Paneer is just manna from heaven. I do it at home sometimes too and the best thing I learned was to soak it in hot water before looking it in the saag. It’s so lucious.
This is one of my favorite Thai dishes.
The tofu is so delicious in that sauce!
It’s like a good piece of homemade bread soaking up a delicious homemade tomato sauce , Thai version!!
Same exactly how I feel about tofu pad thai. I tried the chicken version at a restaurant and it was nothing compared to their tofu version for this exact reason
I've made shrimp pad Thai and chicken pad Thai, but even my husband (a typical "it's not s meal without meat" guy who has low cholesterol without trying) prefers when I make tofu pad thai!
I eat meat, but I LOVE a good black bean burger. There's a local fast food chain in my hometown that makes a really delicious spicy bean burger. I strongly prefer it to a fast-food beef burger of similar quality.
Sometimes a Morningstar spicy black bean burger hits the spot when I’m feeling lazy… cheddar with LTO on a toasted English muffin (we rarely have burger buns) and Mayo/mustard
Yeah. I gave up beef 24 years ago and really developed a taste for the alternatives. For me I really love a good mushroom-based garden burger. If I stumble on a restaurant that has one it’s an immediate order for me just to have one and try it.
When my wife and I grill I love grilling a good garden patty.
i will always order fried tofu rather than meat in thai stir fried noodle dishes — pad kee mao, pad thai, etc. the contrast in texture is just so good, and i like the way it soaks up the flavors of the sauce. it’s also great in curry, which surprised me because i imagined it would be too spongey.
vegetarian mapo tofu with beyond ground meat is also good — not exactly the same as with pork, but close enough that i don’t miss the real meat.
Yeah I've been making Pad Krapow a lot lately with Tofu and it's delicious. Toss it in some cornstarch first so it crisps up nicely. I prefer it to chicken. And it costs a fraction of what chicken does
This one from hot Thai kitchen is my go to. Obviously not vegetarian with oyster sauce and fish sauce. But best recipe I've found. I press the tofu, rip it into pieces, coat in cornstarch. Then I fry the tofu, once it's colored I add the Shallots for a bit, then garlic/chili mix then sauce and then basil. Little bit more streamlined than the original recipe as you don't cook the protein separately first
https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/pad-kra-pao-anything/
I think the marketing of tofu as an alternative to meat, rather than an alternative *and/or* accessory to meat is a big part of why it isn't more prevalent.
Yeah, in Asia everyone eats tofu, omnivores and vegetarians/vegans alike. In the US and western countries in general it’s always marketed as a meat substitute. In Asia tofu is commonly added into dishes that also have meat. It’s not just a meat substitute there but also treated as a regular culinary ingredient.
That’s why tofu works so well in Asian cuisines. Of course vegetarian tofu dishes are delicious as well but it’s a lot more versatile in Asia than how it’s treated in the west.
Unfortunately in America, tofu is 'damned with faint praise' such as 'it's not ***bad***, if you ***have to*** go meatless'. As if meat is 'the standard' and tofu is 'something less'. Obviously, it's not, but that's the mindset.
One of my favorite dishes to make is a tofu bacon onion stir fry. Throw in a little gochujang soy sauce honey and rice vinegar sauce and serve over rice and you're set.
I always get tofu instead of meat when I get thai food for all the exact same reasons you gave. Does anyone know how they fry their tofu to get it like that?
Often the fried tofu is [tofu puffs](https://omnivorescookbook.com/pantry/deep-fried-tofu) you can buy them refrigerated or frozen- restaurants buy them too they’re potentially very dangerous to make at home
But!! You can also easily pan fry diced tofu with light cornstarch for a similar option
I haven't been able to exactly replicate how amazing tofu is at Asian restaurants. But one trick I did learn is that if you freeze the tofu and then thaw it and press well, it changes the texture to more meaty/chewy when frying it.
Whenever we try a new pizza place, my (non-vegetarian) husband always gets the Margherita. His reasoning is if the simplest form of pizza doesn’t taste good, it’s not worth coming back to try the other varietals. I tease him but it’s pretty solid logic!
so my second test for a pizza place is the salad... if the salad sucks it means 2 things, 1) the ingredients they work with aren't great, 2) the pizza is not seen as the filler. I know my second reasoning may be odd but one pizza between 4 people should be adequate while less carb centric food should be the star. Same general rule applies for pasta.
Yeah, I find that either the fat in meat, or the water in veggies, just do something to the cheese. Like it’s fine, it’s not like it ruins it, but for me, nothing beats a crispy margherita with a drizzle of chili oil at the end :)
I work at a pizzeria and I’m a meat lover, but I’d opt for some of our specialty veggie pies any day. Unfortunately my stomach doesn’t agree with too much tomato (especially cooked) so the margherita isn’t my thing… but it’s certainly popular and I know people love it!
How would you spice it differently than with meat? I I use tomato sauce, worcestershire, mustard, BBQ sauce, hot sauce, cumin, garlic, onion, celery, bell pepper...
I think that’s a great combo. I haven’t used BBQ before. Does it make it sweeter? I’m heavy on the garlic and use smoked paprika with everything you listed.
I like subbing mushrooms for beef. I had to cut down on my red meat consumption after being diagnosed with gout. I enjoy a good portabella burger if everyone wants burgers. I'll make a mushroom stew instead of a beef stew. I love it in place of beef fried rice.
I really love mushrooms and all of these sound delicious! But I do find myself feeling less full when I use mushroom in place of meat (I’m vegetarian, I just usually go for beans or something)
Ugh agreed! Which is sad, because a cauliflower steak is honestly very delicious. But It keeps me full for maybe 30 min and then I have one big fart and then I’m hungry again
I am vegetarian so I can’t quite answer your question (seeing as that I’ve never tasted the meat versions)! However, I will say that my preferred vegetarian versions of a popular meat dish are *never* the kind that seeks to replicate the taste/texture of meat. That way lies failure for everyone.
A burger is a great example. I’ve had some really delicious vegetarian-based burgers that didn’t pretend to be meat. Mushroom, rice, chickpeas, whatever. They start tasting bad when companies try to make them into meat-alternatives and strip away what made them good in the first place. The last decade has been really difficult for me as a shopper. All my fave frozen burgers have been discontinued and I have to make burgers from scratch to get anything halfway decent.
