Zlamushka's Spicy Kitchen

Fermented Tofu Stir-fry

2009-07-05T19:47:00.007+02:00

Fermented Tofu or 豆腐儒 dou fu ru - is one of the stinkiest and strongest things you can possibly put into your mouth (with the exception of the "surströmming" - the traditional Swedish pickled (or rotten) herring).

"Stinky Tofu" or "Chinese Blue Cheese" is fairly popular in China or Vietnam, traditionally eaten with plain rice. This however is a combination that I find fairly hard to digest. Yes, I am aware of how healthy this fermented thingy is, but much rather have yoghurt please...

The one I own (above) comes in this gorgeous earthen jar, which I plan on keeping and using to ferment cabbage or make yoghurt. The tofu ru is of Zhejiang brand, which is supposingly the best :-)

So while I am still becoming friends with Tofu Ru on its own, let me introduce to you a simple actually quite tasty:

FERMENTED TOFU STIR-FRY
(豆腐儒炒菜)

a few florets broccoli
handful green beans
handful mixed green leaves
1 fresh chilli pepper
1 tbsp fermented soybean curd
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp water
sesame seeds (optional)

Heat oil in a pan and fry the sliced garlic. Add the chopped chili, fermented tofu, soy sauce, a splash of water and heat quickly through. Add the green veggies and stir well. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with a nice dollop of rice.

Note: Above I substituted the green beans with sugar snaps. The sweetness of the peas really complemented the saltiness of the dish. Was yums :-)

Stir-fried Wood Ears with Cucumber

2009-06-30T06:22:00.001+02:00

Cucumber stir-fries have always been my favorite, particularly in summer. The freshness and crispiness combined with cooling juiciness - yums. Touched with chilies and garlic, how can you resist. Now before I get too carried away with adjectives, let me introduce you one of my favorite summer side dishes.

Just a small note: In my kitchen Chinese food is often times unmeasurable. It is more of a splash of this and handful of that, rather than cups and grams. Feel free to adjust the quantities to your own taste.

STIR-FRIED WOOD EAR WITH CUCUMBER

1 cucumber
oil
3 garlic cloves
5 cm fresh ginger root
handful of dried wood ear
3 dried chillies
3 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
pinch of sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Slice the cucumber diagonally into thin slices. Cut the ginger into thin strips. Soak the wood ears in hot water for about 20 minutes or until soft. Drain well and squeeze all the remaining liquid.

Heat the oil in a wok and swirl it around. Add the garlic, ginger and chillies and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add the cucumber and the mushroom. Sautee for about two minutes. Add the sugar and all the liquid ingredients. Heat through and set off the fire. Stir through the sesame oil and serve immediately.

Greek Sautéed Fennel (or Onion)

2009-06-26T09:02:00.000+02:00

Traditional health medicine and a gourmet side dish, this fragrant light green furry bulb is not one of those veggies you would like to miss in your diet. Packed with nutrition and a very low amount of calories - fennel is one of the fullest veggies that can easily substitute a main course.

I am still yet to discover all the wonderful fennel dishes out there, so if you know any, do tell. In the meantime, I would like to share this simple sauté with you:

GREEK SAUTÉED FENNEL:

1 lemon
100 ml water
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp white wine
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 bay leaf
2 big fennel bulbs*
salt,
6 peppercorns
25 g fresh parsley

* Note: Substitute 500g pickled onions or shallots for the fennel.

Slice the lemon to 5 thin pieces, discard the seeds. Mix the water, oil, wine, lemon, garlic, coriander, peppercorns and the bay leaf in a cooking pot and bring to boil. Lower the heat, cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, chop the fennel into 1 cm thick slices. Add to the broth and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until soft. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the fennel and set aside.

Let the liquid boil down to half and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the fennel and serve garnished with some chopped parsley.

Tastes great cold as well.

At last - here is a bunch of fennel leaves - I am not particularly mad about their liquorish taste, but people here in Denmark enjoy tossing a few strands into salads, yoghurt-based dips or in soups. Well, I guess I like more the way they look :-)

Strawberry Buttermilk Pie

2009-06-24T16:35:00.000+02:00

So it was my birthday in the beginning of this month and it is an unspoken tradition at our work that the B-day girl/boy should bring in something sweet for everyone to enjoy. However having 400+ people in the offices, there are plenty of cakes around us. So when my 27th was approaching I wanted to bring in something salty for a change, but somehow people remarked that June was fairly slow in birthdays...

