Category: FOOD

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BRAISED CHICKPEAS WITH CAULI STEMS & PRESERVED LEMON

What do you do with cauliflower stems and tender leaves? Not many recipes feature this and it is a real shame if we just use the flower and chuck the stems in the compost. I remember my mum always cooked the stalks with some type of lentils and fresh coconut. With more awareness and education about eating from root to shoot and keeping waste to a minimum, it is refreshing to see sustainable cooking practices being adopted.

I created this recipe to prove a point to myself – the point being that with good planning and a bit of prep on the weekend, you can have a hearty, nutritionally balanced plant based meal on a weekday.

Braised chick peas with cauli stems and preserved lemon

INGREDIENTS

400g dried chick peas, soaked overnight at least for 8 hours in water

100g onion, finely diced

3-4 sticks celery, peeled and finely diced

400g cauliflower stems and leaves, peeled and evenly sliced

400g butternut pumpkin, cut into even cubes

5-6 cloves of garlic, finely diced

300g of tinned tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

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GONG BAO TOFU

Kung Pao or Kung Po or Gong Bao is a spicy, stir-fried Chinese dish made with cubes of chicken, peanuts, vegetables, and chili peppers. The classic dish in Sichuan cuisine originated in the Sichuan Province of south-western China and includes Sichuan peppercorns. It is highly addictive with its perfect blend of sweet, salty, crunchy and slightly numbing taste. I have managed to create a vegan version and the family has certified that the vegan version lives up to its reputation.

Gong Bao Tofu

INGREDIENTS

450g firm tofu

200g mushrooms, cut into cubes

5 spring onions, white portion only, cut into 2 centimetre pieces

300g celery sticks, peeled and finely diced

3-4 cloves garlic, finely sliced

3 centimetres piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced

Handful of peanuts, roasted with skin on

5-6 hot dried red chillies, seeds removed

1 teaspoon Sichuan peppers

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon potato starch

1 teaspoon light soy sauce

1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar

1 tablespoon water

METHOD

In a small bowl or measuring jug, mix all ingredients for sauce and keep ready.

Prepare tofu by pressing down under a heavy weight for 20 -30 minutes. Wipe dry and cut into even 1 centimetre cubes.

Heat oil in a large wok, Fry the Sichuan peppers and dried chillies taking care not to burn. Toss the mushrooms in and continue frying for a few minutes.

Stir in the tofu to ensure the tofu is heated through. You should see slight caramelization on the edges.

Stir in the garlic, ginger and spring onion whites. When you can smell the fragrance, add the celery and heat through.

Give the sauce a stir before pouring into the hot wok. Let the sauce bubble away for minute and toss the peanuts.

Garnish with spring onion greens and serve hot with steamed sushi or Jasmine rice. Serves 4 -6

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BRAISED CAULIFLOWER

This is a great vegetable based starter or can be a side dish. Small plate meals to share are on the trend and this could be a small plate to share. It is my version of the Greek dish kounoupithi kapama.

Braised Cauliflower

INGREDIENTS

500g cauliflower, cut into large even florets

5-6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

150g onion, sliced thinly

5-6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 large tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons currants

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CHOCOLATE & SPICE APPLE CAKE

Recently I made this cake for a work morning tea. I was asked about the origins of this recipe and I realized that the recipe appeared in Cuisine magazine about 20 years ago. I don’t want to mess with a classic but over the years tweaked a bit and reduced the amount of sugar. It is a generous cake and the flavours are so perfect for winter.

Chocolate and spice apple cake

INGREDIENTS

230g raisins

250mls water

485g apples, peeled and chopped

125mls dark rum

1 and a half teaspoons baking soda

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BHUNA MURG – INDIAN STYLE CHICKEN STIRFRY

Indian cuisine dates back over 5000 years. In a true sense, the cuisine is an amalgamation of the cultures, traditions and influences of different ethnic communities absorbed and imbibed over the centuries. 

If you look up the definition of curry, you will understand that it is a dish of meat, vegetables, etc., cooked in an Indian-style sauce of hot-tasting spices and typically served with rice. This is of course a much generalized definition which does not reflect the diversity that is Indian cuisine.

Bhuna technique originated in Bengal. The first wave of immigration was of the Hakka Chinese in late 18th century, who came to work on a sugar plantation. The Chinese stir fry technique was quickly adopted and bhuna dishes were favoured. Bhuna which simply means to fry the flavour base or masala really well till it starts to caramelize and give out oil along the sides.

Serve this with pita bread or Nan along with a salad or vegetables for a weeknight dinner.

