Author Archives: Sala @ Veggie Belly

Easy Thai Green Curry (Gaeng Keow Wan)

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I don’t know what I’d do without an Asian store near me. The one I go to is huge, cheap and stocked with every ingredient you’d need to make any Asian meal imaginable. One of my favorite things at the Asian store is tofu or soy puffs – little cubes of golden fried tofu. When you add tofu/soy puffs to curries, they absorb all the flavor and become incredibly flavorful. If you cant find tofu puffs, oven bake or deep fry some firm tofu and use in this recipe.

I learned how to make fresh green curry paste when I was in Thailand (more about that in future posts!), but I think store bought green curry paste is good enough when you are in a hurry. No pounding lemon grass in a mortar and pestle here! Freshly made curry paste ofcourse is much tastier, but if you are in a rush, canned paste is just fine.

 The Maesri brand green curry paste I use contains:

green chili
shallots
ginger, garlic
lemon grass
kaffir lime
sugar
galangal
turmeric
coriander
cardamom
cumin

You simply add coconut milk to the paste, boil, then add vegetables, boil again and you are done!

I like to garnish my thai curries with lots of fresh thai basil. Cilantro or green onions will also make great garnishes.

Thai Green Curry (Gaeng Keow Wan) Recipe

serves about 4

1 can (4 tablespoons) green curry paste (you may need to use more or less depending on the brand)
1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
1/2 cup water
2 cups napa cabbage or chinese cabbage, shredded
1 medium red pepper, cut into thin strips
1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 cup fresh or canned straw mushrooms
1/2 cup canned baby corn
1 cup tofu puffs (or firm tofu cubes that have been deep fried)
1/4 – 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves, loosely packed.

Heat a large wok and place the green curry paste, coconut milk and water in it. Bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients, except Thai basil, and boil gently for about 4 minutes or till the cabbage has wilted and the vegetables are cooked but not mushy. Turn off heat. (If the green curry is too spicy for you, add more coconut milk). Sprinkle chopped Thai basil on top. Serve with jasmine rice.

Egg Fried Rice. Yummier than take out!

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So many of you wrote in, facebooked and tweeted me to ask where I am and why I havent blogged in a while. I am so touched that so many of you care about this blog and I’m happy to say I’m back! Ive been travelling and just got back from a fantastic trip to India, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia (more about that in future posts!). I havent posted while traveling because I had zero drafts when I left..hows that for pre planning?! Now heres a fried rice recipe for you thats yummier than take out!

Make sure you use jasmine rice for this recipe, it will make your fried rice very fragrant. Also dont skip the maggi seasoning sauce, it adds depth and a lovely umami flavor to the fried rice. If you cant find maggi seasoning sauce, use mushroom flavored soy sauce.

Egg Fried Rice using Jasmine Rice: Recipe

serves about 3-4

2 cups Jasmine rice, uncooked
3 1/2 cups water
2 large eggs (for an eggless vegan version, use 1/2 cup fried or scrambled tofu)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 red chili slit lengthwise, optional
2 cups mixed vegetables, diced (I used carrots, beans, red pepper and sweet corn)
3 tablespoons light soy sace
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (you may need to use more depending on how dark/strong the brand you are using is)
1/2 teaspoon maggi seasoning
1/4 teaspoon scant white pepper

Cook the 2 cups jasmine rice with 3 1/2 cups water in a rice cooker. When the rice is done, spread it out on a platter or large plate and let it cool completely (if im in a hurry, I put the rice in the fridge to cool). While the rice is cooling, scramble the eggs in a large wok and set the scrambled eggs aside and wipe the wok. Heat the same wok to high, add oil and the red chili if using. Add the mixed vegtables and cook sritting, on high heat, about 4 minutes. Now add 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce and cook another minute. Add the scrambled eggs, cooled rice, remaining light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, maggie seasoning and white pepper. Cook on high heat for about 3 minutes. Garnish with chopped green onions.

Tender Coconut and Lychee Pudding. No cooking required!

