Plant power

Back in the day, being vegan was difficult and most food was limited to vegetables or soy products. However, with more and more people adopting a vegan lifestyle, the tables have turned and the market is full of vegan substitutes for everyday food like spreads and cheese made of plant milk. Guru lists a few vegan alternatives for products typically made using dairy and eggs, even sodas!

Butter

If giving up butter is one of the most challenging aspects of becoming vegan, fret not. Alt.Kitchen's vegan "butter" glides onto warm toast and tastes like the real thing. Vegan bakers will be delighted to know that the butter can also be used for baking cookies and other flaky desserts.

Unlike margarine or vegetable shortening, Alt.Kitchen's plant-based butter is derived from a simple concoction of coconut and rice bran oil. And, it even comes in two flavours -- Slight salted butter (B90 for 150g) and Garlic and herb butter (B95 for 150g). If you wish to order plain unsalted butter, FB message Alt.Kitchen. They'll be happy to churn some for you.

Besides butter, Alt.Kitchen also offers a Keto/gluten-free pancake mix (B260), an Almond and coconut flour-based keto pizza crust (B180), along with vegan baked goods and ice-cream.

Visit www.alt.kitchen, fb.com/alt.kitchenstudio.

Cheese

Whisked Away's cheese is made from oat milk mixed with nutritional yeast. The cheese is hard, grates like Cheddar and melts in the oven, or over hot food that it is sprinkled on.

The vegan cheese flavours on offer are Strong (tastes close to Cheddar), Mild (more like mozzarella, with a hint of paprika and pepper), Pesto (contains walnut), Aglio e olio (fragrant and garlicky, with traces of chilli and parsley), 'Peño & 'lives (contains jalapeños and olives) ⁣⁣and the signature Fondue dip, which is great with chips, in a vegan carbonara or in mac and cheese. Prices range from B90-B120, except for the fondue dip (B210) that comes in a 266g jar.

Whisked Away also makes vegan tiramisu, biscotti, bagels, monkey loaves and focaccia, that is excellent when paired with the pesto vegan cheese.

Visit fb.com/whiskedawaybkk.

Condiments and sauces

Pastes and sauces are typically used when preparing Asian dishes and needless to say, when you go vegan, fish sauce, shrimp paste and other condiments containing animal products are a no-go. For vegans struggling to find a way to pack an instant punch to their meals, help has arrived. Probiness offers all kinds of vegan sauces, condiments and spreads. They include Tom yum dressing, that is lovely on salad, Spicy shiitake chilli paste (great over rice) and Pesto made from a fermented legume mixture and peanuts, instead of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Sweet offerings are vegan Nutella that is sweetened with dates and Cranberry sauce that goes well with toast, ice cream, meatballs and all kinds of roasted food.

Prices of the sauces and condiments range between B100-B340.

Visit fb.com/probiness.

Mayonnaise and salad dressing

Nothing beats a sandwich that features the texture of egg-rich mayonnaise. As for salad, a rich, creamy dressing does wonders. If you are vegan, there's no need to compromise on the lusciousness that these two dairy essentials provide. Karry Kal whips up 100% vegan mayonnaise and creamy salad dressing (available in two flavours: beetroot and thousand island). They are all made using raw ingredients like chickpeas, olive oil and apple cider vinegar. No preservatives are added.

Place your order via Line ID @karrykal or shop for them online at Lazada and Shopee. The Vegan mayonnaise costs B79 (100ml) and B129 (180ml). The Beetroot dressing is priced at B79 (100ml), while the Thousand island dressing is B99 (100ml).

Call 094-426-4416, visit fb.com/karrykal.

Ice-cream

Think of Beyond Pops as the vegan reincarnation of Magnum, ice cream that is. It is made with naturally-occurring ingredients and free of soy. The creaminess is achieved using nuts and seeds that are blended to a smooth consistency and the sweetness comes from maple syrup. It is also worth noting that everything that makes its way into Beyond Pops ice cream is organic.

There are nine flavours and we suggest that chocolate aficionados go for Hazel dazel (a smooth hazelnut cream popsicle dipped in chocolate and topped with crushed hazelnuts, B150) or Mintilicious (mint cashew cream covered in organic Peruvian cacao and topped with caramel and mint chocolate, B150). If you prefer fruity flavours, the Superfruit parachute (B95) is light and refreshing. It's made from coconut water that's been lightly sweetened with maple syrup and coloured naturally with blue spirulina and pink pitaya powders.

Beyond Pops popsicles are all handcrafted and made in small batches. Hence, orders need to be placed two to three days in advance.

Visit beyondpops.com.

Replace non-vegan doughnuts

Plant Donut is delivering freshly-fried doughnuts made from vegan butter and soy milk without any preservatives or chemical colourings.

Flavours include Boston cream, Lemon glaze, Plain cinnamon, Chocolate & almond and Snickers, which has a thick chocolate glaze and a topping of crushed peanuts and coconut caramel. Prices range between B25 and B35. Mini doughnuts are also available, in a box of 12, for B199 (delivery charge not included).

Pro tip: Get a morning delivery slot to get the freshest doughnuts.

Visit fb.com/plantdonut, instagram.com/plant_donut.

Replace Sodas

Get rid of sugary sodas and nourish your gut with kombucha instead. The slightly fizzy drink is packed with probiotics that benefit your digestive system and usually comes in a variety of flavours. Bangkok Booch has seven different ones and all of them have catchy names. They are Par-tea (original black tea kombucha), Spicy mango (mango with red chilli kombucha), Fineapple (pineapple with lemongrass kombucha), Mull it over (homegrown mulberry kombucha), Khing (ginger kombucha), You give me butterflies (butterfly pea kombucha) and Flower power (hibiscus kombucha). All cost B120 per bottle.

All the kombuchas from Bangkok Booch are homemade and fermented for an average of 14 days. They are produced in small batches, using locally-sourced ingredients, some of which are plucked fresh from the owner's garden.

Delightful news for sorbet lovers: Bangkok Booch has just launched a new product called Booch Scoop (B135 a cup, B500 for four). It's a sorbet made with two simple ingredients: black tea kombucha and mixed berries. Enjoy!

Visit fb.com/bangkokbooch.

Yoghurt

Project manager-turned-cook Giri Srirangam of Saptha decided to turn vegan in 2015 and soon after, began to miss probiotic-rich yoghurt, which is used in Indian cooking. He then attempted to make yoghurt using milk derived from almonds, peanuts, oats and coconuts, but none of the experiments gave him a satisfying result until he tried using cashews. With consistency and flavour that is very close to regular yoghurt, cashew yoghurt can easily take the place of cream or yoghurt in recipes. You can also use it to thicken soups, make curries and smoothies, or enjoy it on its own. The possibilities are endless.

Srirangam makes it to order, with at least a day's notice. Prices are B90 for 150g and B180 for 400g.

Apart from yoghurt, Srirangam also prepares creative vegan Indian food for delivery and hosts brunches and supper clubs. Visit Saptha on Lineman or check out the daily menu on Saptha's IG and FB.

Call 098-454-4903, visit fb.com/sapthabkk.