Virgin Islands are a part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. They were originally named by Columbus, after a Catholic legend. The eastern islands form the British Virgin Islands and the western ones form the United States Virgin Islands (which used to belong to Denmark). It is an interesting mishmash of politics, as the U.S. dollar is the official currency of both, yet cars are driven on the left side of the road (as in the UK). Both sides of the islands consists of four main islands and some smaller ones, though the British side only has a population of about 21,000. Tourism is the mainstay of the economy.

The food of Virgin Islands is spicy and hearty, but it has also got influences from several Western countries, as well as India. The staple dish is fungi, thick cornmeal, often served with okra and (salted) fish. Many other starches are eaten as well, such as rice, yams, plantains, sweet potato and cassava. Callaloo is a popular soup made of greens. Fruits are eaten a lot and also used to flavour savory dishes (e.g. mango and tamarind). Pate is a popular snack made of fried dough filled with meat and fish. Drinks include fruit juices, coconut water, herbal teas (e.g. lemongrass) and other drinks made with herbs or even seaweed.

I don’t know how authentic this recipe is, but it sounded very good. And it is good! Unfortunately it’s not very pretty, because when cooked and mashed the yellow sweet potatoes look quite pale compared to the orange ones (which, by the way, are not yams – yams are an entirely different vegetable).

Mashed sweet potatoes with roasted garlic

1/2 head garlic
olive oil
3 yellow sweet potatoes
3 tbsp margarine/coconut butter
1/4 cup/0.6 dl cashew cream or other vegan cream (you can also use cashew butter thinned with water)
salt and white pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 200C/390F. Separate the garlic cloves, but do not peel them. Cut the sweet potatoes in a few large chunks and wrap in foil. Roast the sweet potato and the garlic together in the oven, the garlic will be done in some 20 minutes, but the sweet potato will take longer. It is done when you can pierce the chunks with a fork.

Squeeze the garlic out of the cloves. Mash all of the ingredients together. Serve hot. Makes 4-6 portions.

Ukraine is a large country in the Central/East Europe by the Black Sea, until 1991 a part of the Soviet Union. The Eastern Orthodox Christianity has heavily influenced the architecture, literature and music. Ukraine is sadly mostly known for negative things, like the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 and the 2006 Orange revolution after rigged presidential elections. It should probably also be known for its abundant wild nature, including the Carpathian mountains and forests hosting lynxes, bears and wild boars. It has become a fairly popular tourist destination, especially for its vineyards, historical churches and ruins (including “The Seven Wonders of Ukraine” and the Black Sea coastline.

The Ukrainian cuisine is similar to Russian, but bread is more important. The most famous Ukrainian bread is probably the sweet, cake-like babka which traditionally has a fruit filling. Meat, eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, potatoes, buckwheat, millet, vegetables (especially cabbage, beetroot and pickled vegetables), wild mushrooms, fruit and berries are also popular ingredients. Common types of dishes include soups, stews, hearty salads, dumplings, fritters and pastries. Ukrainian bortsch soup usually contains tomatoes besides beets and other vegetables, though there are dozens of varieties. Desserts often feature nuts or poppy seed.

Halushky (with some spelled variations, especially halusky) is served in several countries of Eastern Europe and Eastern side of Central Europe and the word can mean different things depending on the country, though it is always pasta or dumplings of some kind. In some countries it can mean pasta with cabbage very similar to the Austrian pasta dish presented in one of the first Vegventures posts (which is very good, by the way!). In Slovakia it usually means potato dumplings served with sheep cheese.

Ukrainian halushky are potato dumplings somewhat similar to gnocchi, which often feature both cooked and raw potato and sometimes baking powder, occasionally seasoned with caraway. They are usually served with butter or sour cream, sometimes fried mushrooms, but I went for the perhaps-not-so-authentic marinara for color and flavour. My halushky turned out a bit mushy and the raw potato didn’t seem fully cooked. Perhaps it should have been ground finer? I didn’t have a meat grinder so I used a mandolin with the thinnest blade.

