Imitation Cheese (Vegan)
A vegan cheese that mainly consists of potato, oil and soy.
5 ea. (750g–1kg) large, hard boiling potatoes
20 ml soy sauce or yeast extract
20 ml margarine or rapeseed oil
Corn flour or breading mixture
Any of the following optional ingredients: Salt or celery salt
Bear's garlic or garlic
Herbs, e.g. paprika, thyme, rosemary, cumin, oregano and savory
Onions
Taco seasoning mix (e.g. corn flour, salt, chili, onion, garlic, paprika, sodium glutamate)
1–3 g chili seasoning mix (e.g. chilies, orange zest, sesame, paprika, celery, and mustard)
1–5 g vegetable stock
Unrefined sugar (or sugar not refined using the char method)
Pepper
10 ml vinegar
Boil potatoes until they are not quite done. If the potatoes are not completely done the resulting substance may be sliceable, although it will be easy to spread anyway.
Mash the potatoes, then stir in the soy sauce.
Mix in some margarine and cornflour. The substance should take on the consistency of peanut butter but have more the color of cheese than anything else.
Mix in any of the optional additions to add flavor to the mixture.
Press the substance into a small, round form, to give it the form of a cheddar cheese. Unmold and serve.
- •A small amount of lecithin powder can be added as an emulgator but is not really necessary. Being hydrophilic and lipophilic, it binds together the water and the oil.
- •Adding vinegar may increase durability in the refrigerator but more than 4 days are not recommended.
- •A pinch of sugar can add to the taste but may not be compatible with all other spices.
- •For a variant with rice, about half (and up to two-thirds) of the base substance is replaced by mashed rice. The advantage of mashed rice is that it results in a more cheese like substance, which dries better.
- •A variant with vegetable stock can be made with less soy sauce. Mexican Taco Seasoning Mix can be used but is not required, because the vegetable stock is already very spicy. The variant can be combined with rice.
- •A dairy free cheese flavor sauce mix can be suitable to acquire a stronger cheese flavor.
- •Freezing is not recommended. There was a single case where freezing seemed to even have improved the consistency (making it a bit like tofu) but this lacks reproducibility.
- •The cheese is best served slightly heated (e.g., on a solar oven) on ciabatta with a splash of warm olive or rapeseed oil, mixed with a mashed clove of garlic and with a slice of tomato and a leaf of basil.
- •Put the cheese on a slice of bread and sprinkle hackled onions on top. Bake in a toaster oven or grill until the onions turn only slightly glassy. Grapes cut in halves make a good topping and complement the taste.