By the time I reach the Andhra Curry restaurant on Panagal Road, the table is already laid out.
The “best mock meat offerings for you”, says the restaurant partner V.Balasundaram, as I eye the plates decorated with sausages, salami, chicken lollipop, masala fried fish and shammi kebab.
For any vegetarian with zilch experience it will be tricky to navigate this menu even if the chef tries hard to convince it is vegan meat. And to a diehard non-vegetarian, the vegan meat will never taste like real meat but the Chef will vouch how the two are so close. So obviously there is more to soya and tofu that meets the eye and makes this faux meat.
Though the mock non-vegetarianism started trending worldwide a decade ago, it is catching on in India now. Balasundaram says the moment he found and tasted mock meat at the Delhi Food Fair—Aahaar -- in March this year, he knew he had to bring it to Madurai to script a new chapter in food here.
Also called meat analogues or ahimsa meat, this vegan ingredient is made from completely plant-derived sources rich in proteins such as bean curd, soy or wheat gluten.
The city has a strong population of staunch meat eaters and this meat substitute could be a healthy option as it is low on fat and cholesterol. Those who seek alternatives due to dietary restrictions, health problems and religious sentiments, says Balasundaram, this is the answer. Right now he is sourcing the mock meet stock from Delhi supplier and has introduced 10 altered non-vegetarian delicacies.
He feels people who are turning vegetarian consciously for health reasons or those who have to skip eating non-vegetarian during certain months will never miss out on the experience of eating meat with these vegetarian products. While the vegetarians will never smell it, the non-vegetarians will be able to satiate their craving for the texture.
So I get deep fried legs of mock chicken. It surely had the colour and density right and tasted pretty good. The mock mutton pepper fry (mutton chukka) was much better and came quite close in taste to the original. I say so because a customer in the adjacent table could not figure out the difference! The sausage shape was intact but overly brown in colour. It did not taste bad. The salami looked perfectly like the real one but felt a tad rubbery in the mouth. The masala fish fry was the best of the lot.
I realise the problem of eating such a platter of fake meat is that the uniformity in taste grows on you even if you are trying differently flavoured fake meat pieces. But cost wise you will not complain as Balasundaram is selling the mock meat preparations at 10 to 30 per cent less cost of the real non-vegetarian counterparts. And also it is a no mess food because there is no pretence about cutting or removing unwanted parts.
Balasundaram plans to include more imitations of the real meat in the coming months. From hotdogs to fillets and satays, sausages and salamis to vegetarian crabs, lobsters and prawns, he is confident that people here will find it an attractive option. It is perfect for those who like the taste of meat but are against animal cruelty, he says, and also for those who want to eat food that is meant to taste, feel and look like meat. So next time you visit Andhra Curry, check out their special newly introduced menu. And the good news is some of the preparations like the vegetarian hotdogs and sausages will soon be available at cinema theatres alongside your popcorn and coke as Andhra Curry is into talks with some of the multiplexes in the city.
Chances are you may like the vegetarian non-veg dishes and not chicken out of mock meat once you have tasted it. Chances also are you may find it a setback but remember it is an oxymoron that really exists and fun to try!
