So day one of our Vegan challenge has been a steep learning curve about what we can and can’t eat. There seems to be so many restrictions, but I’m sure we will get the hang of it soon. We start the morning with either porridge or Soya yogurt, which doesn’t taste as bad and I feared it would.

For lunch I made Stalk soup from the cauliflower and broccoli and the recipe is on the Waitrose week. I’ve made pork Dim Sum before so wasn’t worried about our evening meal, but I preferred this vegetarian version so will probably make it again.
…

Breakfast
Porridge and maple syrup or yogurt and berries

Lunch
Broccoli stalk soup

Dinner
Vegan dim sum

Snacks
Date brownies

…

RECIPE

Vegan dim sum
Adapted from Jamie Oliver Recipe

Ingredients

Ingredients for the filling:
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2.5cm square piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 bunch of fresh coriander
Groundnut oil
1/2 packet of mushrooms finely chopped
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 finely sliced spring onions
1 large carrot grated
1 fresh chilli finely sliced
1 tablespoons sesame oil (or olive oil)

Ingredients for the bun:
1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk
500g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
Pinch of sea salt
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

To serve:
Hoisin sauce (optional)
Sweet chilli sauce
2-3 spring onions sliced half and lengthwise
6cm of cucumber with seeds removed
and sliced lengthwise

Method

To make the filling, finely slice the garlic, ginger, coriander both leaves and stalks. Then heat the groundnut oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, and fry for around 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for around 5 more minutes.

Add the vinegar, sweet chilli sauce and the soy, then cook for a further 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are golden brown and starting to caramelise. Transfer to a bowl, then add the finely sliced spring onions, carrot and chilli. Stir in the sesame oil, and set aside.

Add the coconut milk to the flour with a good pinch of salt in a food processor if you have one, Whizz to a dough, if not mix in a bowl. then transfer to a flour-dusted surface and roll into a thick sausage. Cut into 12 equal-sized pieces, roll into balls, then flatten into rounds, roughly 1/2 cm thick.

Equally divide the mushroom mixture between each of the 12 dough circles (you’ll need roughly 1 tablespoon of filling per circle), making sure to leave a 2cm gap around the edges. Pull and fold the sides over the filling, pinching the edges together to seal.

Place upside-down (so the scruffy edges are underneath) on grease proof paper with slits in and divide between two bamboo steamer baskets..

Place a wok over a high heat, then fill with 1 litre of boiling water and pop the steamer baskets on top. Reduce the heat to medium and steam for around 12 minutes, or until piping hot through and puffed up.

Once the buns are ready, sprinkle over the seeds, and serve with the sliced spring onions and cucumber.

…