Today I’m sharing a plant based version of “hashweh.”
Regardless of where you fall on plant-based argument line, there are 2 indisputable facts: eating less meat products is better for the environment, and eating more plants is better for our health. That’s why we’re making a concerted effort to go mostly plant-based. We allow the occasional meat products now and again, and we really don’t make a fuss if there’s no good vegan options at a restaurant or dinner party. Our home meals, however, are generally plant-based.
I’ve always been inspired by Kenji Lopez’s Vegan Experience on Serious Eats and more recently The Korean Vegan’s ability to veganize comfort food while maintaining taste and texture profiles. When a food person decides to cook plant-based, magic can truly happen.
The thing about meat is that it already has so many components to it: fattiness, umami, chewiness and others. When removing the meat, all of these elements have to be added back in other ways.
When making this “hashweh,” first tried it be replacing the ground beef/lamb with chopped mushrooms and tempeh. I then added the regular seasoning, onions and pine nuts that went into making a traditional meat stuffing. It was honestly OKAY at best. When I stuffed it into eggplants and cooked them in tomato sauce, the texture of the mushrooms mostly blended into the mushiness of the eggplants, and the bitter tempeh was too pronounced. I knew I needed to keep working.
As I’ve seen Kenji do in many recipes, I added more umami elements. Soy sauce and miso really amped up the flavor. Crushed up pumpkin seeds helped the texture, and maple syrup balanced the bitter and saltiness. Fresh parsley and chives added some brightness. That night, I ate my first successful plant-based variation of Mnazelet Betinjan, and the next day, I combined the leftover plant-based “hashweh” with pomegranate molasses, tahini and Aleppo pepper flakes and stuffed them in dough to make “sfeeha.”
I hope you give this recipe a try! If you do, don’t forget to put it in the comments to let everyone know how it went. I also love to see your creations! Don’t forget to tag @omayah.atassi and #omayahcooks on Instagram!
Plant Based/Vegan "Hashweh"
Ingredients
- 16 oz./500 g brown mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
- 8 oz./250 g tempeh or seitan, crumbled
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 5 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 garlic clove, minced or smashed to a paste
- 1 Tbsp yellow or white miso
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 c pumpkin seeds, pulsed 10-15 times in a food processor until finely chopped
- 2 tsp 7 spices
- 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 c chopped parsley
- 1/4 c chopped chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F/175 C. Line a baking sheet with foil. Add pine nuts and place in the oven. Toast for 7-10 minutes, shaking the pan at 5 minutes and checking on the nuts every 2 minutes after until golden. Set aside. Alternatively, fry in a small pan with about 1 Tbsp of butter or ghee, stirring constantly.
- Cook the onions in 2 Tbsp olive oil, stirring occasionaly, until golden and lightly caramelized. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a small-sized bowl.
- Place the mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 8-10 times until finely chopped. Add mushrooms to a pan with 3 Tbsp olive oil and cook over medium-high heat until well browned, dry and cooked through. Add tempeh or seitan and stir until cooked through, about 2-5 minutes. Add the miso, soy sauce and maple syrup. Stir for a minute or two and transfer to a medium-sized bowl.
- Add the pumpin seeds, seasoning and herbs. Combine and use as you wish. Store in an air-tight container up to 3-4 days.