Our vegan carbonara tries to recreate a similar flavor and texture using plant-based ingredients.
Ingredients & Substitutions
For the vegan carbonara sauce
Plant milk: we use soy milk, but you can use any plant-based milk that is not sweet and that doesn’t have any flavorings.Chickpea Flour: we use chickpea flour to recreate the texture of the eggs. You won’t taste the flavor of the chickpea flour as we use very little of it.Nutritional yeast: to add the cheesy flavor to the sauce.Olive oil: to make the sauce a little more fat, like the original.Paprika: to give some color to the sauce. You won’t taste the paprika either.Salt.Kala namak: this is the key ingredient for any vegan carbonara sauce. It’s a black rock salt that adds the exact flavor of an egg. Do not skip it! You can find it in any Asian store or online.
Other ingredients
Tempeh, olive oil, soy sauce, salt, and pepper: we use these to recreate the salty, peppery flavor of Italian guanciale.Black pepper: sprinkle on top and in the sauce.Spaghetti
Tips
Get yourself some Kala Namak: you will probably not be able to find it in a store, so get it online. This Indian rock salt makes all the difference because it tastes like egg, mainly due to its sulfur content.Don’t worry if the carbonara sauce smells strongly like an egg: this is absolutely normal due to the Kala Namak. When you mix the sauce with the pasta the smell will be much less and the carbonara will taste like heaven!Toast the pepper before grinding it: for the best result and an inebriating pepper aroma, toast your peppercorns on a hot pan before grinding it. This way the oils in the pepper will develop an incredible aroma.
Storage
This vegan carbonara is best eaten straight off the pan. However, if you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Then heat it up on a pan with a dash of water. You can also use tofu or seitan for this recipe, but in my opinion, tempeh is the best choice. So, dice up 100 grams or 3.5 ounces of tempeh and sauté it in a pan with two tablespoons of olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and plenty of pepper and let it sauté over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, moving it around occasionally. After 5 minutes, when the tempeh is nicely browned, add about two tablespoons of soy sauce, which will add flavor and umami, making the tempeh really palatable and meaty. Let it cook for another minute until the tempeh cubes have absorbed the soy sauce and set them aside. Our tempeh bacon is ready. Blend till smooth with an immersion blender or with a regular blender. Transfer the sauce to a pan that is large enough to hold the pasta, then when the pasta is almost cooked warm up the sauce, stirring it, until it slightly thickens. It should take just a minute. Now toss in the pasta, al dente. I add 320 grams or 12 ounces of spaghetti, to serve 4 people. Add half a ladle of pasta cooking water, and finish cooking in the pan for a minute, until the pasta is completely coated in the sauce.
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Do you have an everyday favorite pasta recipe? Let us know in the comments below!
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