food & Drink
All photos from Rachel Ama’s Vegan Eats: Tasty Plant-based Recipes For Every Day by Rachel Ama, Available now.
Avocado ackee scramble and aubergine bacon
either: “It isn’t a must-have, it’s an option - there’s black salt which just creates an eggy flavour - but you don’t have to have it!” A post-university trip around South America and the States triggered Ama’s enthusiasm for cooking (“I remember my mum being like, ‘Ooh, look at you in the kitchen making all this food’. I was like, ‘Yeah, what?’ Haha!”). But she hasn’t always been vegan. In fact, despite her mum wanting to raise her and her brother vegetarian (“It was looked down on, so she didn’t do it”), Ama “ate chicken a lot” and didn’t have any friends who were vegan or vegetarian. “I was a KFC junkie, that was me, it was real.” Ten, struck by a Netflix documentary, she “went vegan overnight”. She recalls: “It was just one of those moments. Suddenly I was like, ‘Oh, now I’m seeing how the food is ending up on my plate, I just don’t really want to be a part of it anymore’.” And no, she doesn’t miss KFC. “I thought I might, I don’t, and when I do have those cravings to eat fried, fatty, delicious food, there are vegan places I can go to for that, which is incredible. When I need my fix, I know where I can go find it.” And while life without KFC could have been a difficult adjustment, missing cheese hasn’t been a factor. “Tere’s stuff that tastes creamy and
Anna’s prawns with chilli and garlic. “IN A LOT OF PLACES IN AFRICA
AND THE CARIBBEAN, PLANT-BASED EATING ISN’T [CONSIDERED] SO CRAZY”.
really delicious, but [vegan] cheese is one that hasn’t been quite figured out, but that’s fine for me,” she says. “I’m so lactose intolerant, I actually hate cheese!” Aside from a decent amount of chicken and home-cooked food, growing up, “music was always being played”. In fact, Ama, who is still surrounded by guitars and piano, had planned on a career in A&R, and her brother produces his own music. “For me, cooking with music was just a natural thing to do,” she explains, which is why you’ll find song recommendations alongside the recipes: Roasted beets and butternut squash tahini calls from All Night Long by Faith Evans (feat P. Diddy); chickpea ratatouille for Mother May I Sleep With Danger? by Joy Crookes. “So, if anyone’s a music head like me,” says Ama, “it touches on different senses of sound and taste, it brings the whole enjoyment together, and hopefully that will give people a bit more than just cooking.” Her relaxed approach is reflected in how she hopes to help spread
veganism too. She’s absolutely not militant - any uptake is welcome, whether you’re just intrigued by vegan menu options, been thinking about animal welfare, are considering the health benefits, or feel concerned at the environmental impact of the meat and dairy industries. “A lot of people have been like, ‘OK, I’ll just start eating some more plants’. Tey’re not necessarily saying, ‘I’m going to go vegan, but maybe on these days of the week, we’re going to do plant-based meals’ - and hopefully those people can get some inspiration from me on the way,” she muses. Her aim is to just encourage more people to incorporate plant-based and vegan meals into their diet, and to do that “naturally and not feel pressured or scared. I just want it to be, like: ‘Want to try out a vegan recipe? Come hang out where I am, I have got one for you!’ “Try it, if you love it, you’ve got a staple recipe you can make for your family,” she says. “Tat’s the goal.” >>
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