Halushky

1/2 lb/225 grams potatoes, boiled
1 raw potato
substitute for 1 egg (use less liquid than the usual 1/4 cup/0.6 dl)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp oil
pinch red pepper
(pinch ground caraway)
salt and pepper to taste

Peel the potatoes and grind them in a meat grinder (or otherwise. Fry the onion in the oil. Add the flour to the onion ad mix well. Combine all the ingredients.

Bring a large pot of water to a simmmer (it should not be briskly boiling, only on the brink of boiling, or the dumplings may disintegrate). Drop in spoonfuls of the batter. Cook at a slow boil for 8-10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a colander. Do not overcrowd the cooking water.

Serve hot with vegan sour cream, fried mushrooms or marinara sauce. Makes 3-4 portions.

With almost 180 million inhabitans Pakistan is one of the most populous countries of the world. Considering that fairly little is known about it in the west, save for its nuclear weapons and it being a neighbour of India. Disputes over some areas have led to wars between India and Pakistan. There have been several military coups, too. Pakistan is an Islamic country and Urdu is the main language, though obviously there are dozens of minority languages. The country is biologically and geographically diverse and its national animal is the peculiar looking Markhor.

The Pakistani cuisine is quite similar to Indian, especially North Indian cuisine, though also with some influences from Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia. There are of course regional differences: the food in some areas is more Indian in style and in others more Central Asian. Dishes tend to be rich and spicy and are usually served with rice. Spices are mostly the same as in India, including the popular spice blend garam masala, but nutmeg and mace are also used. Meat is eaten quite heavily, especially lamb/mutton, often served in kebabs (being a Muslim country vegetarianism is less common than in India). Both green tea (including salted tea) and spiced black tea similar to Indian chai are very popular.

Khagina is often eaten at breakfast and considered the ultimate comfort food, which consists of scrambled eggs with chili, Indian-style spices and almost always onions and tomatoes, but the recipe can vary quite a bit. Some variations use mashed cooked eggs instead of scrambled eggs. I looked up several khagina recipes and based my vegan version mostly on this and this, though for some reason the latter seems to have disappeared and only shows up a photo now…

Because the recipe is described as creamy, I decided to use silken tofu, even though most tofu scrambles are based on firm tofu. I think it was the right choice even though it means a considerably longer cooking time. The nutritional yeast, mustard and black salt are there to replicate the taste of eggs. It turned out a bit greasy, so I have reduced the amount of oil from what I originally used. Other than that it was rather tasty.

Khagina

1 tbsp oil
1 onion
1 green (or red) chili, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
(0.5 tsp mustard powder)
1 tsp cumin
a little black pepper
a sprinkle turmeric
chili powder, to taste
300 g/10.5 oz silken tofu
0.5 tsp black salt (or normal salt)
(1 tbsp nutritional yeast)
2-3 tbsp cilantro (fresh coriander leaves)

Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Fry the onion in the oil until golden brown. Add the chili, tomato, garlic, ginger and all powdered spices, except for black salt (and nutritional yeast). Fry for a few minutes.

Drain the silken tofu and crumble it in with your hands. You’ll preferably want chunks slightly smaller than a cherry, because it will crumble down further when cooking. Keep frying. The tofu and the tomato will likely exude a lot of liquid and the whole thing will probably end up looking like a soup! Just keep frying until it reduces to a consistency resembling moist (not dry) scrambled eggs. This can take over 10 minutes. At first you may not have to stir all the time, but when it gets drier the stirring is important to avoid burning anything.

Add the nutritional yeast and black salt a little before it is fully reduced. When it is done, add the cilantro and serve. Can also be reheated quite well.

Djibouti is a tiny country in the Horn of Africa, mostly consisting of stony semidesert, with a population of less than a million. It used to belong to France and still maintains close relations to France. French is the official language and the currency is known as the Djibouti Franc. It is, however, also an Islamic country. Djibouti was a part of the Arab spring in 2011, though the protests didn’t succeed in getting the president to resign. The country has had clashes with the neighbouring Eritrea, but is in better terms with Ethiopia, as it serves as the port for this landlocked country.

