You need

• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, boiled 15 minutes and drained
• 1 cup unsweetened plain oat milk, plus more to thin
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp white miso paste
• 2 poblano peppers
• 2 jalapenos, stemmed
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles, drained
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric (for color only)
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• Pickled jalapeno slices and cilantro, to finish
• Thick tortilla chips, for dipping

Method

1. Broil the poblanos and jalapenos 4 inches under a 500F broiler for 10 to 12 minutes, turning twice, until blackened in patches. Seal in a bowl with a plate on top for 10 minutes, then rub off the skins and chop.
2. Blend the drained cashews with the oat milk, nutritional yeast, miso, lime juice, smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric and salt on high for 2 to 3 minutes, until there is no grit left at all.
3. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium and cook the onion 8 minutes, until the edges go brown. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
4. Pour in the cashew base and simmer gently 6 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly, until it thickens and coats the spoon.
5. Fold in the chopped roasted chiles and the canned green chiles. Taste for salt and lime.
6. Serve in a warm cast iron skillet, topped with pickled jalapeno and cilantro, chips on the side.

From behind the bar: Keep a mug of hot water next to the pan. Queso tightens as it cools, and a splash at a time brings it back without watering down the flavor.

You need

• 3 large globe eggplants (about 3 lb total)
• 1/3 cup tahini, well stirred
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, grated fine
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp Aleppo pepper
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the top
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses (read the label, some brands sweeten with honey)
• Warm pita or flatbread (read the dough label too, milk and honey both turn up)

Method

1. Set the eggplants directly on a high gas burner and char 12 to 15 minutes, turning every 3 or 4 minutes, until the skin is black all over and the eggplant collapses on itself. No gas burner: broil at 500F for 25 minutes, turning twice.
2. Move them to a colander and let them drain 20 minutes. The liquid that runs out is the bitter stuff, and you want it gone.
3. Scrape the flesh off the skins and discard every scrap of skin. Chop the flesh with a knife on a board. Do not use a food processor.
4. Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt in a bowl. It will seize into a paste and then loosen pale and creamy. That is the point where it is ready.
5. Fold the tahini mixture into the chopped eggplant with the cumin and olive oil. Let it sit 30 minutes for the garlic to settle down.
6. Spread in a shallow bowl, drag a spoon through it, and flood the groove with olive oil. Aleppo, parsley, a thread of pomegranate molasses. Warm bread.

From behind the bar: The 20 minutes in the colander is not optional. It is the whole difference between baba ganoush and a bowl of eggplant water.

You need

• 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in plenty of water
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup tahini, well stirred
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup ice water
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp harissa paste (plain jarred harissa is vegan, but the creamy blends carry yogurt, so check)
• 5 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 small red onion, sliced thin
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 tsp sumac and a pinch of Aleppo pepper
• 1/3 cup pitted green olives, torn
• Warm flatbread (check the dough for milk and honey)

Method

1. Drain the soaked chickpeas, cover with fresh water by 3 inches, add the baking soda and boil 45 to 60 minutes, skimming the foam, until a chickpea smashes to nothing between two fingers and the skins are floating loose.
2. Pull out 1/2 cup of chickpeas for the topping. Toss those with 1 tbsp olive oil and the cumin and roast at 425F for 20 minutes, until they rattle in the pan.
3. While the rest are still hot, blend them with the garlic, lemon juice and salt for 1 minute. Add the tahini, then stream in the ice water with the motor running and let it go 3 to 4 minutes, until it turns pale and holds soft peaks.
4. Cover the sliced onion with the vinegar, sugar and a big pinch of salt and leave it 20 minutes, until it goes pink and loses its temper.
5. Stir the harissa into 3 tbsp olive oil to make a loose, staining oil.
6. Spread the hummus wide and shallow with the back of a spoon, building a wall and a well. Flood the well with harissa oil, then pile on the roasted chickpeas, pickled onion, pine nuts, olives, parsley, sumac and Aleppo. Serve with hot flatbread.

From behind the bar: Blend the chickpeas hot, straight out of the pot. Cold chickpeas give you sandy hummus and no amount of extra tahini fixes it later.

You need

• 1 cup raw cashews, boiled 15 minutes and drained
• 3/4 cup unsweetened oat milk
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp white miso paste
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cans (14 oz each) artichoke hearts in water, drained, squeezed dry and roughly chopped
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 shallot, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp vegan butter
• 1/4 cup vegan mozzarella shreds
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (some brands contain milk, check)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Toasted sourdough or thick tortilla chips, for dipping

Method

1. Blend the drained cashews with the oat milk, nutritional yeast, miso, lemon juice, Dijon, onion powder, white pepper and salt for 2 minutes on high, until completely smooth.
2. Wring the thawed spinach out in a clean kitchen towel over the sink. Twist until nothing more comes out, then pull the compressed puck apart with your fingers.
3. Melt the vegan butter in a skillet over medium and sweat the shallot 3 minutes, then the garlic 1 minute more, without letting either color.
4. Combine the cashew base, spinach, artichokes and the shallot mixture in a bowl. Taste and salt hard, artichokes soak it up.
5. Spread into an 8-inch cast iron pan or baking dish. Scatter the vegan mozzarella over the top, then the panko tossed with the olive oil.
6. Bake at 400F for 22 to 25 minutes, until the edges bubble and the top is golden. Broil 90 seconds if you want more color. Rest 5 minutes before anyone gets a spoon in it.

From behind the bar: Wring the spinach until the towel comes away nearly dry. Wet spinach is the single reason most versions of this end up as a puddle with a crust on it.

You need

• 1 1/2 cups neutral oil (grapeseed or avocado)
• 4 guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn into pieces
• 3 ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn
• 6 to 8 chiles de arbol, stemmed (this is the heat dial)
• 1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
• 1/4 cup raw pepitas
• 1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
• 8 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp maple syrup (not honey)
• Warm tortilla chips, for dipping

Method

1. Heat the oil in a small saucepan to 275F on a thermometer. Guessing here is how people ruin this.
2. Fry the sliced garlic 2 to 3 minutes until pale gold, then lift it out with a slotted spoon onto paper towel. Fry the peanuts and pepitas 1 to 2 minutes and pull them out the same way.
3. Kill the heat and let the oil drop to about 250F. Add all the torn chiles and stir for 30 to 45 seconds only, then get them out. They go from fragrant to burnt with no warning in between.
4. Toast the sesame seeds dry in a skillet over medium for 2 minutes, shaking constantly, until they smell nutty.
5. Pulse the chiles, peanuts, pepitas, garlic, sesame and salt in a food processor to a coarse rubble. Stop well before it becomes a paste.
6. Stir the rubble back into the oil with the vinegar and maple syrup. Cool completely, uncovered.
7. Give it 24 hours in the fridge before serving. It keeps a month as long as the solids stay under the oil.

From behind the bar: Count the 30 seconds on the chiles out loud. Burnt salsa macha cannot be rescued or diluted, and you will taste it in every spoonful for a month.

You need

• 2 x 14 oz cans young green jackfruit in brine or water (not syrup), drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp ancho chile powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock (not chicken)
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (standard Worcestershire contains anchovy — read the label)
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 2 cups green cabbage, shredded fine
• 1/4 small red onion, sliced paper-thin
• 3 tbsp vegan mayo
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (for the slaw)
• 12 vegan slider buns (check for milk, butter, egg wash, and honey — potato and brioche buns usually have at least two)
• 2 tbsp vegan butter, melted, for toasting
• Dill pickle chips, to serve

Method

1. Drain and rinse the jackfruit. Cut the hard core wedge off each piece and shred the rest between your fingers into strands. Squeeze out the excess liquid in a clean towel — wet jackfruit will never crisp.
2. Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium-high. Cook the onion 5 minutes until it starts to color, add the garlic, smoked paprika, ancho, cumin, and black pepper, and toast 45 seconds until it smells like a barbecue pit.
3. Add the jackfruit, ketchup, vegetable stock, molasses, cider vinegar, Dijon, vegan Worcestershire, liquid smoke, and salt. Simmer uncovered over medium-low for 25 minutes, breaking the strands apart with a wooden spoon, until the sauce clings and nothing pools in the pan.
4. Spread the mixture on a parchment-lined sheet pan and roast at 425F for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges darken and go chewy. This step is what separates it from wet canned mush.
5. Toss the cabbage and red onion with the vegan mayo, cider vinegar, and 1/4 tsp salt. Let it sit 10 minutes, then drain off anything that weeps out.
6. Brush the cut buns with the melted vegan butter and toast face-down in a dry skillet for 60 to 90 seconds until golden.
7. Pile the jackfruit on the bottom buns, top with slaw and two pickle chips, and serve immediately while the bun is still warm.

From behind the bar: Buy jackfruit packed in brine or water, never syrup. Syrup-packed fruit is ripe and sweet, and no amount of smoke will drag it back.

You need

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water 15 minutes and drained
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, plus 1 tsp of the adobo
• 2 tbsp pickled jalapeno brine
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 x 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt (for the beans)
• 10 oz thick restaurant-style salted corn tortilla chips (check the bag for milk powder, whey, or cheese powder)
• 1 ripe avocado
• 2 tbsp vegan mayo
• 1 tbsp lime juice (for the crema)
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt (for the crema)
• 1 cup pico de gallo or chunky salsa, drained
• 1/2 cup pickled jalapeno slices
• 1/2 cup quick-pickled red onion
• 3 scallions, sliced
• Handful of cilantro leaves
• Flaky salt

Method

1. Blend the soaked cashews, water, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, lime juice, 1 tsp salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chipotle with adobo, and jalapeno brine on high for a full 90 seconds until completely smooth.
2. Pour the queso into a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk constantly for 3 to 4 minutes. It will thin, then suddenly thicken to a pourable sauce. Pull it off the heat right then and keep it warm.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium, add the beans, cumin, oregano, garlic, and 1/2 tsp salt, and cook 4 minutes, mashing about a third of them so the rest have something to stick to.
4. Blend or mash the avocado with the vegan mayo, lime juice, and 1/4 tsp salt until it is a loose crema you can drizzle.
5. Spread half the chips on a sheet pan, spoon over half the beans and half the queso, then repeat with the remaining chips, beans, and queso. Layering twice is the whole point.
6. Bake at 400F for 6 to 8 minutes, just until the edges of the chips darken and the queso sets slightly. Any longer and the chips go bitter.
7. Finish off the heat with pico, pickled jalapenos, pickled red onion, scallions, cilantro, drizzles of avocado crema, and flaky salt. Serve on the pan and let people fight over it.

From behind the bar: The cornstarch is not optional. Without it the cashew sauce breaks into grit the second it hits the oven and you get nacho soup.

You need

• 1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch
• 8 oz king oyster mushrooms, sliced lengthwise then crosswise
• 3 tbsp neutral oil, divided
• 1 tbsp vegan butter
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced thin
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced thin
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (standard Worcestershire contains anchovy)
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 6 slices vegan provolone-style cheese, halved (check for casein — plenty of dairy-free slices still carry it)
• 1/3 cup vegan mayo
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 12 vegan slider rolls (check for milk, butter, egg wash, and honey)
• Pickled hot cherry peppers, chopped, to serve

Method

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high until it shimmers. Add the mushrooms in a single layer, in two batches if you have to, and do not touch them for 5 minutes. Crowding the pan steams them and you lose the browning.
2. Toss once and cook another 4 minutes until deeply browned at the edges. Season with the 1/2 tsp salt and the black pepper and tip them into a bowl.
3. Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil and the vegan butter to the same pan, drop the heat to medium, and cook the onion and bell pepper 10 to 12 minutes until soft and sweet with brown edges.
4. Return the mushrooms to the pan, add the soy sauce and vegan Worcestershire, and chop everything together in the pan with the edge of two spatulas for a minute until it reads as a filling and not as sliced vegetables.
5. Flatten the mixture into an even layer, lay the halved vegan provolone over the top, cover the pan, and let it sit off the heat for 2 minutes until the cheese slumps.
6. Stir the vegan mayo with the grated garlic and lemon juice. Split the rolls and toast them cut-side down in a dry pan for 60 seconds.
7. Spread the garlic mayo on both cut sides, scoop the filling in with a spatula so the cheese stays draped over it, and top with chopped cherry peppers. Serve hot — this one does not wait.

