Heed this kale to action now!

By Aiden Jewelle Gonzales

As a Millennial, I’m someone who’s lived through the happy-go-lucky excesses of the 90s prior to the sustainable movement, while these days, the reality of the global climate crisis is staring me in the face. Like many of us, I’ve tried to go local and green in recent years, cutting down on my meat consumption while still not making the jump to veganism due to, in my head, a lack of viable and affordable options that will truly assuage my carnivorous cravings. However, with Bangkok’s budding green scene, plant-based alternatives in the city have risen exponentially, with pioneers such as Absolute Plant offering affordable and convenient options even for lazy sceptics like me.

A subset of Vudichichai Group, an established exporter of goods that was founded in 1967 and has been bringing its commitment to superior quality and innovation to 22 countries around the world, Absolute Plant was created as “a solution to global livestock farming” and thus, a way to mitigate climate change. Their vision is to allow every client the opportunity to ‘be their own hero’ by going meatless, providing them with a vast and diverse range of plant-based options spanning their plant-based meat range, their ready-to-cook range, a variety of grains, and seasonings.

Their plant-based meat selection allows aspiring home cooks (or like me, those who like to encourage their loved ones to feed them) to remove meat from any dish in their repertoire, ranging from Plant-based crispy pork (THB 99) – think dishes like garlic moo krop – to Plant-based minced pork (THB 99) – perfect for a range of pastas or casseroles – to the elevated Plant-based minced pork with wolffia (THB 119), andPlant-based bacon (THB 80), an obvious choice for those of us who love a Full English.

On top of those, their ready-to-cook options include a variety of ‘seafood’ including Plant-based shrimp cake (THB 125), Plant-based fish cakes (THB 116), and Plant-based crab meat rolls (THB 143), as well as other classics such as their Plant-based pork burger (THB 143) and, a dish that’s a personal favourite, Plant-based gyoza (THB 99) – and this is just the tip of the vegan iceberg of options.

To pair with your meat-free dishes, Absolute Plant also offers grains ranging from staples like Barley (THB 69 for 180g) and Premium jasmine rice (THB 129 for 1kg) to more ‘exotic’ options like Chia seeds (THB 159 for 150g) and Job’s tear (THB 69 for 180g). They even have seasonings in the form of their Stir-fried 4 menu cube set (THB 99).

It’s not just their offerings, all of which meet international manufacturing standards, that have made Absolute Plant the plant-based brand of choice for thousands around the world, but they also offer meal personalisation services, an easy-to-order interface (perfect for luddites like me), and quick and easy delivery to your door. Visiting their website will also give you the number of animals their ‘Ab Heroes’ have saved by going meatless, allowing a more personalised connection to the movement against climate change.

Masala reached out to three community members and cooks who had the chance to sample Absolute Plant’s offerings in their own recipes, and asked for their take on the product.

KEERAT SETHI
Founder of Master Eater
Product Sampled: Absolute Plant’s Plant-based minced pork

Being a non-vegetarian (who occasionally tries to reduce meat intake), I find it difficult to find plant-based products that replicate the texture of meat in the dishes that I cook.

However, it was quite convenient for me to use the absolute plant minced pork. The texture was soft and smooth, and it held itself together. It had a strong soybean smell prior to cooking, but once flavoured with Indian spices, it tasted absolutely incredible, and the smell of soybean was no longer prominent.

I think the minced pork would also taste really good in this other Indian dish called keema matar! I would also love to try using the absolute plant bacon. I can already imagine creating one of my favourite dishes, pasta carbonara, with it! Overall, I loved it, and Absolute Plant would definitely be a staple in our household now.

NIDHI KAWINVINIT
Founder of Munchbox by Nidhi
Product sampled: Absolute Plant’s Plant-based pork burger

I made a Pav bhaji fondue with the plant-based pork burger, and it was a success! The burger patty is smoky, soft, and so easy to cook with. Youreallydonotneedtodomuchtoitasitis so flavourful by itself. Owning and running a vegan restaurant, I’ve had a lot of experience with other plant-based meat brands, and often, we have to add a lot of ingredients to the burger patties that we use. However, with Absolute Plant’s patty, we absolutely did not have to do any of that! Overall, I’d highly recommend it for anyone wanting to whip up a quick snack, or even create something a little more complicated.

ASHOK DASS
Businessman and Home Cook
Product sampled: Absolute Plant’s Plant-based crab meat rolls

As someone who’s very passionate about cooking and trying out new recipes and ingredients, cooking with the Plant-based crab meat rolls was an exciting experience. The vegan seafood was effortless to cook with. Defrosting only took a couple of minutes, and it cooked swiftly to my standards. With this product, I can make many Indian items, such as tandoori-style dishes, stews, and any masala-based dish, and I can’t wait to try them all.

*Prices as of April 2022*