In the Kitchen with Max Mandias

by Erdira Wirengjurit
27th April 2018
In our next In The Kitchen series, co-founder of Burgreens and believer of plant-based nutrition Max Mandias shares with us how to whip up a vegetarian wrap, where he shows that healthy doesn't have to compromise on taste.

As the pioneer of healthy food eatery in Jakarta’s F&B industry, Burgreens has been well-loved by crowds; be it among customers who are vegetarian or vegan, or customers who wish to balance their lifestyle by incorporating healthy meals every now and then.

Behind the four current Burgreens outlets is couple Max Mandias and Helga Angelina, who are both passionate advocates of plant-based diet as a healthier option to embrace. However, Max believes that the positive impacts of a plant-based diet reach far beyond the body and mind. To him, it’s not merely a diet but rather a lifestyle change with benefits that do not have to come at a cost.

Despite his present popularity as a Plant-based Chef, Max never gave much thought about becoming a chef, let alone focusing on plant-based diet. His journey began when he was at odds with his own physical and mental well-being until he took in the suggestion to try out a plant-based diet. “After trying out being a vegetarian for three months, all of my health problems miraculously disappeared without any medical intervention. It’s real, I’ve experienced it myself. That’s when I was convinced of the power of plant-based nutrition.”

Max and Helga shared their passion for this alternative diet through Burgreens, yet promoting it proved to be a challenging task since Indonesians aren’t familiar with the idea of a plant-based diet. “We also found out that Indonesians’ vegetable daily intake is much lower than the recommended amount cited by the World Health Organization. They’re just not big on veggies. So, Helga and I thought of how we should make vegetables look just as appealing in a meal without decreasing their nutritional values.”

Coming up with attractive dishes was difficult as well, but with many trials and errors in the kitchen, Max was able to come up with the extensive menu that customers have come to love at Burgreens. Some dishes that have become the crowd’s favourites are Tempeh Gomashio, Burgreens Steak and Mighty Mushroom among others.

But when it comes to Max himself, his go-to meals as a chef aren’t necessarily fancy, because for him, nutrition comes first. For instance, to start off the day, his favourite breakfast would comprise of a smoothie that is packed with fruits and veggies like bananas, pineapple and spinach. As for lunch, “Anything rice – white rice or red rice – and also tempeh. As long as it’s cooked.” As for Helga? “She would eat anything that I cook,” answers Max. “But she has a soft-spot for my Cap cai (stir-fried veggies).”

Here, Max shares with us an easy recipe for Crunch Wrap Supreme that is packed with nutrients without compromising on the taste and spiciness.

 

Crunch Wrap Supreme

This recipe serves _ and the ingredients are divided into three parts: the wrap, vegan mayo and cocktail sauce.

 

The wrap

Ingredients:
Tortilla wrap

Lettuce (coarsely chopped)

Steamed corn

Purple or white cabbage (shredded)

Tomato (deseeded and diced)

Avocado or pineapple (sliced)

Oyster mushroom (sauteed with salt and pepper)

Tofu or tempeh (cut into small sticks and seared/fried)

 

Vegan Mayo

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Cashew (that has been soaked overnight)

1/2 cup Steamed tofu

1 tsp Yellow mustard

1/2 cup Coconut oil

1/2 – 1 cup Water (as needed)

1/2 tsp Salt

2 tbs Liquid sugar cane

Nutritional yeast (optional)

 

Cocktail Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup Vegan mayo (store-bought) and GoodGut Coconut Yoghurt (can be bought at Burgreens)

1-2 tbs Chilli/tomato sauce

Pickles (chopped)

 

Directions:

1. First, mix vegan mayo, tomato sauce and pickles. Stir until well-combined.

2. Prepare all the veggies and tofu/mushroom.

3. Heat up the skillet over medium heat. Put in the tortilla wrap, toast until soft, then transfer to your chopping board.

4. On the first layer, put sliced potato and then tofu fillet/sautéed mushroom.

5. Then pour in spicy cream before pouring in the rest of the ingredients.

6. Heat up the skillet again with 1 tbs oil. Fold wrap, one side at a time, until it can be closed perfectly.

7.  Toast the upper side on the skillet. Cook until it’s hard and slightly crispy for about 2 minutes. Check regularly to make sure that it’s not overcooked.

8. Then, toast the other side. Crunch Wrap Supreme is ready to be served.