Soy Mayonnaise and Its Applications!

Presented at the Club on 7 July 1999 by Valerie Eccles.

• 500ml soya milk
• 250ml - 500ml cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil (equal quantities of soya milk and oil make a very rich dressing)
• 1/2 - 1 small onion
• 1 clove garlic (or more!)
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp or more fresh lemon juice
• pinch of salt

1. Firstly, make sure the soya milk and olive oil are very well chilled - Valerie chilled hers in the freezer! This is one of the secrets of getting this mayonnaise to thicken up well.
2. Whizz the soya milk, olive oil, onion and garlic in the blender until very smooth. If you can find an unwaxed cucumber, you can put some (unpeeled) in at this stage for a lovely, fresh, green variation.
3. Now continue to blend as you dribble in the olive oil. The mayonnaise won't have reached its final thickness yet, so don't worry if it looks a little thin.
4. For the finishing magic, pour in about a tablespoon of lemon juice, and fold in gently with a large spoon. The lemon juice will help to complete the thickening, as it slightly curdles the soya milk - add a little more if needed for flavour or texture.
5. Finally, add a pinch of salt to taste if required. The mixture will separate after a day or so - it can be stirred back together, but it is best made fresh.

Tofu Cottage Cheez

Crumble or well-mash some rinsed, well-drained (squeeze as much moisture out as possible) plain tofu before mixing with chopped chives, a sprinkle of salt, and as much soya mayonnaise as required to make your preferred texture. Of course, you can replace the chives with anything else you like to have in your cottage cheese, for example small cubes of fresh pineapple.

Tomato Stars: Tofu Cottage Cheez can be used to make a great starter - take large, ripe, flavoursome tomatoes and cut around the diameter in a wide zig-zag, with a small sharp knife. Gently separate the two halves, then fill the centres of each with Tofu Cottage Cheez. Nestle half a green olive in the centre before sprinkling with paprika. Serve on mixed lettuce leaves.

Creamed Cucumber

Peel and very thinly slice a cucumber. Sprinkle with salt and leave overnight for moisture to drain out. Rinse very well and drain again, then mix with soya mayonnaise to make a healthy susbstitute for pickles.

Recipes and notes transcribed during the demo by Kate L Pugh - any errors, my fault!

The HLSC website is hosted by the International Vegetarian Union. For more vegan recipes, see the IVU Recipe Collection.