Thai food is another one of the world's great cuisines! A crossroads of cultures, blending Chinese, Indian and indigenous culinary ideas, employing a wide variety of spices and fresh herbs. In the US, there are many Thai restaurants now open, yet few are vegan friendly and most have opted for large amounts of sugar instead of other flavors, apparently to gain favor with American palettes.
Curry pastes are commercially available, usually with incredible amounts of salt and various kinds of dry fish or other seafood particles amidst the paste. With a minimum amount of effort, we can produce our own curry pastes.
One needs either a mortar and pestle or a food processor to make curry pastes.
3 stalks lemongrass
20 green thai chilis
5 jalapenos, seeded
20 cloves garlic
2 tbsp ginger
10 kaffir lime leaves
1 tsp green peppercorns
1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted
1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted
1/4 cup cilantro stems
1 tsp sea salt
2 cubes chinese fermented bean curd (this is what makes the paste work without using fish or shrimp sauce! do not omit)
In Mortar and pestle or food processor, grind all ingredients down to form a paste. You may add a little bit of water to assist. You want a fully homogenized paste and then it is ready for a number of stir fry and curry dishes!
Make the paste and make some coconut milk and you are ready to make a delightful Thai Green Curry, as good, if not better than you will find at any American Thai restaurant. Learn the way curry pastes work (i will be posting many other kinds in coming weeks) and you can then vary them to your own tastes and interests.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
black bean pureee
Mexican cusine is exceptional! Brilliant, complex combinations of fresh and dried vegetables and spices make this bean puree a culinary treasure. You can use this simply by itself as a dip for some blue corn chips or you can use this in enchiladas, tacos, burritos, chimichangas, empanadas or any other Latin flavored dish that calls for black beans. Play around with the recipe using different combinations of dried and fresh chilis and spices. If you can get the herb epazote, use it sparingly in place of, or perhaps in addition to cilantro.
I remember when i became vegetarian someone once told me, "with no meat, beans will have no flavor". Unfortunately, many people prepare beans in ways that make this absurd statement become true. However, it is very easy to produce bean soups, stews and purees that explode with flavor. A simple approach is all that is necessary: use very fresh, in season vegetables, and then add very high quality spices and dried chilis, fresh herbs and oils.
1 cup dried black beans, soaked overnight
1 onion, choped
1 carrot, chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper or gypsy pepper, seeded, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, chopped
1 chipotle, reconstitued, chopped
1 dried guajillo pepper, reconstitued, seeded, chopped
1 serrano pepper, seeded, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
3 tbsp olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Soak beans overnight and then change the water and place in saucepan and simmer for 45 minutes or till soft.
In frying pan, heat up olive oil, add salt and onion and over medium heat, sautee for 2 minutes. Add the rest of vegetables and spices and continute to sautee. Add 1/2 cup of the bean cooking water, to keep the spices from sticking. Make a thick paste. You may need to add a bit more of the bean cooking water. Cover, cook 5 minutes, till vegetables are soft.
Drain the beans, discard the water or use in your garden. Place the drained beans and the cooked vegetable/spice mixture in a food processor. Add lemon juice and cilantro and process till very smooth.
I remember when i became vegetarian someone once told me, "with no meat, beans will have no flavor". Unfortunately, many people prepare beans in ways that make this absurd statement become true. However, it is very easy to produce bean soups, stews and purees that explode with flavor. A simple approach is all that is necessary: use very fresh, in season vegetables, and then add very high quality spices and dried chilis, fresh herbs and oils.
1 cup dried black beans, soaked overnight
1 onion, choped
1 carrot, chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper or gypsy pepper, seeded, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, chopped
1 chipotle, reconstitued, chopped
1 dried guajillo pepper, reconstitued, seeded, chopped
1 serrano pepper, seeded, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
3 tbsp olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Soak beans overnight and then change the water and place in saucepan and simmer for 45 minutes or till soft.
In frying pan, heat up olive oil, add salt and onion and over medium heat, sautee for 2 minutes. Add the rest of vegetables and spices and continute to sautee. Add 1/2 cup of the bean cooking water, to keep the spices from sticking. Make a thick paste. You may need to add a bit more of the bean cooking water. Cover, cook 5 minutes, till vegetables are soft.
Drain the beans, discard the water or use in your garden. Place the drained beans and the cooked vegetable/spice mixture in a food processor. Add lemon juice and cilantro and process till very smooth.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Spiced pumpkin rum ice "cream"
a Holloweed treat or a treat for any time during the fall.
You need 2 pieces of equipment to make this; a high speed blender and an ice cream maker
1 cup roasted, pureed pumpkin
2 cups soymilk, unsweetened (see note)
1/2 cup raw cashews (see note)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup dark rum
1 tbsp kudzu
pinch sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
18 tsp cloves
In the high speed blender place the following:
cashews, 1 cup soymilk, salt, kudzu. Blend on high for 1 minute.
