Category: FOOD

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MUSHROOM RAGU WITH CREAMY POLENTA

I love mushrooms in any form. Mushrooms are rich in B vitamins, are excellent sources of micro elements like selenium and copper and rich in antioxidants. For as long as I remember I used to make mushroom ragout with cream and in my quest to make more of my recipes plant based, I experimented with options and came up with this recipe as it has the richness and creaminess of cream but it is vegan.

I find instant polenta is easier to work with and does not get lumpy as easily. In my experience I have always found that it requires way more water than recommended on the packet. Another trick I found is that if your polenta is too runny, then cook for longer. The creamy polenta is not vegan as I add some grated parmesan cheese in the end. Maybe you can omit the parmesan and see if you like it.

Mushroom Ragu with Creamy Polenta

INGREDIENTS

500g mushrooms, cleaned and sliced 4-5mm thick

50g shallots, chopped

100g onions, finely diced

10g dried shitake mushrooms

1 teaspoon Marmite

50g cashew nuts, soaked for 30 minutes in 200ml hot water

2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2-3 sprigs of thyme

2 tablespoons brandy

½ teaspoon brown sugar

Salt and pepper

2 cups or 300g instant polenta

30g butter, cubed

30g parmesan cheese, finely grated or on microplane

METHOD

Rinse the shitake mushrooms and soak in 50ml hot water from a freshly boiled kettle for 15-20 minutes. Set aside.

Blitz the cashew nuts along with their soaking liquid in a food processor until creamy. In a small jar of food processor or spice grinder, add the shallots, shitake mushrooms including the soaking liquid and marmite. Process to a fine paste.

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large fry pan. Fry the onions, thyme and garlic for 8-10 minutes. Toss the mushrooms in and mix well so that the aromatics stick to the mushroom pieces. Increase heat to a high and pour in the brandy. Be very careful and set the alcohol alight by using the flame from the stove or lighting a match. Once the alcohol has burnt off, lower heat to medium and fry the onions. Season with salt and pepper.

Once mushrooms look cooked, add the shitake mushroom paste and sugar. Mix well and check for seasoning adjusting as needed.

Pour in the cashew nut cream. Mix well and if sauce is too thick, add hot water spoon by spoon until desired sauce consistency is achieved. Fish out the thyme before serving. Keep warm while you prepare the polenta.

Cook the polenta as per instructions on the packet. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Once butter cubes are incorporated, you can mix the parmesan cheese.

Serve a scoop of polenta and top it with the mushroom ragout. Serves 4 as a main meal.

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INDO THAI FISH CURRY

I love the bold flavours of this curry – I have used typical Indian spices in the traditional way one would and the Thai part comes with blending coriander leaves, garlic and chilli. This is easy enough to prepare and is bursting with flavour – take your time to fry the onions and cooking down the tomatoes is what gives the richness.

The type of fish for a curry – my first preference is monk fish (they call it poor man’s lobster) but warehou or groper would work well.

Indo Thai Fish Curry

INGREDIENTS

800g monk fish fillets, cut into 6-7cms pieces

3 tablespoons coconut oil

200g red onions, finely diced

½ cup coriander stems and leaves (tightly packed)

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PEA & PRAWN RISOTTO

In a formal Italian meal, risotto is served as a primo or first course and then the secondi or meat course follows. Obviously there is a lot of eating over the course of the evening /night happens. I like the risotto to stand on its own so I pack it with lots of flavour even though I say so myself! I may serve a small starter or a dessert when I make risotto.

This was a big hit with my family and I urge you to try it. The success of your risotto depends on your stock. I like to make my own stocks and if you are after any stock recipes, hit the search bar.

Pea and Prawn Risotto

INGREDIENTS

300g Carnaroli or Arborio rice (risotto rice)

400g large or jumbo prawns, (16-20 numbers)

150ml dry white wine

1.125 litre fish stock preferably home made

40g butter, divided

20ml olive oil

1.5 cups thawed peas, divided

2 tablespoons parsley pesto

150g finely chopped onion

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TWO WAYS WITH CAULIFLOWER

I love cauliflower because it lends itself so well to all cooking styles. I know there is the recent craze with cauliflower rice and tabouli but be it in a soup, roasted or in a curry, a stir fry or a humble cauliflower cheese, they are all delicious. People talk about pantry staples and if I were to talk about fridge staples, cauliflower will probably be in my top 5.

You can feature these cauliflower steaks as a main course or a starter for a vegan degustation meal.

 CAULIFLOWER STEAKS WITH CANNELINI BEANS & ROASTED CHICK PEAS

Cauli steaks with cannelini mash and roasted chick peas

INGREDIENTS

1 large cauliflower weighing at least a kilo

1 tablespoon garam masala powder

1-2 teaspoons chilli powder

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

400g tin of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well

400g tin of chick peas, drained and rinsed well

1 tablespoon ground almonds

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FALAFEL WITH HERBY PEANUT SAUCE

I know there are a number of recipes for falafel but this recipe is not a true falafel. I couldn’t think of another name so I called them falafel. These falafels are made with red lentils, butternut pumpkin and bulgur. Served with baby cos lettuce leaves or other salad geens they are a complete and satisfying meal.

Falafel with herby peanut sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 cup red lentils

¼ cup split mung beans

½ cup bulgur

350g butternut pumpkin, finely grated

30g ginger, chopped

15g coriander leaves and stems, coarsely chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1-2 red chillies, chopped

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Salt to taste

Oil for shallow frying

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CRANBERRY BEAN STEW

Cranberry beans also called borlotti beans, Roman or romano beans are creamy and flavourful. They do lose their gorgeous colouring once cooked.

