Life

Asian clean eating arrives in Belfast with chef Nox at Jumoñ

Clean eating is becoming increasingly popular with the body-conscious. Nokveedz 'Nox' Serewiwattana, clean eater and chef/patron of Belfast's new Asian-inspired vegetarian restaurant Jumón, says her life is all about balance

Nokveedz 'Nox' Serewiwattana, clean eater and chef/patron of Belfast's new Asian-inspired vegetarian restaurant Jumoñ. Picture by Hugh Russell
Nokveedz 'Nox' Serewiwattana, clean eater and chef/patron of Belfast's new Asian-inspired vegetarian restaurant Jumoñ. Picture by Hugh Russell Nokveedz 'Nox' Serewiwattana, clean eater and chef/patron of Belfast's new Asian-inspired vegetarian restaurant Jumoñ. Picture by Hugh Russell

'CLEAN eating' is the food trend popularised by celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba and Katie Perry who take looking after their bodies really seriously.

It's all about eating only plant-based foods cooked from scratch and served as close to their raw state as possible, while steering clear of sugar and all processed foods.

Beyoncé is currently leading the pack of clean eating devotees after announcing her intention to 'go clean' in preparation for her headlining appearance at the Coachella festival in California next week.

One practitioner in Belfast who believes living is all about balance is Bangkok-born chef Nokveedz 'Nox' Serewiwattana, who recently opened the city's latest fashionable restaurant, Jumoñ, along with her business partner Niall Davis.

Situated at the end of Fountain Street on the former site of The Permit Room and La Boca, Jumoñ serves delicious Asian-inspired vegetarian and vegan cuisine.

Dishes on the menu include Jiang Bing: a breakfast of eggs, Asian greens, avocado, tiger salad and sambal sauce; KFB: a bowl of fries topped with Kimchi, pickled ginger and miso mayo; and Ramen, Pad Thai and Taco dishes which all have Nox's unique mark on them.

Nox and Niall have already won the hearts and minds of many adventurous and well-travelled diners with their Thai influenced Bánh Street Food in Upper Arthur Street. They are planning another for the city in coming weeks.

Niall says: "What we want to achieve with Jumoñ is a completely fresh way of eating out in Belfast.

"Our dishes are all plant-based; they’re clean, and good for the soul. Nox has perfected her craft in kitchens around Asia and the world. Living well means eating well, and that’s what Jumoñ is all about.

"Diners should not be limited to vegetarians and vegans – meat lovers will fall for our food too."

Nox is clear-faced and glowing with health and vitality, looking at least 10 years younger than her 40 years.

She has spent over 20 years as head chef working in fine dining establishments throughout the world, including a three-star Michelin restaurant. At one point, she was managing 15 different eateries in Moscow.

A Buddhist and vegetarian, Nox fasts for one day once a week where she will eat no food for 24 hours.

"I have fasted one day a week for years and I really thrive on it. I'm feeling great," Nox tells me.

"The body is like an engine and if you keep running it all the time, it will become fatty and becomes tired. You need to relax it and take time to reboot. You can try it at the weekend when you are not working but when you think you are hungry, it's only psychological.

"You don't need food. Your body can live without food, you just need water."

She also starts out every morning with a very cold shower to wake up her skin and 'repair' her body and meditates for 30 minutes before she goes to work.

However, she confesses: "I do drink from time to time as, being Buddhist, it's all about balance – so I can have fun as well."

For Nox, clean eating is not a 'food trend' but rather a continuation her Asian lifestyle where the emphasis is on good food, simply cooked and served.

"I learned to cook when I was very young from my mother and grandmother who are both foodies. I have a very Asian upbringing, despite studying and working abroad, so I like to go completely vegan for several months every year.

"We cook everything from fresh and don't eat ham or cheese. I think our food is good as, in Asian culture, we don't have a lot of snacks and we don't eat McDonalds.

"I put my mark on every menu of every restaurant I have worked in, so it's strongly Asian-influenced and I like to blend it with local ingredients to create something unique."

Nox insists that everything is freshly made daily in the restaurant, run by head chef Tamsin Harper (24) from Belfast, which makes its own two Asian food staples: kimchi (fermented vegetables) and kombucha (a healthy green tea drink).

"For example, in the restaurant, we don't use any MSG (flavour enhancer Monosodium glutamate) and we want to serve reasonably priced clean food as we eat here as well.

"We cook vegetables that have been bought fresh that morning and tend to flash fry or blanch them to ensure they taste as natural as possible, as we don't use a lot of sugar or salt in our cooking.

"Mushrooms, like other vegetables, have their own flavour and I don't want to lose that favour in the cooking."

Jumoñ is situated at 6 Fountain Street in Belfast. Find it online @jumonbelfast on Instagram and Facebook.

Recipes

Pok Pok

Pok Pok
Pok Pok Pok Pok

Ingredients

½ green papaya

½ cup of rocket or mixed greens

½ cup grated carrot

½ avocado cut into cubes

1 red chilli, thinly sliced

½ cup of cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp toasted nuts or seeds of your choice

Dressing

4 tbsp raw cane sugar

1 garlic clove

juice of two limes

2 tbsp soy sauce

Optional: edible flowers and sliced lotus root for garnish

Method

For the dressing: In a pot, slowly dissolve sugar in the soy sauce and lime juice over a low heat and add the garlic and chilli. You can make it to your own heat and taste by adjusting the amount of sugar, lime, soy sauce and chilli.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a salad bowl and toss gently. Finish by drizzling the dressing over and topping with your garnishes.

TOP TIP: Most recipes call for fish sauce, however Nox substitutes this for gluten free soy sauce to make it completely vegetarian. The papaya can also be substituted for any berries, or fruits such as peaches or plums – fruits with stones.

Palo

Palo
Palo Palo

You will need the following:

1 cup brown rice

1/2 cup abolone tofu

1/4 of Mooli (Daikon), peeled and cubed

1/2 carrot, peeled and cubed

2 tables spoon of grated ginger

5 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 cup clean drinking water

1/2 cup vegetarian oyster sauce

2 pieces Taiwannese natural brown sugar stick

2 & 1/2 teaspoon of five spices powder

1/2 cup gluten free soy sauce

Cooked brown rice

Sambal to give the sour and heat kick (optional)

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled off shell

a handfull of Gailan, Chinese Broccoli (optional)

5 tbsps of pure sesame oil

Throw everything in a casserole pot, bring to boil over medium heat with close lid. roughly about 30 minutes, turn down the heat and cook further with open lid for another 10 minutes. Do not stir so we not break the egg.

Jumon Magic Blend

Ingredients

½ cup goji berries

½ cup spinach

1 cup cold water

½ cup blueberries

Method

Blend all ingredients well in a blender, pour into a large glass and enjoy!

TOP TIP: substitute water with yogurt and some whey powder for a pre-gym power breakfast.