My Mom use to make me Mac & Cheese as a kid. But not the typical “as seen on TV” kind.
She made it using only cheese and not a cheese sauce. With some sauteed onion and tomato.
Hmmmm nostalgic…
I tried to replicate the way I remember her Mac & Cheese with a little twist.
But then also turning some of it into deep fried goodness.
Golden brown and crispy on the outside. Warm and cheesy in the centre.
This is deff on my top 10 comfort foods list!
Soak 1 cup of cashews in boiling water for about 20 minutes while cooking and preparing everything else
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Or until al dente.
Finely dice a large onion, 2 cloves of garlic, about 50 grams of sun-dried tomatoes and half a packet of French Chives.
In a pot, cook the onion with some oil until slightly translucent. Add garlic with salt and pepper. Add sun-dried tomatoes and let simmer on low heat while you prep the cheese sauce.
Once the cheese sauce is ready, add the pasta to the pot with the onion, garlic and tomatoes on medium low heat. Stir until mixed well. Pour in the cheese sauce while constantly stirring. Add additional cheese now (optional) While stirring add the chives. The sauce will thicken up quickly and get the consistency of molten cheese.
At this point you have a pot of Mac & Cheese.
After you drain the soaking water from the nuts, combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. (It took about 30 seconds in a Nutri Bullet)
The sauce is ready to add to your pasta!
Scoop the Mac & Cheese into a greased muffin pan. Feel free to add extra cheese in the centre of the M&C. Let cool until room temperature. Once cooled, place in deep freeze for about 2 hours, or until it becomes stiff.
In a bowl, add the batter ingredients and stir well. It should be the consistency of a thick crepe batter.
Carefully remove the M&C by placing a tray on top of the muffin pan and flipping both over. You might have to give it a few knocks to loosen them.
First dust the M&C ball with all purpose flour. Then coat with the batter. Lastly, coat with the Panko Bread Crumbs.
Carefully place in 150 Celsius oil. Flip over until golden brown. Place on kitchen towel lined bowl or plate and sprinkle with salt.
Serve with sauce or dips of your choice.
Ingredients
Directions
Soak 1 cup of cashews in boiling water for about 20 minutes while cooking and preparing everything else
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Or until al dente.
Finely dice a large onion, 2 cloves of garlic, about 50 grams of sun-dried tomatoes and half a packet of French Chives.
In a pot, cook the onion with some oil until slightly translucent. Add garlic with salt and pepper. Add sun-dried tomatoes and let simmer on low heat while you prep the cheese sauce.
Once the cheese sauce is ready, add the pasta to the pot with the onion, garlic and tomatoes on medium low heat. Stir until mixed well. Pour in the cheese sauce while constantly stirring. Add additional cheese now (optional) While stirring add the chives. The sauce will thicken up quickly and get the consistency of molten cheese.
At this point you have a pot of Mac & Cheese.
After you drain the soaking water from the nuts, combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. (It took about 30 seconds in a Nutri Bullet)
The sauce is ready to add to your pasta!
Scoop the Mac & Cheese into a greased muffin pan. Feel free to add extra cheese in the centre of the M&C. Let cool until room temperature. Once cooled, place in deep freeze for about 2 hours, or until it becomes stiff.
In a bowl, add the batter ingredients and stir well. It should be the consistency of a thick crepe batter.
Carefully remove the M&C by placing a tray on top of the muffin pan and flipping both over. You might have to give it a few knocks to loosen them.
First dust the M&C ball with all purpose flour. Then coat with the batter. Lastly, coat with the Panko Bread Crumbs.
Carefully place in 150 Celsius oil. Flip over until golden brown. Place on kitchen towel lined bowl or plate and sprinkle with salt.
Serve with sauce or dips of your choice.
Did you make this recipe?
Please share your creations with us by tagging @vegan.co.za and #vegancoza on instagram
Martin Kotze
Martin lives in Kimberley and is an accomplished graphic designer, photographer and videographer. He runs his own business, Die Swart Kat Productions, where his love of photography, videography and food combine in his amazing shoots. His passion and flair for cooking was only enhanced when becoming vegan and trying new and exciting ways to cook. The amazing production of Martin’s YouTube videos and his witty take on delicious vegan dishes, make his channel a must-watch for veg and non-veg alike