From behind the bar: King oyster stems shredded lengthwise give you the fibrous pull that creminis alone cannot. Use both or the filling reads as a mushroom side dish.

You need

• 2 lb baby Yukon Gold potatoes, all roughly the same size
• 2 tbsp kosher salt, for the cooking water
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt, for the potatoes
• 3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water 15 minutes and drained
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt (for the crema)
• 3 tbsp vegan chili crisp (many jars carry dried shrimp — read the label)
• 4 scallions, sliced thin on the bias
• 1/4 cup crispy fried shallots
• 2 tbsp chopped dill or cilantro
• Flaky sea salt
• 1 lemon, cut in wedges

Method

1. Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water, add the 2 tbsp salt, and boil 18 to 20 minutes until a knife slides in with zero resistance. Underdone potatoes will not smash, they will crumble.
2. Drain them and let them sit in the colander for 5 minutes to steam dry. Dry surfaces are the difference between crisp and leathery.
3. Space the potatoes on an oiled sheet pan and press each one to about 1/2 inch thick with the bottom of a glass or a measuring cup. Ragged edges are what get crunchy, so do not aim for neat.
4. Pour the olive oil over, turning each potato to coat both sides, and season with the 1 tsp salt. Roast at 450F for 20 minutes, flip, and roast another 12 to 15 minutes until the edges are dark gold.
5. While they roast, blend the cashews, water, lemon juice, cider vinegar, and 3/4 tsp salt for 60 seconds until it is a smooth, thick, sour crema. Thin with a tablespoon of water if it will not spoon.
6. Pile the hot potatoes on a warm platter, spoon the cashew crema over in irregular pools, then spoon the chili crisp on top so the oil runs into the crema.
7. Scatter the scallions, fried shallots, and herbs, hit it with flaky salt, and serve with lemon wedges. Eat within about four minutes of it leaving the oven.

From behind the bar: Salt the boiling water like pasta water. Potatoes seasoned only on the outside taste hollow no matter how much chili crisp you pile on.

You need

• 2 x 14 oz blocks extra-firm tofu, pressed 30 minutes
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Neutral oil, for shallow frying
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (not honey)
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (standard Worcestershire contains anchovy)
• 2 tbsp bourbon (optional)
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard
• 2 tsp smoked paprika (for the sauce)
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 2 cups shredded green and red cabbage
• 1/4 cup vegan mayo
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar (for the slaw)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt (for the slaw)
• 12 vegan slider buns (check for milk, butter, egg wash, and honey)
• Sliced dill pickles, to serve

Method

1. Cut the pressed tofu into 24 slabs about 1/2 inch thick and blot them dry. Freeze and fully thaw them first if you have the time — it opens the texture up and it is the single biggest upgrade here.
2. Whisk the cornstarch, 2 tsp smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper in a shallow dish. Press each slab into the mixture on all sides and shake off the excess.
3. Simmer the ketchup, maple syrup, cider vinegar, vegan Worcestershire, bourbon, mustard, 2 tsp smoked paprika, liquid smoke, and cayenne in a small saucepan over medium-low for 12 minutes, stirring, until it coats the back of a spoon.
4. Toss the cabbage with the vegan mayo, cider vinegar, sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt. Refrigerate until you need it.
5. Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a heavy skillet to 350F. Fry the tofu in batches for 3 minutes a side until the crust is genuinely golden and rigid, then drain on a rack, not on paper, so the bottoms stay crisp.
6. Toss the hot tofu in about two-thirds of the barbecue sauce in a wide bowl, working fast so the crust soaks but does not surrender.
7. Toast the buns cut-side down in a dry pan for a minute. Build with two tofu slabs, a spoon of the reserved sauce, pickles, and a pinch of slaw, and get them to the table hot.

From behind the bar: Sauce the tofu to order, not in advance. Battered tofu sitting in barbecue sauce goes soft in about six minutes and there is no bringing it back.

You need

• 1 large cauliflower (about 2 lb), cut into 1.5-inch florets
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup unsweetened plain soy milk, plus 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs (read the label - some brands carry milk powder or whey)
• Neutral oil for deep frying (about 6 cups)
• 2/3 cup cayenne hot sauce (Frank's RedHot or similar - vegan)
• 4 tbsp vegan butter
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 4 celery ribs, cut into batons, and 1/2 cup vegan ranch, to serve

Method

1. Cut the cauliflower into 1.5-inch florets, each with one flat side. Spread on a tray, leave uncovered 20 minutes, then pat dry with a towel.
2. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Pour in the soy milk and cold water and whisk to the thickness of heavy cream. Rest 10 minutes.
3. Heat 3 inches of neutral oil to 350F in a heavy pot. Set a wire rack over a tray.
4. Dip a floret in the batter, let it drip for 3 seconds, then press it into the panko on all sides. Coat only as many as will fit one batch.
5. Fry 6 to 8 pieces at a time for 5 to 6 minutes, until deep gold and a skewer meets slight resistance in the stem. Drain on the rack and salt immediately. Bring the oil back to 350F between batches.
6. Melt the vegan butter over low heat, then whisk in the hot sauce, maple syrup and vinegar until glossy. Do not let it boil or it splits.
7. Toss the wings through the sauce in a wide bowl, 4 or 5 at a time, and serve within two minutes with the celery and vegan ranch.

From behind the bar: Cauliflower is full of water. Let the cut florets sit out 20 minutes and pat them dry - wet florets steam inside the crust and go limp before they reach the sauce.

You need

• 1 lb oyster mushroom clusters
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1.5 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup unsweetened plain soy or oat milk
• 2 tsp cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp cayenne hot sauce (vegan)
• Neutral oil for deep frying (about 6 cups)
• BBQ sauce: 3/4 cup ketchup, 3 tbsp molasses, 2 tbsp cider vinegar, 1 tbsp yellow mustard, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Or 1 cup store-bought BBQ sauce - read the label for honey and for Worcestershire sauce, which is usually made with anchovy

Method

1. Tear the clusters along the grain into palm-size pieces, leaving the stems attached so they hold together in the oil. Never use a knife.
2. Lay the pieces in a single layer between two towel-lined trays, weight them with a skillet and press 10 minutes. That water is the enemy of crust.
3. Stir the vinegar into the plant milk and leave 5 minutes to thicken, then whisk in the hot sauce. In a second bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
4. Simmer all the BBQ sauce ingredients in a small pan over low heat for 10 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon. Keep it warm.
5. Heat 3 inches of oil to 350F. Dredge each piece dry, then wet, then dry again, pressing the second dry coat hard so it clumps. The clumps are the crunch.
6. Fry in batches of 4 or 5 for 4 to 5 minutes, until deep brown and rigid. Drain on a rack and salt while hot.
7. Brush the wings with the warm BBQ sauce rather than dunking them, and put the rest in a bowl for dipping.

From behind the bar: Tear, never cut. A knife gives you flat mushroom steaks. Torn edges catch the batter and fry into the frilly bits everyone fights over.

You need

• 1 block (14 to 16 oz) extra-firm tofu
• 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp potato starch (or more cornstarch)
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Neutral oil for frying (about 4 cups)
• Flaky salt, to finish
• Black pepper mayo: 1/2 cup vegan mayo, 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper, 1 tsp rice vinegar, 1 small garlic clove grated, 1 tsp maple syrup

Method

1. Press the tofu 30 minutes under a weight - a plate with a heavy skillet on top - draining the water off as it collects.
2. Tear the block into rough 1-inch pieces with your hands. Ragged faces fry crisper than anything a knife produces.
3. Toss the pieces with the soy sauce, leave 5 minutes, then dust with the combined cornstarch, potato starch, salt, white pepper and garlic powder until every surface looks chalky and dry.
4. Whisk the vegan mayo, black pepper, vinegar, garlic and maple syrup together and chill until needed.
5. Heat 2 inches of oil to 375F. Fry in two batches for 4 to 5 minutes, nudging the pieces apart after the first minute so they do not fuse.
6. Pull them when the shell is hard and gold. Drain on a rack, hit with flaky salt while the oil is still spitting, and serve with the black pepper mayo.

From behind the bar: Freeze the pressed block overnight and thaw it, then squeeze. The ice crystals leave the tofu spongy and craggy - more surface, better crunch, and it grips the dip.

You need

• 1 large cauliflower (about 2 lb), cut into 1.5-inch florets
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 cup ice-cold sparkling water
• Neutral oil for deep frying (about 6 cups)
• 1/4 cup gochujang (most brands are vegan - check the label for honey)
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds and 3 thinly sliced scallions, to finish

Method

1. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt, then stir in the sparkling water just until combined. Lumps are fine; overmixing is not. Sit the bowl on ice.
2. Warm the sesame oil in a small pan, cook the garlic and ginger 60 seconds without color, then add the gochujang, maple syrup, vinegar, soy sauce and water. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes to a glaze that ribbons off the spoon. Keep warm.
3. Heat 3 inches of oil to 325F. Coat the florets in batter and fry in batches for 4 minutes - they should come out pale and set, not brown. Drain on a rack and rest 5 minutes.
4. Raise the oil to 375F and fry everything a second time for 2 to 3 minutes, until hard and light gold. Drain.
5. Off the heat, toss the cauliflower with the warm glaze in a wide bowl, in two batches, working fast.
6. Sesame seeds, scallions, table. Sauced fried food is on a clock.

From behind the bar: The first fry cooks the cauliflower, the second builds the shell. Skip the 5-minute rest between them and you get one soggy fry instead of two good ones.

You need

• 1 lb king oyster mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch batons
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 cup aquafaba (the liquid from a can of unsalted chickpeas)
• Neutral oil for deep frying (about 5 cups), plus 2 tbsp for the wok
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 red chiles, sliced
• 1 green chile, sliced
• 3 scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths, whites and greens separated
• Salt-pepper mix: 2 tsp flaky salt, 2 tsp ground white pepper, 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp five-spice

Method

1. Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry pan for 60 seconds until they smell like citrus and smoke, grind them, then mix with the flaky salt, white pepper, sugar and five-spice. Keep the bowl next to the stove.
2. Toss the mushroom batons in the aquafaba, lift them out and let the excess run off, then dredge in the combined cornstarch, rice flour, five-spice and fine salt. Shake off the surplus.
3. Heat 2 inches of oil to 360F. Fry in three batches for 3 to 4 minutes, until pale gold and rigid. Drain on a rack.
4. Raise the oil to 375F and return everything for a final 45 seconds. Drain hard.
5. Wipe out a wok and get it smoking. Add 2 tbsp oil, then the garlic, chiles and scallion whites. Thirty seconds, and do not let the garlic brown.
6. Add the mushrooms and 2 tsp of the salt-pepper mix. Toss for 20 seconds, taste, add more mix if it needs it. Scatter the scallion greens and serve. No sauce goes anywhere near this dish.

From behind the bar: Keep the wok dry. Any liquid at all - soy, vinegar, wine - and the crust turns to paste in seconds. The seasoning is a powder and it stays a powder.

You need

• 2 large Spanish onions, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch rings
• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter, 1/2 cup for dredging)
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1 cup cold lager (most mass-market lagers are vegan; skip isinglass-fined cask ale)
• 2 quarts neutral oil for frying (canola or peanut)
• 1 tsp flaky salt, for finishing

Method

1. Separate the rings. Keep the outer three or four from each onion and save the small inner ones for something else. Soak in ice water 20 minutes, then dry them hard between towels.
2. Whisk the soy milk with the cider vinegar and let it sit 5 minutes until it thickens and curdles. That is the buttermilk.
3. Whisk 1 cup flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder and cayenne in a bowl. Put the remaining 1/2 cup plain flour in a wide dish for dredging.
4. Pour the cold beer and the soy buttermilk into the dry mix and whisk to the thickness of heavy cream. Rest 10 minutes.
5. Heat the oil to 365F in a heavy pot. Use a thermometer.
6. Dredge a ring in the dry flour, shake it off, dip in batter, let the excess run, and lower it into the oil. Fry five or six at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, flipping once, until deep gold. Let the oil climb back to 365F between batches.
7. Drain on a wire rack, never paper. Hit with flaky salt while they are still loud.

From behind the bar: Dredge every ring in dry seasoned flour before the wet batter. Skip it and the coating slides off in the oil, and you are eating fried nothing.

