Don’t Drool on the Manuscript, Darling

Ok I made that that one up, but it does have a sort of 1930s screwball feel to it. I can imagine Carole Lombard, Kate Hepburn or mad Miss Manton herself, Barbara Stanwyck, negotiating under duress with a recalcitrant Great Dane called Baby or Honey Pie. Anyway, after hours of fending off a recalcitrant Baby suffering pangs of jealousy over inanimate objects, I needed some fortification. Even though though this week has been designated Levantine, I wanted to pick up some Ginseng Tea, which is harder than you might think if you want a caffeine free tisane rather than Green Tea & such-and-such (Vanilla? Chai spice? Lemon? Actually the lemon one is quite ok if you have run out of the fresh stuff). I picked up 2 types of Ginseng tea, neither of which had ‘Poison’ written in very small letters on the packet. Those teas are probably best avoided, even if it’s a case of lost in translation, unless you can read Chinese and are familiar with traditional Chinese medicine. Just to be clear, I did not chose 3 Coins Tian Qi infusion because it can be dissolved in beer (and other beverages) as well as in hot water. Tian Qi is known as pseudoginseng and is used as a hemostatic herb rather than an adaptogen like other ginseng varieties. Not to worry, it will lessen fatness, reduce cholesterol and keep healthy and good looking figure, so no complaints on this end. It tastes sweet because it is in pellet form like cube sugar and apparently contains 5% glucose. One suspects rather more. Moving right along, I also purchased Ginseng & Fleeceflower Root Nourishing Hair Darkly Tea, which will apparently keep my hair pitch-black. These were the only caffeine-free ginseng teas available (that I could read), so I’ll have a more extensive look next time.

As always, the Asian grocer whose name I don’t know, the one with the Mah Jong sets in the window, carries interesting vegetarian stuff not found at other shops. They had 2 kinds of seaweed soup in mushroom and .. well .. plain I guess. As always, check for fish ingredients. I love seaweed, so I like this soup. There are 8 little packets that weigh next to nothing and fit in the palm of your hand, so they’re easy to tuck into your handbag or desk drawer. This is one of the better instant seaweed soups I’ve tried, with plenty of seaweed and a warming hint of chilli. You can add things to it if you aren’t on the run – diced tofu, herbs, vegetables, dried funghi, noodles, more seaweed. Also at this store you can find lots of tinned mock including mock duck with curry, Lamyong envelopes of ready to serve mock meat curries,  beef tvp slices, plain tvp slices, KWA vegetarian stock powders and Lamyong mushroom powder, vegetarian laksa and tom yum pastes, Wright’s AND Tone’s liquid smoke, krupuk tempe and cassava crackers, and deep fried yuba, which I haven’t tried because while I have my deep fried moments, they are few and far between. It has the texture of a prawn or cassava cracker, light, bubbly and crispy. I have some yuba but am not given to home deep frying, but I’m tempted to give it a crack as I have a packet of the new (well, newish) yuba flakes, which are sort of like sliced bean curd sticks, but more like a flake or a very short folded noodle. To date I have braised them with yellow bean sauce and ginger, or chou hu paste and coriander until the sauce is absorbed, and served with broccoli or bok choy (Kim Wang has particularly nice young bok choy just now). You can also get the flakey yuba at Hong Kong Grocery, and the fresh, frozen yuba at Kim Wang. Due to the current contents of the fridge (parsley, mint, tomatoes, cukes, aubergine), and pantry (tahini, sumac, pomegranate molasses, garlic) we’ll be sticking to an Arabic theme this week, and in fact, I should be whipping up a Middle Eastern picnic supper right now – I’m thinking something simple along these lines:

• Local kalamata olives with coriander and orange – roughly crush some coriander seeds in a mortar, then add some finely shredded orange rind, crush a little until aromas mingle then toss through olives with a lick of olive oil
• Babaganoush – you must chargrill the aubergine over a flame for a good smoky flavour, then remove skin and drain to avoid bitterness
• Turkish or flat bread brushed with oil, sprinkled with za’atar and chargrilled
• Dolmades – so handy to have in the cupboard for an impromptu picnic. You can also get good quality tins of appropriately smoky babaganoush at Gaganis or Omega
• Fattoush – I like plenty of whole parsley leaves and not so much mint with a dressing that includes pomegranate molasses and sumac
• Some sort of courgette dish, probably a kind of agrodolce, sweet and sour Moorish-Sicilian style with flaked almonds, mint and basil
• Fresh dates and black table grapes
• Obviously, champagne!

Lost & Delirious

I’ve hardly been cooking lately so not a lot to report; there’s only so much that can go on or under toast, although the PM may have other ideas. Let’s commemorate today with a quick drink utilising one of our deceptively sugary xmas whistle-w(h)etters [that's right Jules, grammar nazify me, I dare you]. We’ll call it the Bloody Julia, which does have a certain ring to it, as though it’s been said thousands of times before .. but I digress. Vinegar evaporates at an extraordinary rate so you can be forgiven for dropping your time back an hour when you whip up Celia’s legendary fought-over, sought-after sauce from the ol’ Green & Gold. When you’ve done that, or if you’ve cheated and used a vegie worcestershire instead, put a teaspoon in a glass and add some salt & pepper,  150ml spicy V8 juice, a dash of celery bitters, a drop of XXX chili sauce, a shot of vodka, a celery stick and if you’re very lucky, a wee grating of fresh horseradish (alternatively, you can powder the dried roots or use prepared horseradish). If you’re really game, add a fresh green chili grilled over an open flame. Be sure to remove the seeds (crunchy) and the membranes (hot), as well as the skin, which should slip off if you enclose the pepper in a cloth or plastic bag for a minute after grilling.

