Vegan kebab tabei and Nowruz, you may ask how are they even related?
Nowruz literally means “New Day” in Farsi and it’s the Persian New Year which is widely celebrated in Iran and other countries that have been influenced by Persian cultural.
Nowruz is that time of the year when we gather with family and friends and feast over divine traditional Persian dishes.
Vegan kebab tabei is one of those popular dishs that combines the concept of traditional kebab with vegan ingredients such as TVP or other plant-based alternatives.
I really believe that there are no limitations in veganism, and it all comes down to creativity and finding correct products to replace. For example, I’ve made this vegan kebab tabei with TVP (textured vegetable protein) but you can also use other plants based alternatives.
By the way the term ‘tabei’ means a dish that was cooked in a pan. ‘Tabe’ in Farsi means pan and since this dish is cooked either in a pan of oven its been given that name.
Dishes like kebab tabei, always are served with fresh herbs, sumac, lemon and grilled tomatoes. They enhance the flavours and take your dish to the next level.
Persians usually don’t like simple eating and there is always different side dishes available on the table. We take the art of cooking very seriously and spend lot of time in the kitchen preparing food with love and patience.
So as many of you know my story and why I started writing blog posts. Basically I’m here to share my experiments with you and help people veganise the recipes that they grew up eating.
Remember? veganism should not limit us, we should get creative
Let’s start ..
Ingredients for our kebab tabei
– 2 cups of textured vegetable protein (TVP) or plant-based protein of your choice
– 4 medium onions (grated)
– 5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
– 1 tbsp flax egg (egg substitute)
– Sumac to taste (its optional)
– 1 tsp smoked paprika
– Salt and pepper to taste
– 2 tbsp olive oil or vegan butter
-1 tbsp flour (or vital wheat gluten)
– Juice of 1 fresh lemon
How to make this awesome dish
1. In a bowl, rehydrate the textured vegetable protein (TVP) or plant-based protein for 15 minutes with lukewarm water and completely drain any excess water.
2. Grate the onions and use paper towel to completely get rid of the water in the onions
3. Add the minced garlic, onions smoked paprika, salt, and pepper to the TVP or any other plant-based protein and stir well until they are combine.
4. Make flax eggs (its basically a mixture of flaxseed meal (ground flaxseeds) and water). Vegans use flax eggs as binding agent and as egg substitute. When it is done let it rest in the fridge for couple of hours before using it.
5. Mix in the lemon juice, olive oil or vegan butter and make sure that the kebab mixture is evenly coated.
6. Cook the kebab mixture over low heat for about 8-10 minutes. Then medium heat until it starts to become golden and crispy.
7. Cut 4 tomatoes vertically and put them next to your kebabs. Mix 1 tbsp of tomato paste and water and pour it in the pan and let it simmer for another 10-15 minutes and enjoy.
8. Once the vegan kebab tabei is ready, remove it from the heat and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
9. Serve it with your choice of sides, It is usually served with Persian crispy rice or warm bread.
Grilled or fried tomatoes, vegan butter, sumac and onions are must to let you experience the Persian way of enjoying this dish.
