regular mushroom
portobello mushroom
miran
onions (slow cook)
olive oil
garlic (lots)
scallions
plum tomato
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
African Coconut & Chick Pea Soup
" The March lion has blasted us. Eight inches of snow fell overnight. Time for more soup".
3 cups broth [I use Better Than Bouillon]
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large yam or sweet potato, peeled, diced
1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded, cored, diced
2 Yellow Delicious apples, peeled, cored, diced
1 4-oz. can chopped green chiles
1 14-oz. can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with juice [or your favorite diced tomatoes]
1 15-oz. can chick peas, rinsed, drained
1 14-oz. can coconut milk
[14:02] katie: 1 lime or lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon spices, mixed to your taste: curry, cumin, saffron, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander
Add just before serving:
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup packed baby bitter greens
hot red pepper flakes, to taste
Combine all of the ingredients in a slow cooker [I used my rice cooker and the soup was done in less than thirty minutes] and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions for your make and model and time frame. Or do it the old fashioned way: throw everything in a pot and cook, covered, over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, about thirty minutes. Stir in the cilantro, baby greens and hot red pepper flakes. Heat through briefly until the greens soften, and serve.
Serves 4.
3 cups broth [I use Better Than Bouillon]
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large yam or sweet potato, peeled, diced
1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded, cored, diced
2 Yellow Delicious apples, peeled, cored, diced
1 4-oz. can chopped green chiles
1 14-oz. can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with juice [or your favorite diced tomatoes]
1 15-oz. can chick peas, rinsed, drained
1 14-oz. can coconut milk
[14:02] katie: 1 lime or lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon spices, mixed to your taste: curry, cumin, saffron, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander
Add just before serving:
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup packed baby bitter greens
hot red pepper flakes, to taste
Combine all of the ingredients in a slow cooker [I used my rice cooker and the soup was done in less than thirty minutes] and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions for your make and model and time frame. Or do it the old fashioned way: throw everything in a pot and cook, covered, over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, about thirty minutes. Stir in the cilantro, baby greens and hot red pepper flakes. Heat through briefly until the greens soften, and serve.
Serves 4.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
DWIGHT'S RASTA LENTIL STEW
You can add any vegetables you wish to this stew. My Rasta guide Dwight often adds eggplant, corn and okra. Chayote squash can be found in many produce sections. You can omit it if you can't find it. This stew is traditionally cooked over an allspice wood fire, which really imparts a smoky flavor to the stew. In Jamaica, cooking is simple: All the ingredients are added to the pot, then simmered slowly until everything melds. Make sure you remove the scotch bonnet chili before serving. Serve with rice or peas and rice.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, unpeeled and chopped
1 yam or sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 chayote squash, center pit removed and flesh chopped
2 cups chopped cabbage
1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk, thin part discarded, use the thick part (see note)
2 cups water
3 allspice berries
1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
1/2 cup dried green lentils
3 sprigs fresh thyme
8 large scallions, chopped
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Place all ingredients in a Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 50 minutes until lentils are tender and vegetables are falling apart.
Per serving: 193 calories, 56 percent calories from fat, 12 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, no cholesterol, 18 g carbohydrates, 4 g total fiber, 6 g protein, 23 mg sodium.
Note: The Jamaicans consider this thick part of the coconut milk to be coconut cream. Do not confuse it with the sweetened coconut cream in our supermarkets. Instead, shake the can of coconut milk, pour it into a glass measuring cup. When it settles, pour off the thin liquid from the top and use the thicker part in this recipe.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Japanese Shojin-Ryori Recipes/Link
Veg Resource: Vegan Japanese
MUSHINASU
(Steamed Eggplant)
(Serves 4)
Any leftovers can be left in the sauce for one day.
4 or 5 3/4 pound Oriental eggplants (the long, purplish ones) or 2 one-pound European-type eggplants
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon chopped onions
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 to 1 Tablespoon rice syrup
Cut away the tops and bottoms of the eggplants. Steam them gently 5-7 minutes, or until soft. Test with a toothpick or bamboo skewer. When eggplants are done, let them cool. When they're cool, cut them into quarters, lengthwise. Refrigerate until ready to serve, then spread the cool eggplants around a flat plate to form an 8-pointed star. Combine the sauce ingredients and pour all over the eggplants. Serve with hot rice at room temperature.
Total calories per serving: 78
Fat: 2 grams
MUSHINASU
(Steamed Eggplant)
(Serves 4)
Any leftovers can be left in the sauce for one day.
4 or 5 3/4 pound Oriental eggplants (the long, purplish ones) or 2 one-pound European-type eggplants
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon chopped onions
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 to 1 Tablespoon rice syrup
Cut away the tops and bottoms of the eggplants. Steam them gently 5-7 minutes, or until soft. Test with a toothpick or bamboo skewer. When eggplants are done, let them cool. When they're cool, cut them into quarters, lengthwise. Refrigerate until ready to serve, then spread the cool eggplants around a flat plate to form an 8-pointed star. Combine the sauce ingredients and pour all over the eggplants. Serve with hot rice at room temperature.
Total calories per serving: 78
Fat: 2 grams
Jamaican Yam Casserole
Jamaican Yam Casserole
* 1 (16 oz.) can yams, drained
* 1/2 med. banana, thickly sliced
* 1/4 c. orange juice
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/8 tsp. pepper
* 2 tbsp. pecans, coarsely chopped
* 2 tbsp. toasted flaked coconut
In a greased 1 quart casserole dish, arrange yams and banana.
Pour juice over all.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Top with pecans and coconut.
Bake covered in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Yield: 2 servings.
* 1 (16 oz.) can yams, drained
* 1/2 med. banana, thickly sliced
* 1/4 c. orange juice
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/8 tsp. pepper
* 2 tbsp. pecans, coarsely chopped
* 2 tbsp. toasted flaked coconut
In a greased 1 quart casserole dish, arrange yams and banana.
Pour juice over all.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Top with pecans and coconut.
Bake covered in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Yield: 2 servings.
Jamaican Jerk Tempeh
Jamaican Jerk Tempeh
* 3 large cloves garlic, minced
* 1/4 cup minced fresh ginger
* 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions (white and light green parts only)
* 1/2 small habanero chile, seeded and minced (use gloves or coat fingertips with oil first and don't touch your face)
* 1 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 1/2 tsp allspice
* 1 1/2 tsp thyme
* 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
* 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 1 tbs lemon juice
* 3/4 cup apricot juice (can substitute with something like peach/mango juice or apple juice)
* 2 tbsp PURE maple syrup
* 2 8 oz packages tempeh, each cut into 10 thin strips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare marinade: In medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients, except for the tempeh. Pour into large shallow baking dish.
Add tempeh, turning to coat. Cover and bake, 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.
My notes: I put the habanero, garlic and ginger into the food processor instead of mincing them buy hand. actually, I throw everything but the tempeh into the processor and blend it up until smooth. but it is nice to have the scallion slices if you are into it. i cook for people who say they don't like scallions so I whir them up so they don't notice them but we still get the flavor from them.
* 3 large cloves garlic, minced
* 1/4 cup minced fresh ginger
* 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions (white and light green parts only)
* 1/2 small habanero chile, seeded and minced (use gloves or coat fingertips with oil first and don't touch your face)
* 1 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 1/2 tsp allspice
* 1 1/2 tsp thyme
* 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
* 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 1 tbs lemon juice
* 3/4 cup apricot juice (can substitute with something like peach/mango juice or apple juice)
* 2 tbsp PURE maple syrup
* 2 8 oz packages tempeh, each cut into 10 thin strips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare marinade: In medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients, except for the tempeh. Pour into large shallow baking dish.
Add tempeh, turning to coat. Cover and bake, 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.
My notes: I put the habanero, garlic and ginger into the food processor instead of mincing them buy hand. actually, I throw everything but the tempeh into the processor and blend it up until smooth. but it is nice to have the scallion slices if you are into it. i cook for people who say they don't like scallions so I whir them up so they don't notice them but we still get the flavor from them.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Japanese Vegan Ideas/Thoughts on Food
Vegie Tokyo
Soy Products
Besides tofu, the Japanese have a variety of soy products. Whether you are a tofu lover or not, these foods would give you an opportunity to explore the "New World of Soy."
Abura-age (deep-fried tofu)
The shape is flat/thin and rectangular. In Japanese, abura means oil and age means deep-fried. It is essential for making inari-zushi, a kind of sushi. (See the miscellaneous section below.) Also abura-age is good for miso soup, udon, and stir-frying with vegetables. Before cooking, pour boiling water over abra-age to remove excess oil. For preservation, keep it in a refrigerator.
Atsu-age (deep-fried tofu)
Compared to abura-age, atsu-age looks more tofu-like. Atsu means thick, and its inside remains raw. The Japanese eat atsu-age with soy sauce and grated ginger. Otherwise, simmer or stir-fry it with vegetables. For preservation, keep it in a refrigerator.
Koya-dofu (freeze-dried tofu)
The texture of tofu becomes spongy in the process of being boiled, frozen, dried, and thawed. Generally, it is known as Koya-dofu (Koya is the famous Japanese Buddhists' sacred mountain, and the Buddhists made freeze-dried tofu in their own way), but kori-dofu and shimi-dofu (kori and shimi mean frozen) are the same. Being simmered with kombu, soy sauce, and sake, Koya-dofu becomes a savory dish. When you use the product, follow the package instructions. Can be stored on the kitchen shelf.
Kinako (parched soybean flour)
Usually kinako (literally meaning is yellow-colored flour) is used in making Japanese sweets, by mixing with sugar. The easiest homemade Japanese sweet is baked (or boiled) mochi (rice cake) with the sweet kinako mix. Adding kinako in hot soymilk would be a hearty option. Store it on the kitchen shelf.
Edamame (young soybean)
This green-colored vegetable seems to have become fashionable in the U.S., though it has long been a casual snack in the summer for the Japanese. Just boil edamame and scatter a pinch of salt over it. You can add boiled edamame (remove the pod) in stir-fried vegetables.