I got the message and felt obliged to make a pie. Summer in Copenhagen is fairly warm this year and strawberries are a big hit, so I thought I bake something light. Influenced by my childhood summer treat,I am proudly presenting my version of our traditional Slovakian:

STRAWBERRY BUTTERMILK PIE:
(Jahodova Bublanina)

1 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
100g salted butter
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp vanilla sugar
2 eggs
lemon zest from 1 lemon
2 cups fresh strawberries
coarsely ground almonds (to garnish)

Whisk the butter with the sugar until smooth. Gradually add the eggs. I used a food processor, so the job was done very fast. Add the buttermilk and flour that you mixed with the baking powder and soda. Add the remaining ingredients apart from the strawberries.
Pour the dough into a greased baking form.

Wash and stem the strawberries and cut each in 4 - 6 pieces. Sprinkle these on top of the dough heavily, on top of each other, if necessary. Most of them will fall through, so no worries :-)

Bake in pre-heated oven at 200 Celsius for about 30 minutes or until done. The cake is done when a toothpick that has been pierced through comes out clean. Sprinkle with almonds and serve with coffee :-)

Yums.

This is my contribution to the Strawberry Feast hosted by Happy Cook over at My Kitchen Treasures.

T&T - I am hooked...

2009-06-17T06:49:00.010+02:00

Hooked on Heat got me all hooked up recently. I have been eye balling the lovely recipes of Meena for months now, but never somehow got to try them. But now that Hooked on Heat is in the spotlight of this month´s Tried & Tasted event I can only be sorry that I havent cooked like this before. Meena´s recipes are a true drooling feast...

KC of Kitschow - this month´s hostess has more. What I can offer are only my humble re-creations of Meena´s wonderful recipes, but please - recipes only. No way I am even attempting to re-create her mind-blowing drool able pictures.

Here is how I witnessed my curry month :-)

1) Masala Lamb - absolutely deliscious spicy stew, a total hit at a party I went to last week. The girls were crazy for a re-fill. I used chopped lamb (ok, I havent cut them that tiny) together with the bones. It came out perfect. Since there was less meat (due to the bones), the overal dish came out quite fiery for some of my friends. So I took a bowl out and mixed in some Mango Chutney. It really toned it down well....

2) Baingan Ka Bharta - a perfect curry mash of roasted eggplants, tomatoes and spices. Meena suggests peeling off the eggplants, once roasted. I havent, as a) I was lazy and b) I thought it would come out a bit more eggplanty that way. I was right and noone had any objections. After all, the bowl was left clear, so it would have been late anyway.

3) Matar Pulao - lovely fragrant spiced rice boiled to perfection, garnished with fried onions and mixed with peas. A simple side dish that will make everyone go "oooooh" for more...

4) Ginger-Chilli Shrimps - Super spicy quick meal, fantastic with rice or bread. Ours came with pea pulao, which I thought complemented the spicyness really well. Glass of chilled white wine and shhhhh, let us enjoy the moment :-)

5) Spicy Lamb Burgers - I had some leftover lamb mince and thought of making simple burgers tonight. I thought, well maybe Meena has an idea. And whoopsie, there they were spicy Indian burgers. Yums. With baked beetroot and parsnip skordalia, this one was a winner :-)

6) Chocolate Dipped Strawberries - an absolute after-dinner delight. There is nothing sexier in the universe than these adorable mouth-fed strawberries drank with chilled champagne....

SO here was my little showcast of my cooking adventures for June and now I d love to see yours :-) there is still a week to go, so hurry up over to KitsChow and check out the event...

T&T - Hooked On Heat

2009-06-03T18:55:00.003+02:00

Whoever is not yet familiar with Meena´s Hooked On Heat, please don´t even continue reading before you actually check it out.

Hooked On Heat is a truly special festive recipe collection embedded with little cute stories :-) Reading Meena´s posts has always been a great pleasure for me. The pictures she takes are absolutely drooling and so are her dishes.

I am extremely excited to start cooking from Meena´s Blog. This month - KC of Kitschow is the hostess. Check out her post to read about the rules.

