Category: Vegan

Cauliflower, mushroom and chickpea curry

Posted on by Trish

I was aiming for something like a korma here but without too much sugar and fat.  Serve with rice for bonus amino acid points 🙂

Ingredients

  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 small cauliflower
  • some mushrooms (I used 2 of those giant mushrooms chopped into bits)
  • 1 can or packet of ready-to-eat chickpeas
  • Oil for frying
  • Curry powder mix (I used mild curry powder and added extra cumin)
  • Vegetable stock
  • Coconut milk
  • Agave nectar
  • Salt to taste
  1. Fry onion and garlic until the onion is kinda see-through
  2. Add cauliflower and mushrooms and fry some more
  3. Add spices (curry powder mix)
  4. Add chickpeas and give it a good stir
  5. Add vegetable stock, enough to almost cover, and boil for about 8 minutes (primarily to get the cauliflower softer)
  6. Add agave nectar then turn the heat down to a simmer
  7. Add coconut milk, not loads, just enough to get it tasting creamy
  8. Taste, then add salt and whatever else you like to get it tasting how you want

Lentil and tomato curry (because we can’t spell Dhaal …see?)

Posted on by Trish

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Back in my early 20’s I was a thrifty cook, mainly out of necessity and brokeness.  Thus there were some things I made often because they were economical and nourishing.  Some of them even tasted ok, although they wouldn’t have won any beauty competitions.  One such thing is the following lentil curry, which may look like someone has chucked into the pan but which caused my human guinea pig to wonder this evening just why we give so much money to the Indian takeaway place.  I even fried poppadoms to go with it (you need a LOAD of oil in the frying pan and it gets scary but it’s cheap so your fear is saving you money!).

You’ll need:

  • Some red lentils
  • Some tomatoes (either a tin of or some large, fresh tomatoes, which is what I prefer to use now that I earn money)
  • An onion
  • Some garlic
  • Curry powder (although am still using spice mix given to me by the lovely Danielle in 2008)
  • Soya margarine (yes, I know it’s actually called ‘spread’ but nobody calls it that, do they?)
  • Oil for frying
  • Stock powder and/or salt
  1. Wash the lentils and boil for 10 minutes, simmer for another 20-30 just till they’re soft and squidgy
  2. Meanwhile fry onion, garlic and tomatoes and simmer till mushy
  3. Add curry powder/spices to onion, garlic and tomato thing, also add stock powder or salt if wanted
  4. When lentils are done, drain and add to the onion, garlic and tomato thing
  5. Stir together with a knob of soya margarine

People who are allowed to eat dairy may want to use butter instead.  Go on then, just to spite me.  Serve with poppadoms or bread or rice or any combination of those and you too, my friend, may question your allegiance to your local curry house.

Olive Cake

Posted on by Trish

I knew some Turkish twins called Mine (pronounced Mina) and Nese (pronounced Nesha) when I was at college. They had long, wavy hair, were very pretty and gave bear hugs. And they often offered their friends some of their mum’s olive cake, which was like an extra bonus to being friends with them, except I got addicted and needed more than was supplied. I asked for the recipe. “We’ll ask our mum” they said. But despite reminders, they never remembered.

I had their family home phone number so I gave their mum a call and introduced myself as a friend of her daughters and a fan of her cooking. She seemed chuffed and was happy to dictate the recipe down the phone. Years on, and I still can’t make it as good as she did. Perhaps she gave me the amended and slightly inferior recipe, intended for people who aren’t family.

Olive cake, as dictated, my additions in italics
Put some flour in a bowl, one of those small bags of flour you can get is the right amount i.e. 500g, and chop one medium onion into it.
Sprinkle on one sachet of easy-bake yeast powder – ‘Allinsons’ is one brand name and supermarkets often have their own brand.
Add one teaspoon each of salt, sugar and dried mint – I use a bit more than that and one cup of chopped black olives.
Mix to a dough with half a cup of olive oil and a cup of warm water – I use half a cup of boiling water and keep adding cold water till it feels a slightly warmer than lukewarm temperature.
Leave in a warm place to rise till it almost doubles. Oven on lowest temperature with door open or in airing cupboard
Bake in a warm oven (she didn’t specify how warm so I put it on 200 degrees C, which is Gas Mark 6) till light brown all over.
To check if done, put a knife in and it should come out clean.
When you take out of oven, cover with a clean dishcloth and let the steam rise through it. Why?!! I occasionally do this if I have a clean dishcloth handy, but the lack of one has never seemed to make a difference.
Put kettle on. Make tea. Put feet up. Drink tea and eat cake.
Which is where I disagree; it’s better eaten the next day or even the day after because it tastes nicer then.