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A few years ago, raw food became a hot new diet and some advocates swear by how eating only raw food has made them healthier. Now it’s probably not for everyone, and you should definitely be careful and probably talk to a dietician before putting children on it, but for the people who love meat and baked goods and cooked pasta, here are the best places and dishes to try raw food and see if this diet is for you.
Afterglow, Singapore
The most popular dishes at this relatively new restaurant include a deconstructed sushi bowl (mushrooms, avocados, pickles, and mild wasabi on rice) and the raw zucchini linguine with meat balls (where the pasta is made of zucchini and meat is made of shitake mushrooms, walnuts and dates). They also have seasonal fruit parfaits for dessert, as well as their home-made vegan cheese with cashew nuts. They get their produce from local or regional farmers.
24 Keong Saik Road
Tel: +65 6224 8921
Ceviche, London
Don’t worry; raw foodies can have meat too. Ceviche is the national dish of Peru and loved by many, so many that this restaurant is named after and dedicated to this dish. Yes it’s still raw food, because the fish is “cooked” by being marinated in a mix based on citrus juice. The acid denatures the protein, similar to how it would react to heat, giving you raw fish that looks and tastes like cooked fish. The place prides itself on travelling “the length of Peru to find the best recipes, and the length of Britain to find the freshest fish.”
17 Frith Street, London
Tel: +44 207 292 2040
Yong Green Food, Melbourne, Australia
Australia might be a fair distance away from many other countries, but the two Korean sisters running Yong Green Food offer an extensive menu that’s clearly inspired by Asian cuisine, as well as Mexican and Italian dishes. Two of their best raw dishes are the kelp Pad Thai and a tiramisu made with nuts and coconut butter and organic spiced rum.
21 Brunswick Street
Tel: +61 3 9417 3338
Gwangjang Market, Seoul, Korea
You should visit this over-100-year-old market even if you’re not into raw food, because it has plenty of quality silk goods, kitchen ware, clothing, and most importantly, street food. Raw foodies should definitely try the yuk-hoe, which is a Korean steak tartare, seasoned with soy sauce and spices and served with Korean pear and a raw egg. This dish is so popular there’s an entire alley in the market dedicated to it.
Here’s another reason to consider raw food: you can save on your utility bill in the kitchen because you don’t have to cook, and there isn’t much washing up or wasted food. And it’s not just about eating rabbit food, as you can see from these recipes.
Chocolate Mousse
This velvety, luxurious, and rich chocolate mousse is very easy to make and will probably impress your friends. Just blend four ripe avocados in a blender or food processor until smooth, add raw coconut nectar, raw cacao powder, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt, keep blending until you have a uniform mix. Chill for two hours in the fridge, and garnish it with fresh fruit or nuts.
Bo Tai Chang (Vietnamese beef carpaccio)
Similar to the ceviche, you “cook” the beef by marinating it in lemon juices. Before that, cover the beef and freeze it for 15 minutes so it’ll be easy to slice. Squeeze two lemons in a bowl and add a little fish sauce. Slice the beef as thinly as possible, let it marinate for 10 to 15 minutes, then add in fresh herbs (usually coriander, chives, mint, basil, cilantro) and toss. Serve with chillis, onions, and peanuts.
Kale Salad
Kale has become a very trendy food, even if you’re not on the raw food diet. This salad is very simple to make and you can even refrigerate it and leave it for the next day without worrying about the leaves going soggy or wilted. The key is to massage the kale with olive oil for three minutes so the leaves won’t be as tough, then toss with sprouted lentils, quinoa, toasted seeds, and an orange-cashew (or just lemon) dressing.