Besides from that, I will always prefer the vegetarian option. :P I’m biased but honestly it will always taste fantastic if you make it correctly with proper seasoning.
Chilli is always my example of this - things like quorn mince makes the most depressing chilli I have ever eaten, but replace meat with beans, grilled corn, etc. and you’ve got a goddamn delicious dish on your hands!
I had a veggie burger at a diner yesterday that was very similar in taste to an OG garden burger. I like an Impossible burger just fine, but I had forgotten how good a garden burger is - good to use in place of a meat patty but not trying to simulate a meat patty in any way.
I have complicated feelings about plant-based burgers, I think the immediate mass market rollout was WONDERFUL but it also made people associate them almost entirely with cheap fast food meat. and it CAN be so much more. I am absolutely a high end burger snob, my hobby is trying all the best gourmet burgers around NYC. The first time I tried an Impossible Burger at Bareburger where they were doing it up real fancy and nice... completely indistinguishable to me, just tasted like a really high quality burger. I would not have known if you didn't tell me. maybe it couldn't go toe-to-toe with the really nice stuff like Pat LaFrieda beef, but they have a much higher ceiling than people realize.
I totally agree. When me and my boyfriend prepare Impossible burgers at home they taste amazing and are as close to a beef burger as I can remember since going vegetarian. Unfortunately, plant based burgers and other meat imitations are very hit or miss when I've had them at restaurants, and almost always dry and overcooked if they are from a fast food chain.
I think a lot of people don't realise that plant based items that are 'meaty' need to be cooked differently from meat products. Most of them are lower in fat and you need to add way more when you're cooking them. If Bbqing a burger for example it needs to be brushed with enough oil on both sides so that the oil drips into the fire and keeps it alight, and it's tastier that way.
Fellow vegetarian here and I feel the same way. After transitioning and expanding your food options, meat replacements really don't go down well after a while. However, I have 2 exceptions that I like - vegan chicken nuggets and a veggie sausage. I think this is because these are the only meats I really liked before going vegetarian. I'm from Ireland and veggie sausage options have come a long way. However, I'm living in Austria and their veggie sausage options are not for me. But keeping vegan nuggets in the freezer as the occasional treat is nice.
I fully agree I am mostly meat/animal free diet (by choice) trying to find pre-made alternatives is getting quite difficult most most ready made vegan products are meat flavors and full of chemicals. You have to learn how to cook to be able to follow a vegan diet. I been trying to find natural tempeh for months the only available now have a lot of additives used to be 3 or 4 ingredients soybeans, fermentation culture, sat and soya sauce ( real one)
This is product specific. I love breakfast sausage in all forms, but, for some reason, my most favorite is Morningstar Farms sausage patties. I could eat that every single day. It's so good! Second favorite, Purnell's Old Folks.
This doesn't actually answer your question, but it's along the same vein. I *die* for my wife's gluten free poppyseed muffins. She makes them with almond flour and leans extra into that with an almond glaze over the top. The texture is silky and moist in a way that normal wheat flour just doesn't compare to. And we're not a gluten-free family or anything... She was just experimenting for a while and found a couple recipes (poppyseed muffins and chocolate cake) that do better without the wheat flour.
Honestly, my very favorite use of it is the soyrizo/potato mix I make that can be tacos or burritos or whatever. But I'd happily add it to chili or a queso kind of dip, too.
Falafel wrap instead of a chicken shawarma wrap. Chicken shawarma is good but the falafel wrap on in a whole other level. One thing I miss about Canada is we had an Osmos. I don’t think they’re here in the states.
Whenever I go to an Indian restaurant I like to ask for vegetarian options, especially when paneer is involved. I just like the texture and flavour better than meat's. I go for the meat options only if the vegetarian options don't tempt me.
Also, if I am in Colombia and can buy cheese empanadas, I will. Preferably the cheese and bocadillo empanadas. I guess cheese is one of the food items I cannot live without
Ingredient, not finished dish, but I like vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce over regular oyster sauce. Both taste awesome, but vegetarian has a longer fridge life and you can use as much as you want indoors without your house smelling like it’s inhabited by mermaids. Nothing against mermaids, but I can only cook outdoors or leave windows open half the year, I need more oyster sauce than that.
Mexican food. Meat vs. vegetarian is harder to notice anyway, since everything is chopped and ground up and applied to a tortilla. But I just prefer my burritos and quesadillas to have refried or black beans rather than taco meat or chicken or steak.
For some reason, my stomach rejects lard (better word would be 'ejects'). The majority of Mexican restaurants in Chicago no longer use it, but a few do, so it was my mistake 'assuming' the bean burrito I ordered from one was vegetarian. After being sick for hours, I've now learned to ask ***how*** the beans are fried.
I know for a fact that Taco Bell beans aren't made with lard. When I first worked there, I warned vegetarians off the refried beans because I assumed they were cooked in pork lard, but they turned out to be soy. At any rate, the beans come in dehydrated strings that get reconstituted in hot water, so they should be safe.
I'm happy with meat in those things generally, but decades ago, there was a little Mexican take-out place across the street from where I lived and I only ever got one thing there - the black bean veggie burrito. Never been vegetarian, but that burrito was so damn good! I still think about it honestly; I have no idea what made it so delicious.
Most Asian dishes like stir fry, curry and noodles. I always get tofu because it soaks up all the sauce. I prefer pizza without meat too. It tastes fresher and less salty
Not an “official” substitution by any means but a while ago I got hit by a mighty craving for currywurst while not being able to get the proper sausage. Ended up making baked chickpeas and fries with curry ketchup, never looked back.
I was dating a vegan a few years ago and made a vegan version of BA’s cherry cobbler. For the heavy cream in the topping I used a combination of almond milk and EVOO. The olive oil was a really good fruity variety that paired so well with the cherries and almond. Nut milks also make thinner doughs/batters and having a drop biscuit consistency was so much easier to work with than rolling out the dough. I’ve made it this way ever since.
Maybe it’s in my head but several vegan versions of baked goods I’ve made (The Lady & Son’s peach cobbler, roll out sugar cookies, kitchen sink cookies) all lacked a certain heaviness and seemed fresher than their traditional dairy-present counterparts.