Noodles / Pastas
Practically no one dislikes noodles/pastas, so I strongly recommend trying fabulous Japanese pastas!Besides tofu, the Japanese have a variety of soy products. Whether you are a tofu lover or not, these foods would give you an opportunity to explore the "New World of Soy."
Udon (wheat noodles)
Udon (available dried, partly cooked, and instant) is gaining popularity in the U.S. as in Japan. The ingredients are wheat, water, and salt. You need to check the soup, which may be packed with partly cooked and instant udon, to see if it contains bonito. Udon is served in a bowl of soup (usually made from the Japanese dashi soup stock, soy sauce, sake, and mirin) with chopped long green onion, wakame seaweed, cooked abura-age, and so on. In the classic, easy style, udon is cooled down in the water after boiled, then drained and served with soy sauce. If possible, add some garnish such as grated ginger and/or chopped long green onion. Stir-frying the noodle with vegetables is also fine. Be sure to boil udon Al dente.
Soba (buckwheat noodles)
While the people in the western part of Japan tend to prefer udon, soba is enthusiastically eaten in the eastern area. You can serve soba the same way as udon, but stir-frying, which some American restaurants do, is not the authentic Japanese style. Al dente is much more important for boiling soba than udon.
Somen (thin wheat noodles)
Somen is a light dish and is best for eating between meals, for a midnight meal, or for a hot summer day's lunch. It doesn't take time to cook somen, so it's good for a busy person, too. Eat it the same way as udon. Okinawan (the southern islands of Japan) people often stir-fry somen with vegetables and tofu.
Hiyamugi (thin wheat noodles)
The difference between hiyamugi and somen is that the latter is thinner. You can cook hiyamugi the same way as udon/somen.
Ramen
I believe that American people also love this world-popular noodle. Unfortunately, I could find only one vegan variety among major commercial ramen noodle makers' products: Oriental, Nisshin TOP Ramen. Also, at natural food stores, you may be able to get some of the health-conscious vegetarian/vegan ramen noodles.
*You may find readymade udon/soba tsuyu (the soup) in the shelf at the stores, but don't forget to check to see if it contains bonito before you buy it.
Seaweeds
Surrounded by the sea, Japanese created various ways of cooking seaweed over several thousand years. Most seaweed is sold dried, so it has a long shelf life.
Nori (laver)
Nori is known as an essential item for sushi. Being pressed and dried, it is sold as a sheet. You may find two types of nori: plain or seasoned. When you choose the latter, check to see if it contains bonito. Also, there is Korean nori, which is roasted, oil-brushed, and seasoned with salt. Besides sushi making, nori has versatile usage: wrapping a rice bowl, adding to Japanese noodle dishes, stir-frying with vegetables, putting over salad, and so on. You should keep nori dry.
Wakame
Wakame is an all-round type seaweed. You can add it to miso soup, Japanese noodle dishes, and salad. Sauteing it with a little sesame oil would be delicious, too. Follow the package instructions when you use wakame.
Kombu (kelp)
It is indispensable for making Japanese soup stock, dashi. You should buy thick, straight kombu, if you want excellent soup. After using for making dashi, you can cook kombu by stir-frying or simmering it with vegetables.
Hijiki
Short (about a half-inch), black hijiki seaweed becomes tasty by stir-frying. Simmered hijiki (slightly pan-fried) with soybeans is one of many popular Japanese home-style dishes. Also, you can put some (reconstituted) in when you cook rice.
Tororo-kombu
It is pale green, soft kombu shavings with vinegar flavor. You don't need any preparation for using tororo-kombu. Just put it on Japanese noodle dishes, salad, and so on. It makes great (and also easy!) soup with boiling water and soy sauce.
Ao-nori (green laver)
You may have noticed that ao means green. Generally, it is sold as a powder. Use ao-nori the same as spices such as basil. Scatter it over pastas, salad, stir-fried vegetables, ramen noodles, udon, somen, and anything else you like.
Kanten (agar-agar)
Kanten is also called "vegetable gelatin." It is made from tengusa (a kind of seaweed), and available in powder and twig forms. You can substitute kanten for gelatin. Follow the package instruction when you use it.
Dried Food
There are a lot of useful provisions among the dried food, kanbutsu. Even if your refrigerator is empty, these items will make a great dish with little effort.
Hoshi Shiitake (dried shiitake mushroom)
The same as kombu, dried shiitake mushrooms make tasty dashi soup stock. After making the soup, you can also cook them by braising them with soy sauce and sake rice wine. Hoshi Shiitake is good for topping on noodles, stir-frying with vegetables, and so on.
Fu (wheat gluten)
There are two types of fu: raw and dried. The raw type is rarely available in the U.S., still you can use the dried fu, which is very helpful for vegetarian cooking. The difference between fu and seitan (Chinese style wheat gluten) is its shape. Fu is made into miniature forms often like leaves or flowers, and sometimes is beautifully colored. On the other hand, seitan has a simple figure. Also, the texture of fu is smoother and softer than that of seitan. Put the dried fu into any kind of soup; simmer it with vegetables; and stir-fry it after reconstitution.
Kikurage (cloud ear mushroom)
Kikurage is darkbrown-colored tree fungus. To use, reconstitute it in warm water first. Kikurage itself doesn't have taste, but people are fond of its gelatinous texture. Stir-frying with vegetables and soy sauce is recommended. Using it in soup is fine, too. The Chinese make sweet desert with kikurage (very expensive white type.)
Harusame (mung bean noodle)
Mung bean harusame is Chinese style, but now most Japanese use it instead of Japanese harusame (made from potato starch), because it is convenient for many types of dishes. (Japanese harusame is easily melted in hot water, so it is not appropriate for soup.) For the name harusame (spring rain), the food has a delicate, soft shape and taste. Before using, boil harusame and stir-fry with vegetables or make soup.
Kampyo (dried gourd strip)
It is popular under the name of sushi, kampyo-maki. Kampyo is one of the main fillings of sushi. The original texture and appearance is soft and cream-colored, but usually kampyo is cooked with soy sauce, dashi soup stock, and sugar, and the color changes to brown. To use, follow the package instructions.
Yuba (soymilk skin)
Yuba is one of the most useful foods in Japanese Zen Buddhist cuisine (vegan). Just put yuba in the soup. Otherwise, reconstitute it in the water and use for stir-fried dishes or salad.
Japanese Pickles
Because rice is our staple food, the Japanese created their own unique pickles, tsukemono, to eat with a lot of rice. Keep tsukemono at a cool room temperature or in a refrigerator. Some packaged tsukemono may contain bonito extract, so check the ingredients before you buy them.
Umeboshi (pickled Japanese plum)
Japanese think of umeboshi, the best-known tsukemono, as a kind of food medicine. White rice porridge with umeboshi is a typical dish for sick people. In the summer, we put an umeboshi in cooked rice to prevent it from going bad. Umeboshi in a rice bowl (onigiri or omusubi) is also a popular lunch. Because of its strong tart flavor, umeboshi can be used as a condiment. The flesh of umeboshi is good for making dressing, tasty dips, and so on.
Beni-shoga (red pickled ginger)
Beni-shoga is used as a garnish for sushi (usually inari sushi) or fried noodles.
Takuan (pickled daikon)
Regular commercial Takuan is yellow-colored. To serve it as an accompaniment to rice, just slice. To cook, cut it into small pieces, then stir-fry with vegetables. Takuan adds a very strong flavor to a dish.
Condiments
You can create very Japanese-like tastes with American condiments by only using soy sauce. Nevertheless, the same that olive oil is essential for Italian dishes, the following Japanese condiments are definitely preferable for Japanese cooking.
Miso (fermented soybean paste)
You may find several types of miso: light brown, white, and dark brown. The first one is the most useful for its relatively mild flavor, but if you like sweet miso, choose the white type. Dark brown miso is strong and very salty, so it is good for those who love spicy taste. Besides miso soup, this luscious no-cholesterol paste can be used for seasoning stir-fried vegetables, making sauce or dressing, etc.
Sake (Japanese rice wine)
For cooking, buy cheap or cooking sake. If you can't find Japanese sake, Chinese rice wine may become the substitute. It adds a savory flavor to dishes in simmering or stir-frying.
Mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
Teriyaki's rich taste comes mainly from soy sauce and mirin. Also, mirin adds the shiny appearance to a dish.
Su (Japanese vinegar)
If you love to cook sushi, I strongly recommend getting su, instead of using white vinegar. The taste will be much closer to that of restaurants' sushi. Sushi-su is the best for making sushi, but you need to check the ingredients. Other types of su are vegan. You can use su like western vinegar, for making dressing and so on.
Wasabi (Japanese horseradish)
This green, hot spice is known as the garnish of sushi. (Never mistaken it as avocado paste.) It is available as powder or paste in tubes. Besides sushi's garnish, wasabi can be used in homemade dressing or sauce.
Karashi (Japanese mustard)
Karashi is hotter than western mustard. It is available as powder or paste in tubes. It is used as a garnish for oden (Japanese hodgepodge), and can be added to dressings or sauce.
Shichimi or Ichimi Togarashi (Japanese chili)
These Japanese hot peppers are suitable for sprinkling over noodles, miso soup, and stir-fried vegetables. Shichimi means seven tastes, and this type of chili is mixed with six other spices like black sesame seeds, poppy seeds, hemp seeds, and so on. Ichimi means one taste, so it consists of only Japanese chili pepper.
Rice / Rice Product
In Japanese dishes, Japanese rice is preferable. Please don't substitute long-grain American rice for Japanese rice, if possible. Italian risotto rice, even it is short-grain, should be avoided, especially when you cook sushi.
Rice
Japanese rice is stickier and moister than long-grain rice. Before cooking, stir the rice vigorously in water in a bowl with your hand. Change the water repeatedly until it becomes almost clear. Drain the rice in a colander and put it into a saucepan. Soak the rice in the water, if possible, more than 30 minutes. (If you don't have plenty of time, 10 minutes is the least, and add a teaspoon of sake.) The popular brands of Japanese rice available in the U.S. are KOKUHO and NISHIKI rice.
