So, I’m a carnivore married to a vegan, but there are vegan foods that I like – my wife makes a mean stuffed squash dish, and I genuinely look forward to winter squash season where we get this parade of different squash and different stuffings with great side vegetables for several weeks. And the two-black-bean-enchilada “La Vegetarian” plate at La Parilla Mexican Restaurant, when served vegan style plus a side of mushrooms, with the mushrooms and lettuce dumped on top, is one of the best things on the menu.
But then there’s vegan food that I would “non-ironically” make. Vegan food not to eat because it’s vegan, but because it is genuinely delicious on its own. The canonical example, is of course, tabbouleh, which is the national salad of Lebanon; it’s one of my favorite dishes, vegan or not. Vegan baklava, made with vegan butter, is another example: ever since I started making it, I have preferred it, as the vegan variant is lighter, fluffier, flakier and tastier than its traditional counterpart.
But another one, surprisingly, is vegan kibbey nayye, a raw steak tartare dish which is the national meat dish of Lebanon. I will never knock Cousin Jay’s traditional kibbey nayye, which is every bit the equal of his mother Aunt Theresa’s or my mother’s kibbey nayye; both of them made excellent kibbey, and Jay has risen to the challenge of taking the banner in the next generation. You can see Jay’s kibbey, both cooked and raw (nayye) from last Saturday’s pan-family Thanksgiving dinner, below:
Now, you’d be surprised, but kibbey nayye made from Beyond Beef is every bit as good as regular kibbey – so much so that I keep a pack or two of Beyond in the freezer just so I can make vegan kibbey nayye on any occasion. The recipe is dead simple: thaw out one packet of Beyond Beef in the fridge, wash one cup of fine bulghur wheat three times, soak with a fingersbreadth of water until absorbed, and drain; grate one large white onion and drain (since the onion juice will overpower the mix), and mix the meat, onion and bulghur wheat together until very thoroughly mixed. Spice with a good bit of salt and pepper, a lesser amount of cumin and cinnamon, and a small amount of allspice (but NO NUTMEG, according to my recipe book), and adjust the mix to taste. Serve in a small mound with a cross cut in it, add a little olive oil, and eat with bread.
To the kibbey nayye connoisseur, the visible texture and the color (yes, the color, even to my partially color-blind eyes) of vegan kibbey nayye is not quite as great as the original. But the texture to the palate is good and the flavor is great. I am not trying to toot my own horn here, since vegan kibbey nayye might be an acquired taste, but this last time I made it (just yesterday) it came out as best as it ever had.
So I will keep one or two packs of Beyond Beef in the freezer (two, generally, so in case you forget to run to the store or they’re out, you always have that back up copy) just waiting for me to thaw it, run to the store, grab a big white onion, and pull out the grater to have a great vegan-style Lebanese meal.
-the Centaur
Pictured: Vegan kibbey nayye, traditional cooked and raw kibbey, the traditional “plate with a cross in it” style of presentation, and then kibbey nayye with pita bread (shh, actually tortillas, but that’s what I happened to have on hand that day).