Join me in cooking from Hooked on Heat :-)

T&T - Another 30-Day Vegan Challenge

2009-05-18T19:54:00.007+02:00

Ok, this was a bit overdoing it. Unlike last time, I did not go completely vegan for the month of May, but hell I tried some super-delicious vegan dishes - all courtesy of Susan V - the mother of Fat Free Vegan - the most powerful vegan blog in the virtual cooking universe.

Susan´s fabulous blog has been nominated in my T&T event as Blog of the Month for May. Check out what I made - all highly recommended.

1) Okara Coconut Cookies - fantastic soft smelling wonderful cookies made of leftover soy beans. Susan, just like me makes her own tofu :-) and just like me, she ends up with tons of okara. Always ready for more recipes, this one was a complete keeper :-)

2) Panch Phoran Dal - advertised several times at my blog, this dish is simply unforgetable. Crunchy cauliflower coated in rich creamy sauce embedded with whole fried crispy spices. Aargh, ... oh, and it is spicy, too :-)

3) Brussel Sprouts with Basil and Garlic - I was quite impressed with the full-bodied taste this dish provided once ready. I have had a bag of sprouts in my freezer since early summer last year and coudnt just get rid of them. Now I wish there were some more as they were gone in a second :-)

4) Spicy Kasha Vegetable Salad - made with bulghur as I could not figure out what kasha was (and I still cannot). Being a true Slavic root, kasha literally means porridge, so that is where I got lost.. regardless, it was a great - My Tabbouleh-like salad, full of flavor, aroma and freshness :-)

5) Spicy Red Pepper Hummus - by far one of my most favorite. I am a hummus freak and whenever there is a hummus recipe featured in my T&T event, I am trying it. This one was so robust, flavored and with the addition of my own home-made Harissa paste, super spicy, too :-)

You still have 7 days left, so kschh-kschh into the kitchen ;-) Check out this month´s hostess Vaishali of Holy Cow! for more details.

Vegan Nut Cookies

2009-05-18T18:48:00.008+02:00

I call these "unexpected visit cookies" for a few obvious reasons. They are super easy and fast to make, have only a few ingredients that you certainly have on hand at all times, but mostly - these little crunchy sweets have not yet let me down. Perfect with afternoon milky tea or dipped in café latte.

Oh, have I mentioned that they are very vegan friendly?

Ok, let me share a few with you :-)

VEGAN WALNUT COOKIES:

(makes about 60 cookies)

100g baking margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 c flour
1/4 cup ground oatmeal
1 cup ground walnuts *

* Note: Use ground almonds or hazel nuts for a change.

To enhance the lovely smell add a teaspoon of vanilla essence. My favorite is pandan essence, which is fairly similar to the one of vanilla, yet a bit more fragrant. ..

Anyway....

Whisk the butter together with the sugar until combined. Add the flour, oatmeal, essence (if using) and the walnuts. Form little round cookies and place them on a baking tray. Bake at 150 degrees for about 25 minutes.

You re supposed to wait until they cool down, but I rarely can wait, the smell is just adorable.

Stacked up wrapped in transparent wrapping paper with a ribbon, they make a gorgeous gift...

T&T - Fat Free Vegan

2009-05-03T13:39:00.005+02:00

The best way to introduce T&T for May 2009 would be in this month´s hostess Vaishali of Holy Cow own words:

It's easy to celebrate the FatFree Vegan Kitchen. This is a legendary blog that just about anyone who's ever googled up a recipe has to be familiar with.

I am convinced that there is no more than a handful of foodies that have not heard of Susan´s blog. I have been cooking from FFV long before I even thought about opening my own virtual kitchen. Susan´s masterpices have been a great inspiration to me. Her blog is not only about cooking, but also about techniques, beautiful foodography, health, nutrition, but foremost - pure love of vegan culture.

I really hope that regardless of your dietary requirements, you will find a few recipes that will take up a proud place among your favorites.

Come and join us in this scrumptious event, click here for more information...

Among all of the recipes I ever tried, here is one really simple, but really tasty. I have made it at least 5 times already and have not yet got tired of it. Here is Susan´s Cauliflower Dal with Panch Phoran compared to mine...

Happy Cooking :-)

Whole Wheat Flour and Tibetan Campa

2009-04-29T09:00:00.006+02:00

I don't buy whole wheat flour, I make my own. Not because it saves any money or time, but simply because I am addicted to the fresh aroma of roasted wheat berries and because there is SUCH a big difference between the home-made and store-bought.... tremendous.

Just try once with me and you will know exactly why...

