The Secret Behind The World's Best Vegan Mexican Food

I'm sitting at a tiny table in a tiny restaurant tucked above a subway station at the amorphous über-trendy intersection of Chinatown and the Lower East Side. I'm surrounded by what seems to be off-duty models with perfectly messy hair, and all I can think about is the urge to undo the top button of my jeans. That, and how I can somehow eat another bite of enchilada.

Ja Ja Ja (pronounced "ha ha ha," a noise several people in front of me made when informed of the hour-plus Wednesday-night wait time) combines two concepts so disparate as to almost be an oxymoron: vegan Mexican food. Mexican is arguably the hardest cuisine to vegan-ify, often leaning heavily on cheeses, meats, and animal fats for the hearty, recognizable flavors. While old-school vegan staples like fake meats and mayonnaises pop up on the Ja Ja Ja menu, they've also (far more interestingly) set about superfood-ifying Mexican staples. Black beans are fermented, for a complex, tangy flavor. Squash is battered with hemp and flaxseeds and smothered in chipotle almond butter to become a facsimile of a "fish" taco with a crispy crust that, to my trained tongue, came damn close to passing as fried. Tortillas are spiked with turmeric; the Tinga Tostada is served on a chlorophyll-corn base. The food and atmosphere are festive, not austere or rooted in deprivation; with matcha cocktails that still feature a generous serving of alcohol, there's an understanding that wellness is about celebration, tasting good, and enjoying life.

Having fun exploring your kitchen is really the key. Cook with more vegetables in creative ways! You can alleviate the need for oil by using high-water-content vegetables, such as onions and mushrooms, and cut back on sugars by replacing them with natural fruits. We also try to use less-processed starches, and to incorporate charcoal into a few items to help the digestive system.