Vegan alternatives for Easter favourites, from Simnel cake to pot pies

Easter eggs, which represent new life, are now being created in a vegan avatar with ingredients like cashew butter and vegan chocolate. (Image: Cottonbro Studio via Pexels)

Easter is all about indulgence and celebrating the feast with one’s family. For those who are vegan, it can be tricky to relish traditional Easter delicacies. But not anymore. Given that people today are health-conscious and even concerned about saving the planet, many are turning vegan and thus, chefs across India, are catering to them on feasts like Easter with satisfying options.

Vegan Easter Treats

Easter eggs, which represent new life and are the symbol of Easter, are now being created in a Vegan avatar. Chef Paul Kinny, Director of Culinary, St. Regis Mumbai, says, “More people are growing conscious of their food choices and how it impacts the world. And veganism has grown beyond a mere trend now. It is one of the key sustainable ways forward. At St. Regis Mumbai, our dedicated Chocolate Room is more focused on vegan chocolates and we decided to celebrate with our new range of Vegan Easter Eggs.”

Apart from Easter eggs, the Simnel cake, which originates from the Latin word simila, meaning fine wheat flour, is a popular Easter treat. The cake is usually decorated with eleven marzipan balls placed around the edge, representing the apostles, except Judas.

Simnel Cake (Photo courtesy Hachi & Reggie Foods)

Vegans too can enjoy this. Says Alexandra Gade of Hachi & Reggie: "Our traditional Easter Simnel Cake, created by Charlene Hendricks, is vegan and dairy-free." The spicy fruit cake has glazed toasted marzipan, he adds.

Chef Navneet Joshi of The Leela Bhartiya City Bengaluru, has created a Vegan carrot cake this Easter. According to him, carrot cake is the classic Easter dessert, as it is light, refreshing and packed with springy carrot flavour. “It plays well with spices; I have used nutmeg here. This cake is vegan as it is oil-based rather than being butter-based, which keeps it moist and increases its shelf life,” he adds.

Desserts may be the focal point on Easter, yet it is home-made hearty dishes, often of meats, that people eagerly await on Easter.  Chef Tushar Deshpande, Executive Chef, Indigo Deli, Mumbai, is offering, a Vegan Mushroom and Leek Pot Pie to diners, so that vegans can satiate their cravings with this robust dish.

Chef Pawan Bisht, Corporate Chef, one8Commune, Delhi, serves Wok-tossed plant-based sausages.

Wok-tossed vegan sausage and guntur chili rice by One8 Commune.

Traditional Easter spread

Vegan dishes apart, traditionally, across India there are several dishes, enjoyed on Easter by the Christian community. Sorpotel, a pork preparation, is a must-have on Easter in many Goan homes.

Mangaloreans, too, consider, the pig a symbol of good luck and peace and after the Easter Mass, 'dukra maas', a Pork curry, is relished at home. Other meats, too, occupy centre-stage on Easter. While the East Indians and Mumbai residents who are Roman Catholics eat fugias, or spongy flour and yeast balls made with milk, sugar and eggs, paired with duck moile, the Anglo-Indian community in Kolkata begins their Easter morning with chicken buffarth, a delicious stew, paired with bread. For the Keralites, it has got to be sea food and Meen Mappas with appams is a favourite.

Across the world, the Easter spread differs. Roast lamb, cranberry glazed roast ham, shepherd’s pie are dishes which have their origin in medieval times. Roast lamb, which symbolises purity and goodness, is the main dish at Jewish Passover, and the traditional meat on Easter.  Some lesser known ones include, Hornazo puff-pastry pie filled with pork and chorizo, or roasted bacalao (cod) in Spain. In Italy, the end of Lent and Settimana Santa (Holy Week) is marked with celebrations with dishes like torta pasqualina, a savoury filo-pastry pie made with ricotta cheese, eggs and spinach and roast leg of lamb, served with roast potatoes and rosemary. In France, it is mostly an Easter Omelette and a lamb ragout.

Vegan Carrot & Pecan Nut cake by The Leela Bhartiya City Bengaluru

With chefs unleashing their creativity, Vegans don’t lose out any more as there are several plant-based meat options to choose from.