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR:

whole wheat berries

(that is a simple recipe :-)
Heat a heavy pan and dry roast the wheat berries for about 3-5 minutes over medium heat shaking the pan occasionally. They should darken a bit and become rounder, just as on the picture above. They might jump a bit every now and then.
Set off the fire and let cool down.
Grind in a coffee grinder to the desired consistency.
Smell and taste (can be eaten raw)

Sprinkle on anything for extra crunch or use as regular whole wheat flour wherever requested.

Here is a simple traditional everyday Tibetan dish called:

CAMPA:

roasted whole wheat flour (recipe above)
black tea
salt
ghee (or oil)

In a bowl mix the flour with the ghee, sprinkle some salt and slowly add the black tea until you reach a consistency of firm dough.Form little walnut-sized balls and eat with any veggie dish or just like that with a cup of tea.

I had mine with Nepalese Stir-fried Greens.

This combo is featured in MY 21-DAY VEGAN CHALLENGE COOKBOOK available here FOR FREE :-)

T&T - A flavorsome veggie tour

2009-04-26T06:41:00.011+02:00

Lisa of Vegetarian Kitchen is one wonderful woman and a passionate cook. She is one of those bloggers that will not leave your site without a comment. Her and I have been virtual friends for years. On numerous occasions, I have cooked from her kitchen, so when Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen announced her as this month´s choice, I was only happy, as I was finally given a choice to compile my long journey into Lisa´s cooking world.

Here is what I tried and tasted this month:

1) Quinoa Oat Croquettes - my absolute favorite. I made so much of it, froze it and was eating it almost every day I think :-) Just had my last piece two days ago :-( I tried them baked, fried or just like that and cannot decide which way was the best. The one I really liked thou was to shallow fry them in chilli oil, which gave them a nice kick in the butt :-)

2) Best Ever Mushroom Sauce - where I actually cheated a bit. I thought youghurt would make the sauce a bit sour, so I went for soy cooking cream and oh boy it was great. Packed with kcal, I know, but yum like hell :-) This definitely was my best ever mushroom sauce...

3) Guacamole - A simple classic, goes perfectly with just about anything. There are never enough excuses not to make another guacamole :-)

4) Fresh Chunky Salsa - another simple classic, perfect at any occasion. Ate mine with the quinoa oatcakes.

5) Cabbage Poriyal - simple cabbage stir-fry, Indian classic. I added shredded carrots to mine, as I was out of peas.
Looking forward to see what you guys came up with :-)

Cucumber Shrimp Salad

2009-04-18T15:36:00.006+02:00

When you say: "Let´s have Chinese tonight", a common picture of a cheap greasy take-away occurs to most of us (at least around Europe). Even after living in China eating in fancy or not-so-fancy restaurants, the connotation in my brain remained. Cheap - yes, greasy? Ok, that is a bit of a bad word, but let us be honest - there is a generous amount of oil floating around food - particularly in the Northern part.

You can of course disagree and prove me wrong million times and so will I do today. Here is my version of this super tasty, fresh and healthy:

FIVE FLAVORED SHRIMP SALAD:
(五味虾仁 wu wei xia ren)

1 cucumber
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp rice vinegar
12 big shrimps or 1/2 cup small shrimps
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 little fresh chilli
1 tbsp coriander leaves
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 cherry tomato

Slice the cucumber finely and marinate in a mixture of salt, sugar and vinegar. In the meantime, blanch the shrimps in hot water for about a minute or two. Drain well, place in a bowl and mix with the rest of ingredients.

To serve, place the cucumber slices on a plate in a big circle and scoop the shrimps into the middle. Enjoy :-)

Sprouted Wheat Berries

2009-04-16T19:43:00.006+02:00

Sprouts - raw foods literally still growing while you re chewing on them. Sprouts - the freshness in its best. Sprouts - crispy health packed with nutrition... These are a few little connotations of mine to a word "sprouts".

When KC of Kitschow announced her Weekend Wokking edition started by Wondering Chopsticks, I knew exactly what I was going to make. Without trying sound too smart, wokking sprouts is easy........

