This interview is part of WNYC and Gothamist’s “Food Memoir” series, which invites New Yorkers to share the stories behind their cooking experiences and favorite recipes.
Bronx chef Lyana Blount had been developing vegan recipes for years, but in 2020 she posted a photo online that shaped the business she runs today.
The photo featured her take on pernil, a traditionally meat-heavy Puerto Rican dish.
"I posted a picture of my vernil … everyone was just so amazed," said Blount, 32.
Pernil is traditionally a slow-roasted pork shoulder. Blount's vegan version, however, uses jackfruit instead — a substitution she chose after seeing other vegans using the fruit for pulled pork barbecue sandwiches.
Blount had been running a meal-prep business, "Prepped to Go," when the pandemic began in 2020. She would cook recipes at home and post them online. Since her vernil recipe gained traction, she now runs Black Rican Vegan, a pop-up business with "vegan soul food cuisine with a Puerto Rican twist." She's also the author of the cookbook, "Black Rican Vegan: Fire Plant-Based Recipes from a Bronx Kitchen."
We talked with Blount about her passion for vegan cooking and asked her to share one of her favorite recipes.
The conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and content.
What are your earliest memories of cooking?
I would say just being at home and being super curious, watching my mom cook and my uncle cook. I did a project at school we made, I think it was pizzas or something. So I wanted to go home and recreate it. I just thought it was so much fun. I like the fact that you got to get creative with the food and then eat it afterwards, which is the best part.
My mom would host all the family gatherings at our house and everyone would come over and she would just cook a whole bunch of food with my uncle. I think we created the best memories over those events and having food around the table and seeing the family come and take food with them.
I feel like for me, food is like a love language, which has always been something that has been super important in my life.
What is a recipe that brings you comforting memories?
There are so many. I would say like potato salad. My grandma used to make potatoes in all different types of ways: potato salad, mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes. It's always been a comfort food of mine.
Arroz con gandules, it's Spanish rice and peas. Everyone makes it different, even though it's the same, the flavors are always so different, but always so good and unique to the person who's making it. So I think that's a really special dish as well. The list could go on, but I would say that's like my top two.
What was your journey to Black Rican Vegan?
Black Rican Vegan was actually a thought that I had in 2016 when I first went vegan, and it just came to me because I'm half Black, I'm half Puerto Rican, and I was going vegan at the time, and it sounded super catchy.
At that time I was doing a whole different business called “Prepped to Go.” So I was continuing to make healthy meals for my community. I will cook it and deliver it every weekend. But when I did go vegan, I wanted to incorporate more vegan meals to my menu. And a lot of people weren't too fond of vegan meals or weren't used to having it. When I started to edit my menu, a lot of people would purchase it. I even had some people who were transitioning into veganism who would order these meals from me and in 2020 during a pandemic, I had to slow down “Prepped to Go” because I wasn't able to work in a kitchen that I had just rented and I was home more. So I just started to cook my meals for myself at home. And I posted a picture of my Vernil with, I think it was brown rice, black beans, red onion and avocado and everyone was just so amazed they couldn't believe that I made something that was so meat heavy. Then I did it vegan and all the Puerto Ricans were like, you know, what is that?
So a lot of people got really curious and I started to post more different vegan recipes that had soul food and Latin flair. And they wanted me to put out a menu, so I put out my first menu on April 6, and I haven't stopped putting out menus since.
What inspired you to go vegan in the first place?
I was just like on this health kick and I just kind of wanted to heal myself. So I started researching about holistic lifestyle. I also had a friend who was vegan and she was just kind of giving me pointers on the vegan lifestyle. I didn't know anything about it. She was just helping me on my journey doing research. She recommended I read this book and I learned how the animals were being processed before they hit your plate and it just turned me off completely. I was also looking into holistic healing and I felt like the energy transfer was something that was important to me and I didn't want to consume animals that were pretty much being tortured and going through a really bad process before we purchase it at the supermarket. So I just jumped into veganism.
What does it mean for you to be in the kitchen?
It's like a natural thing for me. I've been in the kitchen all my life. The only difference is I'm not just cooking for my family. I'm cooking for everyone now. I just get in the kitchen and I just get to work. My goal is like, I know these people want this food. I know I'm giving them a part of me and I know they're going to love it. So I'm going to get in that kitchen. I'm going to make the best meal that they ever had. It's not always easy, but I believe it's super worth it. It’s one of these careers that you have to be super passionate about and care for a lot because food is universal. Everybody has to eat and it's super important.
Are you making vernil for the holidays this year?
I've been making it all this week for my customers and for catering. So yeah, I'm making it.
Lyana Blount’s recipe for holiday vernil
This recipe was originally published in Blount’s cookbook “Black Rican Vegan: Fire Plant-Based Recipes from a Bronx Kitchen”
Serves 10
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon (18 grams) salt, plus more as needed
3 20-ounce (567-grams) cans jackfruit in brine, drained
1⁄2 cup (120 milliliters) sofrito
8 cloves garlic, minced
1⁄4 cup (60 milliliters) grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon(6 grams) freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon (4 grams) fresh oregano
1⁄2 teaspoon (4.5 grams) adobo
1⁄2 teaspoon or 1 [4-gram packet sazón
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon (15 milliliter) fresh lime juice
Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil over medium heat and lightly salt the water. Rinse the brine off your jackfruit before placing it in the pot of boiling water. Boil the jackfruit for about 30 minutes.
At the end of 30 minutes, drain the jackfruit and let it cool. Use your hands or a potato masher to squeeze all the liquid out of the jackfruit. Remove any seeds you may find.
Once all the liquid and seeds are removed, transfer your jackfruit to a large bowl and add your sofrito, garlic, grapeseed oil, salt, pepper, oregano, adobo, sazón, cumin, onion powder and lime juice. Mix thoroughly, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the jackfruit marinate in the refrigerator for about 6 hours or overnight.
When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the jackfruit in a single layer. It's important not to overcrowd the pan; if you do, the jackfruit will be mushy, and you want it to be a little crisp.
Bake the jackfruit for 30 minutes, stirring it every 10 minutes. Some ovens heat differently, so keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn’t overcook. You want it a little crispy but not burnt. You’re looking for evenly cooked, meat-like pieces that are a bit bronzed. Once the jackfruit is done, remove it from the oven and pair it with arroz con gandules. ¡Buen provecho!
This recipe is often served with arroz con gandules (rice and pigeon peas).
