Five Course Indian Vegan Tasting Menu at Asha’s for MFDF

Asha’s and MFDF have put together a unique Indian vegan menu for 2 nights only at the end of September which includes 5 courses paired with 5 distilled, non-alcoholic drinks by Seedlip.

In preparation, Asha’s head chef Ashwani went down to Hulme Community Garden Centre last week and created one of the dishes that will be featured on the menu over both nights using fresh, natural ingredients from the garden centre’s amazing greenhouse. Watch the video above as Ashwani creatively puts together a Tandoori Tofu, Spelt and Butternut Squash Curry with Baby Artichoke Pakora and Salted Cucumber, whilst Asha’s head bar tender creates a Seedlip cocktail to match.

Although much Indian food is naturally vegetarian, many vegans steer clear due to a little thing called ghee. This is a clarified butter which is made from cow’s milk which forms the base of much Indian food. This means that much Indian food isn’t vegan-friendly.

However, Aswani tells us that in other parts of India other oils such as coconut, vegetable and mustard are used in place of ghee – which makes the food 100% cruelty-free.

This is where the chefs will base their vegan extravaganza. Oils will be combined with local ingredients, Indian spices and cooking techniques to make a dining event that is like nothing we have seen before here in Manchester.

Seedlip will be matching five paired cocktails to perfectly complement the flavours in the dishes. Seedlip started when the founder, (who was teetotal) had enough of drinking rubbish alcohol-free substitutes.

So he set out and researched old recipes for alcohol-free distilled spirits and what he came up with was a deliciously fresh, natural flavoured drink that was 100% alcohol-free.

Blended & bottled in England, Seedlip has created a coveted bespoke maceration, copper pot distillation & filtration process for each individual botanical that takes 6 weeks.

Seedlip’s spirits boast zero calories, are sugar-free, sweetener-free & artificial flavour-free, making a Seedlip & Tonic the credible adult alternative to alcohol if not drinking.

This evening of vegan food coupled with bespoke, non-alcoholic cocktails is a unique offering to Manchester guests, so grab your tickets before it’s too late.