Category: MAINS

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TOFU KATSU CURRY

Japanese curry is served in three forms – curry rice (simply referred to as curry), curry udon (noodles) and curry bread. You guessed it, curry was introduced from India by the British and is extremely popular in Japanese cuisine.

Katsu is simply a cutlet, crumbed and deep fried and put in a curry sauce. Mine is a vegan version and I shallow fried the tofu. I know, I wax lyrical about tofu because it is so versatile and a great bearer of flavours. So do try this curry as it is very different to Indian curries.

I served mine with medium grain rice which is naturally sticky. After cooking, I mixed through cut spring onions and poured a few drops of sesame oil on each serve.

Tofu Katsu Curry

INGREDIENTS

5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

5 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

100g onion, chopped

2 teaspoon dark brown sugar

200g carrots, peeled and chopped

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VEGAN CURRY LAKSA

Malaysian cuisine is a melting pot of  traditions from its Malay, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and ethnic Bornean citizens, with heavy to light influences from Thai, Portuguese, Dutch, Arabian cuisines and British cuisines, to name a few. The condiments and spices used in cooking varies and this results in strong regional nuances.

There are two types of laksa: curry laksa and asam laksa. Curry laksa is a coconut milk curry soup with noodles, while asam laksa is a sour, most often tamarind-based, soup with noodles. I have tried to keep this vegan, (took inspiration from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty More) and so did not use any of the traditional seasonings like shrimp paste. Here is my take on the classic.

Curry laksa

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PASTE

2 tablespoons sambal oelek

100g shallots, peeled and chopped

8 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

30g ginger, peeled and sliced

1 tablespoon ground lemon grass (frozen)

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POHA & BEAN SUNDAL – a different kind of salad

In India, poha (rice flakes) is a staple breakfast in many households because it is quick to prepare. Just soak poha in water for fifteen minutes and it is ready. Poha is unique because rice is flaked in the husk and handmade following traditional methods. Poha is the name of the dish as well as the name for rice flakes in Hindi.

My Amma (mum) likes to make sure there is enough protein in each meal and this is one of her recipes where she uses poha the same way you would use rice in rice salad. It is a lovely, gluten free and vegan lunch dish.

INGREDIENTS

100g black eyed beans, soaked overnight

150g poha

50g onions, finely diced

100g carrots, peeled and grated fine

75g coconut, shredded (I use frozen)

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LENTIL & CARROT SOUP

One of the reasons I love winter is because you can make a hearty soup that warms the body and soul. You kind of feel good tucking into a bowl of wholesome soup because you know it is very nourishing. I love to experiment not only with different flavour combinations but also incorporate beans or lentils or grains for the protein.

When I was growing up I hated cooked carrots, felt that they have a smell and it is more pronounced on cooking. Luckily I got over that and carrots cooked or raw are absolutely delicious. The soup is a bit different in the sense that I cooked the lentils separately.

Lentil & Carrot soup

INGREDIENTS

500g carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

100g onions, diced

50g fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

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CHICK PEAS TAGINE STYLE

A piece of trivia for you – I always thought chick peas were native to the Indian subcontinent but now know that they were grown in Turkey about 8000 BC!!

Tagine or Tajine is a North African Maghreb dish which is named after the earthenware pot in which it is cooked. Algerian and Moroccan tagine dishes are slow-cooked savory stews, typically made with sliced meat, poultry or fish together with vegetables or fruit. Spices, nuts, and dried fruits are also used. Common spices include ginger, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and saffron. Paprika and chili are used in vegetable tajines.

My version is a vegan one (omit the feta cheese as topping) and it is a one pot dish cooked over a couple of hours in the oven. Unfortunately, you can’t put the oven on timer and wander off as you need to stir once in a while and add the herbs in between! It is very flavourful and the prunes breakdown giving a bit of sauce and also makes the stew rich and gooey.

