French Vegan Masterchef Sebastien Kardinal On Cuisine, Cooking And His Love For Pani Puri

Sebastien Kardinal is a prominent activist and culinary expert from France. Vegetarian since 1986 and vegan since 2007, his specialisation lies in revisiting French and international delicacies and crafting vegan versions of them. In turn actor, project manager, journalist and webmaster, he combines all his skills in the service of veganism. He was on tour in India in partnership with Novotel hotels, running masterclasses and curating and creating vegan brunches across a number of cities. We caught up with chef  between his masterclass at Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre to learn more about his journey, how he veganizes classical dishes, his favourite Indian dishes and more!

When did your vegan journey begin?

In my personal life, my vegan journey started in 2007. After being a vegetarian for twenty-one years before. For a cheese and egg enthusiast like me, it was perhaps a challenge, especially in France. But between the time I realized all the suffering caused by my consumption and the time I became totally vegan, it was 3 months. I have never regretted making that choice.

You have travelled the world. Do you feel the world has become more vegan-friendly in the last 5 years?

Absolutely! Change is perceptible everywhere. Just look at the huge number of people who are reducing their daily meat consumption. There is a real awareness that it is no longer possible to continue like this. So yes, it is regrettable that it is often only for environmental or health reasons that people take a step into the vegan lifestyle, not out of compassion for animals. But it's not that important after all. Only the result counts.What is also a very strong sign is the number of vegan restaurants that are increasing, or simply with vegan options available on the menu of non-veg restaurants. Five years ago in the past there were not so many choices.Finally, the most unexpected thing is all these major food brands that now offer plant-based products. Or new vegan companies that are enjoying unprecedented global success. I am thinking of Beyond Meat, for example.

The most challenging dish to veganise, in your opinion?

Nothing is impossible thanks to the incredible properties of plants. We are only at the beginning of discovering the possibilities. It's fascinating. That's why I'm as interested in Foodtech as I am in traditional cuisine. If I had been told 10 years ago that it would be possible to make real cheeses matured with cashew nuts, I certainly wouldn't have believed it. And yet, it's there!

So for the moment my only major failure, to which I have not found a solution, is to reproduce a traditional French dish called "Soufflé au fromage". It is basically a preparation with egg whites made into foam, mixed in a béchamel sauce base with grated cheese. The problem is of course with egg whites. Even with Aquafaba, it doesn't work... for now!

Do you enjoy cooking with vegan substitutes?

I love it. It's even one of my great specialities. For me, this is the easiest and fastest way to allow as many people as possible to become vegan, or at least reduce their consumption of animal products. It is also a good way to preserve the spirit of traditional recipes, but by making them evolve. For the Western world this is particularly true. In India, where there is already a great vegetarian culinary culture, it is technically very easy to replace paneer for tofu, cow's milk yoghurt for soy yoghurt, butter for margarine, or even ghee for vegetable ghee, since it exists.

What has the response been like to your India tour?

It was absolutely amazing! There was a double purpose to this tour. First, to be able to demonstrate to the public that it is possible to enjoy a meal without any animal products, while preserving the traditional aspect. And what could be more emblematic than classic French cuisine to prove it? I only had positive feedback from people who came to see my demonstrations. Curiosity, open-mindedness, positive exchange, that's all I received. The other goal of this tour was also to help the kitchen teams of the various Novotel hotels to better understand what it meant to "make vegan cuisine" in order to better meet the growing needs of their customers. Here again, it was a success, since vegan dishes will appear on the restaurant menu. They understood that it wasn't difficult, it's just a matter of understanding. So I left with a sense of accomplishment.

Do you enjoy Indian food? What has your favourite dish been in India so far?

Oh! It's much more than that. Indian food is my favourite among all the others. I've always loved it, being a big fan of spices and chillies. It is a very rich cuisine that always gives me a lot of pleasure. So it's hard to say what I honestly prefer. But I still have a special feeling for Pani Puri. I had another magical moment in the streets of Mumbai with my Indian colleagues who supported me on this tour. It was excellent, I want more!

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