Wednesday, September 12, 2012

First Try at Vegan Mayonnaise

Now that the warmer weather is hitting Melbourne, my desire for BBQ-related summery foods is increasing. Salads, burgers, hot dogs, and all sorts of traditional accompaniments are coming back into rotation, and it's getting me excited for long hot sunny days! 

With this cuisine in mind, I realised there was a half cabbage sadly wilting in the fridge right next to 2kg of carrots (as a result of both T and I going food shopping without communicating!). I instantly knew what I had to do: Coleslaw! The only problem was that I had run out of mayo. When I asked T to pick some up on his way home from uni, he was only able to find one vegan mayo that cost over $8. Now I understand that vegan versions of things can sometimes be more expensive, but $8 mayo is a little bit too exorbitant for me. 

As a result of this exploitation, I thought, "Why not make my own?". I've seen it made plenty of times on Masterchef the real way, and despite many failed attempts by the monkeys on that show, it didn't look TOO hard. So I looked at a few recipes, got the general idea, and had a go. 

Turns out it was pretty much the easiest vegan-version of something I had ever made. Here's how you do it.

Depending on the quantity you want, you will add Vegetable/Canola oil to Soy milk in a 2:1 ratio. Use a teaspoon or two of something acidic- either lemon juice or apple cider vinegar for each 1/2C of soymilk you use, add a pinch of salt and some mustard powder (both to taste), and whizz in the food processor. That's it. 

I wanted a minimum amount because I didn't know how it would come out, and I still don't know how long it will last in the fridge, but this is the quantities I used:

1C Oil
1/2C Soymilk (The trick here is to get the thickest soy milk you can find. If you are using a watery one, consider using slightly less, or increase your acidic component to help curdle the milk first). 
~2tsp Apple cider vinegar
~1tsp Salt
~1tsp Mustard powder (I imagine you could also use prepared mustard)

It tasted great on my coleslaw and I can't wait to make some potato salad soon!!