil – it tastes the same!
• vegan mayonnaise – I use vegan kewpie mayo, other brands I love are Heinz or you could make them at home too!
• dijon mustard – adds the sharpness to the salad
• vinegar – adds acidity. You can substitute this with lemon juice!
• dill pickles – potato salad = pickles
• celery – adds a lovely crunch to the salad, alongside the crispy potatoes!
• herbs – chives and fresh dill are a must! You can use dried dill too.
• seasoning – salt and smoked paprika

This recipe is also gluten free and allium free! Just a friendly reminder to check if the vegan mayonnaise brand you use is gluten free. Also ensure any seasoning on the curly fries is allium free.

This vegan ‘honey butter’ miso toast includes fluffy buttered bread baked to caramelised perfection and topped with vegan cream.

This viral dessert, originating from Hong Kong and Japan includes a thick slice of toasted bread, buttered and topped with various toppings like ice cream, fruits, or whipped cream. It has a caramelised and crispy exterior with a fluffy soft interior that makes the toast super addictive!

The addition of miso adds a slightly umami and salty twist to the flavours.

Ingredients You Need

• vegan white loaf – an entire loaf is needed so you can cut the loaf into thick slices of at least 3cm each.
• vegan butter – or plant based margarine works as well!
• coconut sugar – for caramelised notes
• vegan honey or maple syrup
• white miso – to add umami. You could also add a pinch of sea salt!

Gluten free substitutions: You can use gluten free white bread. Ensure vegan butter and white miso paste are gluten free.

Allium free substitutions: None!

This high protein and vegan Chipotle Copycat Burrito Bowl has the signature cilantro lime rice, tofu ‘chicken’, black beans and crunchy vegetables.

As a brown girl who grew up in Singapore all her life, she was the furthest from Chipotle than she could have ever been – but something about these loaded burrito bowls scream satisfaction, comfort and deliciousness. I normally love burrito bowls because of how balanced they are as a meal. They are always versatile enough to mix and match the toppings.

We have our own version of ‘Chipotle’ called Guzman Y Gomez – their burrito bowls are really tasty but can also cost you a fortune if you want to order enough to be full. Their vegan options include pulled shitake and fajitas – both of which lack protein. They don’t have a vegan protein option now though they had a tofu ranchero option a few years ago.

In this recipe, you can make your very own Chipotle Bowl with plant based, high protein and healthy ingredients. It’s also super delicious and a good bang for your buck if you meal prep them or make them for your family. Anh and I worked on this recipe to bring you the best of chipotle flavours while keeping them vegan and healthy!

Tender, sweet, and savoury roasted char siu made with tofu served over a bed of springy noodles and homemade wontons.

Char siu noodles is a popular Cantonese dish and can be found all around Singapore. Char siu refers to barbecued pork and directly translates to “fork roast” in Cantonese, referring to the traditional method of skewering the pork and roasting it over an open flame. Back when I was not vegan, I’ve tried Char Siu Noodles maybe once or twice and my favourite flavours were the sweetness and smokiness of the meat.

Today, we’ll be making a vegan version of this amazing noodle dish. For the Char Siu, we’ll be marinating tofu in spices and sauces for 24 hours before roasting and glazing it. The noodles are tricky because yellow wonton noodles always contain egg – instead we’re using springy kolo mee which is a type of wheat noodles used in Malaysian Sarawak Kolo Mee. There are versions you can find without egg!

You can use frozen wontons or homemade wontons – both work well. I like to keep the garnish simple with some chili oil and chopped spring onions.

Ingredients You Need

• extra firm tofu – pressed and drained of excess water
• aromatics – garlic and ginger
• toasted sesame oil – for an aromatic flavour
• 5 spice powder – a blend of ground spices like star anise, cloves, cinnamon, fennel and sichuan peppercorn
• sauces – vegan hoisin sauce, vegan oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, red fermented beancurd, shao xing wine
• sweetener – agave or maple syrup
• homemade or frozen wontons
• asian greens of choice

Gluten free substitutions: Use rice noodles instead of wheat noodles. Ensure all sauces are gluten free – if not substitute with light soy sauce. Omit wontons.

Allium free substitutions: Omit minced garlic in marinade and substitute with asofoetida (hing). Omit spring onions.

The ultimate star of all biryanis – this vegan biryani is packed with aromatics, spices, herbs and vegan ‘paneer’ made with tofu paired with a refreshing raita.

This is the one dish that I grew up eating and loved: Biryani. I remember the times my family and I would hunt high and low for restaurants serving the best biryani (though I used to eat meat then). I was able to recreate the flavours of a dum biryani with simple steps like flavouring the vegetables, mushrooms and protein with a generous amount of spiciness so the rice is moist and aromatic.

Bamboo Biryani involves another method of preparing it, where the flavoured rice and layers and served on a banana leaf. The first time I tried it was at an Indian Bamboo Biryani Restaurant in Malaysia. They had such an unique way it serving biryani that was pretty eye catching.

However, after some digging I found that Bamboo biryani is actually a traditional dish that originated in the northeastern region of India, particularly among the tribes of Assam and Nagaland. It features rice cooked inside a bamboo tube, often with meat, spices, and sometimes vegetables. The cooking process allows the flavours to infuse, making a super flavourful dish!

If you’d like to make regular biryani, find my Vegan Oyster Mushroom Biryani.

