Jean-Philippe Cyr - The Buddhist Chef 100 Simple, Feel-Good Vegan Recipes

Before you begin cooking, here is a list of my tried and true ingredients, as well as equipment, to make your foray into vegan cuisine simple.

Agar-agar is a gelling agent made from algae that is used in tiny quantities to change the texture of food. Its a perfect vegan ingredient to replace animal-based gelatin. To activate agar-agar, you need to dissolve it in a liquid and then bring it to a boil. The magic happens when the mixture cools down. There are two types of agar-agar on the market: powder and flakes. I recommend using powdered agar-agar, but if you use the flake variety, be sure to double the quantity listed in the recipes to get similar results.

Brown short-grain rice is a nutritious, fiber-rich type of whole-grain rice that contains the bran layer and cereal germ without the rice hull coating. Its delicious as a side dish, and I also like to use it to bind veggie burgers. It requires a longer cooking time than white rice, but soaking it beforehand will reduce it.

Coconut oil can complement recipes of all types. For more savory dishes, be sure to use deodorized (or neutral tasting) coconut oil.

Gluten flour is wheat flour with a high protein content. Gluten is what gives bread its elasticity, and gluten flour cannot be substituted with all-purpose or gluten-free flour. Gluten flour is used to make seitan, a vegan meat substitute.

Kala Namak Himalayan black salt is a type of salt with a characteristic sulfurous taste that is reminiscent of hard-boiled eggs. The easiest way to get it is to order it online.

Legumes are edible seeds from fabaceous plants that are harvested from pods, such as lentils and chickpeas. They are becoming increasingly popular in the West, and the Middle East has been using them in traditional dishes, such as in hummus, curry, falafel, soup, salad, and couscous, for a long time. Legumes have many benefitsin terms of nutrition, price, and environmentand because theyre an excellent source of vegetable protein, fiber, iron, and vitamins, they are central to a balanced diet. On store shelves, you can find legumes in cans (already cooked) or dried. Use whichever form you prefer. When you first start adding more fiber-rich lentils and beans to your diet, your body might need a bit of time to adjust, but if you push through it, youll feel so much better.

Liquid smoke is a water-soluble, natural condiment used in very small quantities. As its name suggests, it gives foods a smoky flavor. You can usually find it in grocery stores near the barbecue sauce.

Millet is a very nutritious grain that is cooked like rice. You can use it to replace meat in burgers or pies, for example. It is naturally gluten-free.

Nutritional yeast is a type of inactive yeast used as a condiment in vegan cooking. In addition to being rich in B-complex vitamins, it adds a cheesy flavor. You can find it in stores in flake form. Dont confuse this with bakers yeast or brewers yeast!