Will's tofu dish

April 6, 2019

We like to think we know our way around a block of tofu, but Will has shared a different style of preparation via the lab cookbook. The tofu is microwaved or steamed without any additional flavouring to heat it through. Then it's smothered in all the flavouring it'll ever need: soy sauce and vinegar, garlic and ginger, coriander, chilli, three kinds of oil, spring onions, fried shallots! We only needed some steamed rice and plain green veges to round this out into a meal.

Since the sauce goes on unheated the garlic and ginger are extra potent. I hoped that microwaving the leftovers at work might mellow them out, but their strong fragrance drew (positive!) attention from some of my co-workers.

I reckon that this is the rare recipe that will work just as well on a weeknight as it could when cooking a show-off meal for friends. I'll just have to pack some chewing gum when I plan to roll over leftovers to lunch.

Will's tofu dish
(shared via the Lab Farewell Cookbook)

20g fresh coriander
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 large red chilli, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
65g (about 5) spring onion, finely sliced
1 teaspoon chilli oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1/4 cup Chinkiang black rice vinegar
500g firm tofu
2 tablespoons peanut oil
deep fried shallots
white pepper
sriracha sauce

Remove any roots from the coriander and wash the rest of it. Separate the stem from the leaves. Chop the stems and place them in a medium bowl. To the bowl, add the ginger, chilli, garlic, the white parts of the spring onions, chilli oil, sesame oil, soy sauces and vinegar. Whisk everything together.

Slice the tofu into flat squares, about 1cm x 3cm x 3cm. Microwave or steam the tofu until it's heated through. While the tofu is heating, put the peanut oil in a small saucepan and heat it just barely to its smoking point.

Layer the tofu in a large serving dish and pour over the soy-based sauce; carefully pour the hot peanut oil over, next. Generously garnish the tofu with the coriander leaves, green spring onion bits, deep-fried shallots and white pepper, squirting over sriracha to taste.

Kevabs

April 6, 2019

We were very excited to read about Kevabs, an all-vegan kebab place that has opened up just around the corner from our house. We got down there on their first weekend to check it out (and have since been three more times!). Their main product is a classic kebab ($13) - they've developed some sort of vegetable and pea-protein doner that's the star of the show, accompanied by lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and your choice of sauces (hummus, garlic, chilli, tomato and bbq). You can add extras like jalapenos or vegan cheese for a buck extra.

There are heaps of other options as well - HSP ($13), a daily selection of salads ($10), soup and house-made simit ($10), boreks ($5.50) and a range of sweets. Everything is vegan and most things can be made gluten-free. We started off with a kevab and a potato borek.

The kevabs are really excellent - the time they've spent crafting their mock meat recipe has definitely paid off, and the mix of fillings and sauces work in the way that a classic kebab works (garlic + chilli sauce is my tip!). The boreks are excellent too - there's a bit of mock meat included in the filling, accompanied by either potato or spinach. The vegan pastry is impressively flaky.

On a more recent visit I finally skipped a kevab and went with a HSP - a bowl of chips piled up with vegan cheese, the doner mock and your choice of sauces. It's a pretty intense meal, but if you're in the mood for a vegan HSP then this is about as good as they get.

The sweet selection is impressive too - there's 4 kinds of Turkish delight (plain, rose, mango/chilli and pistachio, $2.50 each), baklava ($4 a slice) and a rotating cast of cakes, cookies and brownies. We sampled a bikkie, the Turkish delights and a baklava on our first visit and they all hit the mark. The chilli/mango Turkish delight is the brave choice - it's super spicy, but the flavour combination with the dried mango and the soothing sugary Turkish delight really works. The baklava is top notch as well (and there's a gluten-free option if that matters to you).

We're really excited to have Kevabs in our neighbourhood - it's become our go-to spot for lazy weekend lunches or quick after-work meals. The staff are lovely and welcoming and the food is really hitting the spot. Check it out!

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Looks like we're the first blog to review Kevabs - they're the talk of Instagram and Facebook though of course.

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Kevabs
89 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
menu
Instagram page

Accessibility: Kevabs has a flat entryway and a mix of low and high seating. You order and pay at a high counter. I don't think they have any toilets for customers.

The Uleg

Update 12/06/2023: The Uleg is now closed.

April 4, 2019

It's taken us years to visit The Uleg, an unassuming looking Indonesian place halfway up Sydney Road. I think the menu used to be pretty meaty and we just kind of stopped paying attention - it's veg-tastic now and we finally wandered in for dinner with a pal one Thursday night.

