The Vegan Thread

and having eaten puffin I wonder why people do

I think most people in this thread feel the same about other birds too.

Yeah not exactly appropriate for the thread. But in my defence the food of Iceland is odd.

Mum's seem to like it.

Talk to me about binding agents.

Made the yellow split pea bread and use egg as the binding agent instead of the psyillium husk. Is there anything easily available in most kitchens to use as a binding agent and be vegan.

Not really as simple as replacing egg with another thing, I don’t think. You can get egg substitute powders and such but I’ve honestly never heard anyone using them, or seen them in a recipe.
Usually best to just find recipes from others who have developed them.

Ground flaxseed and water maybe?

Edit: did a google

Flax eggs are one of the easiest ways to make baking recipes vegan. For each flax egg, stir 3 Tbsp. water into 1 Tbsp. ground flaxseeds, and let stand for 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens. You can use the same technique with chia seeds, another favorite of vegan bakers.

chia seeds are disgusting though

Someone told us to use the water from a tin of chickpeas as an egg substitute in baking. I can’t remember if my wife ever tried it.

Look for aquafaba--discussed in this thread a couple of times.

Chia, flax and aquafaba can all work, but you'll probably struggle if you just try swapping out eggs for them, you sometimes need to adjust a few other things as well. A full recipe is the best place to stay unless you want to do a lot of experimenting.

Ah I didn’t know it had a name other than chickpea water.

This is the recipe page, sorry it is long a slog and lots of adverts https://www.powerhungry.com/2024/02/06/split-pea-bread-vegan-oil-free-gf/

@KatBalou'sPhone thanks will try flaxseed next time.

@Tonts I know that you can make the chickpea water in to merengue. But will try that.

@snottyotter I took a recipe and found I couldn't get the husk so had to improvise.

Aquafaba makes great mayonnaise too. Just add flavour and oil like you would with egg yolks.

I took a recipe and found I couldn't get the husk so had to improvise.

If it's just swapping one substitute for another then you can usually be pretty flexible, but chia and flax seeds are cheap and right next to each other at Aldi if you're passing, and xanthan gum can be handy. Also if you're using aquafaba you can whip it up a bit first to help with an more airy texture, non egg baking can be awkward to get things to rise and not be a bit dense if that's the desired outcome.
Maybe I'll try that the next time I attempt Yorkshire puddings, I've never quite got them right.

That bread looks pretty crap though, it's like some kind of wartime rationing substitute.

It sort of doesn't--'aquafaba' only means 'bean water' (from Latin). :)

Looks alright to me, tastes nice too.

Wanted to add maybe add olives and walnuts next time. Tastes lovely with tapenade or marmite.

Would like to have more vegan food options in my repertoire of stuff to cook.

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Would like to have more vegan food options in my repertoire of stuff to cook.

I'm not a food blog guy at all, but there's some great websites out there, with recipes you'll want to try out..
..lately I looked at the minimalist baker again, also Jamie Oliver's site is often a good source of inspiration for me.

chickpea flour is as sticky as hell and i often use it to bind BUT if it is for something you want to taste delicious not just fuel/everyday the bitterness needs mitigating. you can precook it, like toast it in the oven or sometimes a teaspoon of allspice works. Chickpea flour is slightly acrid tasting- if you have ever had cheap falafel- but it does burn off, hence why pakora are sweet and delicious not weird tasting

If you're ever in Peckham and fancy a coffee and cake, the Crisis shop has a cafe with a chocolate fudge cake that they serve warm. It's incredible.

Yes, but have you left any of it? I think we should be told.

I had the last piece today actually

Is there anywhere to get a quick, cheap lunch around Ladbroke Grove? I don't know West London at all but am occasionally around there for lunch and would like to branch out from a sainsbury's meal deal.

Have a look at:
https://www.makan-cafe.com/

Bit of a random post but a bakery I used to purchase vegan gummies on instagram is closing. If anyone knows about any other similar places to DB where I could buy vegan gummies I would love to know (most are sold with gelatine in)