Mochi-gome (glutinous or sweet rice)
This stickier type of rice is used for making sekihan (rice with azuki beans, a Japanese celebratory dish) and some Japanese sweets like ohagi (rice bowls covered with azuki bean paste.) It takes much more time for preparing and cooking than regular rice, so follow the package instructions when you try mochi-gome.
Mochi (rice cake)
It is made from mochi-gome, steamed and pounded into a paste, so the texture is very sticky and chewy. Baked mochi is a good ingredient for Japanese soup. Dipping baked mochi in soy sauce and wrapping it with nori is also a popular way to prepare it. Korean mochi is different from Japanese mochi, and it is more similar to manju, sweet bun.
Miscellaneous
Following is a list of vegan Japanese foods, which you shouldn't miss trying whenever you encounter them at a store.
Inari-Zushi (sushi wrapped with abura-age)
Inari-zushi is one of the few sushi which vegetarians can eat. The sushi rice is stuffed in abura-age, seasoned with soy sauce and so on. (Just in case, check the ingredients to see whether the seasonings include bonito extract.) Inari means the god of harvest and people believed that foxes, also believed as the servants of inari, loved abura-age. This type of sushi is a casual, homemade dish.
Konnyaku (Brick formed gelatinous paste made from the arum root, a kind of taro)
The gray-colored konnyaku has a chewy texture and no taste itself. It is good for simmering, stir-frying, and so on. White, noodle-like figured konnnyaku is called shirataki, and can be used as same as konnyaku.
Azuki bean
Azuki (also written as adzuki) is a red, small bean. The Japanese are fond of azuki as a sweet paste (an or anko). When you cook it, follow the package instructions. Canned boiled azuki is easy to use.
Senbei (rice cracker)
Generally, senbei, crispy rice cracker, is brushed with only sweetened soy sauce. But sometimes, unfortunately, it may have fish ingredients for seasoning. Please check the package before you buy it.
Manju (sweet bun)
Manju is made of rice- or wheat-flour with sweet azuki bean paste. Manju in Chinese dishes is sometimes filled with pork (buta-man), so please check the ingredients when you pick it up.
Cha (tea)
Mainly, Japanese tea, cha, is green tea (ryoku-cha), but it is different from Chinese green tea, which is easily available in the U.S. The cha leaves are dried without fermentation, while Chinese tea is semi-fermented. Cha has several variations: gyokuro (the highest-rank, very expensive), sen-cha (regular type), ban-cha (for daily use), genmai-cha (mixed with roasted brown rice, for daily use), and hoji-cha (freshly toasted, also for daily use). For hot summer days, cold mugi-cha, roasted barley tea, is very popular in Japan. You can buy these cha as leaves, tea bags, or canned.
Soy Products
Besides tofu, the Japanese have a variety of soy products. Whether you are a tofu lover or not, these foods would give you an opportunity to explore the "New World of Soy."
Abura-age (deep-fried tofu)
The shape is flat/thin and rectangular. In Japanese, abura means oil and age means deep-fried. It is essential for making inari-zushi, a kind of sushi. (See the miscellaneous section below.) Also abura-age is good for miso soup, udon, and stir-frying with vegetables. Before cooking, pour boiling water over abra-age to remove excess oil. For preservation, keep it in a refrigerator.
Atsu-age (deep-fried tofu)
Compared to abura-age, atsu-age looks more tofu-like. Atsu means thick, and its inside remains raw. The Japanese eat atsu-age with soy sauce and grated ginger. Otherwise, simmer or stir-fry it with vegetables. For preservation, keep it in a refrigerator.
Koya-dofu (freeze-dried tofu)
The texture of tofu becomes spongy in the process of being boiled, frozen, dried, and thawed. Generally, it is known as Koya-dofu (Koya is the famous Japanese Buddhists' sacred mountain, and the Buddhists made freeze-dried tofu in their own way), but kori-dofu and shimi-dofu (kori and shimi mean frozen) are the same. Being simmered with kombu, soy sauce, and sake, Koya-dofu becomes a savory dish. When you use the product, follow the package instructions. Can be stored on the kitchen shelf.
Kinako (parched soybean flour)
Usually kinako (literally meaning is yellow-colored flour) is used in making Japanese sweets, by mixing with sugar. The easiest homemade Japanese sweet is baked (or boiled) mochi (rice cake) with the sweet kinako mix. Adding kinako in hot soymilk would be a hearty option. Store it on the kitchen shelf.
Edamame (young soybean)
This green-colored vegetable seems to have become fashionable in the U.S., though it has long been a casual snack in the summer for the Japanese. Just boil edamame and scatter a pinch of salt over it. You can add boiled edamame (remove the pod) in stir-fried vegetables.
Noodles / Pastas
Practically no one dislikes noodles/pastas, so I strongly recommend trying fabulous Japanese pastas!Besides tofu, the Japanese have a variety of soy products. Whether you are a tofu lover or not, these foods would give you an opportunity to explore the "New World of Soy."
Udon (wheat noodles)
Udon (available dried, partly cooked, and instant) is gaining popularity in the U.S. as in Japan. The ingredients are wheat, water, and salt. You need to check the soup, which may be packed with partly cooked and instant udon, to see if it contains bonito. Udon is served in a bowl of soup (usually made from the Japanese dashi soup stock, soy sauce, sake, and mirin) with chopped long green onion, wakame seaweed, cooked abura-age, and so on. In the classic, easy style, udon is cooled down in the water after boiled, then drained and served with soy sauce. If possible, add some garnish such as grated ginger and/or chopped long green onion. Stir-frying the noodle with vegetables is also fine. Be sure to boil udon Al dente.
Soba (buckwheat noodles)
While the people in the western part of Japan tend to prefer udon, soba is enthusiastically eaten in the eastern area. You can serve soba the same way as udon, but stir-frying, which some American restaurants do, is not the authentic Japanese style. Al dente is much more important for boiling soba than udon.
Somen (thin wheat noodles)
Somen is a light dish and is best for eating between meals, for a midnight meal, or for a hot summer day's lunch. It doesn't take time to cook somen, so it's good for a busy person, too. Eat it the same way as udon. Okinawan (the southern islands of Japan) people often stir-fry somen with vegetables and tofu.
Hiyamugi (thin wheat noodles)
The difference between hiyamugi and somen is that the latter is thinner. You can cook hiyamugi the same way as udon/somen.
Ramen
I believe that American people also love this world-popular noodle. Unfortunately, I could find only one vegan variety among major commercial ramen noodle makers' products: Oriental, Nisshin TOP Ramen. Also, at natural food stores, you may be able to get some of the health-conscious vegetarian/vegan ramen noodles.
*You may find readymade udon/soba tsuyu (the soup) in the shelf at the stores, but don't forget to check to see if it contains bonito before you buy it.
Seaweeds
Surrounded by the sea, Japanese created various ways of cooking seaweed over several thousand years. Most seaweed is sold dried, so it has a long shelf life.
Nori (laver)
Nori is known as an essential item for sushi. Being pressed and dried, it is sold as a sheet. You may find two types of nori: plain or seasoned. When you choose the latter, check to see if it contains bonito. Also, there is Korean nori, which is roasted, oil-brushed, and seasoned with salt. Besides sushi making, nori has versatile usage: wrapping a rice bowl, adding to Japanese noodle dishes, stir-frying with vegetables, putting over salad, and so on. You should keep nori dry.
Wakame
Wakame is an all-round type seaweed. You can add it to miso soup, Japanese noodle dishes, and salad. Sauteing it with a little sesame oil would be delicious, too. Follow the package instructions when you use wakame.
Kombu (kelp)
It is indispensable for making Japanese soup stock, dashi. You should buy thick, straight kombu, if you want excellent soup. After using for making dashi, you can cook kombu by stir-frying or simmering it with vegetables.
Hijiki
Short (about a half-inch), black hijiki seaweed becomes tasty by stir-frying. Simmered hijiki (slightly pan-fried) with soybeans is one of many popular Japanese home-style dishes. Also, you can put some (reconstituted) in when you cook rice.
Tororo-kombu
It is pale green, soft kombu shavings with vinegar flavor. You don't need any preparation for using tororo-kombu. Just put it on Japanese noodle dishes, salad, and so on. It makes great (and also easy!) soup with boiling water and soy sauce.
Ao-nori (green laver)
You may have noticed that ao means green. Generally, it is sold as a powder. Use ao-nori the same as spices such as basil. Scatter it over pastas, salad, stir-fried vegetables, ramen noodles, udon, somen, and anything else you like.
Kanten (agar-agar)
Kanten is also called "vegetable gelatin." It is made from tengusa (a kind of seaweed), and available in powder and twig forms. You can substitute kanten for gelatin. Follow the package instruction when you use it.
Dried Food
There are a lot of useful provisions among the dried food, kanbutsu. Even if your refrigerator is empty, these items will make a great dish with little effort.
Hoshi Shiitake (dried shiitake mushroom)
The same as kombu, dried shiitake mushrooms make tasty dashi soup stock. After making the soup, you can also cook them by braising them with soy sauce and sake rice wine. Hoshi Shiitake is good for topping on noodles, stir-frying with vegetables, and so on.
Fu (wheat gluten)
There are two types of fu: raw and dried. The raw type is rarely available in the U.S., still you can use the dried fu, which is very helpful for vegetarian cooking. The difference between fu and seitan (Chinese style wheat gluten) is its shape. Fu is made into miniature forms often like leaves or flowers, and sometimes is beautifully colored. On the other hand, seitan has a simple figure. Also, the texture of fu is smoother and softer than that of seitan. Put the dried fu into any kind of soup; simmer it with vegetables; and stir-fry it after reconstitution.
Kikurage (cloud ear mushroom)
Kikurage is darkbrown-colored tree fungus. To use, reconstitute it in warm water first. Kikurage itself doesn't have taste, but people are fond of its gelatinous texture. Stir-frying with vegetables and soy sauce is recommended. Using it in soup is fine, too. The Chinese make sweet desert with kikurage (very expensive white type.)