The Djibouti cuisine has not been influenced by the French as much as most other French colonies. It is quite similar to Ethiopia with some Arabic, Somalian, Indian, Portuguese and British influences. Injera bread (made with teff flour) is used like in Ethiopia. Rice is another staple starch, but pasta is eaten too. Both meat and fish are eaten a lot, but lentils are also very popular. Food is often spicy and many spices, including the Ethiopian spice mix Berbere, saffron, cardamom and cinnamon, and fruits, especially pomegranate juice, are used to flavour foods.

This recipe sounded nice and spicy enough, though in reality it is not very spicy (well, there is a lot of chili and if you use hot chilis, it will be hot, but the other spices aren’t really that discernible, since the amount of lentils is so huge). A bit too bland for my tastes, but good. Note that this recipe makes a lot, so you may want to halve it. It wasn’t clear which type of lentils to use in this recipe, so I used brown/green ones. Obviously the result would be quite different using red lentils…

(Yes, the red onion is there, but it just loses the color during the cooking.)

Djibouti lentils

400 g/0.9 lbs dried lentils, washed
900 ml/3.8 cups water
150 g/0.3 lbs green chilis, de-seeded and chopped
400 g/0.9 lbs red onions, peeled and chopped
50 g/1.75 oz vegan margarine or coconut oil
1 tbsp freshly-grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp Berbere sauce (or 2 tsp Berbere spice, 1 tsp onion powder and 1 tsp red wine)
salt and black pepper to taste

Fry the chili and the onions in the margarine/coconut oil until the onion is translucent. Add all the other ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer on low heat for 40 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve hot (with rice?). Makes about 8 portions (6-10).

Slovakia is a landlocked country in Central Europe, though traditionally culturally associated with East Europe. Until 1993 it formed the country Czechoslovakia together with what is now the Czech republic. Earlier it used to be a part of Austria-Hungary. The economy is very quickly growing, in 2006 the growth in GDP was the highest in all OECD countries. Car manufacturing and electrical engineering are the main industries.

Slovakian cuisine has traditionally been heavy on several different kinds of meat, while vegetables haven’t been used that much. Cheese, sheep cheese in particular, is consumed a lot, too. The staple starches are noodles, dumplings, bread and potatoes. Other common ingredients include e.g. mushrooms, eggs, beans, nuts and cabbage, especially sauerkraut. Herbs and spices have traditionally not been used much. Wine and beer are both very popular. Most desserts are rich cakes or other baked goods, often featuring chocolate, jam, apples, nuts or a custard filling.

Liptauer (also called Šmirkás in Slovakia) is a spiced cheese spread usually made with a combination of cow milk cheese and sheep cheese. Besides Serbia it is known in Austria, Hungary and Serbia. It is used on bread or in cooking, especially as a filling for cold dishes. (You could also use it as a dip.) I happened to have some raw marinated portobellos around so I tried it the latter way, it was pretty nice, though other than that I didn’t really care for it. It was much less sharp than I expected, though. I haven’t had real liptauer, but I expect it to be sharper.

The recipe comes from the The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, though I slightly altered it. You can use soaked cashews or cashew butter to replace a part of the tofu for a creamier cheese, I used about 3/4 tofu and 1/4 cashews. You can replace all tofu with cashews and/or cooked white beans (adding more liquid), but if you only use nuts, I would reduce the amount of mayonnaise.

Liptauer/Šmirkás

1/2 pound/225 g firm tofu (or tofu and cashews, see the notes)
1/3 cup/0.8 dl vegan mayonnaise
1 tbsp drained capers
1 tbsp scallions or chives (or more)
2 tsp umeboshi plum paste (I used umeboshi vinegar)
2 tsp ground caraway
1 tsp dry mustard
paprika powder

Break the tofu into large chunks. Place in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Drain well. Let cool until it can be handled.