I really like my veggie chili. I make it loosely based off of the Serious Eats “Best Chili Ever” instead of meat I do three beans, carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, and (very occasionally) squash.I take mushroom and/or eggplant and food processed it so it looks more like mince, fry that up kinda like browning mince and use that as my “meat.” Otherwise I follow a modified version of the the peppers etc but always do the vodka or bourbon, chocolate, Frank’s red hot, soy sauce, etc etc
Cauliflower wings are so underappreciated. People react to them like they sound gross, but I choose them over chicken wings most of the time when I go to Alamo Drafthouse.
They are so good. I hate cauliflower and love wings but cauliflower wings are somehow amazing to me. The ones from a company called No Bones Beach Club are my fav but sadly they only sell to restaurants
Pizza is something I prefer to have no meat. Usually to the point that new coworkers would ask me if I was vegetarian once they saw me eat pizza. I just think that American pizza has a lot of cheese, so adding meat makes it incredibly heavy. Especially since both ham and pepperoni make me sick.
Lasagna is much lighter without meat.
I think any dish with a lot of cheese should go light on meat and any dish with a lot of meat should go easy on the cheese. They are both pretty heavy ingredients, so a dish with a lot of both is going to be extremely rich.
I do the vegan oyster sauce because it has less weird additives than the normally available oyster sauce.
It's so funny to me when people get in a tizzy about vegetarian hot dogs being 'fake' meat as if hot dogs are famous for their choice authentic ingredients
I will have to try it bc even if comments here said it’s the same taste, the only vegan hotdog sausage I tasted so far was really not tasting the same than a real one… I’ll try this brand, ty.
I used to be vegetarian and still like the Morningstar Farms spicy nuggets better than some real chicken nuggets. Also not meat related but there’s a pizza place in Chicago called Dimo’s that makes their own vegan ranch and it tastes better than regular ranch.
That makes a lot of sense to me on the ranch. I think a lot of commercial ranch is awful because they use too many preservatives for the dairy and it gets a weird chemical taste. I basically won't buy any shelf-stable ranch anymore because of it, with an exception for Ken's Steakhouse if I'm desperate.
Anything that can be replaced with felafel. I am not a vegetarian, but I love me some felafel dishes.
I do not like meat of any kind on my pizza. It’s veggie all the way.
Depends on who’s making them, but some Vietnamese restaurants’ vegetarian spring rolls are better than meat ones. I also love them with meat when they’re done well 🤌
Eggplant parm. Hate chicken parm (love fried chicken) and will never eat it again. Eggplant parm is far superior if prepared correctly. I have had bad eggplant parm and it was still better than chicken parm
Burger King does Whopper Wednesday on the app and impossible burgers are $3! I know a lot of meat eaters that choose the Impossible version. They aren’t as heavy and don’t leave you feeling sick.
I do like a good beef burger... But those beyond burgers are awesome. If they're on sale I will take them over meat any time. Sucks that they are quite expensive.
Recently had fried avocado tacos as the veggie option at a local taco spot, and they were *so* much better than all the meat options! Also generally a big fan of cauliflower, so there are lots of cauliflower dishes I’ll tend to prefer to meaty things.
had a creole jumbalaya or gumbo or some shit, the shrimp wasn't peeled at all so it was a pain in the ass, plus it was somehow both chalky and rubbery at the same time? not sure if it's supposed to be like that but I always discard the shrimp since then, the soup/veg/rice is plenty fine without them thanks
https://www.theppk.com/2011/02/mac-shews/
We call this V-Mac and have eaten at least once per week for decades. These days we use real butter so it’s not technically vegan but the “cheese” is.
I enjoy tofu prepared like chicken, so it's dryer and firm, even more than shredded chicken in a veggie stir fry.
I like the texture better. It stays moist and takes the flavour added in the pan and even gets little seared spots that taste so good. Now I'm hungry
Lasagna. Perhaps it’s because growing up my mom would always make it without a meat bolognese, and just a tomatoes sauce. I never knew the standard version had meat. But I kinda gravitate towards the version without meat and it’s what I make at home now. Also having it with the meat sauce makes it very heavy.
We have a vegan place that does 'calamari' with 'tzatziki'. It's mushrooms (shiitak or oyster?) breaded and deep fried. Tastes pretty close and it's all so good. My SO hates squid but they'll eat this.
At one Chinese restaurant, they had the most divine vegetarian dumplings that I have ever had. Their other dumplings were...okay? But those vegetarian ones were divine. I probably had those once a week for almost a year, until they shut down for Covid. When they re-opened, they changed the recipe, so they were entirely different.
I fear I will never have a dumpling as good as those again.
I gave up eating hamburgers but once a year a decade ago. I just decided no more.
Black bean burgers are far more superior to me now.
I can’t get enough of them, I make them at home and crave them allll the time!
Rolled tacos. Our local taco shops sell potato rolled tacos and they taste sooooo good while the meat versions tend to get dried up or overly deteriorated from the fry oil. The potato ones are perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Then again they are likely using lard to deep fry those suckers 😆
I overwhelmingly prefer fake chicken nuggets/patties (impossible, boca, Morningstar, etc) to real chicken. I also like the Morningstar corn dogs. Better taste and texture, in my opinion, than the meat versions.
Steamed buns! I love a mushroom and veg one. I eat meat, but if it's a big bun, the meat sometimes clumps together in one part of it, and can be greasy if it's just pork. Veg and mushroom has umami and is also fresh tasting and I love the texture.
I feel like if you “have” to replace the meat item with a meat-free alternative (i.e if you’re having a solid bit of meat like a steak and you’d need say a pea-protein slab in order to keep the rest of the meal the same), it’s not going to be as good. If it’s something where vegetables can, and often are, used (i.e curries, pasta sauce), the veggie option is always going to be nicer (!in my opinion! as someone who eats meat maybe once a year). I feel you can gauge how good a restaurant is by how good their vegetarian options are.
Otherwise, soups!!!
Check out any Ottolenghi recipes if you haven’t already - he’s not even a vegetarian but he makes it his mission to champion vegetables as the stars of the show as opposed to side dishes
Native foods in Chicago has a vegan “meatball” sub that tastes great. Actual meatballs are hit and miss with me and I would put up as better than average, not as good as the best real meatballs I’ve had, but better than most.
I always Nasoya vegan egg roll wrappers, I think they fry nicely and taste great. If I’m actually making the rolls vegan I’ll use water as a wash instead of egg.