You need

• 1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked 18 hours in cold water and drained (canned will not work)
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 packed cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/2 packed cup cilantro leaves
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 2 tsp fine sea salt
• 3 tbsp chickpea flour, plus more if needed
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 quarts neutral oil for frying
• 1/2 cup tahini
• Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 garlic clove, grated, for the sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt, for the sauce
• 4 to 6 tbsp ice water
• 2 tsp ground sumac, to finish
• 1/2 cup quick-pickled red onion, to finish

Method

1. Soak the dried chickpeas 18 hours in plenty of cold water. Drain and dry them well. Do not cook them.
2. Pulse chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, cayenne and salt in a food processor to the texture of coarse couscous. Stop before it becomes a puree. A squeezed handful should hold together.
3. Chill the mixture 30 minutes, then stir in the chickpea flour and baking soda right before shaping.
4. Press into batons about 3 inches long and 3/4 inch thick. Firm pressure, flat sides, no delicate spheres.
5. Heat the oil to 340F. Fry a single test knuckle first for 4 to 5 minutes; if it breaks apart, work another tablespoon of chickpea flour into the mix.
6. Fry in batches of five for 4 to 5 minutes, turning, until very dark brown outside. The inside stays bright green.
7. Whisk tahini, lemon juice, grated garlic and 1/2 tsp salt. It will seize into cement. Add ice water a tablespoon at a time until it loosens to a pourable sauce.
8. Drain on a rack, salt, dust with sumac and pile on the pickled onion.

From behind the bar: The 18-hour soak is the recipe. Canned chickpeas are already cooked and will dissolve into the oil, taking your dignity with them.

You need

• One 24 oz jar dill pickle chips, or 6 whole dill pickles sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp cayenne hot sauce (vinegar-and-pepper style; check the label for honey)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup fine cornmeal
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 quarts neutral oil for frying
• 3/4 cup vegan mayo (aquafaba or soy based)
• 3 tbsp unsweetened soy milk, for the ranch
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 1 tbsp chopped chives
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp each garlic powder and onion powder, for the ranch

Method

1. Drain the pickles and spread them in a single layer on paper towels. Press a second layer on top and leave them 15 minutes. They need to be bone dry.
2. Whisk the soy milk, cider vinegar and hot sauce. Rest 5 minutes until it thickens.
3. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a wide dish.
4. Make the ranch: stir the vegan mayo, 3 tbsp soy milk, dill, chives, lemon juice, garlic powder and onion powder. Salt to taste and chill it while you fry.
5. Heat the oil to 375F.
6. Dip each slice in the buttermilk, then press firmly into the dry mix. For thick-cut slices, go back through wet and dry a second time.
7. Fry in small batches for 2 to 3 minutes until golden and blistered. Crowding the pot drops the oil and gives you soggy chips.
8. Rack, salt, serve immediately with the cold ranch. They do not improve with waiting.

From behind the bar: Dry every slice between paper towels. Wet pickles steam their own crust off from the inside and you will blame the batter.

You need

• 1 cup cake flour, plus 2 tbsp extra for dusting
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 cup ice-cold sparkling water
• 2 tbsp vodka
• 1 small sweet potato, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 6 shiitake mushroom caps
• 8 shishito peppers
• 12 green beans, trimmed
• 1 small red onion, cut into wedges through the root
• 2 sheets nori, quartered
• 2 quarts neutral oil for frying
• 2 cups water, for the dipping broth
• One 4-inch piece kombu
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp sugar (use organic, bone-char free)
• 1/2 cup grated daikon, to serve
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger, to serve

Method

1. Make the broth: steep the kombu and dried shiitake in 2 cups cold water for 30 minutes, then heat to just under a simmer and pull the kombu out before it boils. Simmer the shiitake 5 minutes, strain, then stir in soy sauce, mirin and sugar. Keep it warm. No bonito goes anywhere near this.
2. Dry all the vegetables completely and dust them lightly with cake flour. Wet vegetables and hot oil have a bad relationship.
3. Heat the oil to 340F and set a bowl of ice water on the counter.
4. Whisk 1 cup cake flour, the cornstarch and salt. Pour in the sparkling water and vodka and stir with chopsticks for about twelve seconds. Stop while it is still lumpy. Sit the bowl in the ice water.
5. Fry the dense pieces first: sweet potato and onion, five or six at a time, 3 to 4 minutes until the coating is pale and set.
6. Then the quick ones: shiitake caps, green beans and shishito, 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Bring the oil back to 340F between batches.
7. Batter only one side of each nori quarter and fry 30 seconds. It comes out like a fried windowpane.
8. Drain on a rack, salt lightly, and serve with the warm broth, grated daikon and ginger.

From behind the bar: Overmixed tempura batter turns bready. Twelve seconds with chopsticks, lumps intact, bowl sitting in ice the whole time you fry.

You need

• 1.5 lb Roma tomatoes (about 6)
• 1/2 white onion, cut into thick slabs
• 2 jalapenos (or 3 serranos for more heat)
• 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 2 chipotles in adobo, plus 1 tsp of the adobo sauce
• 2 dried chiles de arbol
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• Small handful cilantro
• Tortilla chips, to serve

Method

1. Open a window and run the hood fan before you start. Charring chiles on a dry pan puts capsaicin into the air and it will find your throat.
2. Set a dry cast-iron skillet or comal over medium-high heat. No oil.
3. Char the tomatoes, onion slabs, jalapenos, and unpeeled garlic, turning every few minutes, until blistered black in patches and collapsing soft — 12-15 minutes for the tomatoes, about 8 for the garlic. Pull each item as it is done.
4. Toast the arbol chiles in the same pan 20-30 seconds per side, until they smell nutty. Pull them the moment the smoke turns sharp; burnt chile is bitter and unfixable. Stem them, and seed them if you want less heat.
5. Peel the garlic. Stem the jalapenos. Let everything cool 10 minutes — hot liquid in a sealed blender builds pressure and blows the lid off.
6. Blend everything with the chipotles, adobo, lime juice, salt, and cilantro. Pulse in short bursts to a coarse, spoonable texture. Do not run it into a smoothie.
7. Taste, adjust salt, and loosen with 1-2 tbsp water if it is too thick.
8. Rest 30 minutes at room temperature so the flavors settle, then serve. Keeps 5 days covered in the refrigerator.

From behind the bar: The black bits are the flavor — do not rinse or trim them off. Under-charred vegetables give you salsa that tastes like canned soup.

You need

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water 30 minutes and drained
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/3 cup refined coconut oil, melted
• 6 tbsp tapioca starch
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp lactic acid powder (the vegan kind, fermented from beet sugar) or an extra 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, for breading
• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk, for breading
• 2 tbsp cornstarch, for breading
• 2 cups panko (read the bag; plenty of brands carry milk powder or honey)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 quarts neutral oil for frying
• 1 1/2 cups marinara, warmed (check the jar for butter, cream or cheese, or make your own)

Method

1. Blend the cashews, water, coconut oil, tapioca starch, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, lactic acid, salt and onion powder on high for 2 full minutes until there is no grit left at all.
2. Pour into a saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly with a silicone spatula, 5 to 8 minutes. It goes thin, then grainy, then suddenly glossy and elastic. Keep stirring 2 minutes past that point.
3. Scrape into a parchment-lined 8x4 loaf pan, smooth the top, press plastic wrap onto the surface and chill 4 hours, or overnight, until firm.
4. Turn out and cut into 12 batons about 3/4 inch thick. Freeze them 30 minutes.
5. Set up three dishes: flour; soy milk whisked with cornstarch; panko tossed with garlic powder, oregano and a big pinch of salt. Take every stick flour, slurry, panko, slurry, panko. Double coat all of them, no exceptions.
6. Freeze the breaded sticks 1 hour, until solid through.
7. Heat the oil to 350F and fry five or six at a time for 2 to 3 minutes until deep gold. Drain on a rack and salt.
8. Rest one minute, then tear one open in front of whoever doubted you. Serve with warm marinara.

From behind the bar: Freeze the breaded sticks solid before they hit the oil. Cold center, hot oil, that is the whole trick. Warm ones blow out and you get a pot of soup.

You need

• 2 cups raw skinless peanuts
• 10 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 8 dried red chilies, snipped in half
• 12 makrut lime leaves, torn, stems removed
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• Neutral oil for frying, about 3 cups

Method

1. Heat 2 inches of oil to 300F/150C. Low and slow, or the peanuts brown outside and stay raw in the middle.
2. Fry the peanuts 6-8 minutes, stirring, until they are pale straw colored. Lift them out early; they darken several shades as they cool.
3. Raise the oil to 325F/163C. Fry the garlic 2 minutes to pale gold, lift out.
4. Fry the dried chilies 20 seconds, then the makrut lime leaves 15 seconds, until they stop sizzling. They go bitter fast.
5. Drain everything on paper. While still warm, toss with salt and sugar.
6. Cool fully before serving; the crunch only arrives at room temperature. Keeps a week in a sealed jar.

Where you'd actually eat it: Comes free at ya dong stalls and half the beer bars in town, in a small steel bowl. Lao khao, or a bottle of Leo you have not finished ordering food around.

From behind the bar: Fresh or frozen makrut lime leaves only. The dried ones go papery in the oil and taste of nothing.

You need

• 1 lb (450 g) green papaya, peeled and shredded
• 4 garlic cloves
• 4-8 red bird's eye chilies
• 4 long beans, cut in 2-inch pieces
• 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp palm sugar
• 1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
• Raw cabbage wedges, to serve

Method

1. Shred the papaya on a julienne peeler or cut it the Thai way: hack the surface with a knife, then shave off the slivers. Soak in ice water 10 minutes, then drain hard.
2. In a clay or wooden mortar, pound garlic and chilies to a rough paste. Do not puree.
3. Add palm sugar, soy sauce, lime juice and tamarind. Pound and stir until the sugar dissolves.
4. Add long beans and bruise them with three or four strikes. Add tomatoes, bruise once.
5. Add the papaya and peanuts. Now switch to pounding lightly with one hand while turning with a spoon in the other, about 20 strokes, until it is dressed but still crunchy.
6. Taste, adjust sour and salt, serve cold with cabbage wedges alongside.

Where you'd actually eat it: Jay shops flying the yellow-and-red flag, all over Yaowarat and around markets citywide, plus every som tam cart that will make it to order. Beer, ice, no ceremony.

From behind the bar: Order som tam thai and you get dried shrimp; som tam pu gets fermented crab and pla ra. Only the jay version is meat-free. Strict jay also drops the garlic.

You need

• 1 lb (450 g) extra-firm tofu, pressed 30 minutes
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce (check the label for fish sauce)
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, crushed
• 2 tbsp cucumber, diced fine
• 1 tbsp shallot, minced
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp dried chili flakes (optional)
• Neutral oil for frying, about 3 cups
• Cilantro

Method

1. Press the tofu under a weight for 30 minutes, then cut into 1-inch cubes and pat completely dry.
2. Toss with cornstarch and salt in a bowl until each face is dusted.
3. Heat 2 inches of oil to 350F/175C.
4. Fry in two batches 5-7 minutes, moving them once the crust sets, until deep gold and the skins are wrinkled and hard. Drain on a rack, not paper.
5. Stir sweet chili sauce with lime juice, then top with peanuts, cucumber, shallot and chili flakes.
6. Serve the tofu hot with the sauce alongside and cilantro over the top.

Where you'd actually eat it: Cart food outside night markets and the standard jay-shop order; also the snack plate at Chinatown beer bars. Leo over ice, or soda water if you are pacing yourself.

From behind the bar: Read the sweet chili label. Several Thai brands slip fish sauce or shrimp extract into it. Most supermarket bottles do not, but check before you call it vegan.

You need

• 1 lb (450 g) water spinach (phak bung, sold as ong choy); Asian grocers only, and yu choy is the closest stand-in for the crunchy stems
• 6 garlic cloves, roughly crushed
• 4 red bird's eye chilies, crushed
• 1 tbsp yellow bean sauce (tao jiao), mashed
• 1 tbsp vegan mushroom stir-fry sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 3 tbsp neutral oil with a high smoke point

Method

1. Wash and dry the greens completely. Wet greens steam instead of searing, and this dish is entirely about the sear.
2. Separate the thick stems from the leaves. Mix the sauces, sugar and water in a small bowl and keep it next to the stove.
3. Heat a wok over the highest flame you have until it smokes. Add the oil, swirl, then garlic and chilies for 10 seconds.
4. Add the stems, toss 20 seconds, then all the leaves at once. They will overflow the wok; press them down.
5. Pour the sauce down the side of the wok and toss hard for 45-60 seconds, until the leaves collapse and the stems are still crunchy.
6. Turn out immediately, draining off the water it throws. Ninety seconds total from oil to plate.