Place the tofu and all the other ingredients except for paprika in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. When serving sprinkle with paprika powder. Makes about 1.5 cups or 3.5 dl.

Grenada is a tiny island country in the Caribbean sea and a part of the Commonwealth, consisting of the main island Grenada and six smaller islands in the Grenadines, all of them of volcanic origin. Together they only have 110,000 inhabitants. Despite being one of the smallest countries in the world, it has earned the nickname “Island of Spice”, by being a major importer of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice, mace, citrus peels and especially nutmeg, of which it provides 20% of the world supply. A nutmeg fruit even appears in the flag of the country. Still, tourism is the most important industry, mostly thanks to cruise ships. Culturally cricket, music (including soca, calypso, rap and reggae) and storytelling are important.

Not surprisingly Grenadian food tends to be spicy. It has drawn influences from Indian food, from curries and daal to Indian sweets and roti (many dishes and ingredients are called by their Hindi names), but also French food to a lesser extent. The national dish is “oildown”, which refers to a dish of breadfruit, meats and turmeric cooked in coconut milk until the liquid absorbed, only leaving some coconut oil in the pot. Besides coconut and the aforementioned spices, many other spices and seasonings are used, such as tamarind, peanut butter, hot sauce, garlic, thyme and cumin. In Grenadian cuisine the name “saffron” always refers to turmeric.

People sometimes complain that Vegventures recipes use too much mock meat. Well, this is one dish that you could make without any mock meats – I used seitan-based mock chicken, but you could use tofu – or even broccoli or green beans, because the main point of the dish is the fragrant, gingery sauce, which I found surprisingly good and not too gingery despite the large amount of ginger powder (yes, it’s 1.5 tbsp, not tsp).

Previously I’ve found marinating seitan as frustrating (or even more frustrating) as marinating tofu, but this time I tried squeezing all liquid from the seitan and it immediately sucked in a lot of liquid. I further marinated it for 24 hours, so it was quite flavourful. I rather enjoyed this dish, more than I thought I would. Especially the onion pieces are very nice.

Ginger “chicken”

enough mock chicken/chicken-style tofu/normal extra-firm tofu/chicken style seitan for four people (e.g. two cans Chinese mock chicken)
1 tsp minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
(a few drops toasted sesame oil)
1 tbsp oil
oil for frying
1 small onion
1 tbsp margarine
1 tbsp flour
1/2 bouillon cube or 1 tsp vegetarian “chicken” broth powder
1/2 cup/1.2 dl water
1/2 cup/1.2 dl sherry, divided
parsley for garnish

Squeeze the water out of the mock chicken (if appropriate) or press the tofu. Mix the garlic, basil, ginger, Worcestershire sauce, half of the sherry, sesame oil (if using), and 1 tbsp oil together. Toss the “chicken” pieces well in this marinade and let marinate as long as possible, at least hour, but the longer the better.

Fry the onion in oil until translucent. Add the marinated “chicken” and fry in the oil for a few minutes until slightly browned Combine the water, the remaining sherry, the flour and the bouillon cube/broth powder and pour in. Add the margarine. Let simmer for at least 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more water if it seems to be drying out.

Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot. (There were no instructions for what to serve it with, so do as you please.)

Côte d’Ivoire is a country in West Africa, also known as Ivory Coast. As the name suggests it is a former colony of France and French remains the official language. Religion-wise it is quite heterogenous, with large populations practicing Christianity, Islam and their mixtures with local religions. In the past 15 years it has experienced two civil wars and a coup. Interestingly the country’s capital Yamoussoukro only has 1/10 of the population of the most populous city Abidjan. Côte d’Ivoire is most infamous for its cocoa industry, as it provides about 1/3 of the world’s cocoa and a large part of the workforce at the cocoa plantations are children, who may be victims of human trafficking or slavery. Coffee is also a major export.