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tender coconut lychee pudding

I’m at my parents place in India. There is such an abundance of fresh tender coconuts here that I absolutely had to use it as the star of this no-cook dessert. I added some lychees to the pudding and it worked really well.

coconut tree

A coconut tree in my parents’ garden

Note: If you cant get fresh tender coconut, just use frozen coconut juice/coconut water available in Asian stores. If the coconut juice is sweetened you should less than whats called for in this recipe. But whatever you do, please do not use the canned coconut juice!

IMG_1877

Tender Coconut/Coconut Water/Coconut Juice/Elaneer and Lychee Pudding Recipe

serves about 6

1 cup + 1/4 cup milk
6 teaspoons quick set gelatin* (see note below)
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup tender coconut water/coconut juice/elaneer
3/4 cup tender coconut meat, chopped
3/4 cup canned lychees, strained (about 6 pieces), chopped

*I usually use agar agar to set desserts, but this time gelatin is all I had on hand. (See this post on how to use agar agar). The gelatin I used was a quick set variety. Your pudding may set differently depending on what gelatin you use.

In a bowl, combine all ingredients except the 1/4 cup milk and the gelatin.

Warm 1/4 cup milk and dissolve gelatin in it. Add this to the bowl with all other ingredients. Stir everything well. Pour in individual serving dishes and refrigerate till the pudding sets; about 2 hours.

Baby Spinach and Kumquat Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing

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spinach-and-kumquat-salad-with-orange-sesame-dressing

Kumquats are gorgeous little citrus fruits with a sweet rind and sour flesh. Think of them as bright flavored, miniature oranges. You can eat kumquats whole, rind and all. They add a lovely, fresh, sweet-sour pop to this baby spinach salad. If you dont like or dont have kumquats, just use orange segments (or similar citrus fruit) instead.

kumquats1

Staying with the citrus theme, I used an orange and sesame dressing for this salad. Using frozen orange juice concentrate is the secret here. The concentrate gives the dressing great flavor without watering it down (like regular orange juice would).

 orange-sesame-dressing

spinach-kumquat-salad

Fresh Baby Spinach and Kumquat Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing Recipe

serves 2

for salad
4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, loosely packed
6-8  kumquats
6 small red onion rings
2-3 tablespoons toasted pecans (I didnt use pecans)

for dressing
4 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
salt and pepper

Wash and pat dry the spinach leaves. Wash and cut each kumquat into 3 or 4 rounds. Cut the red onion into thin rings. Assemble all ingredients for the salad in a serving dish.

Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing. Serve with spinach salad.

Back from Portugal with a Caffeine and Sugar High

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portugal-lisbon-scenes-&-architecture

I’m back from a wonderful trip to Portugal and still thinking of Portugal’s charming old buildings, orange trees, cobbled streets, port wine, incredible pastries and excellent espresso. I haven’t gotten over the caffeine + sugar high yet! Here are some pictures for you.. 

portugal-pastries

Left to right and top to bottom: Pastel de nata or portuguese custard tart; a pastry shop window in lisbon; Pasties de Belem cafe in Lisbon; a very yummy coconut filled pastry sprinkled with chocolate on top; and a huge palmier.

portuguese-custard-tart-pastel-de-nata-or-pastel-de-belem Pastel de nata or Pastel de belem or Portuguese custard tartsare an absolute must eat if you are in Portugal. Nuns at the Jeronimos monastery created these amazing, creamy tarts about 200 years ago.

The nuns used a lot of egg whites to starch their clothes and to clarify their wine. So they had a lot of left over egg yolks. What better way to use up egg yolks than add sugar, cream and spices to the egg yolks and bake them in tart shells?!  Thats how these incredible custard tarts were born. 

The cafe pasties de belem, close to the monastery, still serves the original monastery recipe. The cafe sells over 10,000 tarts a day. I can see why. We ate several of these little custard tarts at the cafe and they were the best we had had in Portugal (and trust me, we had plenty!).  You’ll never eat just one!