Place this mixtue into a saucepan and over low heat, slowly bring to simmer, constantly stirring. The mixture will thicken incredibly. Remove from heat and place back in blender and add the rest of the ingredients. Blend till smooth. Place these contents into your ice cream maker and use as your maker requires.
For non alchoholic version remove the rum and add 1 tbsp vanilla extract.
NOTES:
cashews must be raw and unsalted. Roasted cashews will not work nor will any kind of flavored cashews.
Soymilk must be plain, unsweetened with only soybeans and water as ingredients. Any added sugars, gums, stabilizers or preservatives will destroy this recipe.
You need 2 pieces of equipment to make this; a high speed blender and an ice cream maker
1 cup roasted, pureed pumpkin
2 cups soymilk, unsweetened (see note)
1/2 cup raw cashews (see note)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup dark rum
1 tbsp kudzu
pinch sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
18 tsp cloves
In the high speed blender place the following:
cashews, 1 cup soymilk, salt, kudzu. Blend on high for 1 minute.
Place this mixtue into a saucepan and over low heat, slowly bring to simmer, constantly stirring. The mixture will thicken incredibly. Remove from heat and place back in blender and add the rest of the ingredients. Blend till smooth. Place these contents into your ice cream maker and use as your maker requires.
For non alchoholic version remove the rum and add 1 tbsp vanilla extract.
NOTES:
cashews must be raw and unsalted. Roasted cashews will not work nor will any kind of flavored cashews.
Soymilk must be plain, unsweetened with only soybeans and water as ingredients. Any added sugars, gums, stabilizers or preservatives will destroy this recipe.
Friday, October 30, 2009
how to make coconut milk
Canned coconut milk, like canned anything, is far inferior to the real deal. And of course, it takes a lot more energy to produce canned food than to prepare fresh food! Coconuts are, of course, never local or in season to Northern California. Thus i do not consume them regularly, however, there is nothing like a spicy Thai curry on a cold night, served with a green papaya salad and some rice and some stir fried veggies.
Making your own coconut milk is quite a simple task to accomplish and you only need one tool, a blender.
First, you will need to remove the coconut from its shell. With a hammer and chisel, knock out the 3 eyes at the top of the coconut. Pour out the delicious water into a glass and consume heartily.
Place the coconut in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and with your hammer, smash the coconut in half (do that step outside for easier cleanup!). Then gently pry the coconut from its shell. The heat helps separate and loosen it up but be careful not to actually cook the coconut. Discard the shell to the compost pile.
Cut the coconut in small pieces and place in a blender with 4 cups boiling water. Puree the coconut for 30 seconds to a minute.
Place a piece of cheesecloth in a colander and place the colander over a large pot. Strain the coconut milk through the cheesecloth by pouring the whole contents of the blender in to the cloth. Squeeze the "milk" out of the cheesecloth and return the shredded coconut to the blender. Add 4 cups more boiling water and repeat the process.
The first rinse is coconut cream and is incredibly rich in flavor and nutrients and has an amazing texture. The second rinse is coconut milk and has less flavor and less silky of a texture but is still delightful. I usually combine the 2 rinses together and proceed with whatever recipe i am creating.
Making your own coconut milk is quite a simple task to accomplish and you only need one tool, a blender.
First, you will need to remove the coconut from its shell. With a hammer and chisel, knock out the 3 eyes at the top of the coconut. Pour out the delicious water into a glass and consume heartily.
Place the coconut in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and with your hammer, smash the coconut in half (do that step outside for easier cleanup!). Then gently pry the coconut from its shell. The heat helps separate and loosen it up but be careful not to actually cook the coconut. Discard the shell to the compost pile.
Cut the coconut in small pieces and place in a blender with 4 cups boiling water. Puree the coconut for 30 seconds to a minute.
Place a piece of cheesecloth in a colander and place the colander over a large pot. Strain the coconut milk through the cheesecloth by pouring the whole contents of the blender in to the cloth. Squeeze the "milk" out of the cheesecloth and return the shredded coconut to the blender. Add 4 cups more boiling water and repeat the process.
The first rinse is coconut cream and is incredibly rich in flavor and nutrients and has an amazing texture. The second rinse is coconut milk and has less flavor and less silky of a texture but is still delightful. I usually combine the 2 rinses together and proceed with whatever recipe i am creating.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Vegan Soul Kitchen, book review
In recent years, there has been a deluge of cookbooks entering the market offering various approaches to cooking without animal products. It is wonderful to see there is a demand for so many publications! Many cookbooks offer the same thing, many simple ideas, repeated over and over. At the same time, many unique chefs are presenting creative and new ideas, fusing old traditional ideas with contemporary knowledge, offering incredibly flavorful delights for our senses, yet staying true to the idea that food should be healthy for those who consume it as well as produce it. In one of the recent cookbooks that truly stand out for me Bryant Terry offers a brilliant recent publication, "Vegan Soul Kitchen. Fresh, Healthy, and creative African-American Cuisine".