Harusame (mung bean noodle)
Mung bean harusame is Chinese style, but now most Japanese use it instead of Japanese harusame (made from potato starch), because it is convenient for many types of dishes. (Japanese harusame is easily melted in hot water, so it is not appropriate for soup.) For the name harusame (spring rain), the food has a delicate, soft shape and taste. Before using, boil harusame and stir-fry with vegetables or make soup.
Kampyo (dried gourd strip)
It is popular under the name of sushi, kampyo-maki. Kampyo is one of the main fillings of sushi. The original texture and appearance is soft and cream-colored, but usually kampyo is cooked with soy sauce, dashi soup stock, and sugar, and the color changes to brown. To use, follow the package instructions.
Yuba (soymilk skin)
Yuba is one of the most useful foods in Japanese Zen Buddhist cuisine (vegan). Just put yuba in the soup. Otherwise, reconstitute it in the water and use for stir-fried dishes or salad.
Japanese Pickles
Because rice is our staple food, the Japanese created their own unique pickles, tsukemono, to eat with a lot of rice. Keep tsukemono at a cool room temperature or in a refrigerator. Some packaged tsukemono may contain bonito extract, so check the ingredients before you buy them.
Umeboshi (pickled Japanese plum)
Japanese think of umeboshi, the best-known tsukemono, as a kind of food medicine. White rice porridge with umeboshi is a typical dish for sick people. In the summer, we put an umeboshi in cooked rice to prevent it from going bad. Umeboshi in a rice bowl (onigiri or omusubi) is also a popular lunch. Because of its strong tart flavor, umeboshi can be used as a condiment. The flesh of umeboshi is good for making dressing, tasty dips, and so on.
Beni-shoga (red pickled ginger)
Beni-shoga is used as a garnish for sushi (usually inari sushi) or fried noodles.
Takuan (pickled daikon)
Regular commercial Takuan is yellow-colored. To serve it as an accompaniment to rice, just slice. To cook, cut it into small pieces, then stir-fry with vegetables. Takuan adds a very strong flavor to a dish.
Condiments
You can create very Japanese-like tastes with American condiments by only using soy sauce. Nevertheless, the same that olive oil is essential for Italian dishes, the following Japanese condiments are definitely preferable for Japanese cooking.
Miso (fermented soybean paste)
You may find several types of miso: light brown, white, and dark brown. The first one is the most useful for its relatively mild flavor, but if you like sweet miso, choose the white type. Dark brown miso is strong and very salty, so it is good for those who love spicy taste. Besides miso soup, this luscious no-cholesterol paste can be used for seasoning stir-fried vegetables, making sauce or dressing, etc.
Sake (Japanese rice wine)
For cooking, buy cheap or cooking sake. If you can't find Japanese sake, Chinese rice wine may become the substitute. It adds a savory flavor to dishes in simmering or stir-frying.
Mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
Teriyaki's rich taste comes mainly from soy sauce and mirin. Also, mirin adds the shiny appearance to a dish.
Su (Japanese vinegar)
If you love to cook sushi, I strongly recommend getting su, instead of using white vinegar. The taste will be much closer to that of restaurants' sushi. Sushi-su is the best for making sushi, but you need to check the ingredients. Other types of su are vegan. You can use su like western vinegar, for making dressing and so on.
Wasabi (Japanese horseradish)
This green, hot spice is known as the garnish of sushi. (Never mistaken it as avocado paste.) It is available as powder or paste in tubes. Besides sushi's garnish, wasabi can be used in homemade dressing or sauce.
Karashi (Japanese mustard)
Karashi is hotter than western mustard. It is available as powder or paste in tubes. It is used as a garnish for oden (Japanese hodgepodge), and can be added to dressings or sauce.
Shichimi or Ichimi Togarashi (Japanese chili)
These Japanese hot peppers are suitable for sprinkling over noodles, miso soup, and stir-fried vegetables. Shichimi means seven tastes, and this type of chili is mixed with six other spices like black sesame seeds, poppy seeds, hemp seeds, and so on. Ichimi means one taste, so it consists of only Japanese chili pepper.
Rice / Rice Product
In Japanese dishes, Japanese rice is preferable. Please don't substitute long-grain American rice for Japanese rice, if possible. Italian risotto rice, even it is short-grain, should be avoided, especially when you cook sushi.
Rice
Japanese rice is stickier and moister than long-grain rice. Before cooking, stir the rice vigorously in water in a bowl with your hand. Change the water repeatedly until it becomes almost clear. Drain the rice in a colander and put it into a saucepan. Soak the rice in the water, if possible, more than 30 minutes. (If you don't have plenty of time, 10 minutes is the least, and add a teaspoon of sake.) The popular brands of Japanese rice available in the U.S. are KOKUHO and NISHIKI rice.
Mochi-gome (glutinous or sweet rice)
This stickier type of rice is used for making sekihan (rice with azuki beans, a Japanese celebratory dish) and some Japanese sweets like ohagi (rice bowls covered with azuki bean paste.) It takes much more time for preparing and cooking than regular rice, so follow the package instructions when you try mochi-gome.
Mochi (rice cake)
It is made from mochi-gome, steamed and pounded into a paste, so the texture is very sticky and chewy. Baked mochi is a good ingredient for Japanese soup. Dipping baked mochi in soy sauce and wrapping it with nori is also a popular way to prepare it. Korean mochi is different from Japanese mochi, and it is more similar to manju, sweet bun.
Miscellaneous
Following is a list of vegan Japanese foods, which you shouldn't miss trying whenever you encounter them at a store.
Inari-Zushi (sushi wrapped with abura-age)
Inari-zushi is one of the few sushi which vegetarians can eat. The sushi rice is stuffed in abura-age, seasoned with soy sauce and so on. (Just in case, check the ingredients to see whether the seasonings include bonito extract.) Inari means the god of harvest and people believed that foxes, also believed as the servants of inari, loved abura-age. This type of sushi is a casual, homemade dish.
Konnyaku (Brick formed gelatinous paste made from the arum root, a kind of taro)
The gray-colored konnyaku has a chewy texture and no taste itself. It is good for simmering, stir-frying, and so on. White, noodle-like figured konnnyaku is called shirataki, and can be used as same as konnyaku.
Azuki bean
Azuki (also written as adzuki) is a red, small bean. The Japanese are fond of azuki as a sweet paste (an or anko). When you cook it, follow the package instructions. Canned boiled azuki is easy to use.
Senbei (rice cracker)
Generally, senbei, crispy rice cracker, is brushed with only sweetened soy sauce. But sometimes, unfortunately, it may have fish ingredients for seasoning. Please check the package before you buy it.
Manju (sweet bun)
Manju is made of rice- or wheat-flour with sweet azuki bean paste. Manju in Chinese dishes is sometimes filled with pork (buta-man), so please check the ingredients when you pick it up.
Cha (tea)
Mainly, Japanese tea, cha, is green tea (ryoku-cha), but it is different from Chinese green tea, which is easily available in the U.S. The cha leaves are dried without fermentation, while Chinese tea is semi-fermented. Cha has several variations: gyokuro (the highest-rank, very expensive), sen-cha (regular type), ban-cha (for daily use), genmai-cha (mixed with roasted brown rice, for daily use), and hoji-cha (freshly toasted, also for daily use). For hot summer days, cold mugi-cha, roasted barley tea, is very popular in Japan. You can buy these cha as leaves, tea bags, or canned.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Rum Cake
Rum Cake
Ingredients
1 pound. butter
4 cups flour (sifted 4 times)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark sugar
3 tablespoons browning
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup Jamaican white rum
2 cups port wine
8 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 cup cherry diced
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon rose water
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon. almond essence
2 ounces dried papaya (chopped)
1/2 cup chopped dates
Directions
1. Place chopped fruits, raisins, cherries, dates in a saucepan and cover with port wine.
2. Heat over stove until raisins are slightly puffed. Allow to cool and stand in a refrigerator for at least one day.
3. Drain wine from fruits. Combine with rum to make 1/2 cup. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and both sugars add eggs, nutmeg, vanilla and cloves.
4. Mix together with flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add browning, then rum and wine.
5. Add in prepared fruits, almond essence, rose water. Line bottom of baking pans with wax paper.
6. Use butter to grease paper and inside of pan. Then lightly dust with flour. Place cake mixture into prepared baking pans.
7. Bake at 325 to 350 degrees until a pick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then cool on wire rack.
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Baking time: 1 1/4 hrs
Serves: 8
Ingredients
1 pound. butter
4 cups flour (sifted 4 times)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark sugar
3 tablespoons browning
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup Jamaican white rum
2 cups port wine
8 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 cup cherry diced
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon rose water
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon. almond essence
2 ounces dried papaya (chopped)
1/2 cup chopped dates
Directions
1. Place chopped fruits, raisins, cherries, dates in a saucepan and cover with port wine.
2. Heat over stove until raisins are slightly puffed. Allow to cool and stand in a refrigerator for at least one day.
3. Drain wine from fruits. Combine with rum to make 1/2 cup. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and both sugars add eggs, nutmeg, vanilla and cloves.
4. Mix together with flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add browning, then rum and wine.
5. Add in prepared fruits, almond essence, rose water. Line bottom of baking pans with wax paper.
6. Use butter to grease paper and inside of pan. Then lightly dust with flour. Place cake mixture into prepared baking pans.
7. Bake at 325 to 350 degrees until a pick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then cool on wire rack.
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Baking time: 1 1/4 hrs
Serves: 8
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Karen's Yummy Cookies
Cranberry Hootycreeks
Submitted By: Susan O'Dell
Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Ready In: 25 Minutes
Yields: 18 servings
"A beautifully festive cookie in a jar recipe. These make great gifts." INGREDIENTS:
5/8 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
DIRECTIONS:
Layer the ingredients in a 1 quart or 1 liter jar, in the order listed.
