Cookbook:Imitation Cheese (Vegan)

Imitation Cheese (Vegan)
Difficulty

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A vegan cheese that mainly consists of potato, oil and soy.

Ingredients

• 5 ea. (750g–1kg) large, hard boiling potatoes
• 20 ml soy sauce or yeast extract
• 20 ml margarine or rapeseed oil
• Corn flour or breading mixture
• Any of the following optional ingredients:
  • Salt or celery salt
  • Bear's garlic or garlic
  • Herbs, e.g. paprika, thyme, rosemary, cumin, oregano and savory
  • Onions
  • Taco seasoning mix (e.g. corn flour, salt, chili, onion, garlic, paprika, sodium glutamate)
  • 1–3 g chili seasoning mix (e.g. chilies, orange zest, sesame, paprika, celery, and mustard)
  • 1–5 g vegetable stock
  • Unrefined sugar (or sugar not refined using the char method)
  • Pepper
  • 10 ml vinegar

Procedure

1. Boil potatoes until they are not quite done. If the potatoes are not completely done the resulting substance may be sliceable, although it will be easy to spread anyway.
2. Mash the potatoes, then stir in the soy sauce.
3. Mix in some margarine and cornflour. The substance should take on the consistency of peanut butter but have more the color of cheese than anything else.
4. Mix in any of the optional additions to add flavor to the mixture.
5. Press the substance into a small, round form, to give it the form of a cheddar cheese. Unmold and serve.

Notes, tips, and variations

Vegan cheese with rice

• A small amount of lecithin powder can be added as an emulgator but is not really necessary. Being hydrophilic and lipophilic, it binds together the water and the oil.
• Adding vinegar may increase durability in the refrigerator but more than 4 days are not recommended.
• A pinch of sugar can add to the taste but may not be compatible with all other spices.
• For a variant with rice, about half (and up to two-thirds) of the base substance is replaced by mashed rice. The advantage of mashed rice is that it results in a more cheese like substance, which dries better.
• A variant with vegetable stock can be made with less soy sauce. Mexican Taco Seasoning Mix can be used but is not required, because the vegetable stock is already very spicy. The variant can be combined with rice.
• A dairy free cheese flavor sauce mix can be suitable to acquire a stronger cheese flavor.
• Freezing is not recommended. There was a single case where freezing seemed to even have improved the consistency (making it a bit like tofu) but this lacks reproducibility.
• The cheese is best served slightly heated (e.g., on a solar oven) on ciabatta with a splash of warm olive or rapeseed oil, mixed with a mashed clove of garlic and with a slice of tomato and a leaf of basil.
• Put the cheese on a slice of bread and sprinkle hackled onions on top. Bake in a toaster oven or grill until the onions turn only slightly glassy. Grapes cut in halves make a good topping and complement the taste.