I would much rather have a black bean or beet burger than beyond or other substitutes.
Cheese pizza is the best pizza.
Sometimes I make tikka masala with roasted potatoes and carrots instead of chicken, super cheap and I never get the ick from a piece of gristle like with chicken.
A local hot dog joint has regular or vegan chili cheese totchos, and I like the vegan version better.
Honestly, chicken nuggets. Instead of worrying about some weird sinewy part with how bad some of the quality control is these days, you get guarantees clean bites with no weird textures, you get to feel good about not eating an animal, and the flavor and texture are pretty spot on in modern nuggets.
The meal as a whole is not vegetarian or vegan, but I found I prefer specific brands of vegan cheese on my tuna stuffed potatoes more than "real" cheese. I did taste tests with different brands and for whatever reason, those that contain coconut oil as a main ingredient elevate my tuna potatoes from great to absolute crack, at least for me
Vegetarian (not vegan) chile, cheese is what makes it work, and meat generally adds to much oil, taking away from the peppers.
Vegan would probably be Christmas polish mushroom soup (there is a non creme based variant), but I always had it with a side of pierogi, which made it vegetarian because of the milk/cheese/egg.
Most of the only vegan and vegetarian dishes that do well for me are ones that dont try to replace the meat/animal products as their quality is always inferior to the original.
I tried making chicken biriyani once, definitely turned out not good, didn’t even bother refrigerating the leftovers. Since I stopped eating meat, dairy, and processed foods 50% of my meals are Indian. Dal, Chana saag, chickpea curry, rajma chawal, I love the burn and flavors.
A local burger chain had a grilled portobello burger that was juicier than steak. I always chose it.
I also quite like some chickpea patties, but I won’t touch fake meat.
It's kinda cheating because it's an Indian dish, but saag. I've had it with chicken and lamb, but I prefer it with paneer instead of meat.
I go the Chana route, love some chickpeas
chana masala is godly. so good.
Whenever I eat Indian, I prefer paneer to all meat options. I’m the farthest from a vegetarian, but damn paneer is so good.
It’s my favourite too. Shahi paneer is my favourite!
Paneer is just manna from heaven. I do it at home sometimes too and the best thing I learned was to soak it in hot water before looking it in the saag. It’s so lucious.
Dal Makhani, essentially butter chicken, but made with lentils. I think it is the superior dish.
I could live on saag aloo
Thai green curry. The way the fried tofu soaks up the sauce is just to good.
This is one of my favorite Thai dishes. The tofu is so delicious in that sauce! It’s like a good piece of homemade bread soaking up a delicious homemade tomato sauce , Thai version!!
Same exactly how I feel about tofu pad thai. I tried the chicken version at a restaurant and it was nothing compared to their tofu version for this exact reason
I've made shrimp pad Thai and chicken pad Thai, but even my husband (a typical "it's not s meal without meat" guy who has low cholesterol without trying) prefers when I make tofu pad thai!
Fuck I just had this yesterday and got stupid veggies instead fucccckkk, sounds so good thoo
It’s funny; I’ll get tofu and be like, I wish there were more veggies. Then get veggie and be like, I wish there was tofu.
I eat meat, but I LOVE a good black bean burger. There's a local fast food chain in my hometown that makes a really delicious spicy bean burger. I strongly prefer it to a fast-food beef burger of similar quality.
Sometimes a Morningstar spicy black bean burger hits the spot when I’m feeling lazy… cheddar with LTO on a toasted English muffin (we rarely have burger buns) and Mayo/mustard
I love the Morningstar black bean burger!
Burger King used to do a great spicy bean burger with cheese but don't anymore. They've gone the route of meat replacements now.
Yeah. I gave up beef 24 years ago and really developed a taste for the alternatives. For me I really love a good mushroom-based garden burger. If I stumble on a restaurant that has one it’s an immediate order for me just to have one and try it. When my wife and I grill I love grilling a good garden patty.
For the omnivores, try adding crispy bacon to black bean burgers
Def like veggie samosas more
i will always order fried tofu rather than meat in thai stir fried noodle dishes — pad kee mao, pad thai, etc. the contrast in texture is just so good, and i like the way it soaks up the flavors of the sauce. it’s also great in curry, which surprised me because i imagined it would be too spongey. vegetarian mapo tofu with beyond ground meat is also good — not exactly the same as with pork, but close enough that i don’t miss the real meat.
Yeah I've been making Pad Krapow a lot lately with Tofu and it's delicious. Toss it in some cornstarch first so it crisps up nicely. I prefer it to chicken. And it costs a fraction of what chicken does
Hey now this is one of my favorite dishes, thank you for the idea!
Sounds great. Could you share your recipe?
This one from hot Thai kitchen is my go to. Obviously not vegetarian with oyster sauce and fish sauce. But best recipe I've found. I press the tofu, rip it into pieces, coat in cornstarch. Then I fry the tofu, once it's colored I add the Shallots for a bit, then garlic/chili mix then sauce and then basil. Little bit more streamlined than the original recipe as you don't cook the protein separately first https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/pad-kra-pao-anything/
That's great, thanks. I'm happy to use oyster and fish sauce for the full range of flavor. Looking forward to trying it.
As you may have guessed from my user name, I love this shit. And it’s great with chicken, pork, or tofu!
Tofu is so slept on outside of asian cuisine - so versatile and always slaps when it’s cooked properly
I think the marketing of tofu as an alternative to meat, rather than an alternative *and/or* accessory to meat is a big part of why it isn't more prevalent.
Yeah, in Asia everyone eats tofu, omnivores and vegetarians/vegans alike. In the US and western countries in general it’s always marketed as a meat substitute. In Asia tofu is commonly added into dishes that also have meat. It’s not just a meat substitute there but also treated as a regular culinary ingredient. That’s why tofu works so well in Asian cuisines. Of course vegetarian tofu dishes are delicious as well but it’s a lot more versatile in Asia than how it’s treated in the west.
I’ve never liked how tofu has been regarded as a meat substitute, it’s really a thing in its own right.
Unfortunately in America, tofu is 'damned with faint praise' such as 'it's not ***bad***, if you ***have to*** go meatless'. As if meat is 'the standard' and tofu is 'something less'. Obviously, it's not, but that's the mindset.
