Vital Plant Living

Build your own

Base, texture, flavour: Ryan’s own three words for a bowl, in his order. Tick as much or as little as you like. The picture of your bowl, cut through the middle, and the ticket under it change as you go.

• Bowl, starch, protein, aromatics.
• Wrap, starch, protein, aromatics.
• Aromatics, acids, spices.
• Hot peppers, everything.
• Nooch, everything.

Rules of thumb off the foot of Ryan’s list, in his words.

Off the board

Named combos, each one built out of the same pantry and standing on one of the flavour bases Ryan wrote down: the aromatics a kitchen somewhere starts from. None of them is anybody’s grandmother’s recipe and none of them claims to be. Where a combo is thinking about a dish that is usually made with something this pantry does not keep, it says so rather than pretending.

• Holy Trinity

  A bowl, on the Cajun Holy Trinity base, onion, celery, bell pepper

  Red beans and rice is what this bowl is thinking about, and that dish is cooked with red kidney beans. This pantry keeps pinto, so this is pinto, and the Cholula is on the table rather than in the pot.

  In it: Basmati rice, Pinto beans, Soy curls, Garlic, Scallions, Canola oil, Cholula, Paprika, Red pepper, Pepper, Hot peppers, Flat Italian parsley

• Gold and Green

  A bowl, on the French Mirepoix, Italian Soffritto base, onion, celery, carrot

  Soft polenta under mushrooms in a marinara started on a soffritto, and the gremolata on top, which is lemon, garlic and parsley, and is the part you will remember.

  In it: Polenta, Mushrooms, Marinara, Olive oil, Garlic, Vegan butter, Nooch, Red pepper flakes, Gremolata, Pine nuts

• Lentils, Slowly

  A bowl, on the French Mirepoix, Italian Soffritto base, onion, celery, carrot

  Lentils cooked slowly in a mirepoix, dressed while they are still warm with shallot, vinegar and mustard seed, on a heap of greens.

  In it: Lentils, Greens, Shallots, Olive oil, Red wine vinegar, Mustard seeds, Herbs de Provence, Pepper, Capers, Flat Italian parsley

• Chickpeas and Spinach

  A bowl, on the Spanish Sofrito base, garlic, onion, tomato

  Chickpeas and spinach wilted into a sofrito with cumin and paprika, which is a tapa in Seville, with almonds on top because the texture step asks for something.

  In it: Garbanzo beans, Spinach, Olive oil, Paprika, Cumin seeds, Red wine vinegar, Almonds

• Refogado Greens

  A bowl, on the Portuguese Refogado base, onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes

  Potatoes and a great many greens cooked down in a refogado, the onion, garlic, pepper and tomato a Portuguese kitchen starts from, with olives.

  In it: Golden potatoes, Greens, Garbanzo beans, Olive oil, Paprika, Olives, Sea salt flakes

• Kraut and Potatoes

  A bowl, on the German Suppengrün base, carrots, leeks, celeriac

  Red potatoes and seared tempeh with sauerkraut and pickles, on Suppengrün. The celeriac comes with that base; the pantry does not keep it otherwise.

  In it: Red potatoes, Tempeh, Sauerkraut, Mustard seeds, Dill pickles, Vegan butter, Apple cider vinegar, Pepper, Flat Italian parsley

• Paprika Potatoes

  A bowl, on the Hungarian base, paprika, fat, onion

  Paprika, fat and onion are the whole of the Hungarian base, and the fat here is vegan butter. A spoon of sour cream on top and it is done.

  In it: Red potatoes, Soy curls, Bell peppers, Vegan butter, Paprika, Vegan sour cream, Pepper, Flat Italian parsley

• Garlic Ginger Scallion

  A bowl, on the Chinese base, garlic, ginger, scallions

  A stir-fry on the three aromatics Ryan wrote down for Chinese cooking, and a spoon of corn starch in water at the end, which is what makes the sauce shine and hold on.

  In it: Jasmine rice, Tofu, Broccoli, Napa cabbage, Snow peas, Soy sauce, Sesame oil, Rice vinegar, Hoisin, Corn starch + liquid, 5 spice, Water chestnuts, Sesame seeds

• Red Oil Tofu

  A bowl, on the Sichuan base, garlic, ginger, chili peppers

  Hot rather than numbing, and it says so: the numbing comes from Sichuan pepper, which this pantry does not keep. Silken or firm tofu, whichever you have in.

  In it: Jasmine rice, Tofu, Mushrooms, Pepper-infused oil, Soy sauce, Rice vinegar, Red pepper flakes, 5 spice, Scallions, Peanuts

• Green Curry, Green Everything

  A bowl, on the Thai curry base, shallots, garlic, chiles, lemongrass

  Green curry paste let down with coconut milk on the curry base Ryan wrote down, with every green thing the pantry has that will hold up in it.

