Braised Vegan Steak or Pancetta and Peas Recipe

Green peas are a very popular side dish in Italy, and are most often accompanied by plenty of pancetta.. well in this case, it's got to be plenty of crispy vegan steak bits! It's comforting, warm and incredibly tasty. A great addition to any meal, but also great served over rice or pasta!

INGREDIENTS
1Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or Mild Coconut Oil;
2tsp Soy Sauce;
50g Steak or Pancetta, chopped into rough little cubes;
50g Shallots, finely sliced;
150g British Garden Peas;
2tsp Vegan Bouillon Powder;
100-125ml Warm Water;
1-2tsp Dried Parsley;
1Tbsp Nutritional Yeast Flakes;
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste.
Paprika to taste (optional)

EQUIPMENT
A non-stick pan with a lid.

WHAT TO DO

1. Heat up half the oil and the soy sauce on your pan, when hot add the Mheat cubes and let them sizzle away until crispy on the outside. Add a little paprika to give it a nice rounded flavour if you wish. Toss, remove from the pan and set aside for later.

2. In the same pan, add the remaining oil and heat it up. Add the sliced shallots and cover the pan, so that they don't dry out and burn. When translucent, add the peas and the bouillon powder, toss a couple of times to coat and let it all sizzle for a few moments. Add the water, salt and pepper to taste and dried parsley, stir and cover. Let the peas cook and absorb all the flavours for about 10-15 minutes. Lift the lid every now and again just to check that they're not burning: it the liquid dries out add a little more.

3. When you're happy with the peas, uncover and let any remaining juices reduce while stirring to avoid the contents sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add in the Mheat you set aside and gently toss to incorporate and warm through.

4. Enjoy as a side dish, over pasta or over brown nice (the nuttiness really compliments the pea-Mheat combo).