LEISURE^27
Food & Drink
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“Lemongrass, seaweed, and fi r are not the sorts of ingredients
that once earned French chefs plaudits in the Michelin Guide,”
said Aurelien Breeden in The New York Times. But tastes are
changing, even in the land of boeuf bourguignon, and the red
bible of culinary excellence has taken note. Last week, the
guide for the fi rst time bestowed one of its coveted stars on
a vegan-only restaurant. ONA (for origine non-animale) is the
creation of chef Claire Vallée, who developed her passion for
vegan cuisine following a year that she spent living in
Thailand to hone her knowledge of Asian cooking. Michelin
had previously awarded stars to scores of vegetarian restau-
rants but never to a vegan-only establishment.“It’s wonderful to see vegan cuisine getting the kind of offi cial
recognition it deserves,” said Katherine Martinko in Treehugger.com. But gourmands
eager to sample Vallée’s groundbreaking seasonal cooking may have to wait until France’s
Covid restrictions end and ONA reopens. The restaurant, located in the resort town of
Arès in coastal southwestern France, was launched in 2016 using crowdfunding after lo-
cal banks balked at the vegan concept. A hint of what Vallée does there can be glimpsed
in the Michelin Guide’s mentions of black truffl e gnocchi, peas and beans in barberry
brine, and vegetable-ricotta meatballs with candied lemon. A handful of her recipes can
be found (in French) at Rue89bordeaux.com, and Daily Mail writer Sarah Rainey at-
tempted them. Though she achieved “utterly delicious” results at least once, Rainey was
mostly unable to match the techniques and ingredient demands of the master. “There’s
no denying her food, with its foams and fl ourishes, looks impressive,” she wrote.“Eggs have a way of taking care of you,
especially in lean times,” said Hsiao-Ching
Chou in Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food
(Sasquatch Books). If I didn’t love eggs so
much, my new cookbook would be vegan,
not vegetarian. But to me, a wok-fried egg
in soy sauce is perfection, and everyone
loves egg foo yung.Egg foo yung is “basically a fluffy omelet
with gravy.” Chinese restaurants puff up
the eggs by deep-frying them in a wok. I’ve
included a shallow-fry method for anyone
who prefers it.Recipe of the week
Homestyle egg foo yung
For a curry gravy:
1½ tbsp vegetable oil
1½ tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp curry powder (optional)
1 tsp black bean garlic sauce
1½ tsp soy sauce, such as KimlanFor the omelets:
1½ cups bean sprouts, roughly chopped
2 stalks green onions, finely chopped
1 cup shredded Taiwanese cabbage or
regular green cabbage
½ cup roughly chopped mushrooms
½ tsp kosher salt
¹⁄ 8 tsp white pepper powder
4 large eggs, beatenEgg foo yung: How to make the restaurant classic at home
Vegetable oil, for frying
Finely chopped green onions, for garnishTo make gravy: In a small pot over medium
heat oil until surface shimmers. Sprinkle
in flour and curry powder, and stir with a
whisk. Add 1 cup water plus black bean
garlic sauce and soy sauce. Whisk to com-
bine. Let sauce come to a shimmer, whisking
occasionally as it thickens. If it becomes
too thick, whisk in 1 to 2 tbsp more water.
Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.To make omelets: In a large bowl, using
tongs, combine bean sprouts, onions, cab-bage, mushrooms, salt, and white pepper.
Add eggs, mixing to incorporate. Set aside.For the shallow-fry method, in an 8-inch
skillet heat ½ cup vegetable oil over medium
heat until oil shimmers. Scoop up about 1
cup of egg mixture, carefully pour it into
center of pan, and spread it like a pancake.
Turn heat to medium low. Fry until slightly
browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully flip and
cook another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a
platter and repeat with remaining mixture.For the deep-fry method, fill a large Dutch
oven at least one-third full with vegetable
oil. Over medium heat, bring oil tempera-
ture to 325. Line a platter with paper
towels. Using a heatproof ladle, slowly tip
a ladleful of egg mixture into oil. Ladle in
remaining mixture, leaving room for both
omelets to float freely. Fry until bottoms
are golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and repeat.
Transfer browned omelets to platter.Reheat gravy over low heat. Arrange
omelets on serving plates and spoon on
gravy. Top with chopped green onions.
Makes 2 omelets.Correction: The recipe for skillet meatloaf in
our Jan. 22 issue omitted the oven setting.
The oven should be preheated to 375 and
the meatloaf cooked on a low rack.Simple but satisfying, especially with a sideMichelin goes vegan: A fi rst-ever star for plant-based cuisine
Vallée in her kitchenOver the past several years, red wines
from Sancerre have undergone “a
remarkable change,” said Roger Voss
in Wine Enthusiast. The region previ-
ously made “thin and weedy” pinot noir
as reliably as it produced praiseworthy
sauvignon blanc. But climate change
is blessing the pinot noir grapes with
warmer days, resulting in “succulent”
new Sancerre reds that are “close to
attaining the heights of Burgundian
pinot noir.”
2014 Pierre Prieur et Fils Cuvée
Maréchal Prieur ($35). “Suave, bal-
anced, and totally ready to drink,”
this red Sancerre has a smoky note
atop black fruit and spice.
2018 Michel Vattan B-C ($30).
Acidity and “a hint of pepper” add
interest to the blackberry notes of
this “soft and fruity” pinot.
2015 Lucien Crochet La Croix du
Roy ($32). Time has benefi ted this
2015: It’s now “a smooth, struc-
tured, cherry jam– fl avored wine.”Wine: Red Sancerre