--- The Cook Up with Adam Liaw's fourth season airs weeknights on SBS Food (Ch.33) at 7.00pm. All episodes available anytime on SBS On Demand. ---
We've all heard of meat-free Mondays, and, during a time of climate change and high inflation, many of us are becoming increasingly conscious of what we buy. According to research by Perspectus Global and the 'No Meat May' campaign, approximately 37 per cent of people are buying fewer meat products to save money.
This comes at a time when around 10 per cent of people in Australia identify as vegetarian or vegan. But how do you make the switch? And what foods can you substitute or include in your diet?
Substitute with fresh veg
BBC (Broad beans, bean curd and Chinese chutney) Source: Kitti Gould
Adam Liaw, the host of SBS Food's The Cook Up, likes to use mushrooms in place of minced meat in his spaghetti bolognese. "Lentils are not my favourite as a substitute because I think they just have a little bit too much starchiness to them," Liaw says.
Increase the quantities of all the other things.
There's nothing to it other than maintaining the same recipe and amping up the flavour of the other ingredients. "Don't really worry about any substitution at all. Just leave the meat out, but increase the quantities of all the other things."
PROTEIN FIX
Vietnamese coconut caramel tofu
Soy and mock meats
You might have seen mock meats dotting the meat fridge at the supermarket. These 'fake meats' – mock chicken schnitzels, sausages and even imitation minced meat or burger patties that 'bleed' like actual meat does' as you cook them – are made of plant-based proteins. They're made by extracting the protein from plant foods, often pea, soy, wheat protein and mushrooms, and make an easy addition to any barbecue or dish you want to whip up at home without meat.
An emerging option is cell-based meat, which is created from a lab-grown animal cell. It creates meat without needing to rear and slaughter conscious animals, but it isn't available to the public to purchase just yet.
Pea stuffed eggplants Source: Kitti Gould
Shannon Martinez, head chef and owner of vegan bar and eatery Smith & Daughters and its extension, Smith & Deli, told the Sydney Morning Herald her recipe for vegan blood sausage is the best meat alternative.
"It's an original recipe I created to mirror the flavours and textures of blood sausage," Martinez told the publication. "It basically consists of barley and rice materials to create the casing that is similar to a sausage and then a vegan 'blood'. I used a beetroot juice to create the iron-like taste." She also flavours the plant-based sausage with spices like paprika and chilli.
Experimenting with plant-based foods gives adults agency to play with their vegetables. From making your own mock chicken breast (seitan) using just gluten and water at home to simply substituting it with hearty mushrooms – the world truly is your oyster.