One of my favorite dishes to make is a tofu bacon onion stir fry. Throw in a little gochujang soy sauce honey and rice vinegar sauce and serve over rice and you're set.
I always get tofu instead of meat when I get thai food for all the exact same reasons you gave. Does anyone know how they fry their tofu to get it like that?
Often the fried tofu is [tofu puffs](https://omnivorescookbook.com/pantry/deep-fried-tofu) you can buy them refrigerated or frozen- restaurants buy them too they’re potentially very dangerous to make at home But!! You can also easily pan fry diced tofu with light cornstarch for a similar option
I haven't been able to exactly replicate how amazing tofu is at Asian restaurants. But one trick I did learn is that if you freeze the tofu and then thaw it and press well, it changes the texture to more meaty/chewy when frying it.
Me too, but I like soft tofu in my noodles.
same i vastly prefer soft tofu to fried.
I’m obsessed with fresh tofu in tom kha
This is a very basic-bitch answer, I know, but a Margherita pizza is a pizza in its purest, most perfect form.
Whenever we try a new pizza place, my (non-vegetarian) husband always gets the Margherita. His reasoning is if the simplest form of pizza doesn’t taste good, it’s not worth coming back to try the other varietals. I tease him but it’s pretty solid logic!
so my second test for a pizza place is the salad... if the salad sucks it means 2 things, 1) the ingredients they work with aren't great, 2) the pizza is not seen as the filler. I know my second reasoning may be odd but one pizza between 4 people should be adequate while less carb centric food should be the star. Same general rule applies for pasta.
Well there's a reason Family Guy did that pizza place salad joke, most places see the salad as an easy side that's cheap to offer.
2 does not apply in Italy, or most of Europe even!
Yeah, I find that either the fat in meat, or the water in veggies, just do something to the cheese. Like it’s fine, it’s not like it ruins it, but for me, nothing beats a crispy margherita with a drizzle of chili oil at the end :)
I work at a pizzeria and I’m a meat lover, but I’d opt for some of our specialty veggie pies any day. Unfortunately my stomach doesn’t agree with too much tomato (especially cooked) so the margherita isn’t my thing… but it’s certainly popular and I know people love it!
Sloppy Joes with lentils instead of hamburger. It’s all about how you spice it.
How would you spice it differently than with meat? I I use tomato sauce, worcestershire, mustard, BBQ sauce, hot sauce, cumin, garlic, onion, celery, bell pepper...
I think that’s a great combo. I haven’t used BBQ before. Does it make it sweeter? I’m heavy on the garlic and use smoked paprika with everything you listed.
I am excited about this idea!
I actually really want to try this!! Any tips?
I prefer red lentils for this recipe.
I prefer cheese or vegetable stuffed pasta to meat filled pasta pretty much every time. Unless the meat is seafood, I guess.
I'm not quite sure if this counts, but I'd much rather have eggplant parmigiana than veal or chicken
Had to scroll way too far for this answer!!
I like subbing mushrooms for beef. I had to cut down on my red meat consumption after being diagnosed with gout. I enjoy a good portabella burger if everyone wants burgers. I'll make a mushroom stew instead of a beef stew. I love it in place of beef fried rice.
have you tried hungarian mushroom soup it's the bomb
I really love mushrooms and all of these sound delicious! But I do find myself feeling less full when I use mushroom in place of meat (I’m vegetarian, I just usually go for beans or something)
Yeah the taste is great but unfortunately your body does realize when it's been given fiber and water in place of protein and calories.
Somebody tell that to all the caterers at events I go to. Ya girl is hungy
Yeah if I’m going veggie I usually have to pack a protein bar in order to get enough to satisfy me. A cauliflower “steak” is not a real entree!!
Ugh agreed! Which is sad, because a cauliflower steak is honestly very delicious. But It keeps me full for maybe 30 min and then I have one big fart and then I’m hungry again
So tasty, but so few calories even with the sauce 😢
I am vegetarian so I can’t quite answer your question (seeing as that I’ve never tasted the meat versions)! However, I will say that my preferred vegetarian versions of a popular meat dish are *never* the kind that seeks to replicate the taste/texture of meat. That way lies failure for everyone. A burger is a great example. I’ve had some really delicious vegetarian-based burgers that didn’t pretend to be meat. Mushroom, rice, chickpeas, whatever. They start tasting bad when companies try to make them into meat-alternatives and strip away what made them good in the first place. The last decade has been really difficult for me as a shopper. All my fave frozen burgers have been discontinued and I have to make burgers from scratch to get anything halfway decent. Besides from that, I will always prefer the vegetarian option. :P I’m biased but honestly it will always taste fantastic if you make it correctly with proper seasoning.
Chilli is always my example of this - things like quorn mince makes the most depressing chilli I have ever eaten, but replace meat with beans, grilled corn, etc. and you’ve got a goddamn delicious dish on your hands!
Weirdly, I don’t like quorn mince in a chilli, but I love it in a bolognese.
I really like quorn mince in a chilli
I had a veggie burger at a diner yesterday that was very similar in taste to an OG garden burger. I like an Impossible burger just fine, but I had forgotten how good a garden burger is - good to use in place of a meat patty but not trying to simulate a meat patty in any way.
I have complicated feelings about plant-based burgers, I think the immediate mass market rollout was WONDERFUL but it also made people associate them almost entirely with cheap fast food meat. and it CAN be so much more. I am absolutely a high end burger snob, my hobby is trying all the best gourmet burgers around NYC. The first time I tried an Impossible Burger at Bareburger where they were doing it up real fancy and nice... completely indistinguishable to me, just tasted like a really high quality burger. I would not have known if you didn't tell me. maybe it couldn't go toe-to-toe with the really nice stuff like Pat LaFrieda beef, but they have a much higher ceiling than people realize.
I totally agree. When me and my boyfriend prepare Impossible burgers at home they taste amazing and are as close to a beef burger as I can remember since going vegetarian. Unfortunately, plant based burgers and other meat imitations are very hit or miss when I've had them at restaurants, and almost always dry and overcooked if they are from a fast food chain.
I think a lot of people don't realise that plant based items that are 'meaty' need to be cooked differently from meat products. Most of them are lower in fat and you need to add way more when you're cooking them. If Bbqing a burger for example it needs to be brushed with enough oil on both sides so that the oil drips into the fire and keeps it alight, and it's tastier that way.