Attach a tag with the following instructions: Cranberry Hootycreeks 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. 2. In a medium bowl, beat together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until fluffy. Add the entire jar of ingredients, and mix together by hand until well blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. 3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges start to brown. Cool on baking sheets, or remove to cool on wire racks.
allrecipes.com
Nutrition facts (per serving)
Calories (kcal) 127
Protein 1.8g
Cals from Protein 5%
Total Fat 4.2g
Cals from Fat 29%
Carbohydrates 20.9g
Cals from Carbohydrates 65%
Fiber 1g
Cholesterol 1mg
Sodium 106mg
Submitted By: Susan O'Dell
Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Ready In: 25 Minutes
Yields: 18 servings
"A beautifully festive cookie in a jar recipe. These make great gifts." INGREDIENTS:
5/8 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
DIRECTIONS:
Layer the ingredients in a 1 quart or 1 liter jar, in the order listed.
Attach a tag with the following instructions: Cranberry Hootycreeks 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. 2. In a medium bowl, beat together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until fluffy. Add the entire jar of ingredients, and mix together by hand until well blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. 3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges start to brown. Cool on baking sheets, or remove to cool on wire racks.
allrecipes.com
Nutrition facts (per serving)
Calories (kcal) 127
Protein 1.8g
Cals from Protein 5%
Total Fat 4.2g
Cals from Fat 29%
Carbohydrates 20.9g
Cals from Carbohydrates 65%
Fiber 1g
Cholesterol 1mg
Sodium 106mg
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Beet Recipe - Beet Curry
Beet Curry
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
* 2 cup yellow lentils
* 8 cup water
* 1 tablespoon turmeric
* 4 large beets cut into large dice
* 1 large onion cut into large dice
* 5 (or more) large cloves garlic, pressed
* 2 tablespoon cumin
* 1 tablespoon coriander
* 5-10 dried red chilies, crushed
* salt to taste
Directions:
Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally to keep the lentils from sticking to the pot, which should be large.
While it simmers, prepare beets, onion, and garlic.
Spray a frying pan lightly with oil spray. Pop 2 T. black mustard seeds over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onions, saute for a minute or so, then add beats and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 min. Add contents of the frying pan to the lentil pot. Also add 2 T. cumin, 1 T. coriander, 5-10 dried red chilies, and salt to taste.
Simmer until the lentils start to disintegrate.
Serve with basmati rice.
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
* 2 cup yellow lentils
* 8 cup water
* 1 tablespoon turmeric
* 4 large beets cut into large dice
* 1 large onion cut into large dice
* 5 (or more) large cloves garlic, pressed
* 2 tablespoon cumin
* 1 tablespoon coriander
* 5-10 dried red chilies, crushed
* salt to taste
Directions:
Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally to keep the lentils from sticking to the pot, which should be large.
While it simmers, prepare beets, onion, and garlic.
Spray a frying pan lightly with oil spray. Pop 2 T. black mustard seeds over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onions, saute for a minute or so, then add beats and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 min. Add contents of the frying pan to the lentil pot. Also add 2 T. cumin, 1 T. coriander, 5-10 dried red chilies, and salt to taste.
Simmer until the lentils start to disintegrate.
Serve with basmati rice.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Truffles!! (vegan)
Very Easy Vegan Truffles from VeganChef.com
These are absolutely delicious! A friend made them...
1 1/2 cups vegan chocolate chips
8 oz. tofu cream cheese
3 cup vegan powdered sugar (Wholesome Foods or Florida Crystals brand, powdered sugar from sugar beets, or see Recipe Archive for homemade variations)
1 1/2 t. vanilla
Garnishes: finely ground nuts, cocoa powder, toasted unsweetened shredded coconut
Place the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler, over medium heat, and leave to melt. In a food processor, place the vegan cream cheese, and process for 1 minute or until smooth and creamy. Add half of the powdered sugar and process for 30 seconds. Add the remaining powdered sugar and continue to process the mixture until well blended. Add the melted chocolate chips and vanilla, and process the mixture to evenly distribute the melted chocolate. Transfer the mixture to a glass bowl, cover, and place in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour. Using your hands, shape the chilled mixture into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the garnishes of choice to thoroughly coat them on all sides. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.
*Variation: the truffle mixture can be flavored with liqueur, as well. Divide the truffle mixture into thirds and add 1 T. liqueur of choice (such as: almond, hazelnut, coffee, rum, brandy, orange, raspberry, etc.) to each third of the truffle mixture, respectively, and mix well before chilling the truffle mixture. Then shape into balls and roll each type of liqueur-flavored truffles in one of the garnishes to distinguish among the various flavor combinations.
Yield: 5 Dozen
These are absolutely delicious! A friend made them...
1 1/2 cups vegan chocolate chips
8 oz. tofu cream cheese
3 cup vegan powdered sugar (Wholesome Foods or Florida Crystals brand, powdered sugar from sugar beets, or see Recipe Archive for homemade variations)
1 1/2 t. vanilla
Garnishes: finely ground nuts, cocoa powder, toasted unsweetened shredded coconut
Place the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler, over medium heat, and leave to melt. In a food processor, place the vegan cream cheese, and process for 1 minute or until smooth and creamy. Add half of the powdered sugar and process for 30 seconds. Add the remaining powdered sugar and continue to process the mixture until well blended. Add the melted chocolate chips and vanilla, and process the mixture to evenly distribute the melted chocolate. Transfer the mixture to a glass bowl, cover, and place in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour. Using your hands, shape the chilled mixture into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the garnishes of choice to thoroughly coat them on all sides. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.
*Variation: the truffle mixture can be flavored with liqueur, as well. Divide the truffle mixture into thirds and add 1 T. liqueur of choice (such as: almond, hazelnut, coffee, rum, brandy, orange, raspberry, etc.) to each third of the truffle mixture, respectively, and mix well before chilling the truffle mixture. Then shape into balls and roll each type of liqueur-flavored truffles in one of the garnishes to distinguish among the various flavor combinations.
Yield: 5 Dozen
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Vegan Pancakes
A delicious vegan pancake recipe Erin & I just made for breakfast. We added fresh apples and cinnamon which made it even better!
Friday, February 10, 2006
Ital Recipes
Ital is a term used by Rastas, derived from "vital", which means a natural and healthy way of life. One aspect of Ital is the Ital food: because the body is a temple, you should not eat unpure food. Also you must take care of your body, cause it is Jah creation. Body is the Chapel. Ital is generally a vegan diet, even if some Rastas eat fish. Some prohibit salt, some not. In all cases, Ital prohibits pork, preservatives, chemical ingredients. Ingredients have to be the most natural possible.
In Jamaica, Ital cooking is most often inspired from Indian and African cooking. But lot of recipes can be "Italized" if prepared only with vegetables and natural ingredients.
Dishes
Ital omelette
Ingredients:
1/4 cup chickpea flour
3/4 cup water
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 onion
1 or 2 potatoes (depends how hungry you are)
1 broccoli stalk (or other vegetable; You can experiment)
1 tsp olive oil
Directions:
This recipe sounds kind of gross, but you have to make it to appreciate how wonderful it is.
Make a mixture with water and chickpea flour in such a proportion to get an 'egg-like' batter. Start with 1/2 cup of water, add the chickpea flour, stirring constantly, and progressively increase the amount of water and chickpea flour until you get about 1 cup of batter. The amounts I have indicated above are approximate. Season it with salt and pepper. Boil the potatos 'al-dente', then slice.
In a pan, stir-fry the onion (sliced) in 1 TSP. of olive oil. Add the sliced potatos and stir until golden. Add the broccoli florets and pour the batter along the vegetables. Put a lid on top and simmer until the bottom is golden, then turn (a plate can help - if the pan is non-stick it will make the turn a lot easier) and cook the other side.
Serve hot or cold.
Greens, lentils and sweet potato in coconut sauce
Take a big bunch of spinach or callaloo, 1 big sliced onion, garlic and put them in warm vegetal oil about 4 minutes.
Add enough coconut milk, chopped sweet potato and cho-cho, aubergine, carrots, or vegetables of your choice, hot pepper, black pepper according to your taste. cook until done and the sauce thick.
Then, add cooked lentils. keep 5 minutes on the fire. it is ready.
Sesame Glazed Beans (Ras Ansel and Queen Lily contribution)
1/2 lb. Green Beans
1/2 cup water
1/2 red bell pepper julienned
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. saltless sesame oil (dark)
1 tbsp. sesame seeds
slightly cook beans w/red bell pepper then combine all other ingredient and pour (as sauce) over the beans at a simmer, allowing to thicken. When thickened a bit, drizzle with the sesame oil, an top wit seeds (or ganja seed, which are very good for the I nutritionally!)
Enjoy with rice or whatever....
Daikon Pot-Stickers (Ras Ansel and Queen Lily contribution)
Pot Stickers:
3 tbsp. veg oil
2 tsp. mince fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups radish
1 cup carrot, grated
1/3 cup crumbled extra-firm tofu
2 tbsp. soy
20 Wanton (saltless soy) skins
In a large skillet, heat one tbsp of oil. Add ginger and garlic, add the radish and stir at a constant (very important!!!) for two minutes. Then add grated carrot. Stir constant for one minute. Add the tofu and soy. Take skillet off and allow to cool. Lay out wanton skins and place one tbsp. of the filling you've made in the center of each skin. Wet rim of the skins and fold, forming a triangle. Deep fry to the I's likeness (InI prefer a light brown fry), and allow to cool, then enjoy!
Ital Stew (taken from http://www.reggaefestivalguide.com)
Ingredients:
2 C dried beans (any kind)
2 medium Idaho potatoes
1 C diced yellow yams
2 medium sweet potatoes
12 medium okra
2 C fresh corn (cut kernels off cob)
3 medium carrots
3 stalks of scallions
3 cloves fresh garlic
1 small green Scotch bonnet (habanero) pepper
3 C natural coconut milk
1 T soya margarine
7-12 pimento seeds (allspice)
7-12 pimento seeds (allspice)
3 pieces fresh thyme
2 C whole wheat flour
Fresh cilantro (garnish)
Directions:
Soak beans in distilled water overnight to remove the gas. Chop garlic and thyme and dice remaining vegetables. Put beans to boil with scallions, pimento seeds, thyme, garlic, and pepper. Add coconut milk to boil along with beans until fully cooked, then add vegetables to the pot. Knead flour with a little water to make small dumplings (spinners). Add spinners to pot and boil until cooked. When stew starts to thicken, add soya margarine and simmer to flavor. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with brown rice and a salad.