Where you'd actually eat it: Every open-front shophouse with a wok on the sidewalk, and jay shops during the October vegetarian festival. Beer over ice, ordered by the bucket.

From behind the bar: The standard shophouse version uses oyster and fish sauce. Vegan mushroom sauce plus tao jiao gets the same salty-funky base, and jay kitchens do exactly this.

You need

• 6 firm bananas, ideally Thai namwa; slightly underripe plantains work
• 1 cup rice flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca or all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup coconut milk, plus water to loosen
• Neutral oil for frying, about 4 cups

Method

1. Whisk rice flour, tapioca flour, coconut, sesame, sugar and salt. Stir in coconut milk to a batter that coats a spoon thickly, adding water a spoon at a time.
2. Rest the batter 20 minutes. The rice flour needs to hydrate or the crust stays chalky.
3. Peel the bananas and cut lengthwise into thirds, or press them flat with the side of a knife.
4. Heat 2 inches of oil to 340F/170C.
5. Dip each piece, let the excess run off, and lower it into the oil. Fry 3-4 minutes, turning once, until dark gold and hard to the tap.
6. Drain on a rack. Eat them within twenty minutes; they are only good hot.

Where you'd actually eat it: Carts outside the bar strips of Banthat Thong and Ari, running until the drinkers thin out. Eaten standing up, waiting on a motorbike taxi.

From behind the bar: Traditional cart batter is rice flour and coconut milk, no egg and no butter. Some newer versions add egg for color, so ask before you assume.

You need

• 1 green mango, firm and sour, peeled and cut in thick slices
• 1 guava, seeds cut out, cut in wedges
• 2 rose apples, or half a pineapple, cut in spears
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp coarse sea salt
• 1 tbsp dried chili flakes, phrik pon, or 4 dried red chilies
• Ice, for holding the fruit

Method

1. If using whole dried chilies, toast them in a dry pan over medium 2 minutes until they darken and smell sharp. Cool completely.
2. Pound salt, sugar and chili in a mortar to a coarse red powder, or pulse in a spice grinder. Leave it gritty; dust sticks to nothing.
3. Taste it on a slice of fruit. Salty first, hot second, sweet last. It keeps a month in a sealed jar.
4. Cut the fruit thick. Thin slices go limp and drown in the dip.
5. Hold everything on ice 20 minutes. Cold, hard fruit is the whole point of the plate.
6. Serve the fruit over ice with the chili salt in a small dish alongside.

Where you'd actually eat it: Ya dong carts around Chinatown and Talat Phlu hand you a slice of pickled fruit after the shot. Lao khao, then fruit, then soda, in that order.

From behind the bar: The other cart dip is nam pla wan, palm sugar cooked down with fish sauce and shallots. Good, and not vegan. Dry phrik kluea is the version that is.

You need

• 300 g / 1.5 cups dried split broad beans (fava, skinless)
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp sugar
• 100 ml / 1/3 cup olive oil, plus more to finish
• 900 ml / 4 cups water
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Large bunch dill, chopped
• 1 red onion, sliced thin, to serve
• Salt

Method

1. Rinse the beans and soak in cold water 4 hours, then drain. Skip the soak and you add half an hour of simmering.
2. Put beans, chopped onion, sugar, half the olive oil and the water in a pot. Bring to a boil, skim the grey foam, drop to a low simmer.
3. Cook uncovered 45-60 minutes, stirring now and then, until the beans have completely collapsed and the mixture is thick like porridge. Add hot water if it catches.
4. Salt to taste, then blend until absolutely smooth. Push it through a sieve if you want the meyhane texture — worth the ten minutes.
5. Beat in the lemon juice and the rest of the olive oil while it is still warm.
6. Pour into a shallow dish or a cling-film-lined loaf tin, about 3 cm deep. Smooth the top. Chill at least 4 hours until firm enough to cut cleanly.
7. Turn out or cut into squares in the dish. Cover with chopped dill, sliced red onion, a heavy pour of olive oil and lemon.

Where you'd actually eat it: On the cold tray at every meyhane from Nevizade to Moda, usually parked next to the piyaz. Raki, and it holds up to a second glass better than most.

From behind the bar: It has to be skinless split fava, not whole dried broad beans — whole ones keep their jackets and never go smooth however long you cook them.

You need

• 4 ripe tomatoes, seeded
• 2 green sivri peppers (or 1 green bell plus 1 jalapeño)
• 1 medium onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• Large handful flat-leaf parsley
• Small handful mint leaves
• 50 g / 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp biber salçası (hot red pepper paste)
• 1-2 tbsp pul biber or isot pepper
• 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp salt

Method

1. Halve and seed the tomatoes and squeeze out the watery pulp. Wet tomato turns this into soup, and soup does not sit on bread.
2. Chop everything — tomato, peppers, onion, garlic, herbs — by hand to about the size of a lentil. A food processor gives you pink slush.
3. Salt the chopped onion, let it sit 5 minutes, then squeeze it in a paper towel to pull the harshness out.
4. Combine all the chopped vegetables with the walnuts in a bowl.
5. Mix pepper paste, pul biber, pomegranate molasses, olive oil and lemon into a dressing, then fold it through.
6. Rest at room temperature 20 minutes. Not optional — the pepper paste needs time to spread through the whole bowl.
7. Taste for salt and heat, spoon into a shallow dish, more oil over the top. Serve at room temperature with hot bread.

Where you'd actually eat it: On every table in Istanbul whether you ordered it or not, especially at the ocakbaşı grills. Raki, beer, ayran — it does not care which.

From behind the bar: Isot (Urfa pepper) brings smoke and a slow burn; pul biber brings brighter heat. Use both if you have them. Cayenne is a poor stand-in — sharp, no fruit.

You need

• 3 large eggplants
• 3 tbsp olive oil, plus more to finish
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Salt, black pepper
• Optional: 1 green sivri pepper, charred and chopped
• Optional: pomegranate seeds, to finish

Method

1. Pierce each eggplant twice with a knife so it does not explode.
2. Set them directly on a gas burner or over hot charcoal at the highest flame you have. Turn every 4-5 minutes with tongs.
3. Char 20-25 minutes until the skins are completely black and collapsed and the eggplants sag when you lift them. Under-charred means a raw center and no smoke. Take it further than feels reasonable.
4. No gas? Broil at maximum, 8 cm from the element, 25-30 minutes, turning. It is a compromise and it tastes like one, but it works.
5. Put the hot eggplants in a bowl, cover, leave 10 minutes. The steam loosens the skins.
6. Peel off every scrap of black skin. Do not rinse them under the tap — you would wash the smoke down the drain. Then drain the flesh in a sieve 15 minutes.
7. Chop the flesh coarsely with a knife, never a blender. Fold in garlic, lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature with parsley and more oil.

Where you'd actually eat it: Cold tray at every meyhane in the city, and every home kitchen from August to October when the eggplants are cheap. Raki, first round.

From behind the bar: There is a yogurt version too, which is not vegan. This is the zeytinyağlı one — olive oil only, and it is the one that lands on the cold tray.

You need

• 400 g / 14 oz fresh shelled borlotti beans (or 250 g dried, soaked overnight)
• 150 ml / 2/3 cup olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 carrots, cut in 1 cm rounds
• 2 waxy potatoes, cut in 2 cm dice
• 5 garlic cloves, whole
• 2 tomatoes, grated
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp sugar
• 500 ml / 2 cups hot water
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Flat-leaf parsley, salt

Method

1. Using dried beans: drain the soaked beans, cover with fresh water, boil hard 10 minutes, then simmer 40 minutes until just tender. Drain and keep the liquid. Fresh beans skip this step entirely.
2. Heat the olive oil in a wide pot over medium-low. Cook the onions 10 minutes until soft and translucent with no browning. This is an olive oil dish, not a fried one.
3. Add carrot and whole garlic cloves and cook 5 minutes more.
4. Stir in the tomato paste, fry it 1 minute, then add grated tomato, sugar and salt.
5. Add beans, potato and hot water to just cover. Bring to a simmer, cover, cook on low 35-45 minutes until everything is soft and the liquid has reduced to a thick, oily sauce.
6. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and let it cool in the pot at least an hour.
7. Serve at room temperature or cold, never hot, with parsley and another slug of raw olive oil. It is better on day two.

Where you'd actually eat it: Standing item on the cold meze tray from Beyoğlu to Kadıköy, and in every zeytinyağlı case at a lokanta. Raki, which it soaks up better than most.

From behind the bar: Use more olive oil than feels sensible. Pilaki is defined by the oil setting into the sauce as it cools — cut it back and you get a wet bean stew.

You need

• Shell: 500 g cooked chickpeas, 3 medium starchy potatoes, 3 tbsp tahini, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt
• Filling: 1.2 kg onions, sliced very thin
• 150 ml olive oil
• 150 ml tahini
• 50 g dried currants
• 50 g pine nuts
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp sugar, 1.5 tsp salt
• To serve: olive oil, lemon, ground cinnamon

Method

1. Cook the onions in the olive oil over low heat 45-60 minutes, stirring often, until they collapse into a pale sweet mass with no color on them. Rushing this ruins the dish — browned onions make the filling bitter.
2. Off the heat, stir tahini, currants, pine nuts, cinnamon, allspice, pepper, sugar and salt into the onions. Cool completely, then chill until firm.
3. Boil the potatoes whole in their skins 18-22 minutes until a knife goes through easily. Peel while warm and rice or mash them smooth.
4. Mash the chickpeas to a paste — a processor is fine here — and work in the potato, tahini, sugar and salt until you have a stiff, workable dough. Chill 30 minutes.
5. Lay a large square of damp cheesecloth or cling film on the counter. Spread half the dough into a 20 cm circle about 8 mm thick.
6. Pile half the cold filling in the center, then use the cloth to draw the edges up and over, sealing it into a flattened dome. Twist the cloth shut and chill at least 3 hours until firm. Repeat with the rest.
7. Unwrap onto a plate. Serve cold, cut in wedges, with olive oil, lemon juice and a heavy dusting of cinnamon.

Where you'd actually eat it: Armenian meyhanes and delis around Kurtuluş and Samatya, and the Lenten table in March. Raki, cold, and one wedge per person is usually enough.

From behind the bar: Traditionally the shell is made from soaked raw chickpeas peeled by hand. Cooked chickpeas and a processor get you 90 percent of the way in a fraction of the time.

You need

• 500g jarred or vacuum-packed cooked lupini beans
• 1 litre water
• 30g fine sea salt
• 1 lemon, optional
• (from dried: 500g dried lupini beans, plus a week)

Method

1. From cooked beans: drain and rinse them thoroughly under cold running water, rubbing to wash off the packing brine.
2. Dissolve the salt in the water, submerge the beans, and refrigerate at least 24 hours. Change the brine once. They should taste clean and salty with no bitterness at the back of the throat.
3. Serve very cold in their brine, in a bowl, with a second empty bowl for the skins. A squeeze of lemon is a Lisbon habit, not a rule.
4. From dried, if you insist: soak the beans 24 hours in cold water, then boil 30 minutes.
5. Then soak in fresh cold water in the fridge for 5-7 days, changing the water twice a day, every day. This is not optional and cannot be shortened.
6. From day five, taste one bean each day. Any bitterness at all means the alkaloids are still there and it needs more days. When it tastes neutral like a chickpea, brine as above.

Where you'd actually eat it: Arrives with the first imperial at any tasca or kiosk, alongside the olives. Nobody orders them. The bowl of skins tells the waiter how long you have been there.

From behind the bar: Under-soaked lupini carry quinolizidine alkaloids and will make you genuinely sick. Bitter means not ready. Buy them cooked and skip the argument.