I use a lot of minced soy in my cooking and people always ask how I get it so tasty and the answer absolutely is that I add a ton of oil to it!
Black bean burgers are my favourite type of veggie burger, they’re so good with some guacamole as well
Fellow vegetarian here and I feel the same way. After transitioning and expanding your food options, meat replacements really don't go down well after a while. However, I have 2 exceptions that I like - vegan chicken nuggets and a veggie sausage. I think this is because these are the only meats I really liked before going vegetarian. I'm from Ireland and veggie sausage options have come a long way. However, I'm living in Austria and their veggie sausage options are not for me. But keeping vegan nuggets in the freezer as the occasional treat is nice.
I fully agree I am mostly meat/animal free diet (by choice) trying to find pre-made alternatives is getting quite difficult most most ready made vegan products are meat flavors and full of chemicals. You have to learn how to cook to be able to follow a vegan diet. I been trying to find natural tempeh for months the only available now have a lot of additives used to be 3 or 4 ingredients soybeans, fermentation culture, sat and soya sauce ( real one)
This is product specific. I love breakfast sausage in all forms, but, for some reason, my most favorite is Morningstar Farms sausage patties. I could eat that every single day. It's so good! Second favorite, Purnell's Old Folks.
This doesn't actually answer your question, but it's along the same vein. I *die* for my wife's gluten free poppyseed muffins. She makes them with almond flour and leans extra into that with an almond glaze over the top. The texture is silky and moist in a way that normal wheat flour just doesn't compare to. And we're not a gluten-free family or anything... She was just experimenting for a while and found a couple recipes (poppyseed muffins and chocolate cake) that do better without the wheat flour.
My old neighbor made almond flour lemon poppyseed muffins and I have to agree, something about them is just better than regular!
Care to drop the recipes?
Trader Joe's soyrizo. All yummy taste, no mystery gristly bits.
That is the absolute best soyrizo too
Exactly what I came here to say!
Great in breakfast tacos. Other suggestions?
Honestly, my very favorite use of it is the soyrizo/potato mix I make that can be tacos or burritos or whatever. But I'd happily add it to chili or a queso kind of dip, too.
Falafel wrap instead of a chicken shawarma wrap. Chicken shawarma is good but the falafel wrap on in a whole other level. One thing I miss about Canada is we had an Osmos. I don’t think they’re here in the states.
Whenever I go to an Indian restaurant I like to ask for vegetarian options, especially when paneer is involved. I just like the texture and flavour better than meat's. I go for the meat options only if the vegetarian options don't tempt me. Also, if I am in Colombia and can buy cheese empanadas, I will. Preferably the cheese and bocadillo empanadas. I guess cheese is one of the food items I cannot live without
I still think about the empanadas from Ecuador 15 years later.
Lasagna. I love a vegetarian version but hate it with ground beef.
Agree! Lasagna with meat is too rich/filling. I love the lightness provided by vegetables—spinach, peppers, mushrooms, etc.
Ingredient, not finished dish, but I like vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce over regular oyster sauce. Both taste awesome, but vegetarian has a longer fridge life and you can use as much as you want indoors without your house smelling like it’s inhabited by mermaids. Nothing against mermaids, but I can only cook outdoors or leave windows open half the year, I need more oyster sauce than that.
Mexican food. Meat vs. vegetarian is harder to notice anyway, since everything is chopped and ground up and applied to a tortilla. But I just prefer my burritos and quesadillas to have refried or black beans rather than taco meat or chicken or steak.
For me, bean and cheese is a top-tier burrito, but the tastiest refried beans and flour tortillas are made with lard.
For some reason, my stomach rejects lard (better word would be 'ejects'). The majority of Mexican restaurants in Chicago no longer use it, but a few do, so it was my mistake 'assuming' the bean burrito I ordered from one was vegetarian. After being sick for hours, I've now learned to ask ***how*** the beans are fried.
I know for a fact that Taco Bell beans aren't made with lard. When I first worked there, I warned vegetarians off the refried beans because I assumed they were cooked in pork lard, but they turned out to be soy. At any rate, the beans come in dehydrated strings that get reconstituted in hot water, so they should be safe.
I'm happy with meat in those things generally, but decades ago, there was a little Mexican take-out place across the street from where I lived and I only ever got one thing there - the black bean veggie burrito. Never been vegetarian, but that burrito was so damn good! I still think about it honestly; I have no idea what made it so delicious.
Most Asian dishes like stir fry, curry and noodles. I always get tofu because it soaks up all the sauce. I prefer pizza without meat too. It tastes fresher and less salty
Not an “official” substitution by any means but a while ago I got hit by a mighty craving for currywurst while not being able to get the proper sausage. Ended up making baked chickpeas and fries with curry ketchup, never looked back.
I have chickpeas & do not have that sausage, so this is a good opportunity to use that up!
I was dating a vegan a few years ago and made a vegan version of BA’s cherry cobbler. For the heavy cream in the topping I used a combination of almond milk and EVOO. The olive oil was a really good fruity variety that paired so well with the cherries and almond. Nut milks also make thinner doughs/batters and having a drop biscuit consistency was so much easier to work with than rolling out the dough. I’ve made it this way ever since. Maybe it’s in my head but several vegan versions of baked goods I’ve made (The Lady & Son’s peach cobbler, roll out sugar cookies, kitchen sink cookies) all lacked a certain heaviness and seemed fresher than their traditional dairy-present counterparts.
I really like my veggie chili. I make it loosely based off of the Serious Eats “Best Chili Ever” instead of meat I do three beans, carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, and (very occasionally) squash.I take mushroom and/or eggplant and food processed it so it looks more like mince, fry that up kinda like browning mince and use that as my “meat.” Otherwise I follow a modified version of the the peppers etc but always do the vodka or bourbon, chocolate, Frank’s red hot, soy sauce, etc etc
Paneer tastes way better than any meat in an Indian dish for me
I love Soyrizo so much. Don't really know why, but I generally prefer it to actually Chorizo. Which is insane to me because I love meat.
Same. Chorizo is soooooo greasy, that's where it loses me, although I really love the flavor. God bless Soyrizo!
baked beans, nothing grosser than finding a lump of fat in your beans.