Ital maffé (1 person)
This sauce is inspired from a senegalese dish.
Cut 1 1/2 big onion and heat in vegetal oil until it become transparent and lightly brown, but not burned.
Add one squashed clove garlic, 3 teaspoon of peanut butter, 3 teaspoon of tomato purée and some water to diluate. add pepper, a very little paprika. Add done sweet potato, carots, turnip, yam...
Serve with rice.
You can also add fried tofu in the sauce.
Ital curry (1 person)
Cut one half of a big carot in very little cube (about 5mm) Cut half of a turnip in cubes too.
Slice one big onion and put all in a frying pan with vegetal oil till vegetables are done.
Add one or two smashed clove garlic, curry, pepper, Sliced ginger, some raisins.
Add coconut milk (about 1 1/2 glass) and heat till the sauce become creamy.
Serve with rice and peanuts.
Plantain and coconut sauce
In a friying pan with vegetal oil, put sliced carots, sliced onions, green gourd slices, and garlic, sliced plantain, paprika, and grated coconut. Warm a little then add water, peppers, garam masala or curry. Warm until doneand until the sauce is thick . You can add tofu in it. Serve with rice.
Ital soup (excerpt from the Rasta Cookbook)
A substantial soup that will satisfy the largest of appetites; a true “Ital” feast which requires only fresh fruit juice to complete the meal.
Ingredients:
1 lb (450 g) yam: ½ (225 g) sweet potato
1 lb (450 g) pumpkin: 1 lb (450 g) callaloo
½ small cabbage: ½ lb (225 g) carrots
1 cho cho: 1 green pepper
2 cloves garlic: 2 medium-sized tomatoes
3 spring onions: 2 pts (1100 ml) water
First prepare the vegetables. Peel the yam, sweet potato and pumpkin and cut into large die, removing the seeds from the pumpkin. Carefully wash the callaloo, trimming away any thick stems and chop. Coarsely chop the cabbage having carefully discarded the outer leaves, peel and slice the carrots. Peel the cho cho, cut it lengthways into quarters and remove the heart. Roughly dice the cho cho and green pepper, peel and chop the tomatoes and slice the spring onions. Place the pumpkin and root vegetables in a large saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil and simmer for ten minutes. Add to the pan the callaloo, cabbage, cho cho, pepper and finally the chopped tomatoes and spring onions. Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and simmer for twenty minutes more until cooked. Serves 4-6.
Chinese style tofu (1 person)
Cut half of a carot in small matches. Slice 1 big onion.
Slice 2 or 3 medium mushrooms (shitake ones). Slice some Bamboo.
Put in frying pan with some vegetal oil, till all begins to brown lightly, add tofu cubes, soya sauce, pepper.
When hot, serve with rice or chinese pastas.
Crispy Raw Vegetable Summer Rolls (Ras Ansel and Queen Lily contribution)
4 ounces dried rice noodles, softened with water, in 2 inch lengths
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 1/2 shredded cucumber
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro
3 tbsp. peanuts (crumbled/crushed well!)
1 tbsp. soy
1 tsp. fresh ginger
1 tsp. minced garlic
6-10 rice pancake wrappers (7-8")
In a large bowl, toss together noodles, carrots, cukes, cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk the peanuts, soy, ginger, and garlic until smooth, then add to veg mix and toss. Soften the rice pancake in warm water (double them up!!!), and then wrap the veg mix like a spring roll. Fry until golden in veg oil, then refrigerate and enjoy!
Salads
Asian tofu salad
Ingredients
12 oz lowfat firm tofu
1/3 c red bell peppers; chopped
1/3 c scallions; chopped
1 tb fresh parsley; chopped
-DRESSING
2 cloves garlic
2 ts fresh ginger root; grated
1/2 ts chili paste; or to taste
2 tb soy sauce
2 tb rice vinegar
1 ts dark sesame oil
-Instructions
Crumble the tofu using a wooden spoon or fork. Whisk the dressing ingredients together. Add the dressing and the peppers, onion, and parsley.Mix well. Serve at room temperature or chilled. This salad will keep for 2-3 days.
Serving suggestions: Tusk the salad in a pita with watercress. Or serve it on rice crackers, or with roasted vegetables.
Masala Puri (give thanks to rakesh for this incredible recipe!)
Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes or several small potatoes
Soya yoghurt
Bombay mix - or anything similar
Chilly - hotter the better :-)
1 small onion
Fresh coriander leaves (coriander is best but if not available use dill, parsley, etc)
Tamarind sauce - See below on how to make your own tamarind sauce.
If you can't get tamarind use a combination of mustard (i.e. French
mustard) and tomato ketchup (yuck). Sounds awful, but it works!
Sultanas
1. Dice the potatoes into 1 cm cubes (I usually clean them but leave the skin on)
2. Boil the potatoes, until cooked but not too soft (nice and firm)
3. Put a few tablespoons of soya yoghurt into a large salad bowl
4. Add half the tamarind sauce (or all of the alternative mustard/ketchup mix) and stir well
5. Finely chop the chilly, and add to the salad bowl
6. Coarsely dice the onion, and add to the salad bowl
7. Add the potatoes and sultanas and mix. There should be enough of the yoghurt mix to cover all the ingredients.
8. Just before serving, add copious quantities of the bombay mix, and mix well. If you do this too early the bombay mix will get soggy, which is not a problem, but it is much better if it is crispy.
9. Serve on a plate as part of a meal or put in a bowl as a snack.
10. When serving, pour some of the remaining tamarind sauce on top,
and finish by garnishing with some finely chopped coriander leaves.
Making your own tamarind sauce:
Ingredients:
Tamarind seeds
Coriander powder
Black salt (to taste)
Jeera powder
Paprika powder
Chilly powder
Jaggery (unprocessed sugar). NB I once used molasses, and it was horrible, had to add amchoor powder to rescue the sauce
NB: All of the above ingredients are available at any Indian good shop
1.Boil the tamarind seeds until you get a nice thick sauce
2. Strain off the pulp (NB don't throw the pulp away, as you can reuse it several times - it is very strong)
3. Put the liquid back into the saucepan and keep boiling.
4. Add the other ingredients and keep boiling for 10 mins.
This sweet, sour, chilly sauce will last for about 3 months in the refrigerator. You can use it with many dishes. It's a great way to spice up a reheated meal, i.e. to bring life back to yesterdays left overs.
Lentil salad (1 person)
Prepare a sauce with hot pepper, according to your taste, black pepper, lime juice and vegetal oil. Chop finely 1 shallot, chop 1 tomato, chop some cucumber in little cubes.
Cook 1 part of brown lentils and wait until cold. Blend all ingredients.
Irie salad
Prepare 3 corn cob (maize). Make 1 medium sweet potato boil until done and then cut it in cubes. Slice one big onion, 3 green onions. Chop 2 green apples in little cubes, about 1 cm.
Prepare a sauce with arachid oil, lime juice, pepper.
Blend all the ingredients and sauce into a dish. A litlle curry can also be added.
Carrot salad. Libanese style (1 person)
Grate 1 or 1 1/2 big carrot. Prepare a sauce with the juice of half an orange, pepper, a little cinammon, and a little lime juice. Mix all.
Desserts
Almond honey crisp (submitted by fari@interlog.com)
1 cup of whole almonds
1/4 cup soya margarine
1/3 to 1/2 cup of honey
2 teaspoon unsweetened vanilla extract
Process the almonds in a blender for a few seconds to chop coarsely
In a bowl mix all the ingredience
Preheat owen to 375f
Put in a cake pan and bake till golden brown
Cut into squares while still warm
Sauces
Radish greens sauce (give thanks to Ras Ansel and Queen Lilly)
3 bunches coarsely chopped radish greens (or other if not available)
4 tbsp tomato puree (or other sub), or cider vinegar
2 tsp. thyme
1 cup water
2 tbsp. veg oil
1 tsp. smooth peanut butter
1/4 onion thinly diced
1 clove garlic, diced
1 tsp. black pepper
dash of crushed habanero
1/4 chopped/crushed red pepper with seeds
1/4 tsp. crushed cardamom
1/4 tsp. allspice
Mix all ingredient together and heat low until greens collapse. Add water if needed (but careful not too much!). Allow to cool after thouroughly heated w/greens readily collapsed, then bottle and refridgerate. Pour over rice, greens, or anything the I desire.
Pepper and tomato sauce
Slice a red pepper and put it in a oven (grill position) until slightly brown. Remove the skin and cut in very little bits (or mix).
Then, warm in a pan with olive oil, hot pepper, sliced onion and tomato puree.
Use with pasta, rice or what you want.
Courgette sauce
Peel a courgette, cut it in little cubes, about 1 cm, and warm in a frying pan with olive oil. Add smashed clove, thyme, basilic, pepper. When done, mix all and add black olives.
Serve with rice or pastas.
Drinks
Enhanced carrot juice
Mix 3/4 litter of carrot juice with the juice of 3 limes. In 1 glass of water, put 2 tsp cinammon and about 1 finger of fresh sliced ginger, according to your taste. Make it boil 10 minutes and mix with carrot and lime juice. Add sugar, and refrigerate.
Infused Kola
The kola nut is a nut used in Africa for energy (and sexual prowess ;). It can be used shewed, but is very bitter. The infusion is much tasty: grate half of a kola, infuse 5 minutes in boiling water. Add sugar or honey. It can also mixed with tea or ginseng. You won't feel tired anymore!
Various
Ital bread
-in a dry pan put sesame seeds, cumin seeds, or the seed of your choice
(hemp, crushed peanuts...) and warm until light brown, so the seeds can
exhale their flavors. when done, reserve.