You need

• 400g flat green beans (runner beans), topped and tailed
• 150g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 200ml cold lager (unfined, if you are strict about isinglass)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• black pepper
• neutral oil for deep frying
• lemon wedges

Method

1. Blanch the beans in well-salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes until bright and just tender. Drop into ice water, then dry them completely on a towel. Wet beans repel batter.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Beat in the cold beer and the olive oil to a batter slightly thicker than heavy cream. Rest 15 minutes. Do not overmix.
3. Heat the frying oil to 350F/175C.
4. Dip beans one or two at a time, let the excess batter run off, and lower them into the oil. Fry in small batches for 2-3 minutes until pale gold and crisp.
5. Keep the oil above 335F/168C between batches or the batter drinks oil and goes heavy.
6. Drain on a rack, salt immediately, serve with lemon.
7. Honest note: most Portuguese recipes put whole eggs in the polme. This egg-free beer batter is a genuine and common version, and it is the one that is actually vegan. The usual dip alongside is mayonnaise, which is not.

Where you'd actually eat it: Tascas and petisqueiras across Alfama and Príncipe Real, usually with a mayonnaise dip on the side you can wave away. Cold vinho verde branco.

From behind the bar: Cold batter into hot oil is the whole trick. Keep the beer in the fridge until the second you use it and never let the batter sit warm.

You need

• 1kg small waxy potatoes, skin on
• 4 tbsp coarse sea salt
• 120ml good olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• chopped flat parsley
• black pepper

Method

1. Scrub the potatoes and dry them. Toss with a little olive oil and the coarse salt so the skins are crusted.
2. Bake at 400F/200C for 45-55 minutes, until the skins are wrinkled and a knife meets no resistance.
3. While they bake, warm the olive oil gently with the garlic and bay over low heat for 8-10 minutes. The garlic should go pale gold and no further; burnt garlic ruins the oil.
4. Take the potatoes out and, one at a time, press down with your palm or the flat of a knife until each one cracks open. They should split, not flatten to mush.
5. Return the split potatoes to a dish, pour the hot garlic oil over them so it runs into the cracks, and put them back in the oven for 5-8 minutes.
6. Finish with parsley, black pepper and more coarse salt. Serve hot, straight from the dish.

Where you'd actually eat it: Honestly a side, sent out with grilled fish or bacalhau in every tasca, but it holds its own on a shared table with red wine. Nobody calls it vegan; it just is.

From behind the bar: Use small potatoes, not medium ones cut down. The point is a whole crusted skin holding a split center, and a cut potato has no skin to hold it.

You need

• 4 large red and yellow bell peppers
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 100ml good olive oil
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• black pepper
• chopped flat parsley, optional
• bread

Method

1. Heat the oven to 425F/220C. Set the whole peppers on a sheet pan and roast 30-40 minutes, turning twice, until the skins are blistered and blackened in patches. Charcoal or a gas flame is better if you have one.
2. Put the hot peppers in a bowl and cover it tightly for 15 minutes. The trapped steam lifts the skins.
3. Peel off the skins with your fingers, pull out the stems and seeds, and tear the flesh into wide strips. Do not rinse them under water; you will wash the flavor down the drain.
4. Save every drop of juice from the bowl and pan; it goes into the dressing.
5. Combine the strips with the garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and reserved juices.
6. Marinate 2 hours at cool room temperature, or overnight in the fridge, and serve at room temperature with bread. Keep it refrigerated if it is going to sit longer than that.

Where you'd actually eat it: On the table next to the sardines every June, and standing in a big glass bowl on every tasca counter. Bread for the bottom of the dish, house red.

From behind the bar: Peel with your fingers, never under running water, and keep the juice in the bowl. Pooled juice plus oil and vinegar is the dressing.

You need

• 800g fresh or frozen broad beans (fava), podded
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 150ml dry white wine
• 1 large bunch coriander, chopped, stems included
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• salt, black pepper
• bread

Method

1. If using fresh beans in the pod, pod them. Older, larger beans should also be blanched 2 minutes and slipped out of their gray inner skins; young or frozen beans do not need it.
2. Sweat the onion in the olive oil over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes until soft and sweet. Add the garlic and bay for 1 minute.
3. Stir in the paprika off the heat, then return to the heat and add the beans, turning to coat them in the oil.
4. Pour in the wine, let it boil hard for 2 minutes, then add 150ml water and the coriander stems. Season.
5. Cover and simmer gently 20-30 minutes until the beans are soft all the way through and the liquid has reduced to a loose, oily sauce. Add water if it tightens too early.
6. Off the heat, stir in the chopped coriander leaves and a final glug of raw olive oil. Serve warm with bread.
7. Honest note: the classic tasca version is cooked with chouriço, entrecosto or bacon. This is the meat-free version, not a disguised one.

Where you'd actually eat it: Spring menus in tascas around Campo de Ourique and Alvalade, in a bowl with bread. A copo of tinto, or vinho verde if it is warm.

From behind the bar: Put the coriander in twice: stems during the simmer, leaves off the heat at the end. Coriander cooked the whole way through tastes of nothing.

You need

• 2 lb (900 g) pickling or silverskin onions
• 1/2 cup salt
• 4 cups malt vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp pickling spice
• 2 dried chilies

Method

1. Pour boiling water over the onions, wait 30 seconds, drain. The skins slip off after that.
2. Peel and trim as little root as you can get away with — cut too deep and they fall apart in the jar.
3. Layer with salt in a bowl, cover, leave 24 hours. This pulls water out and is the reason they stay crunchy.
4. Rinse the salt off thoroughly and dry the onions.
5. Boil the vinegar with sugar, pickling spice and chilies, then cool completely.
6. Pack into sterilized jars, cover with the cold vinegar, seal. Wait 6 weeks somewhere cool and dark. Four if you have no patience, and they will taste like it.

Where you'd actually eat it: In a jar behind the bar or sitting on a ploughman's plate. Malt vinegar is barley-based, so not gluten-free. Eaten whole with cheddar and a pint of bitter.

From behind the bar: Cold vinegar over the onions keeps them crisp. Hot vinegar half-cooks them soft, and a soft pickled onion is six weeks wasted.

You need

• 1 cup sev (fine gram flour noodles)
• 3/4 cup raw peanuts
• 1/2 cup chana dal, soaked 2 hours
• 1/2 cup poha (flattened rice)
• 20 curry leaves
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp amchur (dried mango powder)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• Neutral oil for frying

Method

1. Drain the soaked chana dal and dry it completely on a towel. Wet dal spits violently in hot oil.
2. Heat the oil to 340F/170C. Fry the peanuts 2-3 minutes until they stop hissing, then lift out.
3. Fry the chana dal 3-4 minutes, until the bubbling stops and it rattles against the spoon.
4. Fry the poha for 15 seconds — it puffs instantly. Fry the curry leaves 10 seconds until translucent.
5. While everything is still warm, toss with turmeric, chili powder, amchur, salt and sugar so the spice sticks.
6. Fold in the sev last and gently, or you grind it to powder. Cool completely before it goes in a tin.

Where you'd actually eat it: Corner shops, cash-and-carries and pub snack racks all over town; the good stuff is Wembley and Green Street. Bag torn open flat on the table, dusty fingers, cold lager.

From behind the bar: Sev needs an extruder press, so everyone buys it. Read the packet — some brands fry in ghee or add milk powder, which kills the vegan claim.

You need

• 3 large onions, sliced very thin
• 1.5 cups gram flour (besan)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 green chili, chopped
• Handful cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Water as needed
• Neutral oil for deep frying
• Lime and green chili chutney, to serve

Method

1. Slice the onions as thin as you can manage. Salt them and leave 20 minutes — the water they release becomes the liquid in the batter.
2. Squeeze the onions lightly, then add gram flour, turmeric, cumin, coriander, chili, cilantro and baking soda.
3. Mix with your hands, adding water a tablespoon at a time. You want a thick, barely-cohering mess, not a smooth batter.
4. Heat the oil to 340F/170C. Drop in loose spoonfuls — they should look ragged, with strands sticking out.
5. Fry 4-5 minutes, turning once, until deep brown the whole way through. An underfried bhaji is raw gram flour and tastes exactly like it.
6. Drain on a rack, salt, and serve with lime and a cilantro-green chili chutney.

Where you'd actually eat it: Brick Lane and Whitechapel curry houses, ordered with a pint of Cobra before anything else lands. Also the thing that turns up on every pub curry night in the city.

From behind the bar: Standard mint chutney is made with yogurt and is not vegan. Blend cilantro, green chili, lime and salt instead and lose nothing.

You need

• 2 lb (900 g) russet or Maris Piper potatoes
• 2 cups malt vinegar
• Neutral oil for deep frying
• Fine sea salt
• Malt vinegar powder, if you can find it

Method

1. Slice the potatoes on a mandoline at 1/16 inch, skin on. Even thickness matters more than which thickness.
2. Soak the slices in cold water 30 minutes, changing it twice, until it runs clear. Washing off the starch is what makes them crisp.
3. For real sourness, soak the drained slices in malt vinegar 30 minutes. Then dry them completely between towels — completely.
4. Fry in batches at 325F/165C for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until the bubbling slows and they turn pale gold.
5. Pull them out just before they look done. They keep darkening on the rack.
6. Salt immediately, dust with vinegar powder if you have it. Cool fully and eat the same day.

Where you'd actually eat it: On the clip behind every bar in London. Worth knowing: cheese and onion nearly always contains dairy, and some salt and vinegar brands carry lactose. Read the bag.

From behind the bar: Bagged crisps get their bite from sodium diacetate, not vinegar. Vinegar powder is the home equivalent; a soak alone gives a softer, rounder sour.

You need

• 2 lb (900 g) Maris Piper or russet potatoes
• Neutral oil for deep frying
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp mild curry powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• Salt
• Malt vinegar, to serve

Method

1. Cut the potatoes into thick chips, roughly 1/2 inch square. Rinse, then simmer in salted water 5 minutes until just yielding. Drain and dry on a rack.
2. First fry at 285F/140C for 6-7 minutes until pale and floppy. Drain and cool at least 30 minutes — this stage is what makes the inside fluffy.
3. Sauce: soften the onion in oil for 8 minutes. Add curry powder and turmeric, cook 1 minute. Stir in the flour, then whisk in the stock slowly.
4. Simmer 15 minutes, add sugar, vinegar and salt, then blend smooth. It should coat a chip, not drown it.
5. Second fry at 375F/190C for 3-4 minutes until deep gold and audibly crisp.
6. Salt hard, malt vinegar over the top, curry sauce poured on or served alongside. Pick a side and defend it.

Where you'd actually eat it: Chip shop on the walk home, or a pub with a proper fryer and no shame. Wrapped in paper, eaten standing, and it will be the last clear memory of the night.

From behind the bar: Most chip shop curry sauce is vegan, but some brands carry milk powder or ghee. Read the tub before you assume anything.

You need

• 10 oz / 300 g pimientos de Padrón (shishito peppers are a fair stand-in and behave the same)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Flaky or coarse sea salt

Method

1. Wash and dry the peppers completely. Leave the stems on — they are the handle.
2. Heat the oil in a wide skillet until it shimmers, around 375F / 190C. It must be hot before they go in.
3. Add the peppers in one layer and leave them still for a minute, then toss every 30 seconds. Total 4-5 minutes, until blistered black in patches and collapsing.
4. Lift out with a slotted spoon onto a warm plate and salt hard while glossy with oil.
5. Eat with your fingers, holding the stem. Drink is compulsory for the one that bites.

Where you'd actually eat it: Galician by birth, on every Madrid bar menu regardless, and thrown in with a beer at the jamón bars on Cava Baja. Order them first, before anything fried.

From behind the bar: Dry the peppers properly or the oil will spit across the room. A lid held at an angle is your friend.

You need

• 1 1/2 lb / 700 g floury potatoes, in 1 in / 2.5 cm chunks
• Olive or sunflower oil for frying
• For the sauce: 4 tbsp olive oil, 1 small onion finely chopped, 1 garlic clove
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp sweet pimentón, 1 tsp hot pimentón, cayenne to taste
• 1 1/4 cups / 300 ml hot vegetable broth
• 1 tsp sherry vinegar, salt

Method

1. Sauce first: cook the onion and garlic in the oil over low heat 10 minutes until soft and sweet, no color.
2. Off the heat, stir in the flour and both pimentóns — pimentón scorches in under 10 seconds on direct heat and turns bitter.
3. Back on low heat, add the hot broth in stages, whisking, and simmer 10 minutes until it coats a spoon. Add vinegar and salt, then blend smooth. It should be the color of terracotta.
4. Potatoes: fry at 285F / 140C for 8-10 minutes until tender and pale. Lift out and rest 10 minutes.
5. Raise the oil to 375F / 190C and fry again 3-4 minutes until crisp and gold. Drain, salt.
6. Pile in a dish, pour the sauce over the top — not underneath — and serve with toothpicks.

