Talia Yilmaz | Contributors - Nourish plant-based living

Talia Yilmaz

Talia is a private chef, food stylist, and recipe writer who specialises in plant-based cooking. Her food journey has seen her working as a chef at Ottolenghi's and NOPI in London and as a senior chef de partie at NOMAD in Sydney, famed for its focus on sustainable, zero-waste cookery.


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Green split pea coconut curry

Talia Yilmaz

Bursting with goodness, this nutritious and ultra-satisfying green curry combines tofu, green split peas, luscious fresh greens and the irresistible flavours of Thailand.

Ingredients

Serves 4

Method

  1. Soak the split peas in water overnight, or for at least 4 hours. After soaking, drain and rinse, then set aside.
  2. Remove the tough outer leaves of the lemongrass stalk, then remove the root and green top part. Place the lemongrass in a blender along with the garlic, ginger, chilli, and coriander. Add a dash of water and blend to a smooth paste.
  3. Heat a little olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Fry the onion with a pinch of salt until softened. Add the curry paste to the pan, cooking for a further 2 minutes or until fragrant.
  4. Add the soaked split peas and vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer and then cook for 15–20 minutes or until the split peas are cooked through.
  5. Stir through the coconut cream, bok choy, and tofu, then continue to cook until the bok choy is wilted and everything is heated through. Remove from the heat and add the juice of half a lime and season with salt and pepper.
  6. Garnish with the reserved coriander leaves and the remaining lime cut into wedges, then serve with jasmine rice.

Talia Yilmaz

Talia is a private chef, food stylist, and recipe writer who specialises in plant-based cooking.

This recipe was originally published in Nourish plant-based living, Issue 70 • View magazine

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Moroccan black lentil and chickpea tagine

Talia Yilmaz

Of the myriad ways to enjoy legumes, Moroccan tagine (or tajine) is an all-time classic. In this recipe, Talia Yilmaz includes a luxurious lemon tahini coconut yoghurt to drizzle on top before serving.

Ingredients

Serves 2–4

Lemon tahini yoghurt

Method

  1. Heat a little olive oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and cherry tomatoes, then cook for 8 minutes or until softened and caramelised. Add the garlic, tomato paste, and spices, then cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant. 
  2. Next, add the black lentils, chickpeas, and apricot to the saucepan. Pour over the chopped tomatoes and vegetable stock, then simmer for 30–35 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through.
  3. Meanwhile, make the yoghurt. Combine the lemon, tahini, olive oil, and coconut yoghurt in a small bowl. Set aside.
  4. When the tagine is ready, remove from the heat and stir through half of the chopped mint leaves. Serve in bowls, drizzle over the yoghurt, and garnish with the remaining mint leaves. Enjoy with a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Talia Yilmaz

Talia is a private chef, food stylist, and recipe writer who specialises in plant-based cooking.

This recipe was originally published in Nourish plant-based living, Issue 70 • View magazine

Enjoying our inspiring stories? Sign up to our newsletter and receive our latest editorial and offers directly in your inbox.

Smoky roast pumpkin pastry wreath with black olive tapenade

Talia Yilmaz

Roasted vegetables in smoky spices form the centre of this crispy puff pastry shell, along with a salty olive tapenade. Shaped into a show-stopping Christmas wreath, this makes the perfect table centrepiece.

Ingredients

SERVES: 6-8

Vegetable filling

Olive tapenade

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan forced (or 210ºC if using a conventional oven). Place a large baking tray in the oven to heat.
  2. First, prepare the vegetable filling. Cut the pumpkin into 1cm chunks. On a separate baking tray (not the one heating up), place the pumpkin, onion, and capsicum then toss with a good drizzle of olive oil, the spices, and salt and pepper, to taste. Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and caramelised. Set aside to cool.
  3. To make the tapenade, either finely chop or place all the ingredients into a blender and pulse until you have a thick, chunky paste. Set aside.
  4. To make the puff pastry shell, lay out a large piece of baking paper and draw a circle with a 10cm diameter in the centre (you can trace around a small bowl for this) .
  5. Cut the square puff pastry sheets in half, then cut each rectangle in half diagonally, so you have 8 pastry triangles. Place 1 triangle on the outside of the circle you have drawn, with the short side touching the circle and pointing outwards. Arrange the rest of the triangles in the same way, moving around the circle so they are all overlapping  a little around the edge of the circle.
  6. Place 1 tbsp of tapenade at the base of each triangle, then spoon the roast vegetable filling on top, creating a circle of filling. Carefully lift the point of each triangle to wrap over the filling, tucking the point under the pastry at the edge of the circle to seal it. Brush the melted butter on top of the pastry wreath and sprinkle over the sesame seeds.
  7. Take the hot baking tray out the oven. Carefully lift the baking paper with the pastry wreath and place it on the tray. This will help crisp the bottom of the wreath. Place in the oven for 20–25 minutes until the pastry is cooked through, risen, and golden. Serve warm, garnished with rocket leaves.

Talia Yilmaz

Talia is a private chef, food stylist, and recipe writer who specialises in plant-based cooking.

This recipe is an edited extract from Nourish plant-based living, Issue 67 • View magazine

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