Vegan Ablama Ingredients
- 1 kg small or medium zucchini, according to preference.
- 1 cup fine soy protein, boiled for 10 minutes and drained.
- 1 large onion, finely chopped.
- A handful of pine nuts, almonds, or any nuts, toasted in a pan.
- 2 cups plant-based yogurt, whichever type is available.
- 1 cup vegetable broth, with more if needed, or 1 tablespoon vegan Maggi-style seasoning with 1 cup water.
- 1 teaspoon starch.
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil.
- 1 teaspoon seven-spice.
- A pinch of bay leaf.
- A pinch of black pepper.
- A pinch of white pepper.
- Salt to taste.
How to Make Vegan Ablama
Prepare the zucchini
- Remove the tops of the zucchini. Fry them in oil until half cooked, then place them on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil. Alternatively, bake them on a lightly oiled tray, covered, until half cooked.
- Leave the zucchini to cool while you prepare the filling.
Prepare the filling
- Boil the soy protein in water for 10 minutes and drain it well.
- Fry it in 4 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the seven-spice, black pepper, bay leaf and salt, and cook until browned. Turn off the heat.
- Add the toasted pine nuts or other nuts and mix.
- Open each zucchini lengthwise and fill it generously. Arrange the stuffed zucchini in a baking dish with the filling facing upward.
Prepare the yogurt sauce
- Blend the plant-based yogurt with 1 cup vegetable broth, 1 teaspoon starch, white pepper and salt.
- Bring the yogurt mixture to a boil on the stove while stirring continuously so it does not split.
- Pour it into the baking dish so it surrounds the zucchini without completely covering them. Add more yogurt sauce later if the level drops too much.
- Add crushed garlic over the top. The original recipe does not specify an exact amount.
- Cover the baking dish and bake for about ¾ of an hour, or until the zucchini and sauce are cooked. Check the yogurt level from time to time. Add more yogurt if needed, or a little water if the sauce becomes too thick.
- When cooked, remove the cover and briefly brown the top under the upper heat.
- Serve with rice colored with turmeric, or with plain rice.
Enjoy.
Why This Vegan Ablama Works as a Full Meal
The strength of this dish is not that zucchini “treats diabetes” or “prevents cancer.” The strength is that a traditional Levantine yogurt dish can be built from vegetables, plant protein and plant-based yogurt without needing meat or cow’s milk.
Zucchini is a water-rich vegetable that contributes vitamin C, potassium and fiber to the meal. USDA.
The soy filling adds complete plant protein. A meta-analysis of randomized trials found that soy protein modestly lowered LDL and total cholesterol. Source.
Plant-based yogurt varies by product. When fortified, it can contribute calcium, vitamin B12 and vitamin D, so check the label or the specific homemade yogurt recipe rather than assuming all varieties are nutritionally identical.
That is the stronger case: the traditional dish itself can be vegan, satisfying and delicious without needing unsupported medical claims about zucchini.
Try our quick almond-and-rice labneh, almond yogurt, or vegan sheikh al-mahshi. These related pages are currently being translated into English.
