Review: Nando’s The Great Imitator

f you haven’t heard the news, Nando’s has released its very own vegan chicken – made from pea protein! After some research I’m still not sure as to how this ‘pea protein’ is shaped into these chicken-like-strips. Nonetheless, this is the nicest chicken imitation I’ve ever tasted. In fact, my meat-eating Italian boyfriend even stated that this was “as close as you could get to chicken”, which is a major compliment. Though, as a vegetarian I normally stay away from fake meat, I was also pleasantly surprised by The Great Imitator, even though I despise the name.

You can choose to have your vegan chicken in wrap, pitta or burger. I went for the wrap which contained lettuce, plant-based perinaise, and chilli jam! I think the strips worked well in the wrap as they were well distributed. The strips were well marinated, but the marinade doesn’t absorb as well into the plant-based alternative. I usually go for medium spice, but I think I should have gone for hot! As for the strips themselves, I think the ‘meat’ has a nice texture – not as dry as Quorn!

My boyfriend tried The Great Imitator pitta – which I also had a nibble of! The pitta contains lettuce, semi-dried peri tomatoes, cucumber moons (Nando’s bizarre description) and plant-based perinaise. I think the combination of fake meat with pitta bread is a little bit too dry. Unlike the wrap, the strips don’t work as well in the pitta, as they are not well distributed – a patty would be better! He also decided to try the new coconut and lime marinade, which I personally found to taste quite odd – who wants their Nando’s to taste like Malibu?

Along with trying The Great Imitator, we also tried the new plant-based garlic perinaise. The dip had quite a subtle garlic flavour, and as a massive garlic fan, I would have liked it to be a little bit stronger and more reminiscent of Domino’s garlic and herb. However, the texture of this dip was spot on and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between that and the non-vegan perinaise – who needs eggs?

Now, I must address the elephant in the room. There was some controversy that The Great Imitator isn’t vegan as it is cooked on the same grill as the meat. However, the Nando’s grill is as long as a kitchen counter, and all vegan and vegetarian items are cooked on their own section of the same grill. Therefore, although The Great Imitator is vegetarian, it would be cooked on the same grill as halloumi, so there will be some non-vegan contamination.

Though I did enjoy The Great Imitator wrap, I don’t think I will be swapping this out for my usual order. My usual order is a medium sweet potato and butternut wrap with added halloumi, which at the moment isn’t on the reduced menu, so The Great Imitator will have to do for now.

Header image credit: popsugar uk

Changing The Way The Cookie Crumbles

Statistics show that 83% of chefs in the UK are male, according to data from the Office of National Statistics employment in 2018. Time then to cover three incredible chefs, who have managed to force their way into the small demographic of female chefs to show that women can be successful in a culinary world.

Claire Saffitz

Credit: Claire Saffitz x Dessert Person, YouTube

If you don’t know Claire Saffitz then where have you been? Not only is Claire Saffitz a trained pastry chef (though she recently claimed that she’s “not a chef”) and a contributing food editor of Bon Appétit magazine, she is also a YouTube sensation! Saffitz’ stardom began in 2017 when she began the show Gourmet Makes for Bon Appétit’s YouTube channel. The show consists of Saffitz trying to recreate popular snack foods as well as elevating the foods to a more gourmet standard. Indeed the rising popularity of Gourmet Makes was due to Claire’s relatable ‘low’ moments. 

Claire herself stated in an interview with Mashable that “there’s some sort of transference from people, they get stress relief from watching my stress” and for anyone that has watched the show, this is certainly true. We are used to watching culinary shows where the chef is the expert and we absorb the information as viewers but it is Saffitz’s stressful cooking that engages us with content that has more entertainment value. It is certainly uplifting to watch Saffitz go through a rollercoaster of emotions, to then seeing her happy and relieved at the end of the episode. Therefore it is this emotional vulnerability, that is often deemed a ‘weakness’ in women, which has catalysed Claire Saffitz’s success. 

Ravinder Bhogal

Credit: The Independent

Ravinder Bhogal was born in Kenya to Indian parents and grew up in London. It is this mixed culture and heritage that has enabled Bhogal to create impressive fusion dishes and menus. Bhogal is not just a remarkable chef, for she is also an award-winning food writer, journalist, TV presenter, stylist and restaurateur. Her most impressive achievement is the opening of her restaurant Jikoni in 2016. 

