Hot Take

We all know what you’re supposed to do when life gives you lemons, but what about when life gives you jalapeños? Or, more specifically, when you need a single jalapeño for a photo shoot but can only buy them in 1-pound packages? Turns out there’s no cute proverb for that. Considering the number of times I’ve faced down exactly this conundrum, you’d think there would be a simple answer.

Turns out there is. Sriracha, one of the hottest exports to come from Thailand, is an essential condiment in my household. There must be no less than three bottles at any time, in case of emergencies. While most famously known as a bright red sauce made from fresh red chili peppers, there’s no reason why green jalapeños can’t enjoy the same treatment. In fact, there’s even yellow sriracha made from Thai burapa chiles, but that’s a story for another blog post.

Green Sriracha Heats Things Up

Both red and green sriracha start with the same basic formula, creating a garlicky, lightly sweet, and tangy base. Green jalapeños, being the unripe predecessors to red, have a sharper, grassier, brighter kick. As a result, green sriracha has a spicier bite that starts punching right away. Nuanced, but not subtle, this is the answer to anyone who thinks conventional sriracha is too mild.

Seasoned To Taste

The real benefit of making your own sriracha from scratch, aside from preventing food waste should you find yourself with a daunting pile of peppers, is getting to call the shots on what ingredients make the cut. Contrary to commercial options, my sriracha is…

  • Sugar-free, using pineapple juice for natural sweetness, plus a touch of acidity instead of harsh white vinegar
  • Free of preservatives and stabilizers, because it won’t be kicking around on a dusty shelf for years
  • Lower in salt, since whatever you’re using it on will be presumably be salted, too
  • Higher in garlic, because I’ve yet to find the limit

While store-bought sriracha may still have a place of honor in my fridge, homemade will always have the edge. With minimal effort and active time, you’ll be rewarded with a vibrant, flavorful condiment that elevates any dish. You don’t even need to accidentally over-purchase green jalapeños to give this recipe a try.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)2 Comments

10 Best Vegan Passover Recipes

For plant-based eaters, Passover can be one tough nut to crack. Fortunately, nuts are pesadik, so we’ve already got a running start at crafting a complete and kosher menu. What makes menu planning so difficult isn’t the lack of flour and leaveners most commonly associated with the holiday, but the avoidance of kitniyot. Conservative Ashkenazi Jews renounce beans, rice, corn, and peas for all seven days, but most would simply remove them from the Seder table. In any event, that’s the bulk of vegan protein sources right there, including tofu, tempeh, and most alternative meats.

Why Not Kitniyot?

The concern with these ingredients is not the foods themselves, but the fact that they look similar to and may possibly have the forbidden chametz grains accidentally mixed in. The especially strict would even forbid sugar snap peas, mustard, and poppy seeds, among many other curious and oddly specific selections. Many would also consider any derivatives of these ingredients verboten, such as aquafaba (brine from chickpeas), so those delicate meringue kisses are still off the table. Luckily, modern rabbis have ruled that quinoa gets the green light, so it’s wise to stock up and embrace the pseudo-cereal.

Best Bets For A Vegan Passover

Pay homage to the past without becoming a prisoner to tradition. From the festival meal to the less fanciful fare to follow, these recipes won’t let you down.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments

Pesach Parfait

Passover is one of the most joyous occasions on the Jewish calendar, commemorating and celebrating the perilous escape from slavery in Egypt, so why are the desserts so morose? Bearing some of the most strict dietary constraints, particularly for observant Ashkenazi Jews, it’s more like a modern take on that same subjugation. Flour, leaveners (baking soda, baking powder, yeast), and kitniyot (beans, rice, corn, peas) are all off the table for a full week. Regular plant-based meals are tough enough under these conditions, but try baking a cake without any of the above, while side-stepping the traditionally egg-laden alternatives, and you’ll quickly see where most pesadik sweets go awry.