Cranberry beans

You can cook them in a number of ways but I wanted to make a hearty vegan one pot dish and this is as easy as they come. You just need to remember to soak the beans overnight so you need a bit of planning to make this. When I make dishes like this, I tend to save one half for another meal before eating!

INGREDIENTS

400g cranberry beans (soaked overnight)

300g onion, evenly diced

400g carrots, chunky diced

2 celery sticks, sliced thinly

200g tinned tomatoes

3 tablespoons tomato paste

15 cloves garlic, peeled

1 cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

6-7 bay leaves

1 tablespoon Aleppo style chilli powder or a mild chilli powder

1 teaspoon smoky or mild paprika

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KADI – ONION PAKODI IN A YOGHURT SAUCE

There are several regional variations of kadi. This one is with onion pakodis but you can substitute spinach for the onion. In the South, they use vegetables like choko or okra to make kadi.

Kadi – onion pakodi in a yoghurt sauce

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PAKODIS

150g onions, diced

3 tablespoons chick pea flour (besan)

1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder

Pinch of baking powder

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Continue reading “KADI – ONION PAKODI IN A YOGHURT SAUCE”

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APACHULU (RICE CRACKERS)

By now you may have guessed that I am trying to introduce you to more South Indian home cooking. This is another popular homemade snack from Andhra. These are crunchy, gluten free and really very moreish even if I say so myself.

Apachulu (Andhra style rice crackers)

INGREDIENTS

½ cup heaped rice flour plus more for dusting

2tsps channa dhal (split chick peas), soaked in water for ½ hour

1 heaped tsp cumin seeds

Continue reading “APACHULU (RICE CRACKERS)”

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RAGDA PATTICE

Indians have a love affair with Chaat. Be it Lucknow or Mumbai Chowpatty or anywhere else on the sub-continent, everyone loves chaat. Taking basic and humble ingredients and with judicious uses of condiments and garnishes, chaat becomes memorable. The street vendors generally specialize in one chaat and it is a pleasure watching them pile the mouthwatering delicacy onto your plate.

Growing up in Visakhapatnam, by the Bay of Bengal, (they were plenty of street vendors on the beach mostly unregistered and unlicensed) we were never permitted to have Bhel puri or Pani puri at the street stalls even though we yearned for it. When older cousins visited for summer holidays, we would indulge, and it would be our little secret!

Depending on what chaat you can make, it can be an entrée or a starter or you can plan the entire menu around chaat. Whatever you wish to serve, I reckon it will become a family favourite.

Ragda Patties colloquially referred to as Ragda Pattice is made from potatoes and dried peas. Of course, top with tamarind and date chutney, coriander chutney, and garnish with chopped onion, coriander and sev.

What is the origin of the pattice?

It is suggested that Indian chicken and Mutton Pattice also called Pattie and puffs is a ‘desi’ variant of the Cornish Pasty introduced to the colonies by the British. It is not hard to imagine how the word Pasties evolved into Pattice in the subcontinent.

For the pea stew, you can use tinned chick peas I suppose or even split chick peas could work. I used dried white peas you get in an Indian store.

FOR THE RAGDA

INGREDIENTS

200 grams dried white peas (safed vatana)

a couple of pinches of turmeric powder

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Soak the dried white peas overnight. Discard the soaking liquid, rinse. If you are using a pressure cooker, put the peas in the pressure cooker, add two cups water and cook for 15 minutes on low heat after the first whistle.

If you are using stove top method, put the peas in a heavy bottomed saucepan and pour 3 cups of water. Bring it up to the boil and allow to simmer and cook for 45 minutes to an hour.

In a saucepan, boil a cup of water. Add the cooked peas into the water. Mix in the salt and turmeric powder and keep it at a gentle simmer.

FOR THE PATTICE

INGREDIENTS

400g boiled potatoes, finely grated

½ teaspoon hot chilli powder

½ teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons corn flour

Salt to taste

1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil to pan fry

METHOD

Combine all ingredients for pattice and knead a little to make a smooth mixture. Divide potato mixture into 12 equal portions. Shape into patties about 6 centimetres in diameter. Rest patties in refrigerator for half an hour.

Heat a fry pan and working in batches, fry the patties a few at a time. Keep warm.

FOR THE CHILLI CHUTNEY

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup tomato ketchup

¼ cup Sriracha sauce

1-2 tablespoons malt vinegar

METHOD

Mix all ingredients for the chilli chutney. Taste and adjust according to personal preference.

FOR THE TAMARIND SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons store bought tamarind puree

2 tablespoon date puree

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon hot chilli powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

150ml water

Salt to taste

METHOD

Put all ingredients except salt in a saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil. Add salt and simmer for five minutes. Taste to adjust seasoning.

FOR THE CORIANDER CHUTNEY

1 cup coriander stems, roots and leaves washed and roughly chopped

3 -4 green chillies, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

½ teaspoon cumin seed powder

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

1 -2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

Puree all the ingredients except the lime or lemon juice. Then add the juice and stir well. Will keep in fridge for a day or two.

ASSEMBLE IN INDIVIDUAL BOWLS

In a shallow bowl, spoon the ragda. Arrange the potato patties. Spoon the tamarind and chilli chutney. Dot the coriander chutney. Ideas for additional garnishes could be finely chopped onion or sev (from Indian store) and serve. Serves 4.