The Ivorian cuisine is similar to the other West African cuisines. Especially plantains, yams, cassava, corn and peanuts are ubiquitous. Othe popular ingredients include chicken, fish, shrimp, millet, rice, avocado, okra, eggplants, onions, tomatoes, bananas, coconut and many fruits. Ivorians also eat snails. Food is often prepared into slowly simmered stews, which may be spicy. Lime juice is often used as a seasoning. Bay leaves, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and garlic are also popular. Ivorians have one distinct specialty: open-air restaurants called maquis, which usually serve braised chicken and fish dishes.

This recipe is suggested as a rich first course for four people, but I halved it. I used less stock than in the recipe, but it still didn’t turn out very thick like the recipe suggests (depends on your definition of thick, of course). It was okay, but I found the avocado flavour too diluted with all that liquid.

Soupe d’avocat abidjanaise

1 very ripe avocado
2 cups/5 dl (or less) vegetable or vegan “chicken” stock
2 tbsp lime juice
0.5 tbsp soy yoghurt
a hefty dash of Tabasco sauce
salt and black pepper

Plend all the ingredients together until smooth. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve cold as a starter for 2-4 people, garnished with thin lime slices and a little Tabasco sauce.

China is the world’s second largest country by land area and has the largest population, 1.3 billion. The precise total area is controversial, since China also claims ownership on e.g. Taiwan (also known as Republic of China, while China is officially the People’s Republic of China – quite confusing). It has a rich, far-reaching history in both culture and science. Being geographically massive it contains areas with very different terrains, climates and peoples, from a huge coastline to Mongolian grasslands and from the Gobi desert to the Himalaya mountains. It also has the largest high-speed rail network in the world. China is the world’s fastest growing major economy, which has spurred Chinese studies in many Western countries.

Chinese cuisine is widespread, but most Chinese restaurants serve food that is far from authentic. E.g. in Finland most restaurants mainly serve veggie and meat based stir-fries (mostly with soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce) with rice, maybe deep fried jumbo shrimp. My husband never liked “Chinese food” in Finland, but here in Amsterdam we really like eating at New King in Chinatown. There are, of course, not one but several Chinese cuisines, which vary depending on the area (such as Cantonese and Sichuan), some being e.g. much spicier than others.

Soy sauce is the best known Chinese condiment, but there are many other popular seasoning sauces, most of them fermented, like black bean sauce (my favorite), oyster sauce (with a tasty vegan option available), hoisin sauce and brown bean sauce. In general fermentation is used a lot, from “rotten” eggs to preserved tofu, with a sharp taste that has been said to resemble blue cheese (when I first bought it I threw it away, thinking it had gone off!). Other popular spices include e.g. black and white pepper, ginger, Sichuan peppers and fivespice, but flavours tend to rely more on fermented sauces, rice wine and vinegars, sesame oil, citrus fruit, mushrooms and sometimes tea than actual spices. Traditional vegetarian fare may feature tofu, yuba, mock meats made of seitan.

A few people have complained about mock meats being used so often in Vegventures instead of choosing intrisically vegan dishes. Well, this dish features mock meat, but it is also a traditional Chinese dish, originally vegan and comes from Bryanna Clark Grogan – yes, again, but this one is not from World Vegan Feast but her website and her book Authentic Chinese Cuisine, which I have been supposed to get since I expect it to be awesome.

Yuba or tofu skin is available from most Chinese/Pan-Asian stores, there is more information about it in her linked blog entry. It is often layered to make mock meats, like here. The texture is interesting, chewy but not like gluten, nothing like tofu, tempeh, seitan or any commercial Western mock meats (the canned “mock duck” sold in Chinese stores is seitan-based). Yuba is very mild so it is all about flavouring it. This almost always features toasted sesame oil (dark sesame oil), which is pretty much essential.