Portuguese Custard Tart Recipes

this recipe on algarvebuzz also tells you how to make your own shell.

thisrecipe for Portuguese custard tart is from one of my favorite blogs, rasa malaysia.

lisbon brasileira coffee shop chiado

Top to bottom: Cafe a Brasileira in Chiado, Lisbon; coffee with milk; espresso; entrance of Cafe a Brasileira.

Cafe a Brasileira is over 100 years old and is Lisbon’s most famous coffee shop (it was poet Fernando Pessoas favorite haunt). When we went it was standing room only and I suspect thats how it always is. The interior is beautiful and the coffee was very good. A great place to get adequately caffeinated before you go off to sight see the hilly Bairro Alto neighborhood.

I think I’ve had a years worth of sweets and coffee on this trip.

Happy New Year!

Sparkling Wine or Sprakling Grape Juice Gelee with Cranberries & How to use Agar Agar

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sprakling-juice-or-wine-gelee-with-cranberries

This is basically jellied fruit juice or wine with cranberries suspended in it. A beautiful, light, and easy dessert for any occasion. Use any kind of juice or wine and add any fruit you like. Read on for some great gelee variations.

I used agar agar to set the gelee. This recipe using agar agar is inspired by Mark Bittman’s book, How to cook everything vegetarian.

agar-or-kanten-bars

Agar-agar, also known as kanten is a form of dried seaweed. It’s a fantastic vegetarian substitute for gelatin.  Gelatin, for those of you who don’t know, is a pork product. So if you are vegetarian or want to avoid pork products and derivatives, agar-agar is the best substitute.

Agar-agar comes in 3 forms:
-          Bars
-          Flakes
-          Powder

Basic recipe: How to set or jellify liquids using agar-agar or kanten

1 bar agar (0.25 oz) or 2 tablespoons agar flakes or 2 teaspoons agar powder
Note: Agar powder is a direct substitute for gelatin. So 2 teaspoon gelatin = 2 teaspoon agar powder
2 cups liquid (fruit juice, wine etc)

Place the agar in the liquid and bring to a boil. Boil until the agar melts completely. Continue cooking on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or till the mixture begins to gel and thicken. Pour into a serving  dish and place in the refrigerator to thicken further. The liquid will get thick and jell-o-like in about an hour.

Acidic juices may require more agar to set.

sparkling-juice-or-wine-gelee-with-cranberries3

As you can see from the set gelees above, agar, unlike gelatin doesnt set clearly. So if your gelee is a little cloudy, dont worry, thats how agar sets. You can use any fruit juice you like for these gelees. I like sparkling juice or sparkling wine, champagne, or prosecco for this because the little bubble suspended in the gelee are beautiful.

Some gelee variations

substitute these ingredients in the recipe below

- Coffee and coconut milk gelee. Serve this after an asian style meal
- Champagne or Prosecco gelee with orange segments. Like a jellied mimosa; great for a holiday brunch
- Sparkling apple juice gelee with pomegranate seeds. A beautiful, refreshing dessert
- Lemonade gelee with lemon zest. Great end to a summer lunch, or serve this as a palate cleanser inbetween courses

Where to buy Agar agar

Any health food store or Asian store should have it.
You can also buy online, there is plenty of choice on Amazon.com

cranberry-floating


Sparkling Grape Juice or Sparkling Wine Gelee with Cranberries Recipe


Serves 2-3

½ cup water
½ cup sugar
½ bar of agar (or 1 tablespoon agar flakes or 1 teaspoon agar powder)
1 ½ cups sparkling grape juice or sparkling wine
a few cranberries

Run a little water over the agar bar to make it soft. Then tear it into small pieces. Omit this step if using flakes or powder. In a small saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. When the sugar just about melts, add the agar pieces. Boil gently till the agar has completely melted. Continue cooking the liquid for another 4-5 minutes. Turn off heat. Slowly pour in the sparkling juice or wine. Stir gently, being careful not to release too many bubbles. Pour this mixture into champagne flutes or a serving dish, sprinkle cranberries on top and place in the fridge till set, about 1 hour.

