Vegan Spanish omelette (tortilla de patatas)

My vegan version of the ultimate Spanish tapa. Made with OGGS, potato and onion.


Hola!

Today I bring you my plant-based take on possibly the most well-known Spanish tapa: tortilla de patatas, or translated as Spanish omelette. Maybe because in Spanish we call “French omelette” to the plain one with just egg and they wanted to make a difference. Spanish omelette is the ultimate tapa, present in almost every single bar in Spain, an easy dinner, and a crowd pleaser. Have you ever heard of anybody who doesn’t like it?

Personally, I prefer my omelettes with potato and onion, which adds flavour and softness to the potatoes, and I like a thick omelette. There are as many variations of Spanish omelette as you like, but I am going to follow my family’s traditions. It’s what I’m used to and what I like.

In terms of presentation, I would normally have some aioli with my omelette or maybe ketchup. You can serve the omelette as a tapa cut in cubes, or a cute wedge as a starter. You can have it in a baguette for dinner with some fresh salad leaves and tomato slices or you can eat it right out of the fridge as a snack. You name it.

PLANT POWER, MAKE UP!

When I started my original blog in 2020, making an omelette with chickpea flour was the fashion. You can use a mix a of that and some spices, but I use these days the OGGS whole egg alternative. This is not sponsored, but I haven’t found anything like it so I thought I’d name it. A lesson I learnt with this is to not mix the potatoes in hot, or it makes the OGGS into scramble. You need to let the potatoes to fully cool down.

I was also kind of obsessed with not using oil, but over time, I learnt that there are things that cannot be replaced like for like, and frying potatoes with oil makes this recipe so much better.

The most dramatic moment is to flip the omelette, which might end up in disaster, so pay attention: 

  • Use a non-stick frying pan. It catches very easily if you don’t.
  • Use olive oil and let it get hot before adding the omelette.
  • Make sure that the edges of the omelette are not stuck to the pan. I normally shake the pan back and forth and it does the job. 
  • Put a plate covering the omelette, if possible smaller than the pan, and hold that firmly against the pan. Watch out you don’t burn your fingers. Bear in mind that a “heavy weight” will be put against the plate when you flip the pan, so hold the plate strongly.
  • Turn the pan upside down very quickly and hold the plate steady against it. Do this over the kitchen counter in case there are any losses, you could put it back onto the pan. The omelette should have come out of the pan.
  • Spray some oil onto the pan, let it get hot and slide the omelette back onto the pan.

Full recipe, below.


VEGAN SPANISH OMELETTE (TORTILLA DE PATATAS)


Makes: 4 portions
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes


INGREDIENTS

4 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (a lo pobre)
1 small onion, sliced
Salt and pepper
1 OGGS whole egg alternative 330ml
1/4 tsp. kala namak salt or Himalayan black salt, or table salt
Olive oil to fry


INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Fill in a frying pan with olive oil, and heat it up. Turn the heat to medium and fry the potatoes and onion. Season with salt and pepper and keep stirring frequently. Cover the pan with a lid so that they get soft. Let cool down completely.
  2. Empty the OGGS bottle into a bowl and combine with the cool potatoes and onions. Mix slowly to preserve the potato pieces.
  3. Spray olive oil onto a medium non-stick frying pan, making sure to cover the edges, and let it get hot. Spoon the mix onto the pan, flatten it up and turn the heat to medium-high. Sprinkle the kala namak salt on top and for about 5 minutes.
  4. Give the pan a shake to detach the omelette. Place a plate smaller than the pan covering the omelette. Press the plate against the pan and quickly flip the pan over. Put the frying pan on the hob again and spray a bit more of oil. Spread the oil well on the edges and let it get hot.
  5. Slide the omelette back onto the frying pan and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
  6. You can use the same method you used to flip it over to remove it from the pan or carefully remove it with the help of a big flat spatula.

I love warm omelette just made, but some people like it cold. Your choice!

Bon profit!