Seder Satisfaction

Though I can’t claim to be so stringent in my own home, I do try to play along for at least the Seder. Having a good few years of experience under my belt now, it’s not so challenging to come up with something satisfying to close out the festive meal. It just takes a change in perspective, to stop thinking about what you can’t have, and to focus on what you can. It’s the same sort of challenge for anyone new to veganism, I’d imagine. Consider the following:

Naturally Vegan Desserts For Passover

Without any sort of modifications, you can easily whip up any of these treats to enjoy throughout the week of Passover. There are hundreds of thousands more when you start to consider easy swaps to make cobblers with almond meal toppings, pies with raw nut-and-date crusts, and beyond.

Mousse Without Compromise

Introducing these stunning parfaits as a Passover desserts does them a disservice, based on the baggage such a label would come with. Rather, the layers of rich dark chocolate, giving way to a lighter, fluffier raspberry cream, then finished with light yet decadent coconut whipped cream, belong in their own category of indulgence. Beautiful and delicious enough to serve all year round, with or without dietary restrictions, they’re crafted without compromise, as a good recipe should be.

Making A Perfect Parfait

Whereas most vegan mousses would start by using a base of tofu, this approach taps the fatty goodness of avocado to accentuate the buttery notes of bitter dark chocolate. On top, fresh berries contribute a jammy, tart, and tangy flavor, balancing out the sweetness with elegance. The whipped cream seals the deal, completing the strata with a cloud of velvety coconut foam.

Don’t Pass Over This Recipe

While the Passover Seder is a retelling of the story, full of sacrifice and strife, you’re not supposed to suffer through the meal. Finally, here’s a dessert that you’d actually want to eat, even after the plagues have passed by.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments

Uncommon Ramen

Traditionalists may claim that true ramen can only be made with fish, pork, or chicken, but JINYA Ramen Bar is out there proving them all wrong. For an omnivore restaurant that otherwise sticks pretty close to the classics, they have a stunning array of fully vegan options, each one every bit as thoughtfully curated, cooked, and composed. Shattering the notion that plant-based will only be second best, these full-on flavor bombs are honestly the best bowls of ramen I’ve had in years.

First up, the Flying Vegan Harvest. Starting with thick, chewy noodles at the heart of this bowl, my dining partner in crime questioned suspiciously, “Are you sure these aren’t egg noodles?” If not for having “VEGAN” right in the title, I might be more concerned, too. They swim languidly in a savory miso broth crowned by umami Impossible meat and silky tofu cubes. Charred broccolini, bean sprouts, and corn complete the meal with veggies even haters will crave, all tied together with crispy garlic and touch of chili oil. If you, like me, want a little bit of everything, this is the one to get.

In the mood for something both comforting and invigorating? The Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen is your new bowlmate. A hearty vegetable broth mixed with soymilk creates a velvety soup to support tofu, green onions, spinach, crispy onions, and garlic chips. Spiked with chili oil for a gentle a touch of heat, it’s easy to slurp right to the bottom of the bowl.

Here’s the thing though: My favorite part of this dinner wasn’t even the ramen. If you start with the Impossible Gyoza, good luck finding anything else that can compare. Stuffed with juicy, well-seasoned Impossible meat, it mimics the texture and flavor of traditional pork gyoza like nothing I’ve had before. One bite brought me right back to Japan, ducking into a tiny street stall to snag a few dumplings before catching the train. This dish is the best way to use Impossible meat right.

On that note, there are also Impossible Buns; pillow-y steamed buns wrapped around sweet Impossible meat patties, drizzled with vegan mayo and flanked by cucumbers and avocado. While mine was a bit cold, I can see it being wholly satisfying when served hot.

Finally, big shout-out to their Tempura Brussels Sprouts, since conventional tempura is typically off the menu for anyone avoiding eggs. Light and crispy tempura batter encases perfectly cooked Brussels sprouts, seasoned with a touch of truffle oil and salt. It’s simple and simply perfect, ideal for a happy hour pairing or quick snack.

With over 60 locations and still growing, JINYA Ramen is out there holding vegan options to the same high standard as their conventional counterparts, and succeeding with flying colors.

Hannah (BitterSweet)5 Comments