‘We are healthier not in the sense of our products being low in fat or calories, we makes our pastries better for you and the environment’

Hong Kong vegans now have their first ever 100 percent plant-based bakery.

Bien Caramélisé, which means “well caramelized,” in French opened its doors to the public this month.

Taking to Instagram, the bakery’s founder and chef, Jessica Chow, announced:

“Hong Kong’s first plant-based, AND gluten-free pâte à choux.”

“All handmade with 100% plants only. No eggs, dairy, gelatine or refined sugars, ever,” she said in another post.

“What better way to start eating more plants than enjoying them as your desserts?”

According to the founder, the pâtisserie will serve 100 percent plant-based versions of popular desserts such as mille-feuille, eclairs, lemon tarts and other mouthwatering treats using nutritive combinations of banana, fresh pandan and lucuma; or late summer mangoes, fermented lemongrass and oats.

“We are healthier not in the sense of our products being low in fat or calories, but more in using a wider variety of nutritious ingredients, which makes our pastries better for you and the environment,” Chow explained.

First generation plant-chef

Chow’s journey to develop vegan desserts started two years ago when she was challenged by Chef Peggy Chan to perfect a vegan and gluten-free pâte à choux (cream puffs)  and “after numerous testings, with plenty of ‘mehs’ in between,”  she said she was finally  “able to get the taste and texture that I was satisfied with.”

“Everyone seemed happy with it, but I knew I wanted to produce a more nutritious choux puff,” she added.

Chow counts herself among the first generation of plant-based pastry chefs because none of her recipes are hand-me-downs and after 3 years of hard work and research, she believes she has come up with the right method and taste for ‘pursuing plant-based pastries’ that even non-vegans will love.

“All the recipes are developed by myself, and my products are all made from scratch, including the plant butter and creams,” she shared.

‘Sustainable, planet- friendly food systems’

She shares on her website that Bien Caramélisé  uses a ‘range of different natural ingredients’ to help keep a ‘more sustainable food systems and reduce the harmful impact on our planet’.

The shop has liaised with a network of local farmers, and sources organic products from neighbouring countries such as Taiwan, the Philippines, and China to make sure the menu features seasonal produce to ‘add more variety of nutrients into our bodies, even when eating dessert.’

Chow is also excited about the possibility of experimenting with more unusual ingredients as she brainstorms in the kitchen to create innovative new desserts.

“I also work a lot with different types of ferments. I have a wonderful lemongrass vinegar that I started two years ago, which I am using now as an ingredient for our mango tart. So, I would love to incorporate more of that into my creations,” she told Time Out.

• Read: KFC launches ‘New Era’ plant-based nuggets and burger in Hong Kong

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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