Bengaluru restaurants offer vegetarian surprises of two meat-heavy cuisines, Turkish & Southeast Asian

Mandalay Noodles Bowl, Burma Burma, Bengaluru.

In the 1990s, while walking down Soi 0, a narrow street off Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok, I stumbled upon a hidden gem — a modest eatery that exclusively served vegetarian cuisine.  None, absolutely none, of the dishes had any meat substitute and the recipes were crafted keeping the vegetarian ingredients in mind. It was an eye-opener and a startling revelation because in cuisines that are heavy on meat, seafood and more, there lurks a vegetarian heritage that’s equally iconic.

Imam Bayildi, Turkish eggplant dish at Oz by Kebapci, Bengaluru.

“Would it surprise you that one of the most consumed dishes in Turkey, and  throughout the Anatolia Region extending all the way to Syria, is the Imam Bayaldi, a delectable eggplant dish?” asks Aasim Shah, founder of Öz by Kebapçi, a Turkish cuisine restaurant in Bengaluru. He went on to explain, that in earlier times, when lamb, beef, and even chicken were considered luxury ingredients and reserved for the elite, vegetarian fare formed the daily sustenance of most Turkish people. Consequently, Turkish cuisine boasts a myriad of vegetarian dishes that go far beyond the famous Doner kebabs.

Bamya and Kavurma Pilaf at Oz by Kebapci, Bengaluru.

Lentil-based soups like kirmizi mercimek corbasi, flavourful chickpea creations such as hummus, falafels, and nohutlu durum rolls, as well as unique delicacies like bamya (okra dish) and miscirik asi (a culinary masterpiece hailing from the renowned Gaziantep region, comprising eggplants, tomatoes, bell peppers, and rice) are some examples. “One of my favourites is a street food called kumpir which is potatoes cooked on slow heat and yalanci dolma, an iconic dish of grape leaves stuffed with rice, herbs, nuts and more,” Shah says.

Venturing beyond the Anatolia Region and journeying towards Southeast Asia, we arrive in Myanmar, one of the few countries where tea is not only drunk but the tea leaves are eaten pickled or used as seasoning for salads, curries, and dishes.

Ankit Gupta, the founder of Burma Burma, a contemporary Burmese restaurant serving only vegetarian Burmese food, fondly reminisces his mother’s cooking. Growing up in Burma, his mother was exposed to a plethora of authentic Burmese vegetarian dishes, some of which were inaccessible to outsiders, from tangy tea leaf salad (Laphet Thoke), sticky rice with coconut cream and white peas (Kwoni Mow), raw papaya and tohu salad (Seiman Thoke), and Oh No Khowsuey, a coconut cream-based noodle dish.

'Oh No Khowsuey' Noodles, Burma Burma, Bengaluru.

“I was born and brought up in a Marwari family and until college, I thought the whole world was vegetarian,” Gupta says, explaining his tryst with vegetarianism. “I was raised in Juhu, Mumbai so there was access to a variety of vegetarian restaurants. However, at home, I was exposed to the cuisine of Pyay where my mother was brought up as well as the cuisines from Mandalay and Rangoon, thanks to my aunts. So, when I was thinking of the theme for a restaurant, I honed in on my childhood comfort food of Burma.”

Manti at Öz by Kebapci, Bengaluru.

If Gupta lists Laphet Thoke as one of his favourites, Ravi Nahappan, a fourth generation Malaysian, professes his fondness for Lei Cha, affectionately known as ‘Thunder’ Tea Rice. “It has its origins from the Hakka community and contains vegetables like bok choy, kai lan and accompanied by tea soup,” he says. The Singapore-based Nahappan is the founder of Foodsta Kitchens and runs Nasi and Mee experience store in Bengaluru. According to Kent Ho, Foodsta’s Corp chef in Singapore, Lei Cha is consumed on Vesak Day and as a comfort food when one’s not feeling well. Across the region, it is not uncommon for vegetarian fare to be associated with religious periods. In Myanmar, most Burmese abstain from meat during the three months of Vassa, an annual retreat practiced by Theravada practitioners.

Circassioan Turkiye Dumpling (veg) and Dolma at Öz by Kebapci, Bengaluru.

Similarly, Thailand hosts the Tesagan Kin Jeh festival, a 10-day celebration during which vegetarian food takes center stage in local markets. These dishes are not only devoid of meat but are often prepared without onion and garlic. However, despite the prevalence of such occasions, only 3 per cent of Thais identify as vegetarian, making it quite challenging to find vegetarian Thai restaurants within Thailand. Furthermore, according to Vinay Chandrashekhar, co-founder of Long Boat Brewing Co, the challenges of serving pan Asian vegetarian food is just that! “In a microbrewery, how does one entice people to try vegetarian cuisine?” he asked. The solution was the simple yet crunchy Crispy Lotus Stem which is popular pan Asia for its subtle flavour and unique texture.

Tea Leaf Salad, Burma Bumra, Bengaluru.

While vegetarianism has historically been driven by religious or economic factors, there has been a significant shift in the mindset. “We are, like others, following the global trend towards a more plant-based diet, be it for health or sustainability reasons,” Nahappan says. Flexitarianism — the practice of predominantly consuming plant-based meals while occasionally incorporating meat — is gaining popularity, even in regions where vegetarian options were once scarce. Shah attests to this change, noting the rising popularity of vegetarian Doner kebabs, particularly in western Turkey, which has grown more influenced by European culture. Intriguingly, Turkey boasts over 100 varieties of cheese, known as 'peynir,' much like Europe's diverse cheese culture.

Lokum Paneer and Pepper Nazlik at Öz by Kebapci, Bengaluru.

Almost all the recipes in the vegetarian cuisines are drawn from oral traditions or contemporary innovations. Burma Burma has starter packs for sale with pastes, condiments, and snacks of Myanmar, providing an avenue for patrons to appreciate the vegetarian aspect of their restaurant. There are now more than sixty dishes in their menus from soups, salads, steamed buns, noodles, rice, stir fry and curries.

Mohinga Noodle Soup, Burma Burma, Bengaluru.

As it was at the restaurant in Soi 0. The menu was a thick wad of sticky pages, inexplicable because it was all in Thai. Yet, ordering food from it was a delightful and relaxing exercise devoid of the usual anxieties surrounding hidden non-vegetarian ingredients such as fish sauce, oyster sauce, or, as I once encountered in a Singapore food court, tiny shrimps surreptitiously making their way into ‘vegetarian’ dishes. The dishes were strictly vegetarian in principle and in origin.