Bhuna Murg

INGREDIENTS

600g boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut in half or third

Juice of ½ a lime

2 tablespoons ghee, divided

1 tablespoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

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CHILE CON VERDURAS – PLANT BASED CHILI

On cold wintry nights, if you are yearning for a hearty, spicy and warming casserole that is vegetarian, then this one is for you. You can serve over corn chips and make vegetarian nachos or other optional toppings are pickled jalapenos, crème fraiche, sour cream, coriander leaves, avocado or guacamole and hot sauce. The dish is relatively easy to make and using tinned beans halves the cooking time.

I used a combination of borlotti beans, red kidney beans and black beans. Any combination of dark coloured beans would work well.

Chile con Verduras

INGREDIENTS

100g onions, finely diced

2-3 sticks celery, finely diced

200g carrots diced into a small cube

200g orange kumara or sweet potato, peeled and diced into a small cube

200g mushrooms, sliced or quartered

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MURG DOPYAZA – CHICKEN IN ONION SAUCE

In Hindi, do (pronounced like the English though) means two and pyaza means onions. The term describes a dish using twice the normal amount of onions. The resulting dish is bursting with flavour and a bit of sweetness. This dish is popular in Bengal and has Muslim origins. Bengal had its share of Muslim influences in art, architecture and cuisine because of Muslim rulers and Mughal governors. Please don’t be alarmed by the amount of onions or spices – you can’t expect anything less in a chicken and onion dish. This is a yummy and likeable dish.

A great alternative to butter chicken or chicken tikka masala, this could be your go to as far as Indian curries go.

Murg dopyaza

INGREDIENTS

1 kg boneless, skinless chicken thighs

8-9 shallots, peeled

6 medium sized onions

8 small baby potatoes

2 teaspoons chilli powder

½ cup Greek style yoghurt

5 tablespoons of canola or other vegetable oil

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VIETNAMESE STYLE PANCAKES – BANH XEO

The more I delve into the world of food, the more fascinated I am about food history and how food traditions established. The cooking practises and style I thought was indigenous to South India has in fact travelled and can be seen in other parts of the world. I find a lot of coincidences this way particularly with Greek, Middle Eastern and other Asian cuisines. I am not saying they have all been cut from the same cloth but the similarities are intriguing. Yes we all wonder whether noodles originated in China and then travelled to Italy and other parts of Europe. In the same token the Greek tzatziki is very similar to raita – yes Alexander did try to invade India! What about babaghanoush (Middle Eastern) and Indian baingan bharta. That brings me to one of the Andhra specialties of Pesarettu or mung bean pancakes and banh xeo. They are uniquely different but can see similarities especially in the vegetarian version. These are very yummy and to make these, you do need a nice big wok.

Vietnamese Style pancakes

INGREDIENTS

For the pancakes

1 and a half cups of split mung flour

½ cup of brown rice flour

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ROAST PUMPKIN TOPPED WITH PUY LENTILS

This is a wholesome and hearty vegetarian dish that you can make as a main and doesn’t require much else by way of accompaniments. Butternuts roasted are the best as they are sweet, luscious and warming. I used Manchego cheese for this recipe but you can use Gruyere or any other sweet cheese that melts well.

I’ve made the dish using two medium sized butternut pumpkins but you can scale it up or down. By the way, any leftover lentils are yummy on their own or on toast!

Roast Pumpkin Topped With Puy Lentils

INGREDIENTS

For the butternut pumpkins:

2 medium sized butternut pumpkins weighing about 700g each

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

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CREAMY LENTIL & ROOT VEGETABLE SOUP

On days when you don’t feel like cooking much but still want to serve up something healthy and filling, this soup is your answer. You can actually use any combination of root vegetables you have on hand but vegetables like kumara (sweet potato) and carrots make the soup luscious. This is a lovely creamy soup that is so satisfying.

Creamy lentil and root vegetable soup

INGREDIENTS

200g onions, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 potatoes, chopped

400g orange kumara

1 parsnip, chopped

4-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons medium curry powder

3 tablespoons vegetable oil like canola

1 cup of lentils, rinsed

150ml coconut cream

30 – 40mls of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Salt to taste

METHOD

In a large saucepan, heat the oil and fry onions for 3-4 minutes. Toss the garlic and curry powder in and continue frying for a further 30 seconds. Add the lentils and root vegetables. Fry to combine everything well, so the vegetables are coated in the spices. Season with salt. Add 1.5 litres of water. Let it come up to the boil, cover with a lid and let simmer gently for 30 – 40 minutes. The vegetables should be soft and not offer resistance when pressed with a spoon. Rest for five minutes and blitz soup with a hand held stick blender.

Mix in the coconut cream and return saucepan to heat for five minutes until it is warmed through. Stir in the lemon juice. Sprinkle the coriander leaves and serve immediately. Serves 4-6.