This absolutely simple and beloved recipe first came to us from an Argentinian lady’s vegan friend. It was one of those peak banana period and we had soooo much bananas that we either had them as smoothie (which is absolutely heavenly on a hot afternoon), or we made bread and cakes and whatever desserts we can think of.

VERSION ONE – The Original Version

I love this one because it only requires 3 ingredients, is gluten-free, and so easy to make. Simply make some peanut butter by dry roasting or toasting them, grind until smooth, add into the hand-mashed bananas in a big bowl, stir in some cacao powder, scoop into a baking tin and bake it for 30 mins at 180°C.

Since then, this recipe has evolved through different hands, had ingredients added, preparation method altered. 

VERSION TWO

The original version was nice and chunky, but I wonder how it would change if we added some rice flour and water, using the same hand process as before and baking it in the oven. It came out smoother and more like a cake.

VERSION THREE

Then came Graziele. She added more rice flour and put everything in a blender. Blend until smooth, pour in our magic pot (multipurpose cooker, yes, we like to magic-fy whatever we can here ;)) and cook with the ‘dessert’ mode. The result was a really smooth pudding texture which was very nice.

VERSION FOUR – The Final Version to Date

Now, somewhere along the line of our dietary experiments, we decided to use less processed ingredients. So I decided to take out the rice flour again, and keep the blending, and go back to the oven. 

Here it is my final favourite that combine the smooth texture by blending, and back to the same simple 3-ingredients. I also baked it instead of cooking it in the magic pot, as I like the little harder surface of the cake that gives a different texture underneath. 
Top it with some freshly grated coconut flakes or crushed roasted peanuts (if you want to keep it strictly 3 ingredient), and enjoy it warm or chilled. So simple, it’s a piece of cake

• 3 cups chopped bananas, blend it smooth
• 1 cup roasted peanuts, grind with a pinch of salt until pasty
• 1 TBS cacao powder
  

Preparation:

• Blend everything until smooth in a blender
• Scoop out into a baking tin (add coconut flakes in the bottom first if desired)
• Bake in oven at 180°C for 30-40 minutes
• Serve warm, or chill in fridge for 30 minutes.

Note: I also set aside some in a small bowl which I put into the fridge just to see how the texture would be when it is chilled. It is almost like the baked version except less held together and without the slightly firmer top. Possibly a version five?

It’s that time of the year again when many people in Thailand would honour the Nine Emperor Gods by not eating meat for 9 days. It is also known as the Nine Emperor Gods Festival. While this may be the origin of what is now known as The Vegetarian Festival, many non-local people didn’t know about it. The first time I encounter it in Chiang Mai two years ago, was on the day before I was going for a Vipassana meditation course in Lamphun. I had to pass through the Chiang Mai city to run an errand in a shopping mall. By the time I was done, I was so hungry and I didn’t think that there would be any vegan food in the mall. But to my surprise, there was a big pop-up stall at the food court selling specifically vegan food.

In Thailand, vegan food can be identified by this word ‘jheh‘, which in Thai means vegan.

I was so happy, and relieved. I bought a noodle dish and some really delicious looking spring rolls.

As it was the first year I’ve relocated to Thailand, and my first time in that mall, I was curious if vegan stall like this is only in that mall. So I ask if my eating neighbour, a farang (caucasian), if he knows anything about it. Apparently, it is the first day of the Vegetarian Festival in Thailand and there are many vegan and vegetarian food all over Thailand in these 10 days. Yes, 10 days, not 9. I asked why is this a special 10 days, and he said it’s just a Vegetarian Festival that the Thai celebrates. Unlike many of the local Thais, he eats vegan everyday. I thought it is cool that there is such a festival lasting 10 days in Thailand and that many Thais who are not usually vegan or vegetarian, would actually abstain from eating animal-product during this time.

With the momentum gaining on the urgent conversations and actions required about the climate crisis, I thought, what a difference it could make too if this festival is celebrated throughout the world (except for places where there is no easy food choice access.) and that everyone, not just those honouring the Nine Emperor Gods, would stop eating meat too.

The dates for the festival varies on the Gregorian calendar from year to year as it follows the Lunar calendar. This year, it happens to be from September 28 to October 7.

Starting tomorrow, there will be many stalls who are not usually serving vegan food, offering vegan meals.

At the Garden of L.E.A.H., we hold a plant-based kitchen for many reasons. One of the most enjoyable part of being here is the space to create many kinds of plant-based meals using largely locally available ingredients. Since we have many participants from different parts of the world, we often learn about the original cuisine from each culture and adapt it using local ingredients.

In the past year, we have experimented with many different interesting recipes from the local Thai Lanna, Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Malaysia, Poland, Singapore, U.K., U.S.A., Vietnam, Yunnan etc. This upcoming 9 days, in conjunction with the Vegetarian Festival in Thailand, I will recreate some of our favourites and share some of these recipes here.

Stay tune and enjoy!

Text by Vivian Lee, initiator & activator of the Garden of L.E.A.H..