Vegan Curry Beef Bun Recipe

It might seem like there is no way to make certain foods vegan, especially when it comes to good old fast food or bakery favourites. However, this recipe is a great example of how not true that thought is, as this curry ‘beef’ buns taste just as good as the original, and yet, they are free of any animal products. They are healthier than the non-vegan version too!

Ingredients:

Curry ‘Beef’ Crumbles:
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 teaspoon marmite (or dark miso paste)
• 3/4 cup TVP (texturized vegetable protein)
• 1/3 cup cold or room temperature water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 tablespoon hoisin sauce*
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce (or tamari/liquid aminos)
• 1-2 teaspoons coconut oil (or other cooking oil)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3-4 mushrooms (shiitake or any other), rehydrated from dried
• 1 1/2 tablespoons madras curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
• pinch of black pepper or to taste

Dough:
• 1 cup almond milk or your choice of plant milk, warm (105°F-115°F/41°C-46°C)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (one envelope traditional or instant)
• 3 tablespoons aquafaba (chickpea/white bean brine)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for kneading)

Optional maple wash:
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon water

• sesame seeds (optional)

*Hoisin sauce might or might not be vegan-friendly, depending on the brand.

Instructions:

Crumbles (the filling):
Dissolve the marmite in hot water, add the TVP and stir to combine.
Finely chop the mushrooms.
Mix up water, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and cornstarch.
Cook the onions and garlic with the mushrooms until the onions soften.
Add the spices and the TVP mixture, and cook it for 2 minutes.
Stir the cornstarch mixture and pour it in.
Remove from heat when it thickens and let it cool down.

Dough:
Whisk warm plant milk, yeast, and brown sugar together.
Let the mixture rest for ten minutes to make sure the yeast is active.
Whisk in the salt and aquafaba.
Add a half cup of flour and whisk until finely combined.
Repeat until the mixture is too thick to whisk.
Keep adding a half cup of flour at the time and mixing it in using chopsticks or spatula until the dough is formed enough to knead.
Turn the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two.
Place the dough back into the mixing bowl and let it rest somewhere warm and draft-free until it doubles in size.
Take it out of the bowl, deflate it, and divide into 16 pieces.
Knead them just enough to make round dough balls.

Starting from the dough ball you formed first, flatten it into a disc-like shape, but do not make it too thin.
Add 3-4 tablespoon of the filling into the center of the dough ‘disc’.
Gather up the sides of the dough ‘disc’ and pinch at the top to cover the filling.
Pinch and twist the puckered ends to secure and place the bun the puckered side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Repeat for all the buns and leave enough space between them so they can rise.
Cover the buns with a warm, damp towel and let them rise until they double in size.
Preheat the oven to 400°F or 205°C.
Mix the water and maple syrup.
When the buns have doubled in size, brush the maple wash on to the tops of them and sprinkle sesame seeds.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Let cool before serving.

Tips and ideas:

Crumbles can be also used as a topping for rice or noodles.

You can also brush some of the buns with aquafaba before baking.

If you would prefer a soy-free version, use 1 1/2 cup lentils instead of TVP and do not use water in that part of the recipe. Instead of soy sauce and hoisin, use tamari/liquid aminos and ketchup.

Images – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFblNpDwKdU