Bitter melon. Bleu cheese. Both foods I’ve tried more than once to enjoy but end up just scrunching up my face in disgust and running to rinse my tongue with water. My mom always points out that taste buds change as you grow older, so one day I’ll obtain these acquired tastes.
The day you start liking bitter melon is the day you reach the halfway point of your lifespan. – Az’s philosophy
While I still haven’t learned to like the taste of bitter melon (which means I won’t die before 40, hahahaha!), I have picked up an attraction to chai tea and fresh figs. The two are not nearly as ‘exotic’ or ‘strange’ as say, durian and stinky tofu, but I didn’t have exposure to these delicacies until I ventured into foodie territory.
I really really really like warm spices, especially cinnamon, so chai tea lattes are totally up my alley. Some are like my mom and find it much to spicy, but it is these warm flavours that epitomize autumn and makes me look forward to cozy-ing up indoors on a chilly day. I don’t mind rainy days if I have a warm cup of chai latte next to me.
To make a batter for this vegan french toast, I stuck two chai tea bags into some unsweetened almond milk to make my own concentrated chai “latte”. If it didn’t have to be used for the recipe, I would’ve just drank it as is with my breakfast. Chilled in the summer, hot in the winter.
Then there’s figs, the self-jamming fruits that are so luxuriously soft and sweet. Perfect eaten hot, cold, on its own, with cereal, mixed into oatmeal, or over yogurt, once you take your first bite, there is no going back. Apologies to my student wallet.
Cracking the code for vegan french toast has been on my mission list for a while. As I was searing bananas for my pancakes one morning, the concept of using caramelized bananas to coat french toast crossed my mind. The natural sugars in bananas are plentiful and brown beautifully when heated. Plus, it adds a wonderful sweetness to the bread. In this vegan french toast creation, the bananas help mimic the golden brown surface of traditional french toast.
The day came when all the ingredients were present in my fridge, and I didn’t have an excuse not to make Vegan Chai French Toast. That morning I made breakfast for Papa Leung in my tiny new kitchen. I got started by slathering fig butter between two slices of bread to make a sandwich, then dipping it into a viscous banana chai batter and then frying them to golden brown perfection. Topped with thick Greek yogurt, hot jammy figs, and sticky honey, this plate of Vegan Chai French Toast is healthy eating at it’s utmost sophistication.
C’est très magnifique!
- ½ cup almond milk
- 2 chai tea bags
- 1 small ripe banana
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- A pinch of pink Himalayan salt
- 4 slices of whole grain bread
- 2 heaping tbsp fig butter
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp honey + more for serving*
- 6 ripe figs, halved and/or quartered
- Greek yogurt for serving**
- MAKE AHEAD: Heat almond milk in a small pot or in the microwave until just boiling. Remove from heat and steep the chai tea bags until very strong. I left mine overnight.
- In a small food processor, blend the banana, strong chai milk, vanilla, and salt until completely smooth.
- Spread a heaping tablespoon of butter on two of the slices of bread and sandwich with remaining slices.
- Preheat a ceramic or non-stick pan over medium heat and swirl the coconut oil around the pan to coat the surface.
- Dip each sandwich in the batter for 15 to 20 seconds per side and fry for 5 minutes, or until both sides are golden brown, dry, and crispy, flip and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Once french toast is almost cooked through, push to one side of the pan, turn the heat down to low and add the 1 tbsp of honey to an open area of the pan. Immediately add the figs cut side down into the honey and cook until caramelized.
- Cut each french toast sandwich into two and serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt, hot honeyed figs, and an extra drizzle of honey.
**Use a vegan alternative if necessary
I LOVE figs! I myself invented this cookie recipe involving oatmeal/coconut homemade flour with chopped dried figs and coconut flakes *____* I’m salivating whilst typing this, ugh.