........ all you need is a splash of oil, a sprinkle of salt, a handful of sprouts, splash of rice wine and soy sauce and two minutes of your time. The crispy wonder is ready :-)

A method I like ot play with is sprouting. Some time ago, I posted a detailed recipe on how to sprout mung beans. Today, I would like to share my way of making:

SPROUTED WHEAT BERRIES:

wheat berries
Sterilized glass jars with broad mouth
Gauze
Elastic band
water

Soak the wheat berries in fresh water for couple of hours or overnight. Drain them well and rinse. Place them in a jar, cover with gauze and fasten with an elastic band. Pour in some water, shake gently and pour out (through the "gauze sieve").

Put the glass side-down and leave. Berries need to be rinsed regularly 2 – 3 times daily. It is not necessary to take them out of the jar, just fill it with water, shake gently and strain through the gauze.
On the 3rd day stand the jar as normal and fill with lukewarm water. Lazy berries, that didn’t want to sprout will fall on the bottom of the jar. We do not want those, anyway. Throw them away and enjoy the fresh sprouted ones :-)

You can eat them just like that, in salads, pasta dishes, pizza, sandwiches..... I like them mostly fresh, but you can easily throw them in the last few seconds when wokking :-) Enjoy.

KC, thanks for introducing such a lovely blog to me, you know how much I love Chinese Food :-)

T&T - Lisa´s Vegetarian Kitchen

2009-04-05T12:48:00.005+02:00

The spring is here and it is time to switch to a bit of lighter cooking :-) Finally, even here in Denmark, the sun is up and shining. Let me hope it will not disappear this quickly.

The Blog of The Month for April is a real tasty blog that show casts home made light meat-free dishes from all over the world. Lisa´s Vegetarian Kitchen is a place you should definitely check out, if you havent already. I have tried many dishes already and can only say that as long as Lisa´s cooking I ll keep comming back :-)

Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen is this month´s hostess, so be sure not to miss this one out :-)

For a start, I was having hard time resisting Lisa´s Cabbage Poriyal. I made mine with carrots instead of peas, but I could make this everyday with different veggies, it was THAT good :-)

Stir-Fried Bak Choy with Pine Nuts

2009-03-26T20:46:00.005+02:00

I love greens - cooked, braised, sautéed or stir-fried, I simply am addicted to the soft crunchiness they retain regardless of the cooking method. I have made plenty dishes with greens on this blog and outside it as well and I just cannot get enough. Rice and greens, I could go on that forever....
Here is a simple stir-fry elegantly topped with dry-roasted pine nuts - my little royal:

BAK CHOY STIR-FRY:

400g bak choy greens
1/2 tbsp ginger (optional)
3 small whole garlic cloves
2 small red chilies
1 tbsp pine nuts
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt, black pepper

Heat a big casserole of salt water and once boiling, blanch the bok choy leaves for about a minute or two. Drain and wash under a cold running water.

Heat the oil in a wok, add the chopped gigner (if using), diagonally sliced chilies and whole garlics. After half a minute and add the drained bak choy leaves. Sautée for about a minute and stir in the sesame oil. Take off the fire and serve.

And here is my royal dish served together with some veggie dhal in my very hyggelig (comfy in Danish) informal way of spending Fridays with my best buddy - TV. Feet up, lean back, enjoy :-)

T&T - My Tasty Plates....

2009-03-23T17:23:00.001+02:00

Browsing through Tasty Palettes is an unforgettable experience. When Sweatha of Tasty Curry Leaf announced T&T´s Blog of The Month for April I was undergoing my vegan challenge and was worried about how much I could cook from Suganya´s tasty looking blog. However, the second I entered her virtual kitchen and read through a few recipes, it became quite obvious that almost every recipe on her site is or can be adapted to the needs of a vegan. I thought I was going to have a hard time to cook anything and I ended up being right. I had hard time deciding what to make :-)

Suganya, I went for all of these, as they looked the most interesting to me. I have added links to the original recipes (just in case you havent recognized the originals ;-) It is very easy to follow Suganya´s recipes, but trying to re-create her gorgeous pictures is pretty darn hard :-)

1) Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies - these tiny yellowish black dotted wonders caught my attention immediately for two reasons - a) they are vegan and b) they use poppy seeds, a very traditional Slovakian cookie ingredient. I simply love the crunchiness of poppy seeds. Made them, loved them and will make them again....

