Remember how I was so excited to have found the Ottogi vegan margarine, only to try it and be completely disappointed in every way? Well, I think I may have found a better option! It's called 'Seoul Margarine Free' and it's from the company Q1 (큐원). Strangely enough, I actually found it at the Foreign Food Mart in Itaewon~ Sorry, I can't remember the exact price, but I do remember it was really cheap, like around 1000won. I have no idea where else they might sell it, because I have never seen it anywhere else. Perhaps it's a new product?
Anyway, from what I can tell by reading the ingredients list, it seems to be vegan. Now, I realize that margarine will never really be good for you, but there are a few things I noticed that make this one better than the Ottogi version. First, it seems less plasticky. I put a little in my mouth and it didn't leave that weird plastic film on the roof of my mouth like the other one. Next, it actually softens a bit in room temperature, whereas, the Ottogi brand just seemed to remain as solid as ever. Finally, I think it tastes a lot milder. It doesn't seem to have that chemically, fake buttery taste to it. So I guess you can say it passed the taste test.
Next, was the application test... and the proof of its superiority was in the Raisin Scones I made using this recipe from vegweb.com.
This was my second time making scones, and they turned out maaahvelous! I accidentally added a little more margarine than the recipe called for, so they kind of ended up more like American-style 'biscuits' than 'scones,' but that's besides the point. If I had used the Ottogi brand, I'm sure the strong margarine taste would've ruined it, but with the 'Seoul Margarine Free' one, it was barely even noticeable. It just added that perfect slight buttery taste, and it resulted in beautifully flaky scones that even had a slight crispiness on the edges. Ahhh, they were heavenly, spread with some raspberry jam.
The recipe is totally simple and you can easily modify it with different additions instead of raisins. Here's a copy of the recipe for your reference:
{ Ingredients }
2 cups flour
3 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon turbinado sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup margarine, softened
3/4 - 1 cup soy/rice/ etc. milk
{ Method }
1. Mix dry ingredients together.
2. Cut in margarine until crumbles form.
3. Stir in milk and raisins. (I added the milk a little at a time, just incase it got too wet)
4. Drop a spoonful (or cut into triangle shapes like I did) onto an ungreased baking sheet.
5. Bake at 450 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes, or until just brown on top.