-Make then a paste using half corn flour and chickpea flour, salt, natural
yeast, water, pepper. you can also add herb such as thyme. add water in
order to have a classical bread paste. add the seeds.
-knead about 15/30 minutes and then leave 2 hours. Knead again and leave 2 hours again
-when ready, oil very lightly a big pan, warm it (my position is 3 on 6).
add the paste a make it plate. add a liitle flour and project a little water
with wet hands. cook aproximately 10 min per face, until brown.
-Note: you can also use this past inna oven like usual bread.
Mandarin Pancakes (submitted by Robert)
3 1/2 flour
1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup cold water
1/2 cup sesame oil
Oil as needed for greasing
Preparation:
- Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. make a well in the center and add the boiling water, a little at a time, incorporating the flour by stirring it into the water with a wooden spoon or chopsticks.
-Cover bowl and let sit for 5-minutes, then add the cold water, mixing well.
-Turn the flour mixture out and work with your fingers to blend until a dough is formed. Cover with a dampened towel and set aside for 15 minutes.
-Remove dough to a board and knead for 10 to 12 minutes or until smooth.
-Divide dough into 4-equal portions. Roll each part into a rod, then divide each dough rod into 10 equal pieces.
- Grease an area of the kneading board about 10 inches square with oil to prevent sticking. Flatten each piece of dough into a 2-inch round and brush evenly with sesame oil on the surface. Place another round on top, forming a 2-layered round. Roll into a thin pancake about 6 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. Grease the board with more oil if needed.
-Roll 2 pancakes, then proceed with the cooking. Continue to roll and cook, 2 pancakes at a time, until all the dough is used up.
Cooking:
- Set a griddle (or heavy skillet) over medium heat. Pan-fry each pancake for 1 minute or unti lthe surface bubbles and brown spots appear on the bottom side. Turn to brown on other side for about another 30 seconds.
- Remove pancake and pull the 2 layers apart while hot. Stack pancakes on a platter and cover with a lightly dampened cloth.
-Finish pan-frying the remaining pancakes.
In Jamaica, Ital cooking is most often inspired from Indian and African cooking. But lot of recipes can be "Italized" if prepared only with vegetables and natural ingredients.
Dishes
Ital omelette
Ingredients:
1/4 cup chickpea flour
3/4 cup water
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 onion
1 or 2 potatoes (depends how hungry you are)
1 broccoli stalk (or other vegetable; You can experiment)
1 tsp olive oil
Directions:
This recipe sounds kind of gross, but you have to make it to appreciate how wonderful it is.
Make a mixture with water and chickpea flour in such a proportion to get an 'egg-like' batter. Start with 1/2 cup of water, add the chickpea flour, stirring constantly, and progressively increase the amount of water and chickpea flour until you get about 1 cup of batter. The amounts I have indicated above are approximate. Season it with salt and pepper. Boil the potatos 'al-dente', then slice.
In a pan, stir-fry the onion (sliced) in 1 TSP. of olive oil. Add the sliced potatos and stir until golden. Add the broccoli florets and pour the batter along the vegetables. Put a lid on top and simmer until the bottom is golden, then turn (a plate can help - if the pan is non-stick it will make the turn a lot easier) and cook the other side.
Serve hot or cold.
Greens, lentils and sweet potato in coconut sauce
Take a big bunch of spinach or callaloo, 1 big sliced onion, garlic and put them in warm vegetal oil about 4 minutes.
Add enough coconut milk, chopped sweet potato and cho-cho, aubergine, carrots, or vegetables of your choice, hot pepper, black pepper according to your taste. cook until done and the sauce thick.
Then, add cooked lentils. keep 5 minutes on the fire. it is ready.
Sesame Glazed Beans (Ras Ansel and Queen Lily contribution)
1/2 lb. Green Beans
1/2 cup water
1/2 red bell pepper julienned
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. saltless sesame oil (dark)
1 tbsp. sesame seeds
slightly cook beans w/red bell pepper then combine all other ingredient and pour (as sauce) over the beans at a simmer, allowing to thicken. When thickened a bit, drizzle with the sesame oil, an top wit seeds (or ganja seed, which are very good for the I nutritionally!)
Enjoy with rice or whatever....
Daikon Pot-Stickers (Ras Ansel and Queen Lily contribution)
Pot Stickers:
3 tbsp. veg oil
2 tsp. mince fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups radish
1 cup carrot, grated
1/3 cup crumbled extra-firm tofu
2 tbsp. soy
20 Wanton (saltless soy) skins
In a large skillet, heat one tbsp of oil. Add ginger and garlic, add the radish and stir at a constant (very important!!!) for two minutes. Then add grated carrot. Stir constant for one minute. Add the tofu and soy. Take skillet off and allow to cool. Lay out wanton skins and place one tbsp. of the filling you've made in the center of each skin. Wet rim of the skins and fold, forming a triangle. Deep fry to the I's likeness (InI prefer a light brown fry), and allow to cool, then enjoy!
Ital Stew (taken from http://www.reggaefestivalguide.com)
Ingredients:
2 C dried beans (any kind)
2 medium Idaho potatoes
1 C diced yellow yams
2 medium sweet potatoes
12 medium okra
2 C fresh corn (cut kernels off cob)
3 medium carrots
3 stalks of scallions
3 cloves fresh garlic
1 small green Scotch bonnet (habanero) pepper
3 C natural coconut milk
1 T soya margarine
7-12 pimento seeds (allspice)
7-12 pimento seeds (allspice)
3 pieces fresh thyme
2 C whole wheat flour
Fresh cilantro (garnish)
Directions:
Soak beans in distilled water overnight to remove the gas. Chop garlic and thyme and dice remaining vegetables. Put beans to boil with scallions, pimento seeds, thyme, garlic, and pepper. Add coconut milk to boil along with beans until fully cooked, then add vegetables to the pot. Knead flour with a little water to make small dumplings (spinners). Add spinners to pot and boil until cooked. When stew starts to thicken, add soya margarine and simmer to flavor. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with brown rice and a salad.
Ital maffé (1 person)
This sauce is inspired from a senegalese dish.
Cut 1 1/2 big onion and heat in vegetal oil until it become transparent and lightly brown, but not burned.
Add one squashed clove garlic, 3 teaspoon of peanut butter, 3 teaspoon of tomato purée and some water to diluate. add pepper, a very little paprika. Add done sweet potato, carots, turnip, yam...
Serve with rice.
You can also add fried tofu in the sauce.
Ital curry (1 person)
Cut one half of a big carot in very little cube (about 5mm) Cut half of a turnip in cubes too.
Slice one big onion and put all in a frying pan with vegetal oil till vegetables are done.
Add one or two smashed clove garlic, curry, pepper, Sliced ginger, some raisins.
Add coconut milk (about 1 1/2 glass) and heat till the sauce become creamy.
Serve with rice and peanuts.
Plantain and coconut sauce
In a friying pan with vegetal oil, put sliced carots, sliced onions, green gourd slices, and garlic, sliced plantain, paprika, and grated coconut. Warm a little then add water, peppers, garam masala or curry. Warm until doneand until the sauce is thick . You can add tofu in it. Serve with rice.
Ital soup (excerpt from the Rasta Cookbook)
A substantial soup that will satisfy the largest of appetites; a true “Ital” feast which requires only fresh fruit juice to complete the meal.
Ingredients:
1 lb (450 g) yam: ½ (225 g) sweet potato
1 lb (450 g) pumpkin: 1 lb (450 g) callaloo
½ small cabbage: ½ lb (225 g) carrots
1 cho cho: 1 green pepper
2 cloves garlic: 2 medium-sized tomatoes
3 spring onions: 2 pts (1100 ml) water
First prepare the vegetables. Peel the yam, sweet potato and pumpkin and cut into large die, removing the seeds from the pumpkin. Carefully wash the callaloo, trimming away any thick stems and chop. Coarsely chop the cabbage having carefully discarded the outer leaves, peel and slice the carrots. Peel the cho cho, cut it lengthways into quarters and remove the heart. Roughly dice the cho cho and green pepper, peel and chop the tomatoes and slice the spring onions. Place the pumpkin and root vegetables in a large saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil and simmer for ten minutes. Add to the pan the callaloo, cabbage, cho cho, pepper and finally the chopped tomatoes and spring onions. Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and simmer for twenty minutes more until cooked. Serves 4-6.
Chinese style tofu (1 person)
Cut half of a carot in small matches. Slice 1 big onion.
Slice 2 or 3 medium mushrooms (shitake ones). Slice some Bamboo.
Put in frying pan with some vegetal oil, till all begins to brown lightly, add tofu cubes, soya sauce, pepper.
When hot, serve with rice or chinese pastas.
Crispy Raw Vegetable Summer Rolls (Ras Ansel and Queen Lily contribution)
4 ounces dried rice noodles, softened with water, in 2 inch lengths
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 1/2 shredded cucumber
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro
3 tbsp. peanuts (crumbled/crushed well!)
1 tbsp. soy
1 tsp. fresh ginger
1 tsp. minced garlic
6-10 rice pancake wrappers (7-8")
In a large bowl, toss together noodles, carrots, cukes, cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk the peanuts, soy, ginger, and garlic until smooth, then add to veg mix and toss. Soften the rice pancake in warm water (double them up!!!), and then wrap the veg mix like a spring roll. Fry until golden in veg oil, then refrigerate and enjoy!
Salads
Asian tofu salad
Ingredients
12 oz lowfat firm tofu
1/3 c red bell peppers; chopped
1/3 c scallions; chopped
1 tb fresh parsley; chopped
-DRESSING
2 cloves garlic
2 ts fresh ginger root; grated
1/2 ts chili paste; or to taste
2 tb soy sauce
2 tb rice vinegar
1 ts dark sesame oil
-Instructions
Crumble the tofu using a wooden spoon or fork. Whisk the dressing ingredients together. Add the dressing and the peppers, onion, and parsley.Mix well. Serve at room temperature or chilled. This salad will keep for 2-3 days.
Serving suggestions: Tusk the salad in a pita with watercress. Or serve it on rice crackers, or with roasted vegetables.