Jikoni is frankly an adorable restaurant with a cosy almost café-like feel to it and is designed in an overtly ‘feminine’ style, with a pale pink colour scheme and floral designs. However, it is not only Jikoni’s design that makes a statement but Bhogal’s menu too. Jikoni offers a variety of Asian comfort food, but with intriguing British, African and Middle Eastern twists, showing off Bhogul’s accumulation of travel and culture. The dish on the menu that appealed to me the most was the “Cold Silken Tofu, Peanuts, Puffed Wild Rice, Caramelised Foxnuts”, mainly because I was very intrigued by what foxnuts were, and also because it was one of the many creative vegan options on the menu. Bhogul’s interest in developing vegan dishes came about when her niece decided to become vegan. Consequently, Bhogul created a completely vegan menu for W London, which included her niece’s favourite, caramel tofu with garlic confit rice and chilli smacked cucumbers.

Samin Nosrat

Credit: People.com

Samin Nosrat introduces herself on her website ciaosamin.com with “Hi. I’m Samin Nosrat. I cook. I write. I teach” and while it’s clear and simple, it undoubtedly does not give Nosrat’s talent justice. If you’re a foodie, or simply have access to a Netflix account, then you need to watch Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. The docuseries is based on Nosrat’s New York Times bestselling, and James Beard Award-winning book titled Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, which is written on the premise that the way to master the culinary arts is to master these four elements. In the Netflix series, the four elements are explored through four episodes in four countries: Italy, Japan, Mexico, and her home in California, USA. Its success led to Nosrat becoming an international culinary celebrity. 

Nosrat is recognised for her talent as well as her endearing personality (please watch “Brad Makes Focaccia Bread with Samin Nosrat” on Youtube). The Guardian even described her as someone that “projects the kind of charisma that fosters a sense of familiarity, allowing audiences to believe they know her”, which is very similar to the reason behind Claire Saffitz’s success. 

Header Image Credit: Pexels

3 Easy Noodle Dishes

If you’re someone that practically lives off pasta, then why not try expanding your range of carbs. There is more to noodles than just a pot noodle, or super noodles (not that these aren’t tasty). Noodles can be extremely easy to make, and these recipes will give you a range of delicious, cheap, and quick ways of expanding your carb cooking. I know that supermarket stir fry kits can be very tempting, but I promise that these dishes will be much more satisfying. All recipes below are either vegetarian or vegan but can be adjusted easily.  

1. Simple Soy (serves 1) 

This dish requires the least amount of ingredients and effort. This is my go-to recipe for a quick meal.

Ingredients:

One packet of “Straight to wok” noodles (or dry noodles slightly softened in boiling water) 

Half a white onion

1 clove of garlic/ ½tsp ready chopped 

Half a bell pepper (cubed) 

Soy sauce (2tbsp/adjust to taste)

Olive oil (or any you have)

Black pepper

Optional:

5 florets of broccoli chopped into small pieces 

Sesame seeds 

Method: 

First, heat 1tbsp of oil in a frying pan at medium heat. Then, dice half of a white onion (place the other half in a sealed container for 7-10 days!) and add to the oil. Stir the onion to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Once the onion is translucent, add the garlic, peppers, and broccoli, and any veg you might want. Turn the heat up slightly and stir fry the veg until mostly softened, as you still want some crunch. 

Add the noodles and stir fry for a minute before adding about two tablespoons of soy sauce and stir fry for a further minute until dry. Transfer to a plate, top with a bit of black pepper, and enjoy!


2. Reliable Ramen (serves 1 very hungry student)

This is slightly more complicated than the first dish, but it’s worth it! This is the dish that’ll warm your cockles on a cold Yorkshire morning. 

Ingredients: 

1 half white onion (leftover from previous recipe)

2 cloves of garlic 

1 half a carrot (chop thin pieces for quick cooking) 

1 spring onion 

Handful of spinach/chopped cabbage/bok choy 

Red chilli flakes (to taste)

Vegetable oil 

One vegetable stock cube

Soy sauce (1tbsp)

1 nest of dry noodles 

Optional:

5 florets of broccoli chopped into small pieces 

Miso paste (2tbsp)

1 egg (optional)

Method:

Chop all the veg to make the assembly of the dish quick and easy. Next pour 500ml of boiling water into a jug and add the stock cube, soy sauce, and miso paste if using, stir until combined. 

Heat a small amount of oil in a saucepan (low heat). Add the onion, garlic, chilli flakes to the oil and fry until fragrant but not browned. Add the stock liquid and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the hard veg you are using and reduce heat to medium and leave for 8 minutes (if you are using cabbage and/or egg, add these now).

After 7 minutes, remove the egg and place in a bowl of cold water (if using make sure to peel before serving). Now you’ll want to add your noodles and spring onions and simmer until noodles soften.