2) Vegetable Oats Upma - won my heart for its simplicity, lightness and flavors. Love oats, veggies and spices, so cooking this dish was an instant decision with no further debating :-)

3) Easy Eggplant Bake - This was a dish with a style. I loved the presentation and again - simplicity of the dish. I used fresh basil and parsley leaves and it was the best textured appetizer ever :-)

4) Tomato Pesto with Walnuts - this one was simply adorable. I ate the whole thing in one go. Spread on veggies, biscuits, bread, with rice - a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g... This one was probably my favorite and a definite keeper :-)

One think I learned from Tasty Palettes was that the complicated fantastic looking recipes are actually sooooo simple that you just cannot go wrong with them. I could go on and on cooking whole Suganya´s blog :-) And who knows maybe I will.... I definitely will be back...

Thank you Sweatha so much for hosting this event :-)

My Vegan Challenge Cookbook

2009-03-15T10:46:00.009+02:00

As promised, I did go through my 21-day Vegan Challenge and I did document my diverse food journey. I loved every single day of it and after this three weeks, I feel so much better. I did start eating fish and seafood afterwards, just so I get a bit of animal protein and omega-3, just as my body likes it.

Overall, I feel healthier and have a lot more energy. As my course instructor taught us one day: "It takes three weeks to break one´s old habit", I can say I have a better understanding of what´s good for me now :-)

I have compiled this long fun journey and would love to share it with you. I have been trying to upload it here, but somehow cannot do it properly :-( Whenever I try to save it as pdf, the outgoing links do not work and the backgrounf picture comes out all funny. Until I figure it out, please e-mail me or leave a comment to get your free copy :-)

May this little cookbook be of an inspiration to you :-)

Vegan Sticky Lemon-Yoghurt Cake

2009-03-07T18:13:00.011+02:00

Not so long ago, Janko went traveling and bought me a little present - an amazing award-winning Middle Eastern Cookbook "Arabesque" written by Greg and Lucy Malouf - an Australian couple that brings simple street Middle Eastern food (which I absolutely adore) into perfection and with a bit of fusion twist, turns it into top-class looking flavorsome miracle. I still adore browsing through the pages, drooling over the pictures, but mostly - cooking from it :-)

The only thing I would improve in the book is the amount of pictures. They are gorgeous, but not on every recipe, which is a bit sad, as they are breath-taking.

Here is my veganised version of their:

STICKY LEMON-YOGHURT CAKE:

250g margarine
200g brown sugar
4 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tbsp flax seeds
1 banana
50g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
250g semolina
200g chopped almonds
6 tbsp lemon juice
120g soy yoghurt

Cream together the margarine, sugar and the lemon zest. Crush the flax seeds and mix well in one tablespoon of water. Mash in the banana. Sift in the flour, baking powder and mix everything together. Add the rest of ingredients and pour the mixture into a greased baking tray.
Bake at 170 degrees Celsius for about 50 minutes. It takes a bit of time, but trust me, this si the best cake you ever smelled or tasted :-)
So moist, soft.... argh... gone in a minute :-(

This recipe is featured in my online 21-Vegan Challenge Cookbook. To get your free copy, please e-mail me or leave a comment here :-)

Traditional Middle Eastern Tabbouleh

2009-03-06T20:16:00.004+02:00

Tabbouleh is a fantastic fresh, juicy and crunchy salad, which beauty lies in its earthy simplicity and robust difference in textures and flavors. This Middle Eastern salad boasts of equal quantities of cracked wheat (aka. Bulghur), parsley and tomatoes freshen up with garlic, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, mint leaves and olive oil. Easy to prepare, makes a perfect accompanient for falafels, meat or koftas.

Let me introduce to you my version of:

TABBOULEH:

1/2 cup bulghur
1/cup loosely packed parsley leaves
small handful mint leaves
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 fresh tomatoes
black pepper
salt

Wash the bulghur, drain and pour over boiling water. Cover with a plate and let sit for about 20 minutes to absorb all the liquids. In the meantime, chop the tomatoes and herbs. Press the garlic clove and squeeze the lemon juice. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and serve cold.

This recipe is featured in my online 21-Vegan Challenge Cookbook. To get your free copy, please e-mail me or leave a comment here :-)

T&T - Tasty Palettes

2009-03-02T20:03:00.004+02:00

As I mentioned last week, T&T is back, all fresher than ever :-) I thought it needed a grand kick-off, so decided to announce Tasty Palettes as the most suitable Blog of The Month - creme de la creme in the virtual cooking blogoshpere... No introduction needed, I am sure you all have stumbled upon Suganya more than once wondering what the heck will she come up with next...