Chick pea tagine style

INGREDIENTS

400g dried chick peas, rinsed and soaked in lightly salted water overnight

250g red onions, each onion cut into eight chunks

100g pitted prunes

500g carrots, peeled and cut in half

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VIETNAMESE STYLE FRIED FISH WITH TURMERIC & HERBS

This is my take on the Vietnamese classic Cha Ca La Vong. Cha Ca means grilled fish and  “La Vong” was inspired by a local statue of Jiang Ziya, also known as Lu Wang (pronounced as La Vong in Vietnamese), the fisherman-turned-politician who symbolized the potential for patient, talented people.

I just love the combination of ingredients – fish that is flavoured with turmeric, lemon grass, tamarind and fish sauce and served with soft cold noodles, fresh and vibrant herbs and some crunchy peanuts. I used our local New Zealand fish warehou but any white fleshed firm fish like blue cod would work well.

Vietnamese Style Fried Fish with turmeric & herbs

INGREDIENTS

750 – 800g of firm white fish like monk or warehou or ling fillets

1 heaped teaspoon turmeric powder

2 tablespoons crushed lemon grass (I used ground frozen lemon grass)

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon curry powder

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RICE & VEGETABLE AASH

Aash or Aush is a staple in Persian cuisine. Generally made with two unique ingredients reshteh a type of thin noodle and kashk which is a whey like fermented product. There are about 50 types of this soup and generally made during autumn and winter. My recipe has been adapted from Sabrina Ghayour’s book “Bazaar”. Please do try as it is wholesome and super delicious. Prepping the herbs takes a long time!

Rice and Vegetable aash

INGREDIENTS

300g onions, finely chopped

100g flat leaf parsley, (leaves only), finely chopped

100g fresh coriander, stems and leaves, finely chopped

5 large cloves of garlic, crushed

3 teaspoons unsweetened tamarind paste

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CAULIFLOWER CORN BREAD

I was inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi’s cauliflower cake recipe and wanted to create my own gluten free version. It is in between a cake and a bread and because of its savoury nature I called mine a bread but the jury is out! What do you think – is it a cake or a bread?

It is a lovely dish to take to a potluck meal or if you are having a large group for a barbecue. There is a long list of ingredients, but let it not put you off because it comes together easily.

Cauliflower corn bread with pickled daikon and tomato chilli jam

INGREDIENTS

1 large cauliflower, weighing about a kilo, stalks removed

100g onion, finely diced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

50g coriander leaves and stalks, finely chopped

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KOFTAS & FLAT BREADS

Every cuisine offers exciting vegetarian / vegan options. I love experimenting with different spices and flavours to create my own version of classics from around the world. I served these vegan koftas with flat breads, shredded cabbage with some chopped fresh coriander leaves mixed in and harissa yoghurt.

To make harissa yoghurt, add a tablespoon of harissa to a cup of yoghurt. Squeeze a tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix in a few good pinches of salt and sugar. Mix and serve as sauce for flat breads.

Koftas & Flatbread

INGREDIENTS

100g dried chick peas, washed and soaked in water overnight

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

75g onions, sliced thinly

2-3 green chillies, chopped

Generous handful coriander stalks and leaves, chopped

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THAI GREEN CURRY WITH TOFU & VEGETABLES

As far as curries go, I love Thai curries. In Thai language, the green curry is called kaeng khiao wan which literally means sweet green curry. There you go green curry is not meant to be fiery hot. Just bursting with flavour from lemon grass, Kaffir lime leaves and coriander roots and stems.

Ingredients for Thai green curry – Galangal, Kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass

Thai people usually make their curry paste in a mortar and pestle as the spices are crushed and so the end result is more aromatic. This can take about half an hour so be prepared! The curry paste makes enough for another curry and I like to freeze any surplus. When you want to use it next time, just bring it to room temperature and just use straight from the jar.

Thai Green Curry with tofu and vegetables

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 generous tablespoons green curry paste (recipe below)

400ml coconut milk, shake well before opening the tin

250g extra firm tofu, cut into squares of 3 centimetres or so

150g eggplant, cut into 2 centimetre dice

120g butternut squash, cut into 2 centimetre dice

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