|
 |
|
When it comes to cooking, Chef Dawn Pallavi knows that health food and gourmet cuisine aren’t mutually exclusive—they go hand in hand. As director and instructor of cooking and nutrition at The Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts in Austin, Texas, Chef Pallavi teaches aspiring chefs “not only how to make natural foods look and taste great, but how those foods affect our lives, our moods, and our bodies.”
Drawing from her experience in Southern and French cuisine and from her training at The Natural Epicurean and The Kushi Institute in Massachusetts, Chef Pallavi creates good-for-you dishes that are almost too good to be true, including Kale and Currant Salad With Lemon Miso Dressing, Ginger Tempeh, and Lemon Tart on an Almond Cookie Crust. Eating well has never tasted better!
|
Chef Spotlight:
Dawn Pallavi
Restaurant or company:
The Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts
Do you have companion animals? If so, can you describe them?
I have a new kitten named Cuddles. She’s a little gray kitty whom my daughter and I rescued.
How long have you been a chef?
Ten years.
What type of cuisine do you focus on?
Natural/organic, vegan/vegetarian, macrobiotic, gluten-free, and some raw.
Have you or your cookbooks received any awards?
Vegetarian Times magazine chose The Natural Epicurean Academy as one of the top four “Cutting-Edge Cuisine” culinary schools in the U.S. Our reputation continues to grow, and we are asked to speak all over the world on food and nutrition.
Do you have a specialty?
We are one of the only vegan/vegetarian/macrobiotic culinary schools in the world. Our emphasis is on culinary techniques, nutrition, and wellness. Not only do our graduates make great food, they know why to eat it and how it affects a person’s health and emotions.
What are the most important elements in cooking great vegetarian cuisine?
Start with fresh ingredients and use combinations that bring out the natural flavors. Include lots of love and care—it has to be beautiful and fun as well as delicious.
What is the key to getting meat-eaters to enjoy vegetarian food?
Meet the meat-eaters where they are. Show them how vegetarian food can be fun, delicious, and beautiful. Don’t try to beat or substitute meat. Let vegetarian food stand on its own, not as a replacement for meat. Serve vegetarian recipes as side dishes that meat-eaters can try. Let the meat-eaters be surprised at how good the food is, and then encourage them to try other recipes. Encourage them to experiment with adding delicious but healthful foods and eliminating meats from their diet for a period of time. Ask them to pay attention to how they feel when they make these changes. This can make them true believers in the benefits of a vegan diet.
What, in your opinion, does the future of plant-based cuisine hold?
Plant-based cuisine is essential in a society where the number and variety of illnesses continue to grow every year. Attention to diet is on the rise. We are getting tired of feeling bad, and tired of the side effects of all the drugs we take. As we learn to make plant-based food that is delicious, widely available, and appealing to a wider market, it will take a more prominent place in people’s daily diets. Education on why to eat plant-based food is only the beginning—it must be delicious enough that people will want to try it and then continue eating it for the short-term pleasure. Then they will begin to realize the long-term benefits of feeling great. If food that tastes good can also make you feel great, then more people will demand it and keep coming back for more. Experience is the most important aspect of fundamentally changing eating habits and lifestyles.
Do you have a favorite cooking method?
It depends on the season. In winter, nothing beats a nice baked or roasted vegetable dish or casserole. In the summer, I’m all for crisp, fresh, “pressed” vegetables in a cool and refreshing slaw with a fresh herb dressing.
Where did you train to become a chef?
I grew up in Texas as a Southern cook and learned French cooking in France. My training as a natural foods chef was here in Austin at The Natural Epicurean and in Massachusetts at The Kushi Institute. I continue learning by attending conferences around the world, and I now teach at many of them.
What are your favorite ingredients to work with?
I love umeboshi. The tangy umeboshi vinegar gives everything a nice zip and is so healing and alkalizing at the same time. Added to soup stock, umeboshi tastes like a tomato base without the acid-forming and calcium-robbing effects of tomatoes. In pesto, it gives the depth of parmesan without the cheese, and sprinkled on veggies, it makes a nice dressing without having to use oil. The tart, salty, fermented umeboshi plums add depth to many dips, sauces, and casseroles and even to plain vegetables. You only need a little bit. The best part is that this amazing pickled plum promotes digestion throughout the meal. How can you go wrong with that combination?
