Fancy introducing a spark of madness to your kitchen? Homegrown chef Simran Savlani is the creator of A Spark Of Madness – a vegetarian Asian cookbook, filled with mouth-watering recipes that take inspiration from cuisines across the region.
Even better, Simran has also cooked up a range of ready-to-go vegan Spark Sauces as an extension to the cookbook, all handmade in Hong Kong, that deliver delicious shortcuts for full-on flavour.
We asked Simran to share three of her favourite, easy, vegan and plant-based recipes from A Spark Of Madness, exclusively for 8Shaders and ideal for summer – enjoy!
See also: 8 Instagrammers To Follow For Delicious Plant-Based Recipes
Sheet-Pan Baked Peanut Tofu
This vegan dish is perfect for easy weeknight dinners, as all the ingredients can be tossed together and baked on a sheet-pan, while you enjoy a glass of vino. It’s a wholesome meal with a mix of proteins and vegetables and can be enjoyed on its own or with some rice.
Serves: 2
Cooking time: 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 250g extra firm tofu
- 1 red bell pepper, de-seeded and diced (180g)
- 1 yellow bell pepper, de-seeded and diced (180g)
- 1 onion, diced (200g)
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup Spark Crack Sauce
Garnish:
- Spring onion, finely chopped (green stalks only)
- Roasted peanuts, crushed
METHOD
1. Cut the tofu into cubes; try and make the tofu, onion and bell peppers all roughly the same size.
2. Preheat the oven to 220°C/430°F and prepare a greased baking tray.
3. Toss the tofu, bell peppers and onion with oil and salt; spread them on the baking tray and bake for 10 minutes.
4. Mix the Spark Crack Sauce with 2 tablespoons of water; remove the tray and pour ¾ of the sauce onto the tofu and vegetables. Give everything a good toss and bake for another 15 minutes.
5. Check to see if the tofu and vegetables have roasted to golden brown, then remove the tray from the oven; otherwise, bake for a few more minutes.
6. Lastly, drizzle the remaining (¼ cup) Spark Crack sauce on the sheet-pan and garnish with spring onion and crushed roasted peanuts.
Quick Sesame Noodles
We all have those nights where we want to have dinner in front of the TV by ourselves and enjoy some quality me time. This plant-based noodle dish is perfect for that – rice vermicelli tossed in a delicious sesame, ginger and Spark Caramelized Spring Onion sauce, along with some charred greens.
This dish can be eaten at any temperature – and if you want to turn up the spice levels of the dish, try adding some Spark Crispy Chilli Oil to the sauce too!
Serves: 1
Cooking time: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 100g rice vermicelli
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ½ head broccoli, torn in florets (125g)
- 100g haricot verts/green beans/thin asparagus, trimmed and halved
- Pinch of salt
Sauce:
- 2 tbsp Spark Caramelized Spring Onion
- 1 tbsp tahini & 1 tbsp hot water
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds
- 1 inch piece of ginger, grated
- ½ tsp white pepper, crushed
- ½ tsp salt
Garnish:
- Spring onion, finely chopped (green stalks only)
- White sesame seeds, roasted
METHOD
1. Soak the rice vermicelli in a bowl of lukewarm water for 2 minutes. Then, rinse with running cold water, cut in half with food scissors and set aside.
2. Place a wok on high heat, let it smoke and then add the sesame oil, broccoli and haricot verts. Let the green vegetables roast for 4-5 minutes, mixing at regular intervals so all sides roast evenly; then, sprinkle on a pinch of salt.
3. For the sauce, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.
4. Next, add the vermicelli to the wok along with the sauce and give it a toss; let it cook until all the sauce is incorporated. Remove from the heat and sprinkle spring onion and sesame seeds on top – and serve!
#Spark Tip: To make crispy and charred greens (such as broccoli, haricot verts or asparagus), first flash-fry the greens for 4-5 minutes in a wok and let them roast. Then, add 2 tablespoons of water, cover the wok and let it steam, before adding a pinch of salt at the end.
Vegan Carrot Bread
The main difference between a carrot cake and carrot bread is that a cake is typically lighter, sweeter and moister, whereas this bread is denser and grainy. Also, a bread just feels guilt-free, especially when you eat a slice every day… or even more!
I’ve added oats to this vegan recipe to increase its fibre content along with garam masala, a staple spice mix in Indian kitchens. It has a kick that balances the sweetness of carrots and adds an earthy note to the bread.
Garam masala usually consists of a variety of different spices such as mace, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon and cardamom, but every spice merchant makes their own blend with slight variations.
Makes: 1 medium (8-9 inch) bread
Cooking time: 75 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1½ cup whole-wheat flour
- ½ cup rolled or instant oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 tbsp oat or almond milk
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 3 carrots, peeled and grated (240g)
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/355°F and grease an 8-9 inch Bundt cake tin or any medium-sized cake tin.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients – whole-wheat flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, garam masala and salt.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, use an electric hand mixer to whisk the wet ingredients (brown sugar, honey, oil, oat milk, white vinegar and vanilla essence) together, until the mixture is creamy.
4. Use a spoon to gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients bowl, avoiding overmixing; then, fold in the grated carrots. Pour the batter into the greased cake tin.
5. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the batter comes out clean, and then remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
#Spark Tip: The easiest way to create an even top for your bread is to gently tap the cake tin against the kitchen countertop, then put it in the oven to bake.
Find out more about A Spark Of Madness on their website and Instagram
See also: 8 Plant-Based Snacks To Make This Summer
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