I used twice the amount of yuba (and steamed it longer, using baking parchment instead of cheesecloth), substituted vegan “chicken” broth for the mushroom broth, mirin for the sherry and sugar and didn’t get my “duck” quite as brown as hers nor did it really expand, but it was very tasty nonetheless. The instructions about folding the “duck” may seem unclear (I folded it an extra time at the end as not to look so flat in the photo), but it doesn’t matter that much how you fold it, as long as you have layers of yuba cooked with the sauce between.

I did buy the brown bean sauce used to make authentic Peking duck sauce as in Bryanna’s recipe, but never got around to making it, as the “duck” was so good on its own. Next time I’ll try to make a filled, smoky “goose roll” similar to the ones they sell in Chinatown here. (The brown bean sauce likely isn’t gluten-free, by the way.)

Buddha’s roast duck

3 large (about 16″/40 cm in diameter) round sheets fresh yuba, cut in half or 3 large rectangular sheets dried yuba, soaked in water for 10 minutes
1/3 cup/0.8 dl mushroom or vegan “chicken” bouillon or water from soaking dried mushrooms
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dry sherry (or mirin and skip the sugar)
3/4 tsp sugar
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
oil for shallow-frying (e.g. peanut oil or canola oil)

Mix the broth, soy sauce, sherry, sugar, and sesame oil in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar is dissolved (if using mirin, just stir the ingredients together, no need to boil). Pour this into a bowl and allow to cool slightly.

If using the dried yuba, soak the sheets (handle carefully) in warm water for 5-10 minutes, then pat them dry and cut them in half. Spread a piece of fine cheesecloth or thin white cotton sheeting, over a cookie sheet (or just use baking parchment). Place one half-sheet fresh or reconstituted dried yuba on this. Brush the sheet with the soy sauce mixture. Cover with another piece of yuba and brush. Repeat until all of the yuba and sauce is used up. If there is some sauce left, pour it over the yuba and brush evenly towards the outsides.

Fold the short side in, once, and then once again, so that it is folded in thirds, and flatten lightly. You may have to fold it once more to fit in your steamer. Wrap it in the cloth and tie the ends, or wrap in the baking parchment. Steam the roll on a steaming tray or a metallic sieve for 20 minutes.

Remove the cloth/parchment carefully. Cut the roll into two sections, if it seems to big to handle. Heat oil about 1/4-1/2″/0.5-1 cm deep over high heat in a large, heavy skillet. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, carefully add the roll(s) and fry until golden-brown. This will take only a few seconds. Turn over and fry the other side. It will probaly puff up. Remove from the pan. Drain the yuba on paper.

To serve, slice diagonally into thin slices on a cutting board with a sharp knife, and serve hot or cold as an appetizer. To make Peking “duck”, serve thinly sliced Buddha’s roast duck with Mandarin pancakes or flour tortillas and shredded green onion. Place a bit of “duck” along with about 1 tsp of duck sauce and a few shreds of green onion in a Mandarin pancake, roll up, and eat out of hand.

Bryanna’s duck sauce

1/2 cup/1.2 dl water
4 tbsp brown bean sauce
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Mix the ingredients in a small saucepan. Stir over high heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture has thickened to your liking. Chill the mixture before serving.

Serbia is a landlocked country located in Central/Southeast Europe, formerly a part of the state of Yugoslavia. Over 30% of the country is covered by forest and it also has significant mountainous area. The river Danube also runs through Serbia. Spas, festivals, river cruises and mountain resorts are the main tourist attractions. The country has a rich tradition in art, literature, music and theatre. As an interesting fact, over 1/3 of world’s raspberries are grown in Serbia, who would have known?

The Serbian cuisine has been influenced by e.g. Balkan, Mediterranean and Central European cuisines, especially other former Yugoslavian countries and Greece, Turkey, Austria, Hungary. Traditionally it has been very heavy in animal products – meat, dairy, eggs and honey. Especially grilled meat is extremely popular. Besides ratatouille-like sataras, meat-free main dishes are almost non-existent. There are however numerous traditional soups, including vegetarian ones. Pies, salads, fermented foods and pickles are popular, too, but spices are not used much. Bread, which comes in many different kinds, is a very important part of meals. Desserts tend to be rich.

