Vegan Ingredients

To be a successful vegan, it helps if you are a pretty versatile cook. If you're used to cooking with cheese, butter, milk and eggs - or if you're not used to cooking at all - then you'll need to learn new ways to make foods that taste good and supply you with all the nutrients you need to stay healthy. Here is a guide to the ingredients which I think anyone wanting to cook satisfying vegan food should at least think about experimenting with. I hope this will be of use to all who are interested in trying out different kinds of foods...

Soya Products

Soya products fall into two main categories: Firstly, almost-flavourless concoctions like tofu, tempeh and TVP, which are extremely high in protein and minerals such as iron and calcium, and versatile because they are so good at soaking up the flavours around them, and have so little character of their own. Secondly, the salty, fermented soybean products like soy sauce and miso; these have strong tastes of their own and are great for adding a bit of the savoury flavour umami to a dish.


Pulses are another excellent source of vegan protein, and most are also rich in iron and soluble fibre. I wouldn't like to try living on a vegan diet which didn't include any pulses. All of these are good for making dal, by which I mean pulse-based curry - spicy, satisfying and as simple as you care to make it. Many can also be sprouted and added to salads.

Nuts and Seeds

You need a certain amount of protein in your diet - albeit not as much as many people think - and you're probably going to get bored if you try to get it all from soya products. Take the time to get acquainted with different nuts and seeds; besides being valuable sources of protein and flavour, these are typically rich in minerals such as calcium and magnesium. They all share a basic nuttiness, and can be used for many of the same things, but their flavours are quite diverse. They can be thrown in with any fry-up or stir-fry, tossed over salad or pasta

Interesting Oils

A rich aromatic oil can make a huge difference to a dish; I would have missed butter and cream a whole lot more if I hadn't discovered some of these. There is usually no point in worrying about getting too much fat on a vegan diet - in fact, if anything you should be a little bit concerned about getting enough. A certain amount of fat is necessary for the body to absorb nutrients like the fat-soluble vitamins A and E, among other things. More to the point, though, it is a great to make things taste better.


Of course, not all the important ingredients fall under the above headings. Here are some more...

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