Purple Cauliflower

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purple-cauliflower

Just a picture for you today. Purple cauliflower tastes just white cauliflower. Its a great, colorful addition to crudite platters. We steamed this lightly and dipped it in hummus.

The purple color is caused by the presence of the antioxidant group anthocyanin, which can also be found in red cabbage and red wine.[7] Varieties include ‘Graffiti’ and ‘Purple Cape’. In Great Britain and southern Italy, a broccoli with tiny flower buds is sold as a vegetable under the name “purple cauliflower.” It is not the same as standard cauliflower with a purple curd.  - Wikipedia

Wild Mushroom and Pasta Pot Pie

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 wild-mushroom-pot-pie2

 I’m too damn disorganized to make and post thanksgiving recipes for you before thanksgiving. Plus, we’re celebrating thanksgiving at my in-laws’. So I wont be posting a complete thanksgiving menu this year. These pot pies however, will make a great entree for thanksgiving. It takes just over an hour to make and you could work on your side dishes while these pot pies bake in the oven.  

pot-pie-pots2

 Use any kind of vegetables you like. I like the meatiness of wild mushrooms. The creamy, mushroomy filling is really good with the flaky, golden puff pastry crust. Doesnt puff pastry just make everything better?! Another thing that will make your pot pie better is using a good wine in this recipe. I used a Gruner Veltliner, a dry, food-friendly white wine from Austria. I used this wine in the recipe and then served the rest with the meal.

wild-mushroom-pot-pie-inside 
To make the leaves that go on top of the puff pastry, simply score out a leaf shape from a piece of puff pastry. Use a sharp knife to get clean edges. Then press the blunt side of the knife to make veins on the leaf. Place 2 leaves on top of the puff pastry shell.

fork&spoon

A note on using dried wild mushrooms: Use any kind of wild mushroom you like. This recipe requires you to use some of the mushroom soaking liquid. However, if you are using chanterelle mushrooms(which will be delicious in this recipe), I recommend that you dont use the soaking liquid. Chanterelle soaking liquid can be bitter sometimes. So if you are using chanterelles, use some mushroom stock, vegetable stock or milk instead.

Marx Foods is a great place to buy a wide variety of mushrooms online.

Wild Mushroom and Pasta Pot Pie Recipe

serves 2-3 as an entree

1/2 oz dried wild mushrooms like chanterelle, morel or porcini
2 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup milk 
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil 
1/2 a medium onion
10 oz baby bella (crimini) mushrooms
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 sprig frsh rosemary
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 cup small sized pasta like small shells, uncooked
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

Soak dried mushrooms in boiling water for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, squeeze out the water from the mushrooms, chop the reconstituted mushrooms if they are large. Reserve the mushroom soaking liquid (see note above).

Chop the onion. Pull the leaves away from the thyme and rosemary sprigs and finely chop the leaves. Quarter the crimini mushrooms. Whisk milk, cream and flour together and set aside.

Cook the pasta in salted water. Pasta must be very al dente. It will finish cooking in the oven. If you are not using the pasta immediately, run some cold water over drained pasta to stop the cooking process.

Pre heat oven to 375f.

Heat oil/butter and add onion. Cook on medium heat till the onion is translucent. Add crimini mushrooms and  wild mushrooms. Cook for 2 minutes on medium-high. Then add garlic, thyme, rosemary and white wine. Let most the wine boil away. Add frozen vegetables, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup mushroom soaking liquid and the milk+cream+flour mixture. Let the sauce come to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for about 4 minutes or till the sauce has thickened slightly and flour doesnt taste raw anymore. Turn off heat. Stir in cooked pasta.

Place the filling in an oven proof dish. (Use either individual sized dishes or one large dish). Cut the puff pastry sheet so that it fits over the top of the dish with a little draping over the sides. Place puff pastry sheet over the top of the filling. Brush some milk over the puff pastry. Place the pot pie on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes or till the puff pastry is golden brown. The filling may boil over, so make sure the dish is on a baking sheet before placing in the oven.

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