Before serving, add the spinach and stir until wilted (if using). Serve into a large bowl, use tongs for the noodles, and ladle in as much soup as desired. Top with chilli flakes, black pepper, and egg (halved).


3Practical Pad Thai (serves 2)

Out of all the dishes this is my favourite. This one is a fairly simple Pad Thai, but is immensely flavoursome. This dish works best as vegetarian, but if vegan just don’t add the egg and use Udon noodles.

Ingredients: 

1 whole white onion (finely diced)

2 spring onions 

3 cloves of garlic 

1 carrot (julienned/thinly sliced) 

Cooking oil – Sesame wok oil (1tbsp)

Chilli flakes (to taste)

Sesame seeds 

Two handful of peanuts roughly chopped (unsalted)

2 nests of dry egg noodles 

Fresh beansprouts (canned if more convenient) 

1 large egg 

Sauce:

Juice ½ Lime (half for garnish)

Soy sauce (4tbsp)

Rice wine vinegar (2tbsp)

Brown sugar (2tsp)

Sriracha (1-1½ tbsp)

Tamarind sauce (1½ tbsp)

Method:

Place the noodles in a jug of boiling water to soften. In a large pan/wok heat the oil at medium heat. Then in a small bowl, add sauce ingredients and whisk to combine. 

Once the oil is hot, add the onion and carrot, frying for 1 minute. Add the garlic and continue to stir to avoid burning. After 6 minutes add noodles, sliced spring onion (leave some for garnish), and beansprouts. 

After 2 minutes, add the sauce and use tongs to toss the noodles. Move the noodles to the side of the pan add sesame seeds to lightly toast, then and add the eggs to the empty side of the pan. Stir the eggs for 1 minute, and just before they reach a soft scramble mix them into the noodles.

Plate noodles and garnish with spring onion, raw beansprouts (if desired), lime wedges, and chopped peanuts.

Bon Appetit! 

Header Image Credit: Tesco Real Food

Tackling University: How to Survive as a Vegetarian

Most students arrive at university with a lack of cooking skills, and a longing for “mum’s cooking.” Cooking for yourself can seem daunting, especially if you follow a stricter diet such as vegetarianism. I’m here to tell you that you shouldn’t be at all worried.

Most of your concerns will probably be based on myths. The myths that vegetarian food is more expensive, more difficult to cook, and it’s more difficult to source protein and iron.

However, if you aren’t surviving just on pot noodles and can boil water you will be just fine. In fact, cooking as a veggie is much easier. You will never need to worry about defrosting meat, or if you’ve cooked your meat long enough to not give yourself food poisoning. 

I’ve been vegetarian for five years now, but during my first year of university I learnt a lot about my own diet, how to cook well, and how to cook flavoursome vegetarian food on a budget.

My first piece of advice for anyone tackling a vegetarian or vegan diet, is to choose 3-4 veggies that you love, and use them for every dish.

If you did this, you’ll cut down the amount you spend on food, and decrease your fresh food waste. There’s no point in having a whole head cauliflower in your fridge that you’re never going to use! Personally, I am always stocked up on red peppers, carrots, broccoli, and of course onions and garlic, as they add flavour and nutrients to any dish. I would also recommend having frozen veg in the freezer ready for those busy weeks, when you don’t have time to pop to Aldi. Additionally, if you aren’t too big on vegetables then buy a bag of spinach; spinach wilts into your food, so you’ll barely notice that you’re eating greens!

Of course, vegetarian and vegan diets aren’t always healthy. Probably one of the biggest challenges at university will be finding veggie drunk food and trust me you’re going to need it!

While your meat-eating friends are stuffing their faces with kebabs and burgers, you don’t want to be missing out when your only options are limp French fries. Luckily, Leeds has a breadth of veggie and vegan drunk food options. My go to drunk food stops includes: Crispys, Milanos, Chicko’s, and of course good ol’maccies. From a wide range of pizzas, to wraps, to burgers you won’t be subjected to limp French fries. Though, a few of my vegetarian friends have fallen victim to the temptation of a chicken burger! However, there’s no need to put lots of pressure on yourself to get it right all the time, we’re all trying our best.

My final advice is to try your hardest to not just live off Quorn and Linda McCartney sausages, because unfortunately you won’t be able to afford that in the long run. Learn how to make your favourite dishes, and to nail the perfect fluffy rice (a staple of my diet). Experiment with your food and try different spices and combinations.

Finally, just practice cooking, because in actuality it’s therapeutic, fun, and a lot more rewarding than sticking a frozen lasagne in the oven!

Header image credit: Healthline