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.
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.
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
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
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
Have you ever wondered where flat breads originated from? To cut a long story short, I will just attribute their origin to Egypt. Isn’t it remarkable that over the centuries they have been morphed and now several countries have their versions of flat breads? In India, we have specific names – chapati, paratha, kulcha, puri, naan , phulka – they are all flat breads but prepared differently.
Just a word about how much water to add. In my recipe, please note it is approximate as the amount of water needed depends on the flour and humidity in your location. Add a little at a time, that way you will have the right consistency for the dough. When you are making them ahead of time, stack them one on top of the other, wrap in foil and reheat in a warm oven.
This is affectionately referred to as “breakfast of champions”. In Punjab, people tend to have aloo paratha with some natural yoghurt on the side for breakfast. I prefer to make aloo paratha for lunch and serve with a simple cucumber raita.
Aloo Paratha
INGREDIENTS
400g atta (special flour you get from an Indian grocery store)
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.
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
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.
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