Where you'd actually eat it: Docamar in Ciudad Lineal since 1963 and Las Bravas near Sol are the reference points. Ordered with a caña, shared, always the first thing on the table.

From behind the bar: Many Madrid bars build the sauce on ham broth, which makes it not vegan. Vegetable broth gives the same texture and near enough the flavor — the pimentón is doing the talking.

You need

• Two 15 oz / 400 g cans cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 lb / 450 g spinach, washed
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 thick slice of country bread, crust off (plain bread — check it has no milk or butter in it)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sweet pimentón
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1/2 cup / 120 ml vegetable broth or chickpea water
• Salt, black pepper

Method

1. Fry the bread and the whole garlic cloves in the oil over medium heat until both are golden, about 3 minutes. Take them out and leave the oil in the pan.
2. Pound the bread, garlic, cumin, and vinegar to a coarse paste in a mortar, or blitz with a splash of broth. This is what thickens the dish; there is no flour.
3. Wilt the spinach in the same pan in batches, 2-3 minutes, and squeeze out excess water so the dish does not go soupy.
4. Add the chickpeas, the paste, the pimentón, and the broth. Simmer 10 minutes, mashing a few chickpeas against the pan.
5. Season hard with salt and pepper and let it sit 10 minutes off the heat. It should be thick enough to eat with bread, not a soup.
6. Serve warm in a small dish.

Where you'd actually eat it: Sevillian by birth and nobody pretends otherwise, but it sits on Madrid tapas boards year round and heaviest in Lent. Old tabernas and market bars, red wine or a caña, midday, standing.

From behind the bar: Squeeze the spinach properly dry before it goes back in. Wet leaves turn the whole thing to soup and mashed chickpea will not save it.

You need

• 1 lb / 450 g button or cremini mushrooms, stems removed, caps halved if large
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 dried guindilla or pinch of chile flakes
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml dry white wine
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Chopped flat parsley, coarse salt
• Bread, sliced, to serve

Method

1. Wipe the mushrooms clean; do not wash them. Wet mushrooms will boil in their own water.
2. Get a wide skillet very hot with 2 tbsp oil. Add the mushrooms cut-side down in one layer, do not stir, and let them brown 3-4 minutes.
3. Turn, cook 2 more minutes, then add the wine and let it evaporate entirely.
4. Lower the heat, add the rest of the oil, the garlic, and the chile. Cook 60-90 seconds only — garlic past blond is bitter.
5. Off the heat, add lemon, parsley, and coarse salt. Toss.
6. Serve hot on bread that soaks up the oil.

Where you'd actually eat it: The mesones under Plaza Mayor on Cava de San Miguel, where they cook on a flat top all evening. Beer or a rough red, and singing you did not ask for.

From behind the bar: Mesón del Champiñón stuffs each cap with chorizo or jamón before griddling, so that version is not vegan. This one is. Keep the garlic raw until the end.

You need

• 2 lb / 900 g ripe tomatoes, quartered
• 1 Italian green pepper or 1/2 green bell pepper
• 1 small cucumber, peeled
• 1 garlic clove, small
• 2 oz / 60 g stale white bread, crust off (plain bread only — no milk or butter in it)
• 1/2 cup / 120 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

Method

1. Soak the bread in cold water 10 minutes, then squeeze it out.
2. Blend the tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, garlic, and bread until completely smooth — a full 2 minutes, longer than feels necessary.
3. With the blender running, pour the olive oil in slowly. The color should lift to a pale orange-pink as it emulsifies. This step is the difference between good and forgettable.
4. Add the vinegar and salt, blend again, then pass through a sieve if you want it bar-smooth.
5. Chill at least 3 hours. Taste again cold — it will need more salt and probably more vinegar.
6. Serve in a small glass, no garnish, no spoon.

Where you'd actually eat it: Andalusian by origin, but every Madrid bar pours it in summer, often free with the drink. Served in a glass at the counter with a beer chaser at two in the afternoon.

From behind the bar: Underripe tomatoes make thin, sour gazpacho and no amount of blending fixes it. Out of season, buy good canned whole tomatoes instead.

You need

• 4 nopal paddles (cactus), fresh
• 8 knob onions or thick spring onions
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• Coarse salt
• 2 limes
• Ground chile piquín or chile de árbol
• Salsa martajada and warm corn tortillas, to serve

Method

1. Scrape the spines and nodes off both sides of the paddles with the back of a knife, then trim the thick outer edge. Rinse.
2. Score the paddles lightly on both sides in a crosshatch. This lets the sticky liquid escape rather than pool.
3. Oil and salt the paddles and the onions.
4. Grill or plancha over high heat, 4-6 minutes a side, until the bright green turns olive-drab and the surface goes dry and blistered. Cooking off the slime is the entire job — pull them early and the texture is unpleasant.
5. Grill the onions 8 minutes, turning, until soft and blackened in patches.
6. Slice the paddles into strips. Dress with lime, coarse salt and chile powder, and serve with the onions, salsa and tortillas.

Where you'd actually eat it: Pulquerías and mezcalerías, and the grill stalls outside markets. Pulque natural, or mezcal with an orange slice.

From behind the bar: Sal de gusano is made from moth larvae, so it is not vegan despite what half the internet says. Use plain sea salt with ground chile instead.

You need

• 250 g dried peeled fava beans (habas peladas)
• Neutral oil for frying
• 1 tbsp ground chile de árbol or piquín
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 2 limes

Method

1. Soak the peeled favas in cold water 4 hours or overnight, on top of the cooking time listed. They should swell but not go mushy.
2. Drain and dry them thoroughly on a towel. Any water left on them will spit violently in the oil and the beans will not crisp.
3. Heat 2 inches of oil to 325F/163C. Low and slow — hotter than this and they brown outside while staying leathery inside.
4. Fry in batches of a handful, 4-6 minutes, until pale gold and floating. They will still feel slightly soft. They crisp as they cool.
5. Drain on paper and immediately toss the hot beans with salt and ground chile so it sticks.
6. Cool completely before eating and store in a jar. Squeeze lime over only at the table, right before they go around.

Where you'd actually eat it: The default free bowl in pulquerías and older cantinas, alongside peanuts and pepitas. Pulque, beer, or whatever the house is pouring by the jarra.

From behind the bar: Lime in advance turns them soggy within the hour. Squeeze it on the plate, not in the pan.

You need

• 300 g raw skin-on peanuts
• 120 ml neutral oil
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thick
• 10 chiles de árbol, whole
• 2 tsp coarse salt
• 1 tsp ground chile piquín
• 1 lime

Method

1. Put the peanuts, oil and garlic in a cold skillet. Starting cold is what keeps the garlic from burning before the peanuts toast.
2. Set over medium heat and stir more or less constantly for 10-12 minutes. The peanuts go from pale to deep tan and start smelling roasted; the garlic turns gold.
3. Add the whole chiles de árbol for the last 60-90 seconds only. They darken fast and taste acrid if you push them.
4. Lift everything out with a slotted spoon onto paper towels. Do not tip the whole pan into a sieve or the peanuts sit in draining oil and go greasy.
5. While still hot, toss with the coarse salt and ground chile.
6. Cool completely — they crisp on cooling — then store in a jar. Squeeze lime over a handful just before eating.

Where you'd actually eat it: Every cantina in the Centro, in a small dish that reappears without asking. Also the pulquería standard. Beer, pulque, or a caballito of whatever is cheapest.

From behind the bar: Eat the garlic and the fried chiles too. That is the whole reason to make these rather than buy a bag.

You need

• 240 g masa harina, blue if you can find it
• 360 ml warm water
• 1 tsp salt
• 150 g refried black beans, cooked in oil (not lard)
• 2 nopal paddles, cleaned and diced
• 1/2 white onion, half chopped for cooking, half for topping
• Handful cilantro
• Salsa verde
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• Lime

Method

1. Mix the masa harina, warm water and salt into a soft, pliable dough. Rest 15 minutes covered.
2. Divide into 8 balls. Flatten each in your palm, put a heaped tablespoon of bean paste in the center, fold the masa over and seal completely. Any gap and the beans blow out on the comal.
3. Shape each into a flat pointed oval, about 1/2 inch / 1.2 cm thick.
4. Cook on a dry comal or heavy skillet over medium-high, 4-5 minutes a side, until well spotted and firm. They should sound hollow-ish when tapped.
5. Meanwhile cook the diced nopales with the chopped onion in the oil over medium heat, 8-10 minutes, until the sticky liquid cooks off and the pieces go dull green and slightly browned.
6. Top the hot tlacoyos with nopales, raw chopped onion, cilantro, salsa verde and lime.

Where you'd actually eat it: Comal stands outside metro entrances and near pulquerías, busiest in the morning and again at dusk. With pulque, or a bag of agua de horchata from the next stall.

From behind the bar: Street tlacoyos usually get queso, and the beans are often cooked in lard. If you want it vegan you have to make it yourself or ask, plainly.

You need

• 3 ripe Hass avocados
• 1-2 serrano chiles, minced
• 3 tbsp finely chopped white onion
• Small handful cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime
• Coarse salt
• Totopos, to serve

Method

1. Grind the serrano, onion, cilantro and a good pinch of coarse salt in a molcajete into a rough green paste. No molcajete: chop everything as fine as you can and mash with the flat of a knife.
2. Halve the avocados, scoop the flesh in, and mash with the pestle or a fork. Stop while there are still lumps. Smooth guacamole is a hotel breakfast.
3. Squeeze in lime, a little at a time, tasting as you go.
4. Salt again. Avocado absorbs far more salt than seems reasonable, and undersalted guacamole tastes like nothing.
5. Serve immediately with totopos, in the molcajete if you made it there.
6. No garlic, no cumin, no sour cream, no peas. If someone asks, the answer is no.

Where you'd actually eat it: Everywhere, but at its best in mezcalerías as part of a mixed botana with chapulines and totopos. Mezcal neat, or beer with lime.

From behind the bar: The avocado pit does not stop it browning. Lime and eating it fast do.

You need

• 4 medium zucchini
• Neutral oil for shallow frying
• 1 large white onion, sliced thin
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 10 sage leaves
• 1 cup / 240 ml white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup / 120 ml water
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• Black peppercorns, 1 bay leaf

Method

1. Cut the zucchini into rounds 1/4 in / 6 mm thick, salt them lightly in a colander for 20 minutes, then dry thoroughly.
2. Shallow-fry in oil at 340F / 170C in batches, 2 minutes a side, until gold at the edges. Drain on a rack — not paper, which steams them soft.
3. In a saucepan, soften the onion and garlic in the olive oil over low heat for 8 minutes without browning.
4. Add vinegar, water, sage, bay, peppercorns, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes.
5. Layer the fried zucchini in a non-reactive dish and pour the boiling marinade over while it is still hot — hot liquid on cool vegetables is what makes carpione work.
6. Cool, cover, and refrigerate at least 12 hours, up to four days.
7. Serve cool, not cold, with bread. It is vegan as written; the traditional fish version is not.

Where you'd actually eat it: Summer antipasto in osterie with a courtyard, dragged out of the fridge already made. Chilled Lugana, and bread for the marinade.

From behind the bar: Glass or ceramic only. Metal and vinegar overnight is a metallic-tasting mistake.

You need

• 1.75 cups / 200 g chickpea flour
• 3 cups / 700 ml water
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
• 1.5 tsp salt
• Coarse black pepper
• Optional: rosemary leaves, or thin-sliced onion

Method

1. Whisk the chickpea flour into the water slowly until completely lump-free. Cover and rest at room temperature 4 to 8 hours.
2. Skim off the foam that rises to the surface and discard it — that is where the bitterness sits.
3. Stir in the salt and 3 tbsp of the oil. The batter should be as thin as heavy cream.
4. Heat the oven to 500F / 260C with a 12 in / 30 cm shallow metal or cast-iron pan inside. Get it genuinely hot; this is not a moderate-oven dish.
5. Pour the remaining 2 tbsp oil into the hot pan, swirl, then pour in the batter to a depth of about 1/4 in / 6 mm. Scatter rosemary or onion if using.
6. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until the surface is blistered brown in patches and the edges pull away from the pan.
7. Grind pepper over, cut into wedges, eat hot with your hands.

