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A review by laurareads87
Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes by Bryant Terry
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
I have enjoyed cooking from Bryant Terry's book Afro-Vegan, and so was happy to pick up this one and anticipate enjoying the recipes just as much. I love his inclusion of musical playlists in his cookbooks, his incorporation of conversations about food justice, his celebration of his ancestors' food traditions, and his inclusion of backstories of how he learned about or was inspired to construct each recipe (I found myself smiling, in this one, as he'd mention one or both of his daughters particularly liking a dish and got a good laugh at his mention of trying poutine while in Toronto).
The book is organized into chapters based on vegetable components -- seeds, stems, fruits, tubers, etc. -- noting that he aims to use all parts of a plant where possible. While quite a few of the recipes seem quick to make, many do involve making other recipes for individual components first -- it's definitely a book where I'd recommend reading the recipe you want to make a day ahead just to make sure you have time; the 'Cupboard' section (which features spice blends, infused oils, condiments, etc) is comprised of very easy to make recipes with a few ingredients for the most part, but some do involve letting the ingredients simmer for a few hours or sit overnight, so do need a bit of planning ahead. I'm seldom excited about the prospect of making my own oils and vinegar blends ahead of time but these look fantastic and I can imagine making and incorporating them into dishes I already like. I was pleased to see that, with the exception of one very inexpensive item, there are no cooking utensils or appliances required here that I don't already own; the ingredients are also accessible to me for the most part, and in many cases are items that are routinely on my grocery list or in my fridge already. In reading through Vegetable Kingdom I've flagged about 20 recipes I'd like to try right away that I think both I (vegan) and my partner (omnivore) would both really like. Look forward to checking out more of Terry's books in future!
The book is organized into chapters based on vegetable components -- seeds, stems, fruits, tubers, etc. -- noting that he aims to use all parts of a plant where possible. While quite a few of the recipes seem quick to make, many do involve making other recipes for individual components first -- it's definitely a book where I'd recommend reading the recipe you want to make a day ahead just to make sure you have time; the 'Cupboard' section (which features spice blends, infused oils, condiments, etc) is comprised of very easy to make recipes with a few ingredients for the most part, but some do involve letting the ingredients simmer for a few hours or sit overnight, so do need a bit of planning ahead. I'm seldom excited about the prospect of making my own oils and vinegar blends ahead of time but these look fantastic and I can imagine making and incorporating them into dishes I already like. I was pleased to see that, with the exception of one very inexpensive item, there are no cooking utensils or appliances required here that I don't already own; the ingredients are also accessible to me for the most part, and in many cases are items that are routinely on my grocery list or in my fridge already. In reading through Vegetable Kingdom I've flagged about 20 recipes I'd like to try right away that I think both I (vegan) and my partner (omnivore) would both really like. Look forward to checking out more of Terry's books in future!