Heritage Revived – Exploring Vegan Adaptations of Regional Dishes
‘‘When you have pets at home, and you realize a stronger inclination towards animals, then, it should be natural for an animal lover to not consume dairy products or use leather, because then it is not love, but something else. So vegan lifestyle was easy to adopt.” Anubhooti is based in Gurugram and takes frequent trips to ‘Pahaad’ meaning Uttarakhand, each trip exploring familial recipes, lost ingredients, and culinary inheritances. In this special column, Mosaic brings to you a tale of two themes; veganism and regionalism in food and we know, it promises a delivery of delectable inspirations to you.
How did you become interested in promoting vegan recipes, and what inspired you to focus on Uttarakhand’s cuisine and local foods?
I am a very shy person, and as much as I enjoy cooking, I try not to show myself in front of the camera. But I wanted to represent Uttarakhand food in a vegan way, and for that, one needs to own the content. Soon, what I did with pahaadi dishes, was appreciated by the audience and they supported my content.
Would you like to share some of your favorite traditional Uttarakhand dishes that you & adapted into vegan recipes, with our audience?
There is one typical Raita recipe from the Kumaon region that I like, and to prepare it I use soy curd. In the same way, Kadhi, and Mooli ki Jholi, are also some of my favorite dishes, ones that can be easily prepared using soy curd.
What challenges have you faced in promoting veganism to the meat-eating community, and how do you address these challenges?
Acceptance by people is the biggest challenge, I would say. For example, if we try to raise awareness on the issue, the meat-eating community is still doubtful about adopting the plant-based diet, and not sure about the ingredients
Included in alternatives to dairy products like- Tofu or Soya. Continual awareness, reducing taxes on the brands creating plant-based products, and policy interventions by the Government can be useful in addressing these challenges.
Any particular memorable experience you had while promoting Uttarakhand cuisine?
When I began my journey, I received one comment from a village woman, on how her family together watches, all my cooking videos and enjoys them. Also, I get a lot of appreciation from the people of Uttarakhand, in my comment section.
These are some of the memorable experiences, which fill me with happiness.
Are there any content creation strategies, you like to adopt when it comes to spreading awareness of Uttarakhand’s local culture or Vegan diet?
I do not believe or follow any rigorous strategy as such but yeah, I do like to fulfill my audience’s wishes, which is why I often do a Q&A type thing on Instagram , wherein I ask my audience any specific Pahadi dish or any other cuisine,
they wish for me to curate or re-make in a vegan style. I like to keep my content real, raw, organic, and audience-centric.
How do you balance the authenticity of local dishes while making them vegan?
I do a lot of research hand preparing any dish. For example, in Jhangore ki kheer, one can use rice milk, a healthy alternative to soy milk or dairy milk. I make it a point that whenever I make a Pahadi dish by substituting dairy ingredients with non-dairy ones, I ask the local people to taste my dishes. The local people are my main critics I would say.
Were there any challenges you faced initially while replacing non-vegan ingredients with vegan ingredients for making dishes, as many dishes particularly, Indian Kadhi, require non-vegan or dairy products like- Curd, to get that authentic taste?
I always encourage people by saying- “Go vegan, for animals.” Two years back, when I began my Vegan journey, we had limited options to adhere to our food needs. There was basically, one brand- White Cup, India’s first vegan food brand. But today several startups have come up, offering customers a myriad of alternatives, to
What piece of advice would you like to give to the people, who wish to pursue veganism?
The best thing will be to relate yourself to the cause. One needs to find the reason that motivates you to be vegan or follow a vegan diet. It might be the urge to put an end to the bloodshed of animals or to move towards a healthier form of lifestyle. Once you have the goal clear in your mind, it becomes easier to dedicate your efforts to achieving that.
Any favorite ingredient of yours from the vegan diet, that yo love to use or wish to incorporate more frequently in your dishes?
Bhang or hemp seeds, one of the best sources of Omega3 Fatty acids, reduce the risk of heart diseases and are a great source of plant-based protein. One can add, Bhang seed ka tadka, to their regular dal, for a crunchy taste. Also, Jumbo and Gan drain, are two local herbs from Uttarakhand. They are added to Gahat Dal for their aroma, taste, and medicinal properties.
Anubhooti, you are so talented and well-versed with so many cuisines, any plans to put yourself out on a platform like Master Chef?
The main reason I opened my food channel was so that I could create awareness about animal cruelty and promote veganism. Coming back to your question, I still have a long way to go, before I consider myself capable of being on a platform like- Master Chef. I wish to explore different cuisines. Also, for now, I am glad of how far I have come, and I want to continue to focus on raising awareness about animal cruelty and veganism through my content.