Nova Maldives Unveils New Plant-Based Menu To Elevate Vegan-Friendly Culinary Offerings
Monday 3rd of April 2023
The bright new star resort, Nova Maldives has introduced a delectable plant-based menu for guests, giving a whole new meaning to vegan-friendly options on the island. With the benefits of plant-based diets widely known and recognized worldwide, many travellers are making the switch over to vegan life in 2023. A healthier and better choice for the planet, vegans seek delicious food on their holidays too and Nova Maldives caters flawlessly to their needs by bringing the best flavoursome culinary offerings prepared using the freshest local produce.
The Maldives has always supported vegan-friendly culinary, evident from the excessive use of exotic spices and fresh, plant-based ingredients in its creations. Now, Nova Maldives steps up its game thanks to Executive Chef, Sanjeet Gopee who has perfected the new plant-based menu featured at the resort. Guests can expect to find a mouth-watering selection of vegan creations at Flames restaurant, which is also both lactose-free and gluten-free for guest convenience.
Speaking on his menu, Executive Chef at Nova Maldives, Sanjeet Gopee comments: “We at Nova embrace and celebrate authentic Maldivian cuisine, which offers a myriad of plant-based options. A plant-based diet is important for various reasons, including its potential to combat climate change, as switching to a plant-based diet is one of the most effective ways to reduce an individual’s carbon footprint and improve health outcomes.” He added that the newly unveiled menu will be imaginative with a tempting element as well.
For starters, guests can look forward to a sumptuous Pumpkin salad curated with grated coconut, Maldivian spinach, lime dressing and pumpkin seeds followed by a tantalizing Kofta Quinoa stuffed with Maldivian spiced rich tomato sauce and served with saffron rice. Finishing on a sweet tooth, guests can tease their palates with a platter of young coconut mousse, coconut candy or even coconut truffle.
Appetizers will consist of a selection of mezze and soup options such as Hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh & roasted beetroot carpaccio, grilled shimeji mushroom, celery root & granny smith salad and more for the former while soup lovers can indulge in roasted Pumpkin soup, flavoured with nutmeg, pandan oil and crispy pumpkin seeds. For the main course, guests can savour a delicious plant-based burger patty in an activated charcoal gluten-free bun/quinoa served with a breadfruit galette.
Another delectable main course dish making the final cut is the braised king trumpet served alongside sous-vide cooked mushrooms, breadfruit rosti grilled asparagus and confit cherry tomato. All dessert lovers will find their vegan counterparts irresistible as servings of pineapple carpaccio with saffron, coconut sorbet and mint glaze, pandan semifreddo with vegan Chantilly cream & dark chocolate shortbread arrive to delight the tastebuds.
“It also promotes animal welfare as adopting a plant-based diet is one way to reduce the demand for animal products and promote more humane and sustainable farming practices. With a growing population, there is a need to find ways to increase food security and produce that is both sustainable and nutritious. Plant-based diets can help meet these goals, as they require less land, water and other resources to produce compared to animal-based diets,” says Sanjeet.