Yotam Ottolenghi’s vegan recipes | Food (2024)

Crispy couscous with pumpkin, tomatoes and cinnamon (pictured above)

The crisp, caramelised layer at the bottom of the pan makes this couscous particularly appealing. The trick to achieving this layer – known as tahdig or socarrat, depending on where you are in the world – is to let the couscous cook undisturbed, resisting the temptation to stir. Serve with a bowl of dairy-free yoghurt.

Prep 25 min
Cook 1 hr 20 min
Serves 4

Heat the oven to 240C (230C fan)/465F/gas 9. Toss the pumpkin with a teaspoon of cinnamon, a quarter of the garlic, two tablespoons of oil, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Spread out on an oven tray lined with baking paper, then roast for 30 minutes, until cooked through and nicely browned.

Put the onion rounds on a second lined tray (keep them intact) and drizzle with a teaspoon and a half of oil. Sprinkle with half a teaspoon of sugar and a small pinch of salt and pepper, then roast for 18 minutes, carefully flipping over the rounds halfway, until softened and deeply charred. Keep warm while you get on with everything else.

Pour in 500ml water, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and rich. Measure out 400ml of the sauce (leave the star anise in the pan), pour this into a small saucepan and keep warm. Meanwhile, tip the couscous into the remaining sauce and stir to combine. Add 375ml water and quarter of a teaspoon of salt, and bring to a boil on a medium-high heat. Cover with a lid, turn down the heat to medium and leave to cook undisturbed for 30 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed and the base and edges of the couscous have crisped up.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high flame. Add the spinach, an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper, and cook until barely wilted, about two minutes. Stir in the coriander and set aside.

To serve, spoon the couscous on to a serving plate and top with the reserved sauce, pumpkin and spinach, layering it all up as you go, then add the onion rounds. Drizzle over the last teaspoon and a half of oil, and serve warm.

Kohlrabi ‘noodle’ salad

Heat, acidity and the numbing effect of ginger and Sichuan pepper create an intensity here that can flavour an entire meal. Serve this with some fried tofu and a bowl of rice. Kohlrabi is an underused vegetable that I love. If you can’t get any, this will also work with a large radish, such as daikon, or with green papaya. The salad can discolour and go a bit soggy, so it’s best to toss it together just before serving.

2 tsp white sesame seeds, toasted
1 tsp black sesame seeds, toasted
1 tsp poppy seeds, toasted
1 tsp dried kombu or nori powder – blitz a sheet in a spice grinder or food processor
1½ tsp aleppo chilli flakes (or ¾ tsp regular chilli flakes)
½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns, finely crushed
1 tbsp roasted and salted peanuts, roughly chopped
Flaked sea salt
3-4 medium kohlrabi, trimmed and peeled (570g net weight)
3 tbsp lime juice
2cm-piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tbsp rice-wine vinegar
6 spring onions, finely chopped
60ml sunflower oil

Slice the kohlrabi as thinly as possible – use a mandoline, ideally. Stack the slices on top of each other in manageable piles and cut into 2cm-wide strips to resemble very short tagliatelle. Transfer to a bowl with the lime juice and a teaspoon of flaked sea salt, toss and leave to marinate for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the ginger and three-quarters of a teaspoon of flaked sea salt in a mortar and pound to a paste. Transfer to a small bowl with the vinegar and two-thirds of the spring onion. Heat the oil in a small pan on a medium heat until warm, then pour over the ginger and spring onion, and leave to steep for 20 minutes.

Drain the kohlrabi to get rid of the liquid that’s collected at the bottom of the bowl, then toss with the oil and ginger mixture. Transfer to a platter, sprinkle over the mixed seeds and nuts, and finish with the remaining spring onion.

Tangerine doughnuts

Prep 10 min
Prove 1 hr 50 min
Cook 40 min
Makes 8

For the glaze
150g icing sugar
2½ tbsp Grand Marnier
2 tangerines – zest finely grated, to get 1½ tsp, then juiced, to get 2 tbsp
½ tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
Flaked sea salt, to serve

Put the first eight ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook in place. Knead on a medium-high speed for seven minutes, or until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl (it will be quite sticky), then transfer to a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour and a half, until soft, pillowy and doubled in size.

Meanwhile, whisk all the glaze ingredients in a medium bowl, until well combined and smooth.

Heat the sunflower oil in a medium saucepan on a medium flame until it reaches 180C. Line a tray with plenty of kitchen paper. Once the oil is hot, use your hands very lightly to flatten each round of dough so it’s got two sides but without squeezing out much of the air. In batches of three, carefully lower the doughnuts into the hot oil and fry for two to two and a half minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked doughnuts to the lined tray and repeat with the remaining balls of dough.

• This article was edited on 14 January 2019, to clarify that the yoghurt served with the couscous should be dairy-free to keep the dish vegan.