What You Need

• Rice – I usually use long grain basmati rice when making briyani and that’s how it is traditionally prepared. You can use short grain as well (though some times it’s prepared in another method).
• Vegetables – I didn’t use much vegetables here but if you’d like to add them to the masala, you can! I would recommend green beans, carrots, potatoes, baby corn or even mushrooms.
• Protein – I used tofu as a substitute for ‘paneer’ but you can also use other meat-y alternatives like seitan, plant-based chicken, jackfruit etc!
• Spices – Both whole and ground spices are important for this recipe. You can find the whole list of spices on my recipe card below.
• Herbs – Fresh herbs like mint and coriander are essential. I also used saffron, but if you can’t find it you can totally skip that!
• Plant Based Yogurt – a lot of times, yogurt is a popular addition when mixing the vegetables, you can easily substitute that with coconut cream!

You can pair this biryani with my easy 5-minute Vegan Carrot & Cucumber Raita!

Generally, vegetable biryani also tends to be naturally gluten free and vegetarian but most options you find at restaurants are probably not vegan due to the heavy usage of ghee.

Allium free substitutions: Omit onions and garlic. Instead substitute with a pinch of hing (asafoetida).

These indulgent but healthy dairy free drinks will add to the fun during the festive season – make an easy strawberry lassi, authentic chai and a sweet pistachio kulfi milkshake!

There’s NOTHING more festive than deepavali in my household and I’m always finding ways to make it more fun with delicious food and drinks – my family loves treating themselves to an indulgent drink once in a while so this year I decided to experiment with drinks they already love but with a twist.

Strawberry Lassi

As a lassi lover, my vegan self missed the combined taste of fresh fruits blended with yogurt. My family loves mango lassi but I wanted to try something different by combining fresh sweet strawberries with yogurt.

I got my hands on Alpro’s Greek Yogurt (in my opinion, this is the closest to real dairy yogurt). You can get it for yourself on Redmart, Lazada if you live in Singapore. Otherwise, this brand is pretty popular in the UK. If you live in the US, some of my favourite brands are Kitehill, Forager, and Cocojune.

It’s also really important to use fresh strawberries! Frozen strawberries will not make your lassi look pink enough! For the sweetener, I like to keep my recipes refined-sugar free so maple syrup, agave, coconut nectar are the best options.

Rose & Cardamom Chai

If you love chai, you would absolutely ADORE this rose & cardamom chai. The flavours of rose and whole spices are pronounced in this recipe so it has an unique flavour compared to regular chai.

Preferably, you would use fresh whole spices to make this chai – any other instant versions wouldn’t work as well. For the rose petals, I used dried ones. It’s also important to use a creamy but neutral milk in this recipe, so a barista grade oat milk would work the best.

Tea pulling is also done to aerate and enhance the flavour of tea. This involves pouring the tea back and forth between two containers from a height, creating a frothy texture. The process not only improves the taste by mixing air into the tea but also helps to cool it down slightly, making it more enjoyable to drink – there’s a bit of a theatrical flair to this way of serving as well!

Pistachio Kulfi Milkshake

Ever had kulfi ice cream topped with pistachios? Kulfi is a popular indian frozen ice cream-like dessert that’s rich and creamy. Traditionally made with milk and flavoured with ingredients like cardamom, saffron, and various nuts including pistachios, kulfi is usually served on a stick or in small cups.

It happens to be what my mum grew up having in Bangalore, India. She always reminisced the times she had a stick of kulfi ice cream on the street – despite it being quite sweet, the treat always reminded her of her young and carefree times.

I wanted to combine the flavours of kulfi ice cream into an easy to drink milkshake, perfect for the festive season or for serving guests. I use my homemade pistachio butter for this recipe.

This hot and sour broth with sweet potato jelly noodles, topped with crumbled tofu, fried peanuts and herbs is the perfect comfort meal!

These hot and sour soup noodles are one of my go-to comfort meals, even on hot days because if it’s mildly spicy and tangy flavours. Coincidentally, hot and sour noodles in a cup noodle form are particularly popular and they tend to be vegan as well.

Hot and sour noodle soup is a popular dish in Chinese cuisine, particularly in regions like Sichuan and Yunnan. It blends the distinct flavours of heat (usually from white pepper or chili) and tanginess (often from vinegar). The noodles generally tend to have a glass and jelly-like texture and are often made with sweet potato starch.

These noodles, also known as ‘Hotpot Vermicelli Noodles’ can be thin like ramen or very wide and thick. In this recipe, we use the wide and thick sweet potato noodles to soak up all the flavour.

Ingredients You Need

• protein topping – extra firm tofu or vegan ground pork
• seasonings – sesame oil, shaoxing wine (or rice vinegar or mirin), light soy sauce, dark soy sauce
• hot and sour broth – spring onions, chili oil, black vinegar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sweetener (agave/maple syrup) and sichuan pepper
• mushroom broth – you just need water and mushroom seasoning or dashi
• noodles – dried sweet potato noodles
• garnishes and toppings – roasted peanuts, chopped cilantro, green onions, pickled mustard (optional)

Gluten free substitutions: Use gluten free soy sauce and omit dark soy sauce. Use tofu or soybean tempeh as the protein.

Allium free substitutions: Omit spring onions and substitute with more coriander.