Wrap up this Veganuary with an Estonian treat

Struggling for ideas to satisfy the vegan in your family? Then David Woods, executive head chef at the Sofitel London Gatwick Hotel can help with this dish, which has its roots in the Baltics...
Estonian style plov wrapsEstonian style plov wraps
Estonian style plov wraps

This vegan dish takes its inspiration from a traditional Estonian recipe given to me by one of my chefs. It has the unassuming name of ‘plov’ and is a pilaff-type dish with rice, onions, carrots and seasoning. It’s one of those recipes that you can easily make your own by changing the spices around.

Served hot on its own, topped with vegan cheese, it makes a delicious midweek supper. Make a batch to keep in the fridge for up to two days and it becomes a go-to filling for a hearty lunchtime wrap. I’ve added buckwheat and quinoa to provide extra protein and texture.

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Sofitel’s 2 AA rosette restaurant, La Brasserie, and its Urban Café both offer a choice of vegetarian and vegan dishes from the menus. No need to book the Urban Café. To book La Brasserie call 01293 567070. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or share your vegan recipes on Instagram by tagging @SofitelLondonGA.

Estonian Style Plov Wraps

Serves 2

1 tablespoon rapeseed oil

1 onion, peeled, finely diced

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 clove of garlic crushed

One carrot, peeled and grated

150g long grain rice

Pinch of smoked paprika

300ml veg stock

50g quinoa

50g buckwheat

1 dessert spoon rapeseed oil

Red, orange and green peppers – use a quarter of each, diced

Handful of baby spinach

75g grated vegan cheese

Vegan wraps

Method

Heat oil in a large saucepan and gently sweat the onion with cumin seeds and garlic.

Rinse rice in a sieve under cold water. In a saucepan sweat the onions in rapeseed oil, add paprika and cumin seeds, add rice and stock and bring to boil. Cover with a lid, Reduce to a simmer for 12 mins. Turn off heat and keep the lid on for 20 minutes to finish cooking the rice.

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Meanwhile, simmer the buckwheat and quinoa together in a saucepan of salted water for 10-12 mins.

In a separate small frying pan, heat the dessert spoon of oil and sweat off the diced peppers for just a minute so they hold their crunch.

Combine the rice mixture with the quinoa and buckwheat and peppers. Stir in the vegan cheese.

Warm wraps either in the microwave for a few seconds or under a grill. Place a layer of spinach on top, then add generous helping of the plov before rolling up and serving.

Chef’s tip

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Swap the cumin for a spice like ground coriander or fenugreek seeds – or try a mixture of all of them. The plov is also delicious as a filling for jacket potatoes.

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