Also nachos. Just don’t really care for any type of chicken, pork or beef on it. It’s perfect with all the other fixings.
Soyrizo (soy chorizo). Better because you get all the great flavors of Mexican chorizo without all the grease. It being vegan is a bonus.
The best menu item at bw3s are the cauliflower wings and it isn't really even close
Cauliflower wings are so underappreciated. People react to them like they sound gross, but I choose them over chicken wings most of the time when I go to Alamo Drafthouse.
Costco used to sell cauliflower orange “chicken” a few years back but discontinued it. It was sooo good.
They are so good. I hate cauliflower and love wings but cauliflower wings are somehow amazing to me. The ones from a company called No Bones Beach Club are my fav but sadly they only sell to restaurants
Pizza is something I prefer to have no meat. Usually to the point that new coworkers would ask me if I was vegetarian once they saw me eat pizza. I just think that American pizza has a lot of cheese, so adding meat makes it incredibly heavy. Especially since both ham and pepperoni make me sick. Lasagna is much lighter without meat. I think any dish with a lot of cheese should go light on meat and any dish with a lot of meat should go easy on the cheese. They are both pretty heavy ingredients, so a dish with a lot of both is going to be extremely rich. I do the vegan oyster sauce because it has less weird additives than the normally available oyster sauce.
Chickpea tikka masala!
I literally cannot taste the difference between a real hot dog and a fake one.
It's so funny to me when people get in a tizzy about vegetarian hot dogs being 'fake' meat as if hot dogs are famous for their choice authentic ingredients
Yeah I'm not vegan or vegetarian but honestly I'd much rather eat a vegan hot dog rather than a meat one. At least I know I won't be eating ass.
Lightlife makes some bomb vegan hot dogs. They absolutely taste like a regular hot dog but you know there's nothing gross in them.
I will have to try it bc even if comments here said it’s the same taste, the only vegan hotdog sausage I tasted so far was really not tasting the same than a real one… I’ll try this brand, ty.
Lebanese lentil soup. Yeah.
Indian food in general
Eggplant is the superior parm.
Rosarita canned refried beans.
I used to be vegetarian and still like the Morningstar Farms spicy nuggets better than some real chicken nuggets. Also not meat related but there’s a pizza place in Chicago called Dimo’s that makes their own vegan ranch and it tastes better than regular ranch.
Yeah, "fake" chicken nuggets are almost always better than the real thing.
No weird unchewable bits too, the whole inside of the nugget has the same great texture!
Morning star maple sausage patties are my all time favorite "meat" of any kind. I do eat meat but damn I can't eat so so so many of those.
That makes a lot of sense to me on the ranch. I think a lot of commercial ranch is awful because they use too many preservatives for the dairy and it gets a weird chemical taste. I basically won't buy any shelf-stable ranch anymore because of it, with an exception for Ken's Steakhouse if I'm desperate.
* salads * Thai food * Burgers (not as heavy feeling * Vegan lobster roll *Beyond brats * Carrot dogs
Carrot dogs, a place by where I grew up had something called a bunny dog, a marinated abs grilled carrot, simple and tasty.
Eggplant parm! Chicken parm is good but something about fried eggplant elevates that dish for me
Anything that can be replaced with felafel. I am not a vegetarian, but I love me some felafel dishes. I do not like meat of any kind on my pizza. It’s veggie all the way.
I’m not sure if this exists outside of South Africa ( haven’t been able to find it in the UK yet) but cheese and corn samoosas are SO good
As a rule, amp d I say this ass. A person who LOVES meat, I’m pretty much all about meatless Indian and Chinese food. It just tastes so good.
Depends on who’s making them, but some Vietnamese restaurants’ vegetarian spring rolls are better than meat ones. I also love them with meat when they’re done well 🤌
Beyond Burgers are the BEST
I like cauliflower 65 better than chicken 65. I like veggie samosas better than meat samosas. I don’t often add meat to my grilled cheese sandwiches.
I much prefer Veggie lasagna.
Fried tofu in Asian dishes is always my go to. Chicken gets too dry
Soycream or oat cream. Cow milk and cream is disgusting imo. And plant burgers.
If you get to pick your protein and tofu is an option, I'm getting tofu. I think it absorbs the sauce/ marinade better and it's harder to overcook.
At our favourite taco place, my husband tried a jackfruit one on a whim recently. Its now one of his favourites to order!
Indian and Ethiopian are my favorite they have the best vegetarian/vegan dishes.
Eggplant parm. Hate chicken parm (love fried chicken) and will never eat it again. Eggplant parm is far superior if prepared correctly. I have had bad eggplant parm and it was still better than chicken parm
I like beyond meat burgers more than actual burgers.
I really like beyond sausages. But their burgers have a weird off flavor to me. Prefer impossible for a ground beef replacement
Seriously carnivore dudes in my life LOVE Beyond burgers and buy them in bulk at Costco. (I’m a vegetarian and this has made my life so much easier)
Burger King does Whopper Wednesday on the app and impossible burgers are $3! I know a lot of meat eaters that choose the Impossible version. They aren’t as heavy and don’t leave you feeling sick.
I definitely like Impossible Whoppers more, which is partly a credit to Impossible and partly because Burger King’s patties are awful.
I do like a good beef burger... But those beyond burgers are awesome. If they're on sale I will take them over meat any time. Sucks that they are quite expensive.
Recently had fried avocado tacos as the veggie option at a local taco spot, and they were *so* much better than all the meat options! Also generally a big fan of cauliflower, so there are lots of cauliflower dishes I’ll tend to prefer to meaty things.
Goulash. Jackfruit goulash just tastes so good.
Veggie chicken burgers for sure for me.
had a creole jumbalaya or gumbo or some shit, the shrimp wasn't peeled at all so it was a pain in the ass, plus it was somehow both chalky and rubbery at the same time? not sure if it's supposed to be like that but I always discard the shrimp since then, the soup/veg/rice is plenty fine without them thanks
https://www.theppk.com/2011/02/mac-shews/ We call this V-Mac and have eaten at least once per week for decades. These days we use real butter so it’s not technically vegan but the “cheese” is.
