It's going to be a meatless X'mas

It’s been a green Christmas since Clive D’souza turned vegan as a preference while his father turned vegetarian due to health reasons. Pic/Shadab Khan

When Christalle Fernandes joined our team earlier this year, we learned she was vegetarian. A vegetarian Christian - an oxymoron we thought, but over time we saw how serious she was about her meat-free habits. We've known a few, "no meat, but the gravy is fine" kind of vegetarians too who have had to adjust their choice to make it convenient for those around them, but Christalle is hardcore vegetarian Gen Z who doesn't bend the rules.

And so for Christmas, the time of the year when most tables are laden with chicken curries, vindaloo and sorpotel, her mother makes a paneer bake, which they both have co-invented. It's paneer marinated in garam masala, chilli powder, and other spices, with diced onions, fried potatoes, and carrots. Sometimes, they switch it up and have a skewer-barbecue, but mostly it's the bake,eaten with chapattis. This year, mushrooms will be added for a twist.

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So off we went to find a few more like her to see what's it that vegetarians have for Christmas, and we ended up finding one of those and two vegans. Saki Naka-based digital marketer Dayan Concessao went vegan in July 2016, when he moved to Mumbai from Goa for work.

"My sister Daisy had been vegan for over a year," says the 28-year-old, "and she made me watch American activist Gary Yourofsky's Best Speech You Will Ever Hear which has over 4.8M views on YouTube. I was sceptical towards adopting a vegan lifestyle, but Gary's rational arguments (rather than emotional ones) convinced me and I have never looked back. I feel better physically and mentally."

All his life, Concessao's Christmas favourite has been the Goan plum cake but now, even this has been veganised for him, as has doce and patoleo (turmeric leaf cake) by using vegan butter instead of ghee. "I don't miss anything," he says, "The city has some very talented vegan bakers who make some of the best dairy-free cakes, doughnuts and entremets. For the last couple of years, my mum has made a couple of stove-baked cakes for Christmas, but my absolute favourite is the mini volcanic Oreo cake that she made using plant-based milk."

Mini volcanic Oreo cake

Ingredients
2 packets of Oreo biscuits
1 cup oat milk
A few drops of lemon juice
1 tsp baking powder or Eno
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp vegan butter
1 slab dark chocolate
Sugar, as needed

Method
Separate the biscuit and the cream from Oreo. Take the brown cookie layer and mix it with oat milk, a few drops of lemon juice, vanilla essence, a pinch of salt, vegan butter, and sugar (as needed). Grind it in the mixer until it forms a thick paste. Add a packet of Eno or baking soda to the paste, stir and keep aside for half an hour. Bake the mixture in on the stove on low flame for 30 minutes. Once cool, melt dark chocolate and spread it over the cake. Take the Oreo white cream, and mix it with a little oat milk to form a creamy layer. Pour it over the cake so that it looks like flowing lava. Serve hot.

Dayan Concessao

Andheri-based Clive D'Souza, 33 is the founder of Vvegano.com, an online marketplace for plant-based meats and dairy alternatives. D'Souza turned vegan almost 10 years ago. "I was always an animal lover but when I found out about the cruelty of the meat and dairy industries, it made no sense to continue contributing to them with my money, just like how we would not support any other industry where the weak are exploited."

Salami and sausages have been D'Souza's all-time favourites and he would insist on them for Christmas. "Plant-based versions of all my favourite meats are available and so easily accessible across the country. The taste is often indistinguishable from animal meats so you can enjoy the same flavour, minus the cruelty. Just thaw them, heat some oil on a pan, and cook on medium heat. Keep turning till the sausages and salami turn brown. It's really that simple, and I have them with whatever else is made for the day, or just spicy ketchup."

Amar Thomas

For his father, 70-year-old Jerry, who turned vegetarian around five years ago for health reasons, chicken tikka masala was a Christmas favourite. Does he miss the taste, we ask. "Not really. Whenever I wish to eat, my family gets plant-based meats for me to enjoy," he says. Besides, now my new favourite is paneer tikka masala. In fact, I even replaced paneer with tofu as it is so much healthier, cheaper and versatile. It may take some getting used to, but tofu is better."

Marketing professional Amar Thomas turned vegetarian,inspired by the principle that when you fear for your own life, you have no right to be the reason for the loss of any other life, including the life of animals. "We used to have a traditional Christmas lunch with roasted chicken," says the 43-year-old. "I eat to live and don't live to eat so I don't miss the taste, or crave for non-vegetarian food. Now, we have a lavish spread of dal bati churma, served with red chilli on top, and spicy garlic chutney with cashew, pistachio, almonds or raisins - wholesome with all the nutrients.

Paneer tikka masala

Ingredients
200 gms tofu or paneer, diced
2 cup dairy-free yoghurt
1 large onion
1 can tomato puree
1/2 cup cashew paste
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste

Method
Marinate tofu or paneer in yoghurt (cashew or soy). Grill until golden. Sauté onions, add tomato puree, sauce, cashew paste, and water. Add the garam masala. Simmer, and combine with tofu. Garnish with coriander and savour with naan or rice.