I mean - Remember This??? I am still in awe..

This month´s hostess Sweatha of Tasty Curry Leaf has proudly announced Suganya´s blog. Tasty Curry Leaf promoting Tasty Palettes - this will be ...ehm... tasty! ;-)

Let´s get cooking! The rules are HERE :-)

T&T - Revival

2009-02-27T10:18:00.005+02:00

Hi everyone,

It has been a long time since we cooked from each other :-( I hope you guys didn't stop though. It has been a great experience (at least from me) to taste your delish dishes throughout our fun event TRIED AND TASTED (T&T).

So far, we have cooked from:

Cynthia - Tastes Like Home
Nupur - One Hot Stove
Meeta - What´s For Lunch Honey
Jai & Bee - Jugalbandi
Sia - Monsoon Spice
Indira - Mahanandi

Just a few to start with, BUT!!! ... more to come. I will try to get back into blogging (after almost three months!!) which means that I will need YOU to help me out here.

These lovely ladies have so far volunteered to help out. Hostesses for 2009 are:

March - Sweatha of Tasty Curry Leaf
April - Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen
May - PG of My Kitchen Stories
June - KC of Kitschow
July - Yasmeen of Health Nut
August - Ashwini of Spicy Cuisine
.... etc.

The rules are:
Once finished hosting T&T, each hostess gets to choose her favorite blog to be Tried And Tasted :-) To host T&T event, please leave a comment here ....

Let us begin, I am all excited :-)

21-Day Vegan Challenge (Day 18) - Sri Lankan Curry Powder and Chutney

2009-02-25T16:05:00.014+02:00

Curries from Sri Lanka are generally more aromatic than spicy - that is when compared to those of India.

This one is a very special recipe to me, for it comes from a cookbook "Go Ahead: Make My Curry" given to me by KC of Kitschow - my Chinese Ayi, who makes the best Chinese food in the world. Thank you so much KC, this powder rocked, my whole kitchen smelled wonderfully for days :-)

Here is my version of:

SRI LANKAN CURRY POWDER:

10 dried curry leaves
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp dried chilli flakes
1 cinnamon stick
12 cloves
2 star anise
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric

Dry roast all the whole spices in a wok over medium heat for about 3 minutes or until fragrant. Take off the fire and grind to a powder. I used traditional mortar and pestle for this, but I guess you can save a serious amount of time by grinding them in a grinder.

Mix in the turmeric and ginger and store in airtight container for about half a year.
Use wherever you would use regular curry powder.

What I did was to use a tablespoon in a truly special, super flavored:

MANGO APPLE CHUTNEY:

6 green apples
2 mangos
1 large onion
1 fresh red chili pepper
1 red bell pepper
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/4 cup raisins
2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
6 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp Sri Lankan Curry Powder (recipe above) or any other curry powder
1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tbsp salt
1 cup dark brown muscovado sugar
1 1/2 white balsamico vinegar
1 1/2 fresh orange juice

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to boil over high heat.
Cook the whole thing for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the liquid starts to thicken lower the heat and let cook until thick.
Take off the heat and let cool partially.

Meanwhile clean a few glass jars and boil the lids for a minute in boiling water. Scoop the chutney into the jars, close tightly and turn the jar upside down for a minute (this will sterilise the bottles and keep the chutney from rotting).

Wrap the jars separately in a towel and place under the blanket overnight to let cool down very slowly. Place in a dark cold place and store for ages. Once opened, the chutney will last for about 6 weeks in the fridge. Enjoy with any curry or rice dish.

My diet is going perfectly well and I am more an more excited to cook. I decided to compile this entire 3 week journey into MY 21-DAY VEGAN CHALLENGE COOKBOOK. To get your free downloadable copy, please e-mail me or leave a comment here :-)

My lovely friend KC is starting her 40-day Lent Fasting, as we speak. That means that for the next 40 days, she will follow the simple Christian tradition of eating only one simple meal a day no earlier than 15:00 and she will not touch meat, dairy or eggs (fish and seafood is allowed). Good luck Ayi, you have my full support.

Do read her article, it has so much great information on hot to fast and not go nuts :-)

Having said that, for the next 40 days I shall do the same, however I will retain my "normal eating hours" (i.e. three times a day).

