Aisya Jabaruddin, who turned vegan seven years ago, is one of them.

The affable digital content creator and social media marketer, who became vegan to help end animal cruelty, said that while eating out was convenient, cooking her own meals was easier.

“Some dishes had ikan bilis or udang kering even though they said otherwise, so I started experimenting in the kitchen,” she said, adding that she would often create vegan versions of her mum’s signature dishes.

Today, Aisya has her own Instagram channel where she posts tips and information on vegan food as well as mouth-watering vegan recipes to the delight of her more than 10,700 followers.

Aisya makes it a point to share simple recipes that anyone can replicate, using readily available ingredients.

“If the preparation for a dish takes too long, I won’t post that recipe. I am actually quite a lazy person, so if I can do it, you can do it too,” she said, laughing.

According to her, flavour and seasoning are important when it comes to vegan cooking. She said tofu in particular was like a ‘blank canvas of sorts’ and could be made tasty easily once the excess water was drained out.

“I’ve even made all sorts of desserts using silken tofu; you can get chocolate mousse by just blending it with cocoa powder,” she explained.

It’s no surprise, then, that tofu is her favourite vegan protein source. “I know of people who hated tofu in the beginning, only to end up falling in love with the various vegan tofu dishes.”

Aisya said that vegan cooking was all about experimenting until you hit the perfect flavour profile.

“Oyster mushroom tastes just like chicken once dipped in batter and fried,” she said, adding that there’s no shortage of one-minute Instagram reels and TikTok videos when it comes to cooking tasty vegan meals.

She said her mother was her best critic when it came to judging if a vegan dish she created was worthy of a place at the dinner table.

“I’m an extremely picky eater, but my mum is pickier than me; if she can’t tell that a dish is vegan, that means the recipe worked,” Aisya said.

Some of her easier-to-cook dishes include pancakes, tofu nuggets, nasi goreng with scrambled tofu, as well as soy and ginger braised tofu.

Totally ruined a dish? Don’t be too hard on yourself, Aisya said. “I used to get rather sad when a dish went wrong as I hate wasting food, but I’ve since accepted that as part of the learning process.”

She also said there was a misconception that vegan cooking was expensive. “I mostly shop for local items and fruits and vegetables that are in season.”

Aisya and her husband, Akmal, also run Mushroom Lah, a home-based business that focusses on mushroom rendang. “I first started making it for Hari Raya. On our first Raya together, Akmal ate a whole kilogram in one sitting!”

Their rendang has since become a hit among both vegans and non-vegans alike, and the couple now cooks up to 70kg of mushroom rendang every week.

“Many have told us that they can’t tell that it’s vegan as it tastes just like meat,” she said, adding that it’s a good dish for people who are trying to eliminate meat from their diet.

The rendang also comes in “travel packs” which can last from six months to a year at room temperature.

Although feedback from her Instagram posts is positive, there were rather harsh comments about her TikTok recipe videos that went viral, Aisya told FMT.

“It affected me and I remember crying so much over it; my non-Malay vegan friends don’t get this much hate,” she pointed out, adding that she’s thankful of more supportive communities like the “Muslim Vegans & Vegetarians of Malaysia” Facebook group.

At the end of the day, Aisya said it made her happy when her social media followers, especially non-vegans, tried out her recipes with success.

“I hope people will see that it’s easy to prepare vegan meals, and that it’s the best time to consume more plant-based food as there are plenty of resources available.”

Follow Aisya on Instagram for easy, delicious vegan recipes.

If you wish to purchase the mushroom rendang, check out Mushroom Lah’s website and Instagram account.