a commonsense approach to eating well, living well and travelling
As long as you have the basics you can build tacos with just about anything you fancy. My vegan tacos are quite easy to prepare and are absolutely delicious.
INGREDIENTS
500 grams firm tofu
200 grams coarse polenta for dusting
90 grams chick pea flour
½ teaspoon chilli powder
Kichadi is essentially a dish made with rice and lentils. There are so many versions of this dish and it is comfort food in a way – because it is simple, easy to prepare and so creamy. Incidentally kichadi is one of the first solid foods babies eat. My version, of course is a spicy one and makes for a very convenient, one pot dish.
INGREDIENTS
300 grams Basmati rice, rinsed well
100 grams mung dhal, rinsed well
150 grams onions, peeled and finely sliced
300 grams medium potatoes, quartered or into eighths
This is a dish that keeps on giving. I say that because I tend to make a large batch and use it for toasted sandwiches or Indianish quesadillas a few days down the week! To make the dish more balanced and sumptuous, I add a tin of chickpeas. You can use seasonal vegetables of your choice.
INGREDIENTS
½ cauliflower about 400 grams, washed
1 potato (150 grams), peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
1 carrot (100 grams), peeled and cut into 5cms batons
1 cup of cut frozen beans
½ cup frozen peas
1 x 400 grams tin of chick peas, drained and rinsed well
When I think of Mexico, I think of hot chillies, corn, tortillas, beans, tomatoes, avocados, cactus, Mayan empire… When the Spanish conquered Mexico in the 16th century, they added to the culinary evolution and what we have is a cuisine that is as rich and varied as the county itself. Here is my very basic elements to create a vegan burrito bowl. You can add a fajita to this or mix and match in any way you wish.
POT of BEANS
This is so simple but so delicious. Be sure to get good quality dry black beans and when you soak them, they are a deep claret coloured. It is worth the effort to make from scratch and recommend resisting the urge to use tinned ones as the end result with dried black beans is just so much nicer tasting.
INGREDIENTS
400 grams dry black beans
300 grams onions, sliced thinly
5-6 garlic cloves, peeled
Chow means stir-fried and mein (shortened from meing) meaning noodles. It is served all over the world with variations in Westernized Chinese restaurants. Just as with any other dish, it has been noted that chow mein tends to be very different from what is served in China and is heavily modified to fit the taste preference of the local dominant population.
What most people don’t know about India, is that there are a number of Chinese that settled down in India in the late 18th century and so there is a distinct Indo Chinese cuisine.
I have tasted many a time in India and my version is based on that memory.
INGREDIENTS
400 grams dried egg noodles
300 grams firm tofu
200 grams mushrooms, sliced
1 red pepper, cored and sliced
When we were newly married, my husband used to surprise me by cooking special one off meals. On one such occasion, he made the most perfect pumpkin gnocchi. Alas, we didn’t save the recipe. I have been wanting to replicate the same for many years and after lots of trial and error, this recipe works and thus ending my quest for the perfect pumpkin gnocchi recipe. This is slow cooking and perfect if you want to spend a Sunday afternoon lovingly preparing for the family for dinner.
INGREDIENTS
1kg pumpkin (I used a piece of crown pumpkin with the blue grey skin)
2 teaspoons olive oil
450 grams flour plus more for rolling out gnocchi
1 whole nutmeg, grated freshly
½ teaspoon white pepper
A couple of pinches of sugar
INGREDIENTS
For the vegetable stuffing
350 grams potatoes, cooked and lightly mashed or cut fine
1 x 400 grams tin of chick peas, drained, rinsed and mashed
100 grams carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
A Buddha bowl is a vegetarian meal, served on a single bowl or high-rimmed plate, which consists of small portions of several foods, served cold. Buddha bowl is a wonderful concept and makes for a perfect meal on a hot day. In my Buddha bowl, I had brown rice, steamed cauliflower, zucchini ribbons seasoned with soy sauce and ginger, edamame beans, steamed bok choy. I seasoned with toasted black sesame seeds, togarashi, and my tahini, gochujang sauce. Recipe for the sauce is below. You can try any combinations of grains and vegetables and for protein element you can have tofu or tempeh. The sauce is versatile and you can use on sandwiches as well as with vegetables.
TAHINI – GOCHUJANG SAUCE
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons tahini paste
2 tablespoons gochujang paste
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
The Parsees fled from Persia about 1300 years ago and settled on the Coast of Gujarat. Others who in recent centuries arrived from Persia formed a distinct community in Mumbai and Dahanu, just to the north, where they are known as Iranis. The Parsees / Iranis have their distinct cuisine with sweet, hot and sour flavours equally balanced. Traditionally pathia or patia is served with yellow rice.
Prawns can be prepared in the same way. Just replace the fish with 400 grams prawns.
INGREDIENTS
600 grams firm, white fish fillets
2 teaspoons tamarind puree
5 green chillies, chopped
3 plump garlic cloves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
These are my favourite dumplings. The origins are a bit sketchy but the name means priest stranglers. The story goes that a gluttonous priest in Florence swallowed the dumpling whole, choked as a result and hence the name.
Don’t worry these dumplings are so soft and delectable, there won’t be any choking only wanting more!!!
INGREDIENTS
500 grams ricotta, drained
200 grams Parmesan cheese, finely grated
½ nutmeg, grated
600 grams of spinach, leaves only