21-Day Vegan Challenge (Day 15) - Nepalese Stir-Fried Green Veggies

2009-02-22T15:44:00.004+02:00

My most favorite dish this week. Recently, I have been hooked on green leafy stir-fries, however they always use fish or oyster sauce (at least the ones I know).
I know you can make a simple Chinese one with using soy sauce only, but I was looking for something a bit more flavored.
So now that I am undergoing my vegan challenge, I am missing this simple treat.... I mean I was... until I found this one, really spicy, super tasty easy veganese:

NEPALESE STIR-FRIED GREEN VEGGIES:

2 cups fresh green veggies (I used spinach leaves, mustard leaves and okra)
3 tbsp mustard oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp lovage seeds (ajowan)
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
1 tsp fresh ginger

Wash the greens and chop them roughly. Wash the okra and chop it into small pieces.

Heat the oil and fry the whole spices. Add the greens and fry over medium heat. Add the turmeric and salt and continue frying for another few minutes until done.

Serve with rice or, as I did, with Campa - a traditional Tibetan folk "bread".

This combo is featured in MY 21-DAY VEGAN CHALLENGE COOKBOOK available here FOR FREE :-)

Come back for your copy!

21-Day Vegan Challenge (Day 13) - Mushroom Paté

2009-02-20T21:42:00.002+02:00

Yesterday, I had dinner at my friends, who was really excited to cook vegan for me, which was trully unexpected, yet flattering :-)

I was invited for dinner which I have been trying to avoid since I started my vegan challenge. Not because I didnt want to, but rather that I didnt want to casue troubles to a true meat-lover. As inevitable as it got at the end I was forced to admit that I could not have anything animalistic. Taraaa, the truth is out and there is a moment of silence, which to my big surprise, is suddenly broken with:

- Hm, that is a challenge.... (I am thinking, r-i-g-h-t, Zue, you are about to be thrown out of this car with embarrasing "ehm, will call you...")... but that s cool, let me see what we can have (dont you just love the "we" part?). Can you have mushroom?

- Yes, i surely can.
- Great. How about rice?
- I like rice.
- Coconut milk?
- Sounds great.
- (happy face) Great, then I know exactly what I am making...

Please, even if you never ever go vegan, DO TRY THIS ONE AT HOME... it is unfreakingbelievably delicious....

MUSHROOM PATÉ:

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
handful dried mushroom
handful fresh champignons
splash of cooconut milk
some rice flour
handful brown rice
salt
black pepper
basil
oregano
mild paprika

NOTE: Please note that this is a typical guys recipe = no measurements. Just go with your feelings, as they say :-)

Soak the dried mushroom in hot water for about 20 minutes. Drain and chop finely. In the meantime chop the onion, garlic, fresh mushroom into tiny little cubes (as fine as possible).

Cook the brown rice and set aside. In a bowl, mix togetgher the mushroom (both types), onion, garlic and all spices.

In a wok, heat some oil and sautee the veggie mix until fragrant. Set off the fire, add the rice, rice flour and coconut cream, so you form a big firm loaf (something like when making meat balls). The stuff should stick together.

Grease 4 ramekins with olive oil and divide the mixture evenly. Bake at 195 degrees for about 20 minutes or until crispy on top. Flip the pate onto a plate and garnish with some fresh salad. Voilla, a fantastic dinner can now be served...

A lovely salad on side made of macchiato salad leaves, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

21-day Vegan Challenge (Day 11) - Seitan Vegetable Soup

2009-02-19T21:17:00.003+02:00

Making seitan from scratch is fairly easy and requires no extra effort. Simply let gluten sit overnight in water and then let the whole thing cook for about 40 minutes (a more detailed and focused recipe can be found here). Once done, you will end up with a lovely piece of energetic seitan. Similarly to boiling potatoes, the water seitan has been cooked in does contain all the nutrition, let alone the amazing taste.
And as I always have hard time throwing away the water veggies or seitan has been cooked in, a simple clear soup is a must when cooking these.

Here is a simple recipe for a delish:

SEITAN VEGETABLE SOUP:

A few slices Seitan
5 Brussels sprouts
1 cup Seitan water (or vegetable broth)
3 dried wood-ear mushrooms
3 inches leeks
1 onion
1 garlic clove
Soy sauce to taste

Cook everything together until the mushrooms and onion is soft. Adjust the taste with soy sauce and enjoy.

Easy as that, another vegan day has passed leaving me full of energy and happiness :-)