The Uncomplicated Diner: Singapore's meat-free guerrilla dining movement

But the food isn't the only focus, says Ms Khemlani - as with all enjoyable dining experiences, her dinners are just as much about the company.

“With The Uncomplicated Diner, we've managed to build a community of foodies from all walks of life. Homemakers, quiz masters, digital strategists, wealth managers, teachers, auditors, even an energy consultant – we've met all sorts of people and everyone's discussed ideas, made new friends, and even reconnected at other events outside of The Uncomplicated Diner,” Ms Khemlani explains. The guest list is intentionally kept small with a limit of 12 persons, as this allows everyone to socialise easily, "especially for the introverts who may not exactly be comfortable at large dinner parties full of unfamiliar faces", she adds. 

Even though such events are kept intimate, it doesn’t make hosting - and preparing for them - any easier, especially when there are extra challenging dietary requests to be met, says Ms Khemlani.

“One of the guests I had was a true carnivore, and naturally, was a little skeptical about a vegetarian dinner. Obviously, I wanted to prove that vegetarian food could be delicious too, so I sought to find a vegetable substitute for meat – raw jackfruit,” says Ms Khemlani. She recounts how tough it was to get her hands on the fruit as the store nearby home only stocked limited quantities of it every Saturday, and it seemed to always be sold out by 7am. "So, for three Saturdays in a row, I was up early tendering the jackfruit and perfecting the recipe for a jackfruit coconut curry. And whenever it didn’t come out right, I’d have to wait a week to try again!"

Another memorable challenge, she recalls, involved vegan macarons. “That was a super tough one since one of the main ingredients for the dessert is egg. After three unsuccessful attempts, I finally had pandan macarons with salted almond butter filling. And the egg? Here’s a great egg white replacement that really works: aqufaba, or chickpea brine.” 

There’s also the issue of contamination, which is the thing that irks most chefs since the risk is higher when preparing for special diets in a large kitchen. Ms Khemlani explains that since all her cooking is done in her small home kitchen, she does her best to minimise cross contamination by cooking each dish individually and from scratch. 

You can only image the amount of learning Ms Khemlani has to do in order to be knowledgeable about cooking for such requests. “The experts have taught me a lot. I attend cooking and baking classes, dine at different restaurants, and try new cuisines... I'm also part of a number of vegetarian and vegan communities, and I tap on their knowledge as well. For example, when I was researching on pastries to create for a vegan afternoon tea, I learnt that animal bone char is usually used in the bleaching and filtering processes for cane sugar. As such, I tapped onto the vegan community for help, and found sugar brands that are free of bone char.”

Proceeds from the recent dinner we attended, for instance, went to local welfare group, Willing Hearts, which runs a soup kitchen that provides daily meals for the needy. “Not only is this a great way to contribute to a good cause, but the initiative also provides a fabulous opportunity to meet other like-minded food aficionados, and appreciate alternative vegetarian and vegan cuisine at the same time,” says Ms Khemlani. 

So what’s next for the community-minded home cook? She has tackled the intense challenge of hosting a classic English afternoon tea session - sans dairy, butter, and animal-derived ingredients - a few months back, so the sky is pretty much the limit.

“I believe we are currently undergoing a vegan renaissance – healthy, sustainable dishes are suddenly receiving unprecedented attention. With The Uncomplicated Diner, I think it’s the perfect time to be innovative and bust the misconception that plant-based cuisine is expensive, bland, and nothing more than a salad,” says Ms Khemlani.