We shared a couple of starters and three mains between the three of us - heads up, this is way too much food. The two starters were spectacular - tempe mendoan (tempura style tempeh with chilli sauce, $8.50) and veggie spring rolls ($5.50). A perfect start to the meal.

Our three mains were, from left: terong balado (chilli stir-fried eggplant and tempeh, $13.50), tahu lelor (fried tofu coated in egg, topped with beanshoots, cabbage and peanut sauce, $12.50) and ketoprak (rice cakes served with cabbage, wombok, beanshoots, vermicelli, cucumber and peanut sauce, $13.0). They were short on rice cakes on our visit so the ketoprak came out with noodles instead.

These were fantastic - the chilli eggplant and tempeh was probably my favourite, while Cindy couldn't get enough of the eggy tofu pancake in the tahu telor. Having two dishes with the same peanut sauce was a bit same-y, but on the whole, this was some very successful ordering. There are a bunch of other veggie dishes to choose from too, with heaps of vegan options and well-labelled gluten-free dishes too.

Cindy capped the meal off with a tea served with super sweet condensed milk - a classic finish. We had a great meal at The Uleg - the staff were friendly and efficient and the food was delicious. The serves are massive too, so you'll likely walk away with some leftovers. 

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The only blog review I could find for The Uleg was this rave review over at Consider the Sauce.

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The Uleg
312 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
9388 8606
starters, vegetarian mains
https://the-uleg.com.au/

Accessibility: The Uleg has a small step on entry. We ordered at the table and paid at a low counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

All-the-best-bits salad

March 31, 2019

When Fiona contributed this salad to the Farewell Cookbook, she mentioned that it was a very retro '90s kind of dish, but it's full of the flavours I still love today. Little chunks of salty haloumi and more astringent green olives, and handful of walnuts and a tangy double-down on pomegranate seeds and molasses; whatever green leaves you want to round this up into a salad.

I easily tossed it all together in the time it took to roast some pumpkin for this other salad. Together they provided us with satisfying vege-filled meals that conserved their textures well for days.

All-the-best-bits salad
(a recipe shared by Fiona)

150-200g haloumi, cubed and fried
~ 1 cup walnuts, toasted
a few handfuls rocket leaves
~ 3/4 cup green olives, halved
seed from 1/2 - 1 pomegranate

dressing
1 part pomegranate molasses
2 parts olive oil
chilli flakes, to taste

Shake the dressing ingredients in a jar. Gently toss together the salad ingredients and pour over the dressing. 

Power Plant

Update 18/06/2023: Power Plant is now closed.

March 30, 2019

Power Plant has been developing an excellent reputation for the past few years all the way up in Templestowe. Lisa and I had an opportunity to stop in for a snug breakfast on a drizzly day while Michael and a few of his mates were embarking on the Oxfam Trailwalker nearby.

Power Plant is situated in a commercial building, but it's been fitted out in a casual, comfortable style, with a long arc of windows and bench seating, golden-hued wood furnishings and cheery spots of colour. The menu is entirely vegan, with the requisite novelty lattes and kombucha, and dishes that are arranged with a minimum of six components and a sprinkling of edible flowers. Even if that approach sets off my cynicism, there was a lot that actually looked really good: a Spanish chickpea omelette; a brekky burger stuffed with tofu, a hash brown and avo; a bumper teriyaki bowl...

Ultimately I stayed on brand and ordered the cinnamon French toast ($18.50). Edible flowers aside, it was a charming homely version, squidgy with cherry and apple compote and showered with coconut. I'm not usually looking for icecream at breakfast time, but this little scoop was lovely. Power Plant also served me up the largest, loveliest almond milk chai ($7) I've ever drunk!

The staff were attentive and friendly, and kindly split our bill (though I think they'll divide at most three ways). It's rare that I find myself in Templestowe, but whenever I'm even remotely close by I'll be seeking excuses to pop back in to Power Plant.

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Power Plant has received positive reviews on blogs little vegan bear, Veganopoulous and Mamma knows north. 

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Power Plant
2-6 Swilk St, Templestowe
8838 1282
food, drinks
https://www.powerplantcafe.com.au/

Accessibility: Entry is flat and furniture is reasonably spaced; a mixture of bench seating and chairs with backs. We ordered at our table and paid at a low counter. Toilets are located outside of the cafe in the main building.