Čad Sarno, čuveni vegan šef / Chad Sarno, world-famous vegan chef
Molim vas, pokušajte da opi- šete ukus veganske kuhinje ne- kome ko nije imao priliku da je proba? – Kada kreiram jelo, fokusiram se na susret poznatih ukusa, tekstu- ru i izgled hrane koja će zadovoljiti svakoga. Naravno, caka je u tome da su svi recepti pripremljeni bez upo- trebe životinjskih proizvoda. Kada bih opisivao svoju hranu, rekao bih da je osvažna, sveža, čista i pozna- ta. Samo zato što je hrana zdrava ne znači da joj nedostaje ukus. To je mi- šljenje koje često čujem kad je reč o veganskoj kuhinji, a koje je najdalje moguće od istine. Koje su vam omiljene namirni- ce kada je reč o vocu i povrću? – Aromatično bilje kao što su sveži začini, čili i beli luk moraju biti tu za mene. Kada ih imate, sva- ko jelo zasnovano na biljkama uz-
hranom jeste da joj nedostaje ukus. Poznate teksture i ukusi mesa i mleč- nih proizvoda lako se mogu posti- ci uz određene kulinarske tehnike i sastojke. Pečurke, na primer, kada su presovane, marinirane i spremlje-
familiar flavours, textures and appearances they are comfortable with. It just so happens that the twist is that all recipes are solely prepared without the use of animal prod- ucts. To describe my food, I would call it bold, fresh, clean and familiar. Just because food is healthy doesn’t mean it must be lacking in flavour. This is the furthest from the truth and a common misperception that many have about plant-based foods. Which are your favourite veggies and fruits? - Aromatics, such as fresh herbs, chilies and garlic, are musts for me. When you have these, any plant-based dishes are elevated to the next level. Using a variety of aromat- ics, fresh flavours and bold additions helps push that boring vegetable-based dish to something fully satisfying. How important is it to choose plants by season? - When choosing foods out of season, they often lack flavour, with the sugars not being fully developed. Look at tomatoes for example – compare a tomato grown locally and picked ripe in season to a tomato picked elsewhere out of season, often unripe and only ripening during transport. There is no comparison whatsoever when it comes to appearance, taste and aroma. Local and in season is far superior. Isitacomplimentforyouwhensome- one says of your vegan food ’wow, it tastes like meat’? - Yes, it certainly is. As I mentioned above, the misperception many have with plant-based foods is that it lacks flavour and everything will taste too healthy. The familiar textures and enticing tastes of meat and dairy can be easily achieved with the use of certain culinary techniques and in- gredients. Mushrooms, for example, when pressed, sauced and grilled are so close to the taste and texture of meat. Using a simple cashew nut blended with water can achieve a non-dairy cream sauce that will function and taste very similar to its dairy counterpart. What was your best or funniest expe- rience during your stay in Belgrade? - This is a tough question. I would have to say that the greatest part of the project of opening the Mandala Restau- rant was spending time with Elena and Jugoslav and their family – they are tru- ly my extended Serbian family. From the moment we first spoke about this project and many visits, they welcomed me into their lives with open arms and we imme- diately connected on many levels. Rela- tionships are important to me, as I trav- el so much; projects and experiences are fun and temporary, while friendships like that last forever.
Using a variety of aromatics, fresh flavours and bold additions will help push that boring vegetable based dish to something fully satisfying Različite arome, sveži ukusi i hrabri dodaci pretvoriće svako pomalo dosadno na povrću bazirano jelo u neverovatno zadovoljstvo
diže se do sledeceg nivoa. Različite arome, sveži ukusi i hrabri dodaci pretvoriće svako pomalo dosadno na povrću bazirano jelo u nevero- vatno zadovoljstvo. Koliko je bitno odabrati sezon- ske namirnice? – Ako birate povrće i voće van sezone, videćete da često nemaju ukus, jer se šeceri u njima nisu u pot- punosti razvili. Na primer, pogledaj- te paradajz. Uporedite paradajz koji je ubran tu kod vas, zreo, u jeku se- zone, i paradajz koji stiže odnekud kad mu vreme nije, ubran nezreo, pa zri u transportu. Nema poređe- nja. Ne mogu se meriti ni izgledom ni ukusom. Lokalni, sezonski je da- leko superiorniji. Da li je za vas kompliment ka- da neko kaže za vegansku hra- nu „vau, ukusno je kao meso“? – Da, svakako jeste. Kao što sam vec pomenuo, pogrešno shvatanje koje mnogi imaju u vezi sa biljnom
ne na roštilju, veoma su blizu ukusa i teksture mesa. Korišcenjem indij- skog oraha, koji se samelje u blen- deru, pa pomeša sa vodom, dobija se sos koji je veoma sličanog uku- sa kao sos pravljen na bazi mlečnih proizvoda i ozbiljno mu konkuriše. Šta je bilo najbolje ili možda najzabavnije u vezi sa vašim boravkom u Beogradu? – To je teško pitanje. Morao bih reci da je najveci deo protekao na projektu otvaranja restorana Mande- la , pa sam provodio vreme s Jugo- slavom i Elenom Karić, sa njihovom porodicom, koja je postala moja pro- širena srpska porodica. Od trenutka kada smo prvi put govorili o ovom projektu, primili su me u svoje živo- te reširenih ruku i odmah smo se po- vezali na više nivoa. Odnosi sa lju- dima su mi veoma važni jer mnogo putujem. Projekti i iskustva su za- bavni, ali privremeni, dok prijatelj- stva traju zauvek.
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