  In it: Jasmine rice, Tofu, Green curry paste, Coconut milk, Snap peas, Bell peppers, Spinach, Lime juice, Cilantro, Peanuts

• Hand Roll

  A wrap, in nori, on the Japanese base, mirin, soy sauce

  Sushi rice is rice seasoned with vinegar, which is why the rice vinegar is here. Rolled in nori by hand, a cone rather than a log, and eaten straight away while the nori still snaps.

  In it: Sushi rice, Edamame, Avocado, Pickled veggie slaw, Rice vinegar, Sesame seeds, Scallions

• Lemon, Oil, Oregano

  A wrap, in pita, on the Greek base, lemon juice, olive oil, oregano

  Potatoes roasted in lemon, olive oil and oregano, which is the Greek base doing all the work, in a pita with olives, pepperoncini and a spoon of sour cream.

  In it: Golden potatoes, Greens, Tomato, Red onions, Olives, Pepperoncini, Vegan sour cream

• The Falafel Pocket

  A wrap, in pita, on the Lebanese base, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil

  Falafel in a pita with hummus and babaganoush both, because nobody made you choose, and pickles for the crunch that falafel wants beside it.

  In it: Falafel, Hummus, Tahini, Babaganoush, Tomato, Greens, Pickled red onion, Dill pickles, Flat Italian parsley

• Rice and Peas, Near Enough

  A bowl, on the Jamaican base, garlic, scallion, thyme; and Ryan’s own go-to, coconut milk, rice, beans

  Rice and peas is cooked with kidney beans or gungo peas, coconut milk, thyme and scallion. This pantry keeps pinto, so it is near enough, and says so. Laurel Aitken's Rice and Peas is on the stereo.

  In it: Basmati rice, Pinto beans, Coconut milk, Greens, Allspice, Hot peppers, Lime juice, Mango

• Groundnut

  A bowl, on the West African base, chili peppers, onions, tomatoes

  Groundnut stews are cooked across West Africa under a lot of names. This is a bowl thinking about them, on Ryan's West African base, with peanut butter stirred into the tomato until it goes the colour of the wall in here.

  In it: Jasmine rice, Golden potatoes, Greens, Peanut butter, Tomato, Peanuts

• Three Chiles Burrito

  A wrap, in burrito tortillas, on the Mexican pepper base, ancho, pasilla, guajillo

  Ancho, pasilla and guajillo are the three chiles, and rice, beans and a flour burrito tortilla are Ryan's own line. The rest is everything that fits before it will not roll.

  In it: Basmati rice, Black beans, Vegan textured protein, Salsa, Guacamole, Pico de gallo, Vegan cheese, Vegan sour cream, Cilantro, Lime juice, Cumin seeds, Smoked salt (Chihuahua de Mexico)

• The Go-To

  A bowl, on Ryan’s own go-to, tahini, tamari, sriracha

  Tahini, tamari and sriracha is Ryan's own go-to, and it is the dressing here: stir the three together and pour it over whatever is in the bowl. It goes on most things.

  In it: Quinoa, Tofu, Greens, Broccoli, Tahini, Tamari, Sriracha, Scallions, Sesame seeds, Hemp seeds, hearts

• Black Salt Scramble

  A wrap, in flour tortillas, on Ryan’s own go-to, MSG, black salt, nooch

  Crumbled tofu, gone yellow with turmeric, on Ryan's MSG, black salt and nooch. Black salt smells of eggs, which is the reason it is in there, and the potatoes are left over from last night.

  In it: Tofu, Golden potatoes, Spinach, Bell peppers, Turmeric, Salsa, Hot peppers

At the counter

Snacks and drinks, off the same list, for when a whole bowl is more than you are after.

On the stereo

Songs about food, most of them reggae and dancehall, on a playlist Ryan made. Nothing plays until you press play. Every song is listed with who made it and how long it runs, and with who uploaded it, because several were put up by fans rather than by the musicians and you should be able to tell which.

House rules

• Everything in here is plants. Every bowl, every wrap, everything at the counter.
• Everything touches. The sauce runs into the rice and that is the idea. If you need your food kept apart, Samefood Cafe is a few doors along, and nothing on a plate in there touches anything.
• Vital means alive. Nobody in here will tell you what a bowl does for your body, and nothing on the board is good for you or bad for you. It is food.
• Nothing is weighed and nothing is counted: no portions, no numbers on anything, no favourite of the week.
• The builder keeps nothing and sends nothing. Copying puts your ticket on your own clipboard and nowhere else, and closing the page empties the bowl.
• No claims about anybody’s cooking. A flavour base is where a kitchen somewhere starts from; what you build on it is yours.
• Hot peppers, everything. Nooch, everything. Those two are Ryan’s, and they are on the house.