Here are some Vegan dishes on offer across India:

Simnel Cake

Recipe Created by Charlene Hendricks of Hachi & Reggie Foods, Kolkata

Ingredients

• 380 g plain (all-purpose) flour

• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

• 1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

• 2 tsp Allspice

• 190 g vegan block butter, cubed

• 190 g light brown soft sugar or dark brown

• finely grated zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon

• 300 g mixed dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, currants and candied peel)

• 100 g dried cranberries (or more mixed dried fruit)

• 100 g glace cherries (or more mixed dried fruit) quartered

• 225 ml unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy is best)

• 700 g marzipan

• 2 tbsp apricot jam approx

Syrup:

• 100 ml (7 Tbsp) rum or orange juice

• 80 g (scant ½ cup) granulated sugar

Method

• Bake the cake the day before you want to decorate it. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F. Grease and dust an 8-inch round cake tin and line it with baking parchment.

• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice in a large bowl.

• Add the cubed vegan butter and rub it in using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and no lumps of butter remain.

• Stir through the sugar, orange and lemon zest, mixed dried fruit, dried cranberries and glace cherries until well combined then stir in the milk to form a batter.

• Spoon half of the batter into the tin and level it. Roll 200g of the marzipan out into an approximately 7-inch circle and place it on top of the batter. Spoon the remaining batter on top of the marzipan and spread it evenly.

• Bake the cake for 1 ½ - 2 hours until firm and springy to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre but not into the marzipan comes out clean. Cover the cake loosely with tin foil after an hour if the top starts to get too dark.

• While the cake is baking, make the syrup. Place the rum/orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.

• Once the cake is baked, remove it from the oven and brush the top generously with some of the syrup. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then very carefully turn the cake out onto a wire rack.

• Brush the cake all over with the rest of the syrup, you can turn it over and brush some on the underside if you like. Leave to cool completely then store in an airtight container.

• Use some of the remaining marzipan to make 11 equal sized balls. I used a scale to ensure they were all the same size - 15g per ball. Set aside.

• Roll the rest of the marzipan out on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar. Cut around the base of a 9inch round cake tin (or similar sized plate) with a sharp knife to get an even circle that is slightly larger than the width of the cake.

• Place the cake top side down on a plate so the bottom is now the top. Use small scraps of marzipan to fill in any holes to create a totally flat surface. Brush the top of the cake with apricot jam then place the round of marzipan balls around the cake. Glaze the balls with the apricot jam as well.

• Broil at 200C/392F, to toast the marzipan. Allow to cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container.

Wok Tossed Sausages and Guntur Chilli Fried Rice

Recipe by Chef Pawan Bisht, Corporate Chef, one8Commune, Delhi

Ingredients

• 150 grams cooked basmati rice

• 60 grams plant-based chicken sausage/ pork sausage

• ½ Guntur Chili, slit

• 1 tsp chopped garlic

• 20 grams broccoli

• 20 grams French beans

• 20 grams carrot

• 1 tbsp light soya

• 1 ½ tbsp oil

• 1 tbsp spring onion

• 1 tsp veg broth powder

• Salt to taste

Method

• Heat wok with oil, add Guntur chili, and toss it.

• Add carrot, broccoli, French beans and gently stir fry until beginning to soften.

• Add cooked rice, plant-based chicken/ pork sausage. Cook over the heat stirring frequently until the rice is piping hot and adjust the seasoning. Serve garnished with chopped spring onion and Guntur chili and water cress.

Chocolate Tahini Eggs

Recipe by Chef Anirudh Deshpande, Executive Chef, The Westin, Goa

Ingredients

• 25 grams Tahini

• 25 grams Cashew butter

• 50 grams Dairy-free whipping cream

• 200 grams Vegan chocolate

• 40 grams Maple syrup

• 10 grams Berries

Chocolate Tahini Easter Eggs by The Westin Goa

Method

· Temper chocolate and set in moulds.

· Take Tahini, Cashew Butter, Whipping Cream, Maple Syrup in a mixing bowl and whip to a creamy mousse consistency.

· Garnish with berries

Carrot & Pecan Nut Cake

Recipe by Chef Navneet Joshi, The Leela Bhartiya City Bengaluru

Ingredients

• 90 ml Vegetable oil

• 50 grams Brown sugar

• 50 grams Sugar

• 4 ml Vanilla extract

• 2 grams Baking soda

• 3 grams Salt

• 1 gram Baking powder

• 1 gram Nutmeg

• 120 grams Carrots, grated

• 100 grams Pecan nuts

Method

•  Mix oil, sugar, and brown sugar till smooth.

• Add sifted dry ingredients in batches, scraping bowl to ensure proper mixing.

• Fold in carrots and pecan nuts.

• Pour into oiled and floured cake pans.

• Bake at 175C for 30 minutes.