Nisha Vora's Debut Cookbook 'Big Vegan Flavor' Shows How Luscious Plant-Based Food Can Be (Exclusive)

When a Harvard-trained lawyer leans into her lifelong passion for cooking, magic happens. Having described her Big Law days as "not fun," Nisha Vora quit her suffocating job and backpacked around the world for six months, only to enter the nonprofit law arena and still feel dissatisfied professionally.

Things pivoted for Vora in 2016, as this was the year she went vegan and launched her popular plant-based food blog, Rainbow Plant Life. Her decision to embark on a plant-based lifestyle stemmed from an eye-opening three-night binge session involving 10 factory farming documentaries.

"I was really angry that it wasn't common knowledge, that you had to seek it out. I was just like, 'I have no interest in being part of this system,'" she exclusively tells Green Matters via phone. "I worked in social justice before I worked in food. And I was kind of always trying to help folks who were oppressed. I was like, 'Why would I not want to do the same for animals who are completely innocent beings, who can't speak for themselves? ... I started to learn about how factory farming contributes to climate change. ... I felt like the information was purposely hidden."

Since then, Vora left the law completely, she's amassed over 1.29 million YouTube subscribers, and she released her debut cookbook, The Vegan Instant Pot, in 2019.

Her 600-page cookbook, Big Vegan Flavor, hit shelves on Sept. 3, 2024.

The hefty book features over 150 "globally inspired" recipes for everything from fancy dinner parties to busy weeknights. Additionally, Big Vegan Flavor acts as your comprehensive vegan food bible, so to speak, offering "vegan building blocks" and recipe customization ideas.

From Adult Grilled Cheese with Chili Crisp to Chai Spiced Custard Tart with Mango, Big Vegan Flavor proves plant-based cooking can be mouthwatering and delectably colorful.

In an exclusive interview with Green Matters, cookbook author and content creator Nisha Vora discussed Big Vegan Flavor, fundamental principles of vegan cooking, and advice for newbie vegans.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

GREEN MATTERS: You’ve been cooking since you were 14, but you went vegan in 2016. What was the transition like in terms of learning to cook plant-based food?

NISHA VORA: When I first went vegan, there wasn't any comprehensive guide out there. For the first year, I ate really boring meals. I was essentially eating by subtraction, taking out things like cheese, butter, eggs, chicken, fish sauce, and sour cream. Eventually, I got really tired of eating that way. That experience led me on this path to figuring out how to cook really excellent flavorful meals using plant-based ingredients, and using the fundamentals I learned as a young person, but applying it through a vegan lens.

GM: A portion of the book seeks to teach readers “the principles behind great vegan cooking.” What are some of these principles?

NV: There are certain fundamentals of generally good cooking that become even more important when you're cooking without animal products. One of them is learning how to season in layers. You can end up with a much more complex dish if you season along the way. Another important fundamental principle that I talk about is using what's in season. If you're going to make a cauliflower steak, it better be a really good cauliflower.

A lot of stuff tastes better if you know how to balance and enhance flavors. Whether it's sweet, savory, or spicy, by using herbs and aromatics and spices to enhance the flavors you're already cooking with — I think it's like an art.

GM: What advice do you have for people looking to dip their toes in the vegan waters?

NV: Don't be intimidated by, quote, "cooking vegan food." The big principles of good cooking still apply. When in doubt, most things taste better with salt, extra virgin olive oil, and some sort of acid. People can sometimes have this idea know that vegan food is so different, but a lot of foods that you are used to are naturally plant-based. My little hack is just incorporating fresh herbs like cilantro, basil, mint, or parsley. They add so much dimension and character and they don't really require any specialized equipment or cooking knowledge. You just need to chop them up and sprinkle them in. I like to encourage folks to experiment with those. Even if you're making a salad, replace half or a handful of your lettuce with fresh herbs; you'll get an instantly more interesting salad.