I enjoy tofu prepared like chicken, so it's dryer and firm, even more than shredded chicken in a veggie stir fry. I like the texture better. It stays moist and takes the flavour added in the pan and even gets little seared spots that taste so good. Now I'm hungry
Almost every Indian dish I have tastes better vegetarian tbh
Lasagna. Perhaps it’s because growing up my mom would always make it without a meat bolognese, and just a tomatoes sauce. I never knew the standard version had meat. But I kinda gravitate towards the version without meat and it’s what I make at home now. Also having it with the meat sauce makes it very heavy.
Morningstar corn dogs.
Vegetables soup is better than beef vegetable soup
I prefer the taste of oat milk in lattes... but not breakfast tea!
Eggplant parm over chicken parm, as long as the eggplant is fried to perfection.
I don’t like meat of any kind in the dressing/stuffing at Thanksgiving. No sausage, oysters or giblets please.
Bush's vegetarian baked beans. I love being able to enjoy baked beans without getting a gross, fatty bit of meat. LOL
We have a vegan place that does 'calamari' with 'tzatziki'. It's mushrooms (shiitak or oyster?) breaded and deep fried. Tastes pretty close and it's all so good. My SO hates squid but they'll eat this.
I love tofu wing with buffalo sauce.
Buffalo seitan… I just get to have my franks-and-butter delivery device without the drama of wings
At one Chinese restaurant, they had the most divine vegetarian dumplings that I have ever had. Their other dumplings were...okay? But those vegetarian ones were divine. I probably had those once a week for almost a year, until they shut down for Covid. When they re-opened, they changed the recipe, so they were entirely different. I fear I will never have a dumpling as good as those again.
Soy chorizo!
Soy chorizo from Trader Joe’s. Great flavor, not nearly as much grease as the pork version.
Bean tacos are far superior to meat tacos
Soup. With the wide variety of vegetable soup recipes, meat definitely isn't necessary and isn't missed. I find meat can make it feel greasy.
I gave up eating hamburgers but once a year a decade ago. I just decided no more. Black bean burgers are far more superior to me now. I can’t get enough of them, I make them at home and crave them allll the time!
i love vegetarian chili. also a more specific example, i love the tofu from chipotle
Rolled tacos. Our local taco shops sell potato rolled tacos and they taste sooooo good while the meat versions tend to get dried up or overly deteriorated from the fry oil. The potato ones are perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Then again they are likely using lard to deep fry those suckers 😆
Vegetable mushu
Ramen. I love vegetarian ramen. I’m not a vegetarian by any means. But it just hits right.
I overwhelmingly prefer fake chicken nuggets/patties (impossible, boca, Morningstar, etc) to real chicken. I also like the Morningstar corn dogs. Better taste and texture, in my opinion, than the meat versions.
Steamed buns! I love a mushroom and veg one. I eat meat, but if it's a big bun, the meat sometimes clumps together in one part of it, and can be greasy if it's just pork. Veg and mushroom has umami and is also fresh tasting and I love the texture.
I feel like if you “have” to replace the meat item with a meat-free alternative (i.e if you’re having a solid bit of meat like a steak and you’d need say a pea-protein slab in order to keep the rest of the meal the same), it’s not going to be as good. If it’s something where vegetables can, and often are, used (i.e curries, pasta sauce), the veggie option is always going to be nicer (!in my opinion! as someone who eats meat maybe once a year). I feel you can gauge how good a restaurant is by how good their vegetarian options are. Otherwise, soups!!! Check out any Ottolenghi recipes if you haven’t already - he’s not even a vegetarian but he makes it his mission to champion vegetables as the stars of the show as opposed to side dishes
I prefer Soyrizo over normal Mexican Chorizo when making breakfast burritos. It seems to be less overpowering.
Native foods in Chicago has a vegan “meatball” sub that tastes great. Actual meatballs are hit and miss with me and I would put up as better than average, not as good as the best real meatballs I’ve had, but better than most.
I prefer tofu, beans, or mushrooms in just about every possible scenario. Better flavor and texture when done right.
I always Nasoya vegan egg roll wrappers, I think they fry nicely and taste great. If I’m actually making the rolls vegan I’ll use water as a wash instead of egg. I would much rather have a black bean or beet burger than beyond or other substitutes. Cheese pizza is the best pizza. Sometimes I make tikka masala with roasted potatoes and carrots instead of chicken, super cheap and I never get the ick from a piece of gristle like with chicken. A local hot dog joint has regular or vegan chili cheese totchos, and I like the vegan version better.
Honestly, chicken nuggets. Instead of worrying about some weird sinewy part with how bad some of the quality control is these days, you get guarantees clean bites with no weird textures, you get to feel good about not eating an animal, and the flavor and texture are pretty spot on in modern nuggets.
Veggie Gyoza. Always hated pork dumplings anyway. Pork in general for that matter.
Chickpea falafel over chicken falafel
Nachos
The meal as a whole is not vegetarian or vegan, but I found I prefer specific brands of vegan cheese on my tuna stuffed potatoes more than "real" cheese. I did taste tests with different brands and for whatever reason, those that contain coconut oil as a main ingredient elevate my tuna potatoes from great to absolute crack, at least for me
Impossible chicken nuggets are better than ANY real chicken nuggets I’ve tasted
Not vegan but lasagne is just as good without meat.
Impossible Chorizo
Vegetarian (not vegan) chile, cheese is what makes it work, and meat generally adds to much oil, taking away from the peppers. Vegan would probably be Christmas polish mushroom soup (there is a non creme based variant), but I always had it with a side of pierogi, which made it vegetarian because of the milk/cheese/egg. Most of the only vegan and vegetarian dishes that do well for me are ones that dont try to replace the meat/animal products as their quality is always inferior to the original.
Corn
Indian food in general
I tried making chicken biriyani once, definitely turned out not good, didn’t even bother refrigerating the leftovers. Since I stopped eating meat, dairy, and processed foods 50% of my meals are Indian. Dal, Chana saag, chickpea curry, rajma chawal, I love the burn and flavors.
Lasagna. I’m about as carnivore as they come but there’s something about a good spinach ricotta lasagna that’s so damn good to me.
I prefer veggie samosas to the meat kind every time. It may just be that I really like potatoes.
Disneyland Cafe Orleans cheese Monte Cristo.
A local burger chain had a grilled portobello burger that was juicier than steak. I always chose it. I also quite like some chickpea patties, but I won’t touch fake meat.