Lard subsitution question for our veg cooks --

[Hell Hath No Fury]

I have come across a recipe for my very favorite sauce from a now defunk local enchilada house. It is ful of non veg thinks, so I am trying my best to come up with a veg solution. The only substitute I cannot figure out is for the 2 pounds of lard (:puke:) that it calls for.

Any suggestions on what and how much of it to substitute??

[LeftyMom]

1. Depends on what you need the fat to do.

If you need it to be waxy or solid at room temperature, you'd need different fats than if you just want to add a relatively neutral-tasting fat and possibly a subtle savory element. It would help to see the whole recipe to figure it out, but offhand since a sauce will be served warm I'd try a scaled-down test batch with a relatively neutral flavored oil like canola in a similar volume, and then see if it needed anything. This would probably work fine, but if the taste or mouth feel isn't quite right I have a few more suggestions.

Since lard has a slight savory flavor to it you might need to add something to replace that, maybe just a drop or two of liquid smoke would work if you find the taste is a little flat.

If the texture winds up wrong with a liquid oil (you may find the mouth feel is not as velvety,) your options for veg fats that are solid at room temperature are unfortunately fairly limited. Shortening is an option but it's got transfats, the natural versions tend to be coconut oil based and thus the flavor tends not to be quite neutral in terms of flavor. I'd try doing half shortening (natural or not, your pick) and half liquid oil, and that would probably do the trick in that case, if not you could eliminate the liquid and try entirely shortening.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

2. Here's the recipe -

I am no cook, so I am not exactly sure what the fat in this recipe is for. :shrug:

2 lbs lard
2 cups flour
1 large can chicken broth
1/2 container cumin
chili powder to taste (probably 1/4 bottle)
2 tablespoons salt

The lard and flour are combined to create a roux, then the other ingredients are added.

Thanks for the help!
Hell

[LeftyMom]

3. I'd scale way down for a test batch,

and then for the roux I'd try half oil and half earth balance. The end result shouldn't taste buttery because of the strong seasonings, but you'll get a nicer texture than you would with straight oil.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

4. Thanks!

I will give that a try. :hi:

[Ignis]

5. All this talk of roux makes me want to cook up some vegan jambalaya.

Cue the noms! :D

By the way, while it won't necessarily help with the recipe you posted, I use eggplant as a thickener in many stews and sauces. Skin it and dice it, throw it in the pot about mid-way through your cooking time, and they won't even know it's there.