Vegan life in Copenhagen Denmark

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SAS Business Class Vegan inflight meal review

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It is easy to get disappointed with airplane food, when it comes to vegan cuisine. I will be reviewing different international airlines that I feel served the best vegan airplane meals on my website. 
 
Scandinavian Airlines flies from Copenhagen to Shanghai and, if booking in advance, business class tickets cost nearly the same as SAS Plus tickets. You are getting priority boarding, entrance to SAS Lounge, 40kg of luggage, two meals, free drinks & snacks and a very comfortable bed. When booking tickets for this 11hr journey halfway around the world, I was excited to try their vegan meal option.

I was given warm pre-flight nuts with a glass of champagne to start with. The first meal was served around 1-2 hours into the flight and included some bread with vegan spread, a green salad and a little bottle of olive oil- balsamic dressing.  The starter meal was grilled eggplant and squash with some tomatoes.

The main course included a very small serving of oven baked cauliflower, green beans and half of a baked lemon with some rice. I was very disappointed as it was a very small portion including a half lemon and it is impossible to eat baked lemon in my opinion.

SAS Business did not have any vegan dessert option. I got two figs, which normally goes with non-vegan desert options. I must admit that I was very disappointed with the meal served in a business class level from Copenhagen to Shanghai. 

Before landing I was served a breakfast tray, which had a warm dish of spinach, potatoes and one cherry tomato. There was also a small plate of fruit and a fresh veggie plate, which consist of some cucumbers, tomatoes and red radish. The bread came with vegan spread. I was very happy with the warm dish as I am a fan of eating warm breakfasts.

Flying back from Shanghai to Copenhagen I was more happier because I got some delicious Chinese food as a main course. The starter was grilled eggplant and squash with some green olives, artichokes and bread, which came with vegan spread. Then I got a delicious warm noodle dish with fried tofu and veggies. What a treat!


Before landing I was served delicious lunch, which included some bread, a green salad with some bell peppers and cucumber pieces and a little bottle of olive oil-balsamic dressing.  The starter meal was grilled eggplant, red peppers and parsley. It was served aesthetically with a slice of lemon and a piece of chive. 

The main course included a small warm serving of oven baked veggies in a tomato sauce including artichokes with some basils.

As SAS Business did not have any vegan dessert option. I got a fruit bowl again, which normally goes with non-vegan desert options.

All in all the disappointment I got from Copenhagen to Shanghai with SAS Business Class changed on the way back home. From Shanghai to Copenhagen it was really a good experience with SAS, particularly as a vegan who often find it difficult to find healthy, tasty food on the plane. It’s not quite up to standard with normal meal options but the range of food is as good as any other special request meal.

Let us hope that the catering company, which SAS works with in Copenhagen serves better than a half baked lemon as a main course. And a big thumbs up for the chef who served from Shanghai to Copenhagen. Everything was delicious!

How to make homemade tempeh

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Tempeh is a traditional Indonesian food, which is made by fermenting soybeans with a starter culture. It is becoming popular all over the world due to its health benefits as it is a great source of protein and vitamin B-12. Tempeh is a healthy, high-quality protein source that contains all essential amino acids for growth. Remember soy protein is very good quality protein, and comes without saturated fat and cholesterol.

Compared with tofu, tempeh is still relatively difficult to buy in Denmark and it is expensive. Luckily it is fairly easy to make your own tempeh and it tastes much better than store bought one. High quality tempeh has a mild “mushroomy” or “nutty” aroma, and slices easily without crumbling. Tempeh is definitely a “star” in my kitchen.

INGREDIENTS:
• 400 gr dry soy beans
• 4 Tbsp. vinegar
• 3/4 tsp. starter culture

Getting good quality organic soya beans is a must. Not only it is healthier, it cooks easily and it becomes more creamy.

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Soak the beans overnight at least 10 hours.
  • Rinse the beans and boil them in fresh water in medium heat. Soybeans takes from 30 minutes to1 hour to cook. It is therefore important to check the doneness after 30 minutes.

  • Discard the cooking water and dry the beans by setting over low heat in the pot to evaporate the water off the beans. It is important that all the water is gone but be careful not to dry out the beans.
  • Place the beans in a bowl add the vinegar and mix well.
  • Allow the beans to cool to a lukewarm temperature 35 Celsius degrees.
  • Add the tempeh starter and mix well to evenly distribute the starter in the beans.

  • Place the beans in plastic bags with needle-size holes poked through. (I wash and reuse my plastic bags). Fold the bags and distribute them evenly.
  • Place the bags between trays and then place them in the oven with only lights turned on for 12 hours.

  • Check the beans after 12 hours. At this point in the process the fermentation will cause the beans to generate their own heat so you should remove them from the oven and place them in a warm place for the next 36-48 hours.
  • After 36 to 48 hours, when the beans have become a single mass held together by the white spores, the tempeh is ready to cut and divide in to smaller portions to be refrigerated/freezed.

Tempeh has to be cooked before consuming. It can be baked, broiled, grilled, sautéed, pan or deep-fried. Try adding tempeh to a stir-fry instead of tofu or use it as a replacement for ground beef, crumble, finely chop it.

I like to shallow fry tempeh slices until golden brown and marinate them with soya sauce, garlic and ginger before frying further until they are caramelised.