Veganistan: A Vegan Tour of the Middle East and Beyond, written by Sally Butcher, features an exciting collection of over 90 vegan recipes highlighting Middle Eastern and North African plants and spices. A few favorites include Carrots with Mint Syrup, Mushroom and Chestnut Borek, Hasselback Zucchinis with Dukkah, Jackfruit Gyros, and Quince & Cardamom Trifle. I will also be sharing her recipe for Iced Coffee with Pashmak following the review.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Interlink Books in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Sally Butcher
Sally Butcher is a food writer and proprietress of the Persian food store and café, Persepolis, in Peckham, London with her husband, Jamshid.
She is the author of multiple cookbooks including Salmagundi, Persepolis, Persia in Peckham, The New Middle Eastern Vegetarian, and New Middle Eastern Street Food.
Veganistan
Sally begins Veganistan with a short introduction before jumping into the recipes. She created the book as a space for her vegan customers to have a cookbook of their own.
Chapters are divided according to the following: Simple Mezze; Salads & Cold Appetizers; Soups, Snacks & Hot Appetizers; Bread, Rice & Grains; From the Stewing Pot; From the Oven; From the Frying Pan & Into the Fire; Salted, Conserved, Fermented & Pickled Foods; Sweet Treats; and Drinks.
She has also included a section called A Cheater’s Guide to Vegan “Meat,” “Dairy” & “Egg” Substitutes. This chapter has a variety of homemade bases such as vegan yogurt, cashew cheese, and vegan condensed milk.
The photography is provided by Yuki Sugiura. Many of the recipes are paired with a full-page photo of the finished dish.
Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Titles are written in English and/or the original language. Each recipe has a headnote with background information, yield, interesting facts (I actually did not know about the relationship between fig trees and fig wasps prior to reading), and helpful notes.
Iced Coffee with Pashmak
Sally’s Iced Coffee with Pashmak in the Drinks chapter is such a fun coffee variation. It also comes together with simply a blender.
Prepared coffee is blended with a vegan milk of choice (I went with a barista-style oat milk), carob syrup, and ice cubes to create an iced mocha flavor.
To finish, the glass is topped with a pile of Pashmak. Sally mentions you can also play around with the styling on this- one of her bartenders twists the strands to create a long-eared owl on top with carob syrup eyes.
The drink is best served immediately after blending and assembling.
Notable Ingredients
Pashmak is a finely spun sugar made with flour and optionally flavored with spices such as rosewater, orange blossom water, saffron, or pistachio. It can be found in markets with Persian ingredients. If you are unable to locate it, swap for cotton candy.
Sally mentions from personal experience to take care when handling and make sure none of it gets in your hair.
Carob Syrup (Carob Molasses) is a naturally sweetened syrup made from carob pods. It can be found in markets with Middle Eastern ingredients or the health section of some larger American grocery stores.
Other Dishes
I also made Leek & Red Onion Zeytinyagli, Berkoukes (Algerian Pasta Soup with Labneh), Simple Pan-Fried Na’an, and Scrambled Tofu with Deviled Tomato.
Sally shares a couple of Zeytinyagli recipes, one with mushrooms and this one with Leek & Red Onion. The onions are cooked in olive oil until softened, then combined with garlic, potato, and spices until everything is tender. This dish is finished with fresh herbs and lemon juice.
The Algerian Pasta Soup with Labneh was so comforting during one of our snow days. Large couscous are simmered in a vegetable soup until tender, then topped with a thick vegan yogurt and sprinkling of dried mint and pepper.
I ended up making two batches of the Simple Pan-Fried Na’an since we ate the first before we could pair it with the meal. This fantastic bread comes together with simply flour, vegan yogurt, and baking powder. After a short resting time, the bread is rolled into flat discs and pan-fried until golden on each side.
I made the flatbread to pair with the Scrambled Tofu with Deviled Tomato. It was perfect for a light lunch. Instead of eggs, firm tofu is crumbled and pan-fried until golden, then tossed with garlic, green chile, and tomatoes. It is finished with a sprinkling of herbs.
Veganistan is a great pick for those looking for unique vegan recipes with Middle Eastern flavors. Many of the recipes come together in 30 minutes or less, while others require a bit more prep or cooking.
Having a market with Middle Eastern ingredients will be helpful in locating items such as pomegranate molasses, golpar, harissa paste, asafoetida, sour cherry jam, baharat, chahar masala, black cardamom, nigella seeds, tamarind paste, and more.
Iced Coffee with Pashmak Recipe
Excerpt from Veganistan
Iced Coffee with Pashmak
Ingredients
- 1 shot coffee (around 3 1/2 tablespoons, i.e. a café lungo)
- 2/3 cup (150 milliliters) vegan milk of your choice (this is best with a really creamy number)
- 1 tablespoon carob syrup
- 3-4 ice cubes
- Big clump of pashmak (Persian cotton candy, but do substitute cotton candy if you can't get the real thing)
Instructions
- Place the first four ingredients (coffee, vegan milk, carob syrup, ice) in a blender and give them a quick whizz.
- Pour the coffee into a fancy glass and top with the pashmak.
- Serve immediately.
rebecca
the pashmak is such a lovely addition to coffee! yum!
TAYLER ROSS
The perfect way to start the day! The pashmak makes it so fun too!
Justine
This is fantastic! It’s really so fun!
Nathan
I’ve never had pashmak before but I need to try it immediately! Such a fun and unique recipe, thanks so much for sharing!