Most of what Terry presents in this book are "easy", every day dishes, proving that one can eat very creative, colorful, flavorful and nutritious food with a minimum of effort and a lot of creativity. Roasted sweet potatoes with coconut milk, banana maple pecan cornbread muffins, crispy okra strips with lime thyme vinaigrette, red beans with brown rice and red wine simmered seitan are some of the delicious animal free, updates he is giving to traditional soul food. One strongly gets the impression these dishes originated in his grandparents home and like all living traditions, change as they are passed down, each generation adding their flavor to old ideas.
Understanding that music is an important part of the kitchen, all his recipes have soundtrack suggestions and sometimes films as well.
Terry's kitchen is obviously part of his activism. His writings, recipes and actions show a deep understanding of the big picture of food productions, distribution and consumption. Food is a rite! Access to real, non processed, organic, sustainably grown food needs to be part of everybody's daily intake and Terry is dedicating his life to working towards this goal. This is his second publication, "Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen" being his first.
check him out! bryant-terry.com
Most of what Terry presents in this book are "easy", every day dishes, proving that one can eat very creative, colorful, flavorful and nutritious food with a minimum of effort and a lot of creativity. Roasted sweet potatoes with coconut milk, banana maple pecan cornbread muffins, crispy okra strips with lime thyme vinaigrette, red beans with brown rice and red wine simmered seitan are some of the delicious animal free, updates he is giving to traditional soul food. One strongly gets the impression these dishes originated in his grandparents home and like all living traditions, change as they are passed down, each generation adding their flavor to old ideas.
Understanding that music is an important part of the kitchen, all his recipes have soundtrack suggestions and sometimes films as well.
Terry's kitchen is obviously part of his activism. His writings, recipes and actions show a deep understanding of the big picture of food productions, distribution and consumption. Food is a rite! Access to real, non processed, organic, sustainably grown food needs to be part of everybody's daily intake and Terry is dedicating his life to working towards this goal. This is his second publication, "Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen" being his first.
check him out! bryant-terry.com
rappini with pine nuts and olives
1 bunch rappini, rough cut in 2 inch long pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
10 calamata olives, pitted, chopped
2 tbsp pine nuts
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup dry marsala wine
salt and pepper to taste
Heat up a frying, add olive oil and garlic, 1/2 tsp sea salt and chili flakes and sautee for 30 seconds, stirring often. Add rappini, pine nuts and olives and continue sauteeing for 2 minutes. Add marsala wine, cover and let steam-sautee for 30 seconds, remove from heat, season to taste with more salt if needed, and add a little freshly cracked black pepper.
Note: Other wines can be used but of course every wine will give its own unique character and flavor to the dish. I love the flavor of marsala wine and use it in many Italian dishes.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Marsala tofu
Delightful and easy side tofu dish to prepare, excellent with pasta and a side of sauteed greens.
Take a one pound block of firm tofu and cut it in 8 even slices. Lay the tofu slices on a towel, place another towel on top of the tofu, place a board on top of the towel and lay a heavy weight (a cast iron frying pan works great) on top of the board. Press the tofu like this for 20 minutes.
In a baking pan place the following:
1/2 cup dry marsala wine
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
5 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Mix all the marinade ingredients very well and then lay the pressed tofu in the marinade. Let sit in the marinade for 1 hour, turning once or twice.
Bake tofu in the marinade at 400 for about 30 minutes. The marinade will evaporate and cook off, leaving the tofu infused with all the flavors and slightly crisp.
Note on tofu: there are many styles of tofu from very soft to very firm. For cutlet style dishes, like this, you must use firm. Silken or soft tofu is an entirely different entity and does not work for dishes like this.
Only use organic soy products, using non GMO beans and the only ingredients in tofu should be organic soybeans, water and a coagulant.
Take a one pound block of firm tofu and cut it in 8 even slices. Lay the tofu slices on a towel, place another towel on top of the tofu, place a board on top of the towel and lay a heavy weight (a cast iron frying pan works great) on top of the board. Press the tofu like this for 20 minutes.
In a baking pan place the following:
1/2 cup dry marsala wine
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
5 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Mix all the marinade ingredients very well and then lay the pressed tofu in the marinade. Let sit in the marinade for 1 hour, turning once or twice.
Bake tofu in the marinade at 400 for about 30 minutes. The marinade will evaporate and cook off, leaving the tofu infused with all the flavors and slightly crisp.
Note on tofu: there are many styles of tofu from very soft to very firm. For cutlet style dishes, like this, you must use firm. Silken or soft tofu is an entirely different entity and does not work for dishes like this.
Only use organic soy products, using non GMO beans and the only ingredients in tofu should be organic soybeans, water and a coagulant.
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