Where you'd actually eat it: Genoese by origin and honest about it, but sold by the slice in Milan's pizzerie al trancio and friggitorie. Hot, heavily peppered, with a beer.

From behind the bar: The rest is not optional — unrested batter tastes raw and chalky. Thin layer, brutal heat, that is the whole recipe.

You need

• 4 cups / 1 L water
• 1 cup / 160 g coarse cornmeal (bramata)
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Neutral oil for frying
• 1 tbsp rosemary leaves, chopped fine
• Flaky salt
• Optional: 2 tbsp fine cornmeal for dusting

Method

1. Bring the salted water to a boil and rain in the cornmeal while whisking hard so no lumps form.
2. Cook on the lowest heat 40 to 45 minutes, stirring every few minutes with a wooden spoon, until it pulls away from the sides of the pot. Stir in the olive oil.
3. Pour into an oiled tray to a depth of 3/4 in / 2 cm, smooth the top, cool, then refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight until firm.
4. Cut into batons about 3 in / 8 cm long. Dust with fine cornmeal if you want an extra-crisp shell.
5. Heat 1.5 in / 4 cm of neutral oil to 350F / 175C.
6. Fry in batches 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until the outsides are hard and gold. Cold polenta straight from the fridge fries better than room-temperature polenta.
7. Drain on a rack and toss immediately with rosemary and flaky salt.

Where you'd actually eat it: Fried-snack counters and Navigli buffet tables, usually in a metal tray under a lamp. Salt, rosemary, cold beer.

From behind the bar: Vegan as written. The version bars serve smothered in melted gorgonzola or taleggio is not — that is a different order.

You need

• 1.5 lb / 700 g borettane or small pearl onions
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup / 120 ml white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup / 120 ml water
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 black peppercorns
• 1 tsp salt

Method

1. Drop the onions into boiling water for 60 seconds, then into cold water. The skins slip off with a pinch after that.
2. Trim the root ends flat but leave them attached so the onions hold together.
3. Warm the oil in a wide pan, add the onions in a single layer and color them lightly over medium heat, 6 to 8 minutes, shaking the pan.
4. Sprinkle over the sugar and let it melt and turn pale amber, about 2 minutes.
5. Add vinegar, water, bay, peppercorns and salt. Simmer uncovered on low for 30 to 35 minutes, until the onions are tender to a knife tip and the liquid has reduced to a syrupy glaze.
6. Cool in the pan, transfer to a jar with the glaze, and refrigerate at least a day. They keep two weeks and improve for the first five days.

Where you'd actually eat it: In the free pickle bowls on the counter alongside the olives and the chips. Sharp enough to reset your mouth between a Campari and the next one.

From behind the bar: If the glaze tightens before the onions soften, add a splash of water. If the onions soften first, lift them out and reduce the liquid alone.

You need

• 1.5 cups / 300 g dried borlotti beans, soaked overnight
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed
• 6 sage leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small red onion, sliced paper thin
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Salt and coarse black pepper

Method

1. Drain the soaked beans, cover with fresh cold water by 2 in / 5 cm, and add the garlic, sage and bay. No salt yet — it toughens the skins.
2. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes, then drop to the barest simmer for 50 to 70 minutes until the beans are creamy but still whole. Skim as needed.
3. Salt the water in the last 10 minutes and let the beans cool in their liquid for 20 minutes so they stay plump.
4. Soak the sliced onion in the vinegar with a pinch of salt for 15 minutes; it takes the raw bite off.
5. Drain the beans, keeping a few spoons of the cooking liquid, and dress them while still warm with the onion, its vinegar, the oil and the reserved liquid.
6. Season hard with salt and coarse pepper, fold in the parsley, and serve at room temperature with bread.

Where you'd actually eat it: Osteria antipasto in the cheap places that have not been renovated. Barbera or Bonarda, bread, no ceremony, no plating.

From behind the bar: Canned borlotti work: rinse, warm them gently in oil with sage and garlic, then dress. Do not skip warming, or the dressing sits on top instead of soaking in.

You need

• 8 oz / 250 g chickpea flour (farine de pois chiche)
• 3 cups / 750 ml water
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for the pan
• 2 tsp fine salt
• Black pepper
• Neutral oil for frying, 1.5 inches deep
• Coarse salt and lemon, to finish
• Optional: 1 tsp chopped rosemary

Method

1. Oil a rimmed sheet pan or a shallow dish. You want the mix to set about 1/2 inch thick.
2. Bring the water, olive oil and salt to a boil. Off the heat, rain the chickpea flour in while whisking constantly so no lumps form. Three parts water to one part flour by weight is the ratio that actually sets.
3. Return to medium heat and stir with a wooden spoon for 8-10 minutes, until it is thick enough that the spoon stands and it pulls away from the sides.
4. Scrape into the oiled pan, smooth the top with a wet spatula, and cool at room temperature 30 minutes, then chill at least 2 hours until firm.
5. Cut into batons the size of thick fries.
6. Heat the frying oil to 350F/175C. Fry in batches 4-5 minutes, turning, until deep gold and blistered. Do not crowd the pan.
7. Drain on a rack, hit with coarse salt and pepper, serve with lemon. Eat immediately; they go soft within ten minutes.

Where you'd actually eat it: Marseille street food that colonized the natural wine bars of the 11th. Chilled rosé or a fizzy pet-nat, and no apology for either.

From behind the bar: They can be baked at 425F/220C for 25 minutes with a good coat of oil, but they will be firmer and less pillowy. Frying is the real version.

You need

• 6 medium leeks, white and pale green only
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard (check the label; plain Dijon is vegan, some flavored ones are not)
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 6 tbsp olive oil or neutral oil
• 1 shallot, minced fine
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley, 1 tbsp chopped chives
• Salt, black pepper
• Optional: 1 tbsp capers or chopped cornichon

Method

1. Trim the leeks to even lengths and split them lengthwise to within an inch of the root, keeping them held together. Fan them under cold running water until every layer is clean.
2. Simmer in well-salted water 12-15 minutes, until a knife goes through the thick end with no resistance. Undercooked leeks are stringy and there is no fixing them later.
3. Lift them out into ice water for 1 minute to hold the color, then drain.
4. Lay them on a folded towel, cover with another, and press gently with a plate for 20 minutes. Wet leeks dilute the vinaigrette.
5. Whisk the mustard, vinegar and a pinch of salt, then beat in the oil until emulsified. Stir in the shallot and capers.
6. Arrange the leeks in a dish, spoon the vinaigrette over while they are still slightly warm, and let them sit 30 minutes. Finish with herbs and pepper, serve cool.

Where you'd actually eat it: On the entrées list at every prix-fixe bistro in Paris, and reworked as a small plate in the 11th. A dry Loire white handles the vinegar.

From behind the bar: The classic bistro version often gets grated hard-boiled egg on top, which is fine but not vegan. Leave it off and add extra shallot.

You need

• 1.25 lb / 600 g small button mushrooms, wiped clean
• 1/3 cup / 80 ml olive oil
• 1 cup / 240 ml dry white wine
• Juice of 1 lemon plus 3 thin slices
• 1 onion or 4 shallots, sliced thin
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tbsp coriander seed, lightly crushed
• 10 black peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, 4 sprigs thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• Chopped parsley to finish

Method

1. Trim the mushroom stems. Halve anything larger than a walnut; leave small ones whole.
2. Simmer the wine, olive oil, lemon juice and slices, onion, garlic, coriander, peppercorns, bay, thyme and salt for 10 minutes to build the court-bouillon.
3. Add the mushrooms, cover, and simmer 8-10 minutes. They will throw off liquid and shrink.
4. Lift the mushrooms out with a slotted spoon into a bowl.
5. Boil the liquid hard for 5-8 minutes until reduced by about half and slightly syrupy, then pour it over the mushrooms.
6. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
7. Serve at cool room temperature, not fridge cold, with parsley and bread for the liquid.

Where you'd actually eat it: A traiteur-counter classic sold by weight, and back on wine bar slates as a cold vegetable plate. Aligoté or any lean white.

From behind the bar: Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead. Cold olive oil goes cloudy and dull and the coriander disappears.

You need

• 3 large eggplants, about 2.5 lb / 1.2 kg
• 4 tbsp olive oil, plus more to finish
• 2 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley, 1 tbsp chopped mint (optional)
• 1 tsp ground cumin or coriander (optional)
• Fine salt, black pepper
• Grilled country bread, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 425F/220C. Halve the eggplants lengthwise, score the cut faces in a diamond pattern, oil them and set cut-side down on a lined sheet pan.
2. Roast 45-50 minutes, until the skins collapse and the flesh is completely soft with no firmness at the stem end. Undercooked eggplant tastes bitter and spongy.
3. Cool 10 minutes, then scoop the flesh into a colander and let it drain 20 minutes. Press lightly. This is the step that decides whether you get a spread or a puddle.
4. Chop the flesh on a board with a knife until rough-textured. Do not blend it smooth.
5. Beat in the garlic, lemon juice and olive oil, then the spices. Season aggressively with salt.
6. Rest an hour, taste again, and finish with herbs and a slick of olive oil. Serve at room temperature with grilled bread; refrigerate leftovers, raw garlic in oil does not sit out.

Where you'd actually eat it: On apéro tables and in traiteur windows across the city, strongest in the eastern arrondissements. Rosé, or a chilled Gamay.

From behind the bar: For real smoke, char the whole eggplants directly over a gas flame for 10 minutes first, then finish in the oven.

You need

• 10 oz / 300 g padrón peppers (or shishito), dry
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Coarse sea salt
• Lemon wedge (optional)

Method

1. Wash the peppers well ahead and dry them completely. Water in the pan means steam, and steam means no blisters.
2. Heat a heavy skillet over high until it is smoking faintly, then add the olive oil.
3. Add the peppers in one layer. Work in two batches if the pan is crowded.
4. Cook 4-6 minutes total, tossing every minute, until the skins are blistered black in patches and the flesh has slumped.
5. Tip onto a plate, salt heavily with coarse salt while they are shining with oil.
6. Serve immediately, eaten by the stem. Squeeze of lemon if you like, though nobody in Paris bothers.

Where you'd actually eat it: Galician by origin, Basque by route, and now default apéro food in the natural wine bars around Oberkampf and Charonne. Pet-nat or a cold light red.

From behind the bar: Roughly one in ten is hot. That is the whole game, and there is no way to tell which by looking.

You need

• 600 g starchy potatoes (russet or Idaho), peeled
• 1/2 onion
• 3/4 tsp fine salt
• 1 tbsp potato starch, only if needed
• Neutral oil for shallow frying
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp gochugaru
• 1 scallion, sliced thin
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Method

1. Grate the potatoes and onion on the fine side of a box grater, or pulse in a blender with a splash of water until coarse and slushy.
2. Tip into a sieve set over a bowl and press out the liquid. Let the liquid stand 5 minutes, then pour off the water and keep the white starch settled at the bottom.
3. Scrape that starch back into the pressed potato with the salt. Add potato starch only if the batter still runs loose.
4. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Spoon in the batter and spread thin, about 1/4 inch.
5. Fry 4 to 5 minutes without touching it, until the edge is deep gold and lacy, then flip and fry 3 to 4 minutes more, adding oil down the side of the pan.
6. Drain briefly, cut with scissors, and serve with soy, vinegar, gochugaru, scallion and sesame stirred together. Vegan as written; no egg and no dashi anywhere in it.

Where you'd actually eat it: Makgeolli houses in Jongno and Ikseon-dong, and every mountain-side shack on the way down from Bukhansan. Ordered with a brass kettle of rice wine and nothing else.

From behind the bar: Reclaiming the settled potato starch is the whole trick. Throw the liquid out wholesale and the pancake falls apart in the pan.

