Thursday 30 March 2017

VEGAN NIGERIAN DINNER PARTY (POP-UP #8)

Photo credit: Richard Duebel
































From a fun-filled hen party, to unexpected surprises, to learning the age-old lesson that it is always better to cook too much than too little (or even just enough!), my dinner party/pop-up on the 25th was nothing short of eventful. Crazy how the learning never stops even after eight of these events. The beauty of the pop-up concept though: refining methods, testing out ideas, seeing what works and what doesn't, dipping into the experience of running a restaurant without the drowning that comes with managing one full time. 

As always, eternally grateful to friends and family for their help. Eternally grateful to the supportive guests who brought their good humour and appetites. I wish I could have spent more time chatting to everyone, as was my original intention.  

Thank you to Sylvia and Richard for the photography, filming, interviews, and imminent feature (and for being lovely in general!).

Thank you to Dawn once again for the delicious sugarcane juice (visit: thecanepress.co.uk)

Thank you even to the handful of people who kept it real and drew attention to some valuable points for future improvement. Criticism only breeds strength. 

Thursday 16 March 2017

REFINED SUGAR-FREE VEGAN CAKE
























In this recipe, I propose that you swap refined sugar for whole dates and organic maple syrup.
Using the technique in the instructions below, it still comes out as soft and spongy as any regular cake.

As I'm sure you know, there are several good reasons to cut back on refined sugar, from lowering your risk of diabetes, to achieving clearer skin, to lowering blood pressure and decreasing your risk of a heart attack. Pretty heavy stuff when you think about it. But rather than sinking into despair, I prefer the good ol' approach of making small changes here and there, swapping the bad for the good where possible, and getting clued up on how to make better choices.

Ingredients
- 2 cups wholemeal self-raising flour
- 2 heap tbsp solid coconut oil
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
 - 1 cup pitted dates (soaked and drained)
- 3/4 cup organic maple syrup
- 1/2 cup warm non-dairy milk (such as almond, soya, etc)

In a large bowl, mix the flours, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder together. Add the solid coconut oil and rub into the flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Place the warm non-dairy milk, maple syrup and pre-soaked dates in a blender and whiz until you have the consistency of a frothy, thick syrup.

Add the syrupy mixture to the flour and combine until you have a smooth cake batter. Pour into a lightly greased cake tin and bake in a pre-heated oven, 180C, for about 25-30 minutes. To check if it is cooked all the way through, poke a skewer through the middle of the cake - if it comes out clean, then it's good to go. If not, give it a few extra minutes.


Saturday 4 March 2017

VEGAN IN SINGAPORE | PLACES TO EAT [VIDEO]



Better late than never, I s'pose :)

This video is a compilation of all the foodie clips I was able to capture during my trip to Singapore back in December. The main objective of the trip was to attend two very special occasions, and when I wasn't caught up in the excitement of celebrating, connecting and reconnecting with friends old and new, I had a lot of fun exploring what the country had to offer in terms of vegan food options.

Planning a trip to Singapore? Got any specific questions about being a vegan traveller/tourist in Singapore? Comment below and I'll do my best to answer.

And now for a few food pics:

Thai Express - Mock chicken stir-fry
Thai Express - Bean curd,  greens, rice...


Thai Express - Veggie dumplings <3


VeganBurg - Veggie burger and seaweed fries

LingZhi - Brown fried rice

Nature Cafe - Beancurd...

Pita Pan - Falafel, hummus, salsa, veg...

Pita Pan

Chinatown Hawker Centre

Chinatown - Sugarcane juice

Chinatown - dragonfruit juice

Chinatown - popiah