India
is called the paradise for food, cultural heritage and diversity. Hence we can
take the pride to boast of our varied cuisines categorically. Every State in India has its
own traditional culinary variation and has its own uniqueness.
Still following the rich cultural heritage, a section of
people called the Brahmins, Pundits etc communities are predominantly
vegetarians and nowadays it’s commonly said by most of the doctors that, a well
planned vegetarian diet is healthy to gather all the nutritional value. Hence
many avoid or do not eat poultry, meat foods.
Egg can be substituted by various other ingredients to still
keep the texture and flavor of the dish. Let’s take the Omlette or Omelette usually prepared with eggs; this is deliciously and innovatively
prepared with Chick pea flour by the vegans. The egg flavor can also be created
with nutritional yeast, mustard powder and a popular Indian spiced called Kala
Namak or Black salt, which has a somewhat sulphuric taste.
Egg is a vital ingredient for baking products, but can also
be substituted with:
Agar agar is a gelling agent derived from seaweed and is
particularly used as a substitute for egg white in desserts and best known as a
vegan substitute to gelatin.
Ground Flax seeds combined with water forms a gel-like goop, called "flax
eggs". It is especially useful in muffins, pancakes and soft cookies. A
closer to egg whites, but can substitute for whole egg, as well.
Corn starch has good binding properties even in small quantities and can be
used in e.g. cakes and pancakes. It is also used in gluten-free baking.
In a vegan cake, to create moist, tender crumb, large
amounts of Soy Yoghurt are used. This is also a handy egg substitute for
baking. Another popular egg substitute is the Soy Flour good in both cooking
and baking, especially in cookies. But while using a dry egg replacer like Soy
flour, it is usually mixed with enough water to create similar volume to one
egg, a little less than ¼ cup. For an added flavor, fruit juice can be used to
replace water.
Popularly prepared egg less recipes includes: Steamed fruit cake, Eggless Sponge cake, Eggless Tiramisu, Eggless Banana Cake and many more.