You need

• 300 g well-fermented vegan kimchi, chopped
• 1/3 cup kimchi juice
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp potato starch
• 1/2 cup ice-cold water
• 1 tbsp gochujang
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 3 scallions, cut into 2 inch lengths
• Neutral oil for frying
• Soy sauce and rice vinegar, to dip

Method

1. Read the label. Most commercial kimchi carries salted shrimp (saeujeot) or anchovy sauce, and most gochujang for sale in Korea does not, but cheap blends sometimes do. Buy kimchi marked vegan or temple-style (사찰김치), or make your own with no jeotgal. This is the only substitution worth being fussy about.
2. Chop the kimchi small and squeeze the juice into a bowl. Whisk in flour, potato starch, gochujang, sugar and enough ice water to make a batter that ribbons off a spoon.
3. Fold in the kimchi and scallions. Do not overwork it or rest it; mix and fry.
4. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Pour in the batter and spread thin, no more than 1/4 inch.
5. Fry 4 minutes until the underside is set and browning, then flip and add another tablespoon of oil around the rim. Press flat with a spatula and fry 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Flip once more for 30 seconds to re-crisp, then cut with scissors. Dip in soy sauce cut with vinegar.

Where you'd actually eat it: Rain in Seoul means makgeolli and something fried, and this is the cheapest version of that. Every neighborhood drinking house has it, usually for under ten thousand won.

From behind the bar: Kimchi that is three weeks old or older. Fresh kimchi has no acid and no juice, and the pancake comes out flat and sweet.

You need

• 1 block (about 400 g) dotorimuk acorn jelly
• 3 cups mixed leaves: lettuce, perilla, watercress
• 1/2 onion, sliced paper-thin
• 1/2 cucumber, cut into batons
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp gochugaru
• 1 tsp sugar or maesil plum syrup
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 scallion, sliced
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Method

1. If using a store-bought block, dip it in boiling water for 30 seconds, then chill in cold water. It firms the surface and cleans off packing liquid.
2. Cut into slabs about 1/2 inch thick and 2 inches long. Drain on a towel so the dressing does not slide straight off.
3. Soak the sliced onion in cold water 10 minutes to strip its harshness, then squeeze dry.
4. Whisk soy sauce, vinegar, gochugaru, sugar, garlic, scallion and sesame oil. Taste; it should be sharp, since the jelly itself contributes nothing.
5. Toss the leaves, onion and cucumber with two thirds of the dressing.
6. Lay the jelly over the greens, spoon the rest of the dressing on top, and finish with sesame seeds. Toss gently at the table. Vegan as written: acorn starch and water in the block, no anchovy sauce in the dressing.

Where you'd actually eat it: The standard order at mountain-foot drinking houses below Bukhansan and Gwanaksan, eaten with dongdongju after a hike. Also on every makgeolli bar menu in Jongno.

From behind the bar: Dress it at the last second. Acorn jelly weeps water within ten minutes and turns the whole plate into a soup.

You need

• 400 g soybean sprouts (kongnamul, the ones with big yellow heads)
• 1 tsp fine salt for the water
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 scallion, sliced thin
• 1 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tsp gochugaru (optional)

Method

1. Pick over the sprouts and pull off any brown husks and stringy tails. Rinse twice in cold water.
2. Bring 4 cups water and 1 tsp salt to a boil. Add the sprouts, put the lid on, and do not lift it for 5 minutes. Lifting it mid-cook is what makes them smell grassy.
3. Boil 5 to 6 minutes total, until the stems are tender and the yellow heads still snap.
4. Drain and rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking, then squeeze gently. Leave them a little damp.
5. Toss with garlic, scallion, salt, sesame oil, sesame seeds and gochugaru if you want color and a low heat.
6. Taste and correct the salt. Chill 20 minutes before serving. No fish sauce, no salted shrimp and no anchovy stock, so it stays vegan.

Where you'd actually eat it: Arrives unasked on every pocha table alongside the peanuts. Also the base of the hangover soup you will need in about nine hours.

From behind the bar: Soybean sprouts, not mung bean sprouts. Mung sprouts collapse in the pot and lose the crunch the whole dish is built on.

You need

• 600 g Korean sweet potatoes (or orange-fleshed), peeled and cut into rough 1 inch chunks
• Neutral oil for deep frying
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp rice syrup or corn syrup
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, for the caramel
• 1 tbsp toasted black and white sesame seeds
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Soak the cut sweet potato in cold water 15 minutes to rinse off surface starch, then dry completely. Wet chunks will spit in the oil.
2. Heat 2 inches of oil to 325F/163C. Fry in batches 6 to 8 minutes until a skewer slides through easily and the outsides are pale gold. Drain on a rack.
3. Raise the oil to 375F/191C and fry each batch again for 2 minutes until the crust is firm and browned. Drain.
4. In a wide pan over medium heat, combine sugar, syrup, water, 1 tbsp oil and the salt. Swirl, do not stir, until it turns amber and bubbles thickly, about 3 minutes.
5. Kill the heat, add the sweet potato, and toss fast so every piece takes a coat before the caramel seizes.
6. Tip onto an oiled tray, separate the pieces with a fork, scatter sesame seeds, and let set 5 minutes. Vegan as written, using syrup rather than honey.

Where you'd actually eat it: Comes as a side plate with the fried chicken at old-school chicken shops, and turns up on pocha menus at the end of the night. Eaten hot with cold beer, which sounds wrong and is not.

From behind the bar: Move fast at the toss. The caramel goes from pourable to concrete in under a minute, and reheating it just burns the sugar.

You need

• 600 g Korean sweet potatoes (or orange-fleshed), peeled and cut into rough 1 inch chunks
• Neutral oil for deep frying
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp rice syrup or corn syrup
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, for the caramel
• 1 tbsp toasted black and white sesame seeds
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Soak the cut sweet potato in cold water 15 minutes to rinse off surface starch, then dry completely. Wet chunks will spit in the oil.
2. Heat 2 inches of oil to 325F/163C. Fry in batches 6 to 8 minutes until a skewer slides through easily and the outsides are pale gold. Drain on a rack.
3. Raise the oil to 375F/190C and fry each batch again for 2 minutes until the crust is firm and browned. Drain.
4. In a wide pan over medium heat, combine sugar, syrup, water, 1 tbsp oil and the salt. Swirl, do not stir, until it turns amber and bubbles thickly, about 3 minutes.
5. Kill the heat, add the sweet potato, and toss fast so every piece takes a coat before the caramel seizes.
6. Tip onto an oiled tray, separate the pieces with a fork, scatter sesame seeds, and let set 5 minutes. Vegan as written, using rice syrup rather than honey.

Where you'd actually eat it: Comes as a side plate with the fried chicken at old-school chicken shops, and turns up on pocha menus at the end of the night. Eaten hot with cold beer, which sounds wrong and is not.

From behind the bar: Move fast at the toss. The caramel goes from pourable to concrete in under a minute, and reheating it just burns the sugar.

You need

• 1 lb (450g) edamame in the pod, frozen is fine
• 2 tbsp coarse sea salt, plus more to finish
• 4 quarts water
• 1 tbsp salt for the pot

Method

1. If using fresh pods, rub them with 2 tbsp coarse salt in a bowl for a minute. This scuffs the fuzz off and seasons the shell. Frozen pods skip this.
2. Bring the water to a rolling boil with a tablespoon of salt. It should taste like a mild broth.
3. Boil fresh pods 4 to 5 minutes, frozen pods 3 minutes. Bite one — it should be tender with a slight resistance, not mealy.
4. Drain and spread on a tray. Do not rinse with cold water; you want the residual heat to dry the shells.
5. Toss with more coarse salt while hot.
6. Serve hot or at room temperature with an empty bowl for the pods.

Where you'd actually eat it: Ordered within eight seconds of sitting down, anywhere in Tokyo, with the first beer, before the menu is even open.

From behind the bar: Genuinely vegan as served — pods, water, salt. Nothing else goes in it, and no izakaya adds dashi.

You need

• 30 ginkgo nuts in the shell (autumn, Japanese groceries)
• Fine sea salt
• Short bamboo skewers

Method

1. Crack each shell with pliers or the flat of a heavy knife — a firm squeeze on the seam, not a smash. The kernel inside should stay whole.
2. Heat a dry heavy skillet over medium. Add the shelled nuts and a pinch of salt.
3. Roast 5 to 7 minutes, shaking constantly, until the brown skins loosen and the nuts turn from opaque yellow to translucent jade green.
4. Rub them in a dry towel and pick off the skins. Some will resist; leave them.
5. Thread 5 or 6 per short skewer, salt again while hot.
6. Serve immediately. They firm up and go rubbery as they cool.

Where you'd actually eat it: A yakitori counter in October when the ginkgo trees along the avenues drop and the whole city smells faintly of it. Hot sake.

From behind the bar: Ginkgo nuts contain ginkgotoxin. Adults should stop at about 10 in a sitting; do not serve them to children at all. This is a real limit, not a superstition.

You need

• 1 block (14 oz/400g) medium-firm tofu
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• Neutral oil for frying
• 4-inch piece kombu
• 3 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp grated daikon
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced

Method

1. Make the dashi: steep the kombu and dried shiitake in 2 cups cold water at least 4 hours, or overnight in the fridge. Heat to just below a simmer, then pull the kombu out. Never boil it. Traditional agedashi uses bonito dashi and is not vegan — this version is, and it tastes like mushrooms and sea, which is a fair trade.
2. Wrap the tofu in paper towels, set a plate on it, and press 30 minutes. Cut into 6 blocks and dry the cut faces.
3. Warm 1.25 cups of the dashi with the soy and mirin. Keep it hot but not boiling.
4. Heat 2 inches of oil to 340F/170C. Dredge the tofu in potato starch, tap off the excess, and fry 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until the crust sets pale gold. It will not brown much.
5. Drain briefly on a rack.
6. Sit the tofu in warm bowls, pour the broth around it — not over it — and top with daikon, ginger and scallion.
7. Read your soy and mirin labels if you are cooking for someone strict. Mentsuyu and some seasoned soy bases carry bonito extract; plain shoyu and hon-mirin do not.

Where you'd actually eat it: A quiet izakaya counter with good sake, ordered second, after something cold and before anything grilled.

From behind the bar: Most izakaya versions get a shower of katsuobushi on top. Ask them to leave it off, or you have ordered a fish dish.

You need

• 3 Japanese eggplants (or 2 small Italian), halved lengthwise
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 3 tbsp red miso (aka miso), dashi-free
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sake
• 1.5 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• Sansho pepper (optional)

Method

1. Score the cut faces of the eggplant in a crosshatch, about 1/4 inch deep. Brush generously with oil — eggplant drinks it and that is how it gets silky.
2. Roast cut-side down at 400F/200C for 12 minutes, then flip and roast 5 minutes more, until a knife meets no resistance.
3. Meanwhile, whisk miso, mirin, sake and sugar in a small pan. Simmer over low 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until it thickens to the texture of soft peanut butter. Check the label: dashi-iri miso contains bonito and is not vegan.
4. Spread the glaze thickly over the cut faces.
5. Broil 2 to 3 minutes, watching it, until the glaze bubbles and darkens at the edges. Sugar burns fast.
6. Sesame seeds on top, sansho if you have it. Serve hot.

Where you'd actually eat it: An izakaya with a charcoal grill, where the eggplant comes out blistered on the skin. Barley shochu, cut with hot water in winter.

From behind the bar: Save the leftover glaze. It keeps a month in the fridge and works on tofu, mushrooms and grilled leeks. Some shops thicken theirs with egg yolk — theirs is not vegan, yours is.

You need

• 2 Japanese or Persian cucumbers
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 3 tbsp moromi miso (also sold as moromi-jan or kinzanji miso)
• Ice water

Method

1. Rub each cucumber all over with coarse salt on a cutting board, rolling it under your palm for 20 seconds. This is called itazuri — it sets the color and takes the bitterness out of the skin.
2. Rinse briefly and drop the cucumbers in ice water for 10 minutes. They need to be genuinely cold.
3. Cut each in half crosswise, then into quarters lengthwise. Leave them long enough to hold.
4. Stand them in a small glass or lay them on a plate with a heaped spoon of moromi miso beside.
5. Scoop a little miso onto each bite as you eat it. Do not premix. Do not dress the cucumber.
6. Read the moromi label — most is soybean, barley, koji and salt, but a few brands add bonito extract or honey.

Where you'd actually eat it: A standing bar in Kanda or Ueno at 5pm, one cucumber between two people, with cold sake straight from the cooler.

From behind the bar: If you cannot find moromi miso, mix red miso with a splash of mirin and a spoon of sake lees. Close enough, and honestly labeled as a substitute.