Masala Puri (give thanks to rakesh for this incredible recipe!)
Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes or several small potatoes
Soya yoghurt
Bombay mix - or anything similar
Chilly - hotter the better :-)
1 small onion
Fresh coriander leaves (coriander is best but if not available use dill, parsley, etc)
Tamarind sauce - See below on how to make your own tamarind sauce.
If you can't get tamarind use a combination of mustard (i.e. French
mustard) and tomato ketchup (yuck). Sounds awful, but it works!
Sultanas
1. Dice the potatoes into 1 cm cubes (I usually clean them but leave the skin on)
2. Boil the potatoes, until cooked but not too soft (nice and firm)
3. Put a few tablespoons of soya yoghurt into a large salad bowl
4. Add half the tamarind sauce (or all of the alternative mustard/ketchup mix) and stir well
5. Finely chop the chilly, and add to the salad bowl
6. Coarsely dice the onion, and add to the salad bowl
7. Add the potatoes and sultanas and mix. There should be enough of the yoghurt mix to cover all the ingredients.
8. Just before serving, add copious quantities of the bombay mix, and mix well. If you do this too early the bombay mix will get soggy, which is not a problem, but it is much better if it is crispy.
9. Serve on a plate as part of a meal or put in a bowl as a snack.
10. When serving, pour some of the remaining tamarind sauce on top,
and finish by garnishing with some finely chopped coriander leaves.
Making your own tamarind sauce:
Ingredients:
Tamarind seeds
Coriander powder
Black salt (to taste)
Jeera powder
Paprika powder
Chilly powder
Jaggery (unprocessed sugar). NB I once used molasses, and it was horrible, had to add amchoor powder to rescue the sauce
NB: All of the above ingredients are available at any Indian good shop
1.Boil the tamarind seeds until you get a nice thick sauce
2. Strain off the pulp (NB don't throw the pulp away, as you can reuse it several times - it is very strong)
3. Put the liquid back into the saucepan and keep boiling.
4. Add the other ingredients and keep boiling for 10 mins.
This sweet, sour, chilly sauce will last for about 3 months in the refrigerator. You can use it with many dishes. It's a great way to spice up a reheated meal, i.e. to bring life back to yesterdays left overs.
Lentil salad (1 person)
Prepare a sauce with hot pepper, according to your taste, black pepper, lime juice and vegetal oil. Chop finely 1 shallot, chop 1 tomato, chop some cucumber in little cubes.
Cook 1 part of brown lentils and wait until cold. Blend all ingredients.
Irie salad
Prepare 3 corn cob (maize). Make 1 medium sweet potato boil until done and then cut it in cubes. Slice one big onion, 3 green onions. Chop 2 green apples in little cubes, about 1 cm.
Prepare a sauce with arachid oil, lime juice, pepper.
Blend all the ingredients and sauce into a dish. A litlle curry can also be added.
Carrot salad. Libanese style (1 person)
Grate 1 or 1 1/2 big carrot. Prepare a sauce with the juice of half an orange, pepper, a little cinammon, and a little lime juice. Mix all.
Desserts
Almond honey crisp (submitted by fari@interlog.com)
1 cup of whole almonds
1/4 cup soya margarine
1/3 to 1/2 cup of honey
2 teaspoon unsweetened vanilla extract
Process the almonds in a blender for a few seconds to chop coarsely
In a bowl mix all the ingredience
Preheat owen to 375f
Put in a cake pan and bake till golden brown
Cut into squares while still warm
Sauces
Radish greens sauce (give thanks to Ras Ansel and Queen Lilly)
3 bunches coarsely chopped radish greens (or other if not available)
4 tbsp tomato puree (or other sub), or cider vinegar
2 tsp. thyme
1 cup water
2 tbsp. veg oil
1 tsp. smooth peanut butter
1/4 onion thinly diced
1 clove garlic, diced
1 tsp. black pepper
dash of crushed habanero
1/4 chopped/crushed red pepper with seeds
1/4 tsp. crushed cardamom
1/4 tsp. allspice
Mix all ingredient together and heat low until greens collapse. Add water if needed (but careful not too much!). Allow to cool after thouroughly heated w/greens readily collapsed, then bottle and refridgerate. Pour over rice, greens, or anything the I desire.
Pepper and tomato sauce
Slice a red pepper and put it in a oven (grill position) until slightly brown. Remove the skin and cut in very little bits (or mix).
Then, warm in a pan with olive oil, hot pepper, sliced onion and tomato puree.
Use with pasta, rice or what you want.
Courgette sauce
Peel a courgette, cut it in little cubes, about 1 cm, and warm in a frying pan with olive oil. Add smashed clove, thyme, basilic, pepper. When done, mix all and add black olives.
Serve with rice or pastas.
Drinks
Enhanced carrot juice
Mix 3/4 litter of carrot juice with the juice of 3 limes. In 1 glass of water, put 2 tsp cinammon and about 1 finger of fresh sliced ginger, according to your taste. Make it boil 10 minutes and mix with carrot and lime juice. Add sugar, and refrigerate.
Infused Kola
The kola nut is a nut used in Africa for energy (and sexual prowess ;). It can be used shewed, but is very bitter. The infusion is much tasty: grate half of a kola, infuse 5 minutes in boiling water. Add sugar or honey. It can also mixed with tea or ginseng. You won't feel tired anymore!
Various
Ital bread
-in a dry pan put sesame seeds, cumin seeds, or the seed of your choice
(hemp, crushed peanuts...) and warm until light brown, so the seeds can
exhale their flavors. when done, reserve.
-Make then a paste using half corn flour and chickpea flour, salt, natural
yeast, water, pepper. you can also add herb such as thyme. add water in
order to have a classical bread paste. add the seeds.
-knead about 15/30 minutes and then leave 2 hours. Knead again and leave 2 hours again
-when ready, oil very lightly a big pan, warm it (my position is 3 on 6).
add the paste a make it plate. add a liitle flour and project a little water
with wet hands. cook aproximately 10 min per face, until brown.
-Note: you can also use this past inna oven like usual bread.
Mandarin Pancakes (submitted by Robert)
3 1/2 flour
1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup cold water
1/2 cup sesame oil
Oil as needed for greasing
Preparation:
- Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. make a well in the center and add the boiling water, a little at a time, incorporating the flour by stirring it into the water with a wooden spoon or chopsticks.
-Cover bowl and let sit for 5-minutes, then add the cold water, mixing well.
-Turn the flour mixture out and work with your fingers to blend until a dough is formed. Cover with a dampened towel and set aside for 15 minutes.
-Remove dough to a board and knead for 10 to 12 minutes or until smooth.
-Divide dough into 4-equal portions. Roll each part into a rod, then divide each dough rod into 10 equal pieces.
- Grease an area of the kneading board about 10 inches square with oil to prevent sticking. Flatten each piece of dough into a 2-inch round and brush evenly with sesame oil on the surface. Place another round on top, forming a 2-layered round. Roll into a thin pancake about 6 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. Grease the board with more oil if needed.
-Roll 2 pancakes, then proceed with the cooking. Continue to roll and cook, 2 pancakes at a time, until all the dough is used up.
Cooking:
- Set a griddle (or heavy skillet) over medium heat. Pan-fry each pancake for 1 minute or unti lthe surface bubbles and brown spots appear on the bottom side. Turn to brown on other side for about another 30 seconds.
- Remove pancake and pull the 2 layers apart while hot. Stack pancakes on a platter and cover with a lightly dampened cloth.
-Finish pan-frying the remaining pancakes.
Slow Cooker Recipe - Basmati Rice Pudding
Slow Cooker Basmati Rice Pudding
from The Healthy Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson
Judith's author notes: The cardamom in this pudding provides an irresistible Indian flavor. I like to serve it at room temperature, but it also works warm or cold. If you're feeling indulgent, add a little cream.
Works best in a small (3-1/2 quart) slow cooker
Lightly greased slow cooker stoneware
4 cups whole milk or enriched rice milk, 1 L
1/3 cup Demerara or evaporated cane juice sugar, 75 mL
2 teaspoons ground cardamom, 10 mL
3/4 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed, 175 mL
Chopped unsalted pistachio nuts
In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring milk to a boil, stirring often. Add sugar and cardamom. Remove from heat and stir in rice. Transfer to prepared slow cooker stoneware.
Place a tea towel folded in half (so you will have two layers) over top of stoneware to absorb moisture. Cover and cook on High for 3 hours, until rice is tender and pudding is creamy. Transfer to a serving bowl and cool to room temperature. Garnish with pistachios.
Makes 8 servings.
from The Healthy Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson
Judith's author notes: The cardamom in this pudding provides an irresistible Indian flavor. I like to serve it at room temperature, but it also works warm or cold. If you're feeling indulgent, add a little cream.
Works best in a small (3-1/2 quart) slow cooker
Lightly greased slow cooker stoneware
4 cups whole milk or enriched rice milk, 1 L
1/3 cup Demerara or evaporated cane juice sugar, 75 mL
2 teaspoons ground cardamom, 10 mL
3/4 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed, 175 mL
Chopped unsalted pistachio nuts
In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring milk to a boil, stirring often. Add sugar and cardamom. Remove from heat and stir in rice. Transfer to prepared slow cooker stoneware.
Place a tea towel folded in half (so you will have two layers) over top of stoneware to absorb moisture. Cover and cook on High for 3 hours, until rice is tender and pudding is creamy. Transfer to a serving bowl and cool to room temperature. Garnish with pistachios.
Makes 8 servings.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Flavor Combos to Try
Thai Coconut Lime - A tropical blend of coconut, ginger, lemongrass, red pepper and kaffir lime.
Garlic Herb - A full-bodied mix of garlic, basil, lemon and chives.
Citrus Rosemary - A delicate blend of rosemary and garlic, sweetened with the essence of orange.
Indian Mango Curry - Sweet mango mingles with the exotic spice of cardamom and curry.
Honey Bourbon - The perfect marriage of two classic barbecue flavors.
Mexican Fiesta - A robust mix of smoked chili pepper, coriander, cumin and lime.
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