Today’s dish is a vegan version of Jamie Oliver’s creation – Kung Pao Chicken. Jamie seems like a great guy and, as people who are passionate about good food, we are grateful to him for all the excitement and enthusiasm he has instilled into the world of home cooking.
Having lived in the UK for over 10 years, we have seen how much positive influence he has had on the UK food scene. We admire his constant fight for real, home cooked food and his tireless passion for educating people, especially kids, about the importance of having a varied and nutritionally-rich diet. We’ve always liked the guy, but his recent, very informal, interview with his vegan mate, freerunner Timothy Shief, has gained him even more respect in our eyes. Jamie acknowledged that veganism is a growing trend and revealed his open-mindedness about it. This inspired us to make our own adaption: vegan Kung Pao chicken. It is very rare among professional, omnivorous chefs to have that sort of attitude. I don’t know why vegetables are hardly ever considered a nutritious AND satisfying meal in their own right. My impression is that there is this misconception that eating meat is essential for strength (which is often equated with masculinity) and since cheffing is still a very male-dominated profession vegetables are hardly ever are the star on the plate. The irony of it is that you don’t get more manly than, say Frank Medrano, and he runs completely on plants. It is so refreshing to see guys like Jamie and Timothy spread the vegan message and show that caring about your health, animal welfare and the planet we all live on isn’t at odds with masculinity at all.
3 tbsp / 45 ml tamari (for gluten-free version) or soy sauce 1 (scant) tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 and ½ tbsp maple syrup ½ tbsp cornflour water
