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Around the world in... easy vego snacks

Vego snacks abound in every culture, making a fix for the munchies worth a trip around the world.

Gougeres

Source: Adam Gibson

Needing a little something between lunch and dinner seems to be a thing in just about every culture on earth. Street food vendors thrive in the late afternoon as office workers, travellers and busy passers-by stop for a snack to tide them over.

Snacky food like this is often the best a culture has to offer because recipes have been perfected by the sheer amount of times they've been produced. Vegetarian snack foods are particularly good because they're cheaper for a vendor to produce and thus they're more likely to work their dish to perfection.

Tuck in for a trip from a vendor to vendor across the globe as we find the ultimate vegetarian snack foods to make at home. Don't limit yourself to late in the day, either. Morning snacks are equally good (particularly the ones made in the wee small hours after a big night out).
Cauliflower hot wings
Naturally these are best served with a ranch sauce on the side for dipping. Source: Adam Liaw
A vegan spin on classic wings, drenches cauli in batter and spices and deep-fried it to a moreish effect.


Have tortilla, can taco. Load them up with , or try one of these alternatives:
Mexican corn on the cob
Ready in 15 minutos! Source: Smith Street Books
For the easiest vego snack ever, load up a with a smoky chipotle and cheese mayo.
Caramel peanuts
These sweet nuts are everything you could want in a snack. Source: Rachel Tolosa Paz
You will always smell the distinctive sweet smoke of in Argentina's parks and plazas. They're both sweet and savoury, spicy and creamy. They're basically the ideal snack.
Quince-filled pastries
For a particularly festive afternoon snack, sprinkle hundreds and thousands on top before baking. Source: Rachel Tolosa Paz
Load these little pastries up with , or chocolate or . They feel extravagant but are actually quite quick and simple to bake.
Ibizan doughnuts (bunyols de vent)
Potato keeps the bunyols de vent dough moist during frying and their distinct aniseed flavour will keep you coming back for more. Source: Rochelle Eagle
in any form are snacking done right.
Fried mozzarella sticks, smoked tomato sauce
A tomato dipping sauce is a must and this recipe offers a garlicky, smoky one. Source: Adam Liaw
A golden crumb is all a needs to fry its way into snack heaven.
Focaccia two ways
So delicious and versatile, focaccia is a really easy, economical bake. Source: Savannah van der Niet
The '90s café darling is back in a big way (for Italians it never actually went away). Master  or two and you'll basically always have a snack on hand.
Gougeres
The only tricky part of making gougères is the baking - check to see when they are golden and highly risen. Source: Adam Gibson
Cheesy choux pastries are one of the great loves of French patisserie and are surprisingly easy to make.  are made with just six ingredients that you'll no doubt already have on hand; which makes them ideal for last-minute snack attacks.
These Polish crepes (naleśniki) evoke strong family memories.
Polish cheese blintzes are by no means quick to make, but half the snack-worthy satisfaction is in the making. Source: Jason Loucas
are for special times when you need a serve of comfort with your snack.
Three-cheese and spinach gozleme
Three-cheese and spinach gozleme is everything we need in a late-night snack. Source: Adam Liaw
This express route to bypasses the traditional handmade pastry case and instead uses large pita bread.
Falafel
Pop them in a burger or wrap, a salad or just pop them straight into your mouth. Source: One World Kitchen
These are moreish like popcorn. Luckily they only take about 20 minutes to make a whole batch.
Zucchini frittters
The key to a crispy fritter is to make sure you squeeze out all the excess juice from the zucchini. Source: Alan Benson
Roll 'em up in flatbread or dip them into a bowl of , either way, these will hit the snacking spot.
Crispy spinach chaat
Crispy, hot, cold, creamy, herby and ever so tasty. Source: Martin Poole
North India is a haven for snacky things all known under the umbrella of . Pakora is some of the best, especially when served with two dipping sauces.
Gobi manchurian
'Manchurian' is a sub-cuisine of Indian food that brings local flavours to Chinese styles of cooking. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
To make , batter then deep fry cauliflower florets wok-toss them in a spicy sauce. It's a long ingredients list, but it all comes together quick enough to whip up for a snack.
Silverbeet and spinach dumplings
Silverbeet and spinach may not be traditional Chinese vegetables, but added chopped water chestnuts and re-hydrated black fungus most certainly are. Source: Sharyn Cairns
Vegan dumplings are the ultimate crowd-pleaser. This version is , but mushroom also makes a good dumpling.
Chive cakes (khanom gui chai)
It's the Thai street food you can make at home whenever the urge overcomes you. Which is often. Source: Alana Dimou
It's the chewy tapioca dough that makes so irresistible. It's a texture and taste that gets into your head and demands regular revisiting. Fortunately, they're a comparatively easy Thai snack to master.
Fried bananas (gluay tod)
There's some chemistry involved to get this recipe right - it's not the kind of snack you can make on a whim. Source: Alana Dimou
Many nations are obsessed with but it's hard to beat what Thailand is serving up. Gluay tod is sold by street vendors all over the country but it's easy enough to fry up your own.
The snackiest of the flatbreads, is often served plain with a couple of curry dipping sauces. In a snack pinch, it also tastes amazing spread with strawberry jam.
What's not to love about savoury served with an umami-rich soy dipping sauce? Koreans love everything about this vegetarian snack.
Seaweed egg roll (gim gyeran mari)
Once you get the hang of it, you won't be able to stop making egg rolls. Try different flavourings to mix things up. Source: Billy Law
Great in a lunchbox or served up as a snack,  is super tasty and fortunately super easy. You may need some practice to master your folding technique, but you'll be content to eat your attempts along the way.
Oven-baked tofu with sesame oil
This simple meal makes the most of core of Japanese flavours. Source: Adam Liaw
This is that can be a light lunch or a filling late-night snack. It also makes a decent breakfast, so you officially have permission to enjoy it any time of day.
Vegetable gyoza
These delicious little Japanese parcels are filled with spring onions, cabbage, garlic and ginger. Source: Chris Chen
is wrapped up like a little gift and rightly so. Try eating just one of these little morsels.

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SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only. Read more about SBS Food
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SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only.
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4 min read
Published 26 April 2022 8:30am
Updated 26 April 2022 9:08am
By SBS Food bite-sized
Source: SBS


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