Vegan Yum Yum (9 page)
cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon extract
(any flavor)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 to 2 tablespoons water, to thin batter if needed
Earth Balance margarine, to serve
Maple syrup, to serve
step 5
While the pancakes are cooking, feel free to add blueberries, chocolate chips, or anything else you can imagine. Serve with margarine and maple syrup.
Aloo Matar
I
ndian food isn't as complicated as you may think. I've made an effort to organize this recipe so that all the ingredients are in the order in which they are called, so that's why it looks so intense. It's really not intense. A lot of the ingredients are spices, and how hard is it to measure spices? Not hard! Once you have them, it takes two seconds to measure them. So don't freak out. It looks like a scary recipe, but it's really not.
There are a lot of spices, though. Whole spices. Do you have whole spices? I think you should. They last longer and taste better than ground spices, and you'll feel cooler using them. That being said, there are ground spices in this recipe, too. It's a perfect opportunity to go to an Indian market and look around, right?
I learned this from a wonderful Indian woman whom I only know as “Nanni,” and while she's not my grandma, I wish she was. She cooks by tossing in pinches of this and spoonfuls of that, but I managed to get her to measure out most everything while we were cooking together. If you don't like spicy things, omit the chilies and chili powder, or reduce them and add the powder toward the end to suit your taste. The harder-to-find spices are marked as optional, but if you make an effort to find them, you'll be richly rewarded with a super authentic Indian meal. Really.
With this recipe, it's really worthwhile to take some time to measure out and prep everything ahead of time. Then you can just dump things in as needed and have a low-stress cooking experience. It took me about 30 minutes to leisurely prep everything and another 30ish minutes to cook. Not the fastest meal, but it's fun and tastes awesome, so it's worth it to me.
One last note: Nanni made no attempt to remove the whole spices when the dish was finished, and neither should you. Pay attention while you're eating so you don't chomp down on a bay leaf or cinnamon stick.
Aloo Matar
Makes 4 servings
step 1
Heat ¼ cup oil over medium-high to high heat in a large pot that has a lid. After 2 to 3 minutes of preheating, add Spice Batch No. 1 (whole garam masala) and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until bay leaves and cardamom change color.
step 2
Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and Spice Batch No. 2 and sauté until the onion becomes a rich golden brown.
step 3
Add the tomatoes, water, and Spice Batch No. 3; this is now a curry base for the dish. Stir, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes loosely covered. It should be simmering, but not hard-boiling.
step 4
Meanwhile, add the potatoes to another pot that also has a lid, adding enough water to almost cover them. Bring them to a boil and place a lid loosely on top. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, but not falling apart, about 15 to 20 minutes.
step 5
Grind cashews to a powder, then blend them in ¼ cup water to form a milky cream. (I ground my cashews in a coffee grinder that I use for spices, and then blended them together with the water in a blender.)
step 6
Check on the curry. You know it's done when the oil begins to separate and form little pools on top of the mixture. Do not proceed until this happens. If it's not happening, stir in a little more oil and let it cook some more.
Ingredients
Aloo Matar
¼ cup oil
Spice Batch No. 1
(whole garam masala; see next page)
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon ginger puree
(or just finely grated ginger)
1 tablespoon garlic puree
(or about 4 cloves of minced or pressed garlic)
Spice Batch No. 2
(see next page)
1½ cups diced tomatoes, blended
(fresh or canned)
¼ cup water
Spice Batch No. 3
(see next page)
2 red potatoes, peeled and chopped to ½-inch chunks
(2 cups or 14 ounces)
¼ cup cashews, ground into a powder and blended with ¼ cup water
1 cup frozen peas
¼ cup water, or as needed for thinning
Spice Batch No. 4
(see next page)
step 7
Once the oil “comes out,” add cashew cream, stir well, and add the peas and drained potatoes. Mix well. If the mixture seems too thick, add up to ¼ cup more water.
step 8
Add Spice Batch No. 4, stir, and simmer for another 2 to 4 minutes. Serve with rice or roti (or other Indian flat bread).
Ingredients
Spice Batch No. 1 (whole garam masala)
2 bay leaves
-inch cinnamon stick
6 cloves
8 green cardamom pods
Spice Batch No. 2
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 to 3 fresh curry leaves, finely chopped
(optional)
1 to 2 small green chilies
(fresh, optional)
Spice Batch No. 3
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
teaspoon asafetida
(optional, but highly recommended)
Spice Batch No. 4
½ teaspoon ground garam masala
½ teaspoon fenugreek leaves
(dried, optional but highly recommended)
Broccoli Almond Sweet-and-Sour Tofu
T
his dish reminds me of really tasty Chinese takeout. I'm biased, though.
Broccoli Almond Sweet-and-Sour Tofu
Makes 2 servings
step 1
Slice the tofu into triangles or small cubes. Smaller is better for this recipe, since smaller pieces won't have a tendency to break up when you toss them, and they have a bigger surface-area-to-volume ratio (read: they'll be crispier).
step 2
Toss the tofu with the egg replacer/water mixture until coated. Then toss in cornstarch until each piece is coated and dry, adding more cornstarch if needed.