AWORLD OF FLAVOUR

HEATHER LARGE CHATSTOA VEGAN COOKBOOK AUTHOR ABOUT HER DETERMINATION TO SHAREINCREDIBLE FLAVOURS FROM HER TRAVELS AROUND THE GLOBE

Asa teenager Niki Webster loved to experiment in the kitchen with different flavours and spices.

Growing up with adairy intolerance and dislike of meat meant she was mainly eating avegandiet.

But Niki had struggled to find food that she reallyenjoyed until she started cooking plant-based dishes for herself

This ignited alove of food that continued to flourish and travels around India, the Middle East and the FarEast further fuelled her creativity as she attempted to replicate the cuisine at home.

After leaving university,she worked infood marketing and social media before launching herown vegan food blog, Rebel Recipes, in 2015

It would be the start of new career and lead to her becoming the author of five cookbooks; thelatest, Around the World Vegan Cookbook: The young person’s guide to plant-based family feasts, has recently been published by Wellbeck.

At the time of starting herblog, she says avegan diet was mostly associated with things you couldn’t eat and considered by many to be rather bland.

Niki was determined to share some of the “incredible and inspirational” flavours she had discovered during her travels to countries that have alonghistory of eating plant-based foods.

“I always had adesire to be more creative and work for myself with a backdrop of this massive love of vegan and plant-based food,” she tells Weekend.

“I started the blog not necessarily thinking it would enable achange of career but because Iwanted acreative outlet for all my recipes.

“When Istarted, there were no vegan options available. Nut roastsand hummus was the best you could hope for

“The reason Icalledmyblog Rebel Recipes was at the time people thought vegan food was really boring, uninspiring and dull.

“I thought there was some amazing plant-based food out there,”explains Niki, who lives in Shrewsbury

Her recipes are packed full of thelikes of vegetables, fruits, beans and pulses as well as enticing flavours, textures and colours.

When it comes to fresh ingredients

Spaghetti fritters with sticky tomatoes

Difficulty –Medium•Makes 10-12

Prep –15minutes •Cooking –40minutes

For the balsamic onions

2large redonions

2tbsp oliveoil

3garliccloves

2tbsp balsamic vinegar

Big pinch of sea salt

1. Peel and slice the onions into thin rings.

2. Add them along with the oil to apan and fry for 10 minutes until very soft

3. Add the garlic and fry for afurther minute.

4. Add the balsamic and salt and stir to combine.

For the fritters

120g plain flour

1tsp baking powder

4tbsp nutritional yeast

1tsp salt

2thyme sprigs

275ml water

200g cooked spaghetti

1tbsp oliveoil

4tbsp vegetable oil

1. In alarge bowl, add all dry ingredients then add the water

2. Stir to form athick batter she likes to use what’s in season and says ordering aveg box or browsing the produce stalls at the market hall provides inspiration. “It helps me to be creative,” she explains.

3. Add the cooked onions and spaghetti and mix well to coat. Allowtosit for 15 minutes.

4. Heat the vegetable oil in alarge non-stick frying pan so thereisa shallowlayer of oil.

5. Spoon 2tbsp of the mix into the pan, then press down.

“I always like usingbeans and pulses. They are very versatile, cheap andnutritiousand Ithink they taste delicious,” adds Niki.

When it comes to crafting new recipes, alot of trial and error goes into creating theperfect dish.

If Niki is inspired by something she’s eaten while travelling or in arestaurant, shewill start by working out its key ingredients before attempting to recreate it.

“My process of developing arecipe is to haveitinmyhead or write it down so Ihave something to work from,” she explains.

She then heads to the kitchen to test out her ideas, making changes as shegoes until she’s happy with the finished recipe.

Once it’s been tested afew more times, Niki will post it on her blog and social media channels for people to try at home.

8. Fry for 4-5 minutes on this side until crispy and golden. Flip and repeat with the rest of the mix.

For the sauce

1red onion, sliced

2tbsp oliveoil

2garlic cloves, sliced

1tsp smoked paprika

1tsp sweet paprika

1tsp driedoregano

4tomatoes, sliced

2tbsp tomatopaste

50ml water

Sea salt flakes and black pepper

Toppings: Freshherbs –dill, thyme

1. Add the onion and oil to apan. Fryfor 8-10 minutes until caramelised.

2. Add the garlic and spices and stir to combine. Fryfor aminute or so.

3. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes and water,and simmer for 10 minutes until the tomato has broken down.

4. Add salt and pepper

5. Servethe crispy fritters with the sticky tomato and toppings.

“I once published arecipefor mushroom wraps and within half an hour lots of people had made them –it completely blows me away,” she tells Weekend.

Little did she know that not long after she started her Rebel Recipes blog, veganism would become more and more popular

Supermarkets are stocking everincreasing numbers and types of products, and restaurants and fast food chainsoffer afar widerchoice of meals.

“It’s grown and there aresomany options, fake meats and cheese, everything you can imagine in the supermarket,” says Niki, who has workedwith brands including Waitrose, Holland &Barrett and Wholefoods.

She pitched the idea for her first cookbook, Rebel Recipes, which was published by Bloomsbury in 2019, amid the growing interest in veganism.

“It’s all about timing. It generated alot of interest and amazingly there was abit of abidding war,” explains Niki.

Since then she has written four further books, including Be More Vegan, My Vegan Year and Rainbow Bowls.

Her most recent, Around the World Vegan Cookbook: The Young Person’s Guide to Plant-based Family Feasts, was published just afew weeks ago.

It features more than 75 easy-to-make dishes specially created for young adult readers, inspired by her international travels.

“I’ve tried to make sure the instructions are as simple as possible and easy to understand,” explains Niki.

Ginger malva pudding

The recipes include spaghetti fritters with sticky tomatoes; sunflower seed muhamara with za’atar flatbread; spring greens spanakopita pie; bunny chow with sweet potato and chickpea curry; and ginger malva pudding.

Niki says the latter is one of her favourite recipes in the book, adding: “It’s like asticky toffee pudding but less complicated and made with apricot jam. It’s really sticky,gooey and lovely.” n Around the World Vegan Cookbook: The young person’s guide to plant-based family feasts by Niki Webster (£14.99, Welbeck Children’s) available now

Spring greens spanakopita pie.

Difficulty –Easy• Makes 12 slices

Prep –5minutes •Cooking –25minutes

Dry ingredients

250g plain flour

200g light brownsugar

2tsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda

3tsp ground ginger

Pinch of salt

Wetingredients

1tbsp applecider vinegar

125ml plant-based milk

5tbsp apricot jam

50ml vegetable oil

1. Preheat the ovento180C(350F).

2. Line asmall baking tray with baking paper

3. Add the dry ingredients to abowland mix together

4. In asmall jug, add the vinegar to the plant-based milk and let it curdle.

5. Add this along with the jam and oil to the dry mix, and mix well to form a batter

6. Transfer the batter to the baking tray and smooth to the edges.

7. Bakefor 25 minutes.

For the sauce

80g vegan butter

80g light brownsugar

250g coconut cream

1tsp vanilla extract

1. Add the butter to asaucepan and allowtomelt. Add the sugar and coconut cream and heat together until it reaches asimmer,stirring continuously.

2. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract.

3. When the cakecomes out of the oven, prick the top with atoothpick and then pour the sauce over, making sureit’s distributed evenly.

4. Allowthe sauce to sink in, and then cut into squares.