In your opinion, what vegetarian dish or type of food is most frequently poorly prepared and why? Tofu. Without much flavor, it basically takes on the flavor of whatever it is cooked with, and the texture changes based on how you cook it. This means that the cooking method and spices used make all the difference. People expect tofu to be bad, so a delicious preparation can mean all the difference in influencing nonvegetarians. Simple pan-fried tofu, made in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, with a little soy sauce added at the end can be the simplest and most delicious recipe you serve—if it is cooked properly.
If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only eat one kind of ethnic food, what would it be?
The one food I would have to take is brown rice (the practical side of me comes out). I could forage for vegetables, but a good source of high-quality carbohydrate to feed the brain and fuel the body would be a good thing to have on a deserted island. Brown rice is probably the single most sustainable food there is. It is packed with nutrients and fiber and, with its slow-release glucose, is the best form of fuel for my body.
Do vegetarian restaurants face any special obstacles that meat-based restaurants don´t have to face?
Although there is more demand for meat-based restaurants, I think vegetarian restaurants actually have it a little easier in one way: Anyone who has ever moved to a vegetarian kitchen (especially a vegan one) knows that it is much easier to keep clean and germ-free. Harsh chemicals are not as necessary, and spoilage is less of an issue without meat. The biggest challenge for vegetarian restaurants is finding great chefs who really know what they are doing with vegetarian food and then marketing it to a wide audience. Without a creative chef who uses fresh ingredients and knows how to make vegetarian food taste delicious and look great, a restaurant will get reviews like “boring,” “over-spiced,” or “tastes like cardboard.” A great vegetarian chef will appeal to a wide audience, making restaurant marketing much easier. Many people are looking for a place to eat great food that is both of high quality and healthy.
Can you give us one great cooking tip for aspiring vegetarian chefs?
Don’t get too caught up in the meat-substitute game. With an unlimited number of preparation styles to draw from, natural foods can taste great on their own. Learn to bring out the natural flavors of foods through a variety of cooking methods. Leave out poor-quality substitutes. Make superb meals that everyone will love by learning how to prepare the basics, including fresh, organic vegetables; whole grains; beans, including soy products like tofu and tempeh; sourdough breads; and, of course, good-quality sweeteners. Experiment with natural ingredients, and use natural cookware like well-seasoned cast iron, stainless steel, and earthenware.
What are some ingredients that you recommend vegetarians and vegans have in their kitchens to cook with?
Umeboshi plums, umeboshi vinegar, high-quality oils that smell and taste fresh (especially sesame and olive), a wide range of dried herbs and spices, unpasteurized soy sauce, rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar, unrefined sea salt, miso, mirin, and lots of fresh, organic vegetables and sea vegetables.
Are there any newer vegetarian products on the market that you are particularly fond of?
Agave syrup sweetener tastes divine and is so versatile for everything from sweetening tea to baking. NadaMoo vegan ice cream is the best, and Chomp vegan cookies are absolutely delicious!
Have you had any noteworthy comments from or experiences with diners?
It is so satisfying to watch people who don’t normally eat vegan food come in and say, “Wow, this is really good!” The best part is the feedback I get after they begin transitioning to a plant-based diet. I do a lot of health counseling and get to watch my clients and culinary students grow in their process of incorporating natural foods into their cooking and lifestyles. The most satisfying part of my job is watching their health improve and their lives change. Not only do they feel better, they find out who they are, what their passions are, and what their purpose is. Studying a plant-based diet is not just about the food; it’s about a life transformation that gives you back control of who you are and what you want out of your life. I’m no longer surprised that food can do all this.
Choose one area to give some specialty tips for:
- How best to prepare tempeh
Always cook tempeh for at least 20 minutes, otherwise it is hard to digest and feels like a brick in the bottom of your stomach. I like to precook tempeh in about an inch of water with a 1-inch piece of kombu sea vegetable for 20 minutes. Then I use it in any recipe that calls for tempeh. Kombu enhances the flavor of tempeh and makes it more digestible.
- Your favorite way to work with a certain fruit or vegetable
Steamed winter squash. Here’s the trick: Cut the squash into big wedges and sprinkle it with unpasteurized soy sauce before steaming. The soy runs off when it steams and really brings out the sweetness. You’ll be amazed by how sweet a kabocha, buttercup, butternut, or delicata squash can be. It is a great snack to carry around and to help regulate blood sugar when you get afternoon sugar cravings.
|
|
Chef: Scot Jones
Printer-Friendly
l
E-Mail This Page
l
Subscribe to E-News