This recipe is from the wonderful World Vegan Feast by Bryanna Clark Grogan, made typical Serbian by sauerkraut. The original dish is apparently made with chicken and bacon fat. I’ve never liked sauerkraut, but I figured it would get milder here as it cooked. Well, it really doesn’t, it’s still quite sour (I used sauerkraut in wine, as that was recommended), so not exactly to my tastes. But if are a fan of sauerkraut, you will like this. I wasn’t able to get fresh chilis (and don’t like canned ones), so I used a bit of chili sauce.

Podvarak

1.5 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
12 ounces/340 g chicken-style seitan (or other meat alternative) cut into strips
2-3 medium onions, minced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 cups/7.5 dl sauerkraut, squeezed
2 tsp chopped pickled jalapeños or fresh, seeded hot chilis
freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups/3.5 dl chicken-style vegan broth

In a large nonstick pan heat 0.5 tbsp of both oils over medium high heat. Add the seitan and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan.

Add the rest of both oils to the pan with the onions and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the onions are translucent. Add the sauerkraut, chilis and black pepper. Mix well.

Spread the seitan over the sauerkraut and pour the broth over it. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. If it looks too dry, add a little more broth or water.

Serve hot with e.g. boiled potatoes. Serves 4.

Costa Rica is a small country in Central America. A 2009 study proclaimed it as both the happiest and greenest country in the world. In general it ranks pretty high in various human development indices. It is a former Spanish colony, but acquired its independence already in the 1800s. After a bloody civil war, in 1948 the country abolished its military and still has no proper army. Costa Rica is known for its excellent healthcare and attracts many healthcare tourists. The country is highly biodiverse with a tropical climate, most of the year being extremely rainy.

Costa Rica is also well-known for producing coffee and bananas. Its most traditional dish is rice and beans, gallo pinto or “spotted rooster”. It is often eaten with salsa lizano, a commercial sauce somewhat like HP sauce. It’s not a chili sauce and Costa Rican food in general is usually not very spicy. Meals also often contain chicken, eggs, white cheese, tortillas and fried plantains. A peculiar favorite is Russian salad (made with beets, potatoes, hard boiled eggs and mayo). Many vegetables are eaten too, and fresh fruit is very popular, especially as juices. Sugar cane is also used for making both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

I haven’t cooked any plantain dishes for Vegventures before and the reason is the lack of interesting recipes. At least from my Google searches it seems like while ubiquitous in most South American and Caribbean countries, most recipes are very simple, e.g. variations of tostones. This plantain dessert caught my attention. It was the first time I bought plantains, which are similar to bananas but more starchy and the banana flavour is milder. I recommend using very ripe plantains that have gone black, since I feel the ones I used could have been riper.

The dish was okay, probably better if the plantains were softer, but I’m not sure if the problem was my not-optimally-ripe plantains or that I didn’t cook them long enough. It would probably taste better with vanilla sauce, whipped “cream” or vegan ice cream. While intrisically vegan this is not a healthy dessert by any means, being high in both fat and sugar. Looking at the photo of the original dish I think it may have used brown sugar, which did cross my mind when cooking, but I didn’t have any light brown sugar, only muscovado.

(A little coconut for decoration, seemed fitting enough even though the recipe contains no coconut.)

Sweet plantains with lime and spices

4-6 ripe plantains, cut into very thick slices
1/2 cup/1.2 dl margarine (or coconut butter)
1 1/2 cups/3.6 dl sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
0.5 tsp nutmeg
0.25 tsp ground cloves
juice of 1 lime
2 cups/4.8 dl water
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

In a large pan, melt the margarine and sauté the plantains on medium heat until golden. Add 1 cup of sugar and all of the seasoninga. Stir for 1 minute. Add the water and sprinkle on the remaining sugar.

Reduce heat to low and cook until the liquid is reduced and caramelized. Serve hot, or let cool. Makes at least 4-6 portions.