It’s true that I haven’t cooked much over the past few months but after days of hot-sugared, orange-scented, nut-blanching Xmas shenanigans I’m more than keen to satisfy such cravings as giant radish noodle aka Lo Bak Go, or Chinese Radish Cake. I’ve made this on a number of occasions with many ingredients, few ingredients and a medium amount of ingredients. The plain ham version works well with a simple vego ham substitute, but more complicated ingredients such as edamame are best left as a quick stir fry before being served alongside the cake. I prefer a mix of ingredients – not too many, not too few. I’ll be reporting back on this when I have perfected it, but I love rice noodles in cake form so I anticipate a lot of love when I translate my kilo of daikon into big steamed white cakey deliciousness tomorrow. Pictures? Probably not, although after today expect many photoshopped heads onto the wrong (or very, very right) bodies.

 

Tea & Biscuits

This recipe is from the current Lush Times. It uses molasses, coconut oil and fresh ginger, making it reasonably healthy for a sweet biscuit. Use nuttelex if you like. The recipe calls for ‘fancy’ molasses, which is another name for treacle. It has a negligible nutrient profile, but is much sweeter than blackstrap molasses, which is rich in iron, calcium, copper and manganese, among other things. Try using half of each. An organic variety of Queen’s vanilla extract is now available at most supermarkets [Sadly, Queen's have not yet mastered the art of organics. Stick to the concentrated essence, it has a much richer, warmer flavour]. This is presumably an American recipe that has not been adapted to Metric. Just use scant measures for the cups and it should work out. There are lots of different biscuit cutting sets available, especially at this time of year. We like Zoo animals, alphabet or other non-Xmassy shapes. A heart shape is the most practical shape because the biscuits slot together well on a tray. I use it for dog biscuits. Keep in mind that cutters with protrusions such as arms, legs, antennae etc will be more fragile and the limbs may fall off. They are also tricky for little fingers to place on a tray or push out of the cutter. Grease your cutter and dip in flour to prevent the dough sticking. You can cut out your own shapes with a knife, make a cardboard stencil or make freeform abstract designs. You can roll sausages and spheres to make a traditional gingerbread person, but be sure to flatten the shape before baking. For decoration, we like currants for a healthy option. Push them well into the dough to avoid burning. I don’t know the ingredients in Wilton Icing Pens, but they are easy to use, especially for children. Watch out for carmine in red or purple tints. If you must have a refined sugar hit whilst waiting for the dough to chill, Woolworths jelly babies are vegan, but all their other jelly sweets contain gelatine.

Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

1/2 c coconut oil at room temp (solid), 1/2 c fancy molasses, 1/2 c white sugar, 1 t vanilla extract, 5 t freshly grated ginger including juice, 1 t ground cinnamon, pinch nutmeg, 3/4 t baking soda, 2.5 c plain flour. Cream the fat & sugar until fluffy. Add molasses and vanilla. Add grated ginger and juice to wet ingredients and blend until combined. Add spices and soda, mix well. Add flour gradually and mix just until the dough comes together. Divide dough in 2 and chill for 2 hours before rolling. Preheat oven to 375F/180C. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick (a little less than half a centimetre). Cut your dough into desired shapes and place on a sheet lined with baking paper. Bake for 6-10m until edges are firm to touch but centres are still soft. Allow to cool completely before decorating.

Vegan and Gluten-free Dog Biscuits

1/2 cup potato flakes, 1/2 cup flaxmeal, 1/2 cup soy milk powder, 1/2 c dry felafel mix, 1/4 c sunflower seeds, 1 c quick oats, 2 T brewers yeast, 2 T chia seeds, 2 T olive oil, 1/2 t garlic powder, 1 t kelp powder, water to mix to a soft dough. Mix together, keeping in mind the felafel mix will soak up a fair bit of water, and set aside for 10m. Roll out to 1/2 cm thickness between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Cut into shapes and put on tray lined with baking paper. Bake in a slow oven (150-160) until completely dry and hard, about 30m. The biscuits need to be dry and crispy. Let cool completely before storing. Do not decorate with currants as dogs should not be given grapes.

Stop Press!

Hold the phone, put down your fruesli bar and hang on to your hat, there’s a new kid in town pulling out the big guns. While I remember:
Tofu wings, prawns & drumsticks
Vegan ham tube (not sure about the ‘stew flavor’ or khaki tint)
Instant miso soup minus bonito!
Ham slices
Toasted seaweed snacks
Little packs of spicy flavour pickled mustard greens
Crispy char siew everything
Pork, duck, chicken, fish
Loads of dumplings
Fresh (unwilted and it’s 33C today!) mustard greens and an automated sprinkler system (along with the air con vents at the Festy centre this is handy on those 100F days)  Lots of western stuff lime spices mustard etc                                                             lots of tofu, mainly asceptic packs but a great range of pressed, flavored tofu and 500g packs of puffs

And did I mention 4 freezers of mock?                                                                       Get into it!

Mariana market, Grote street (opposite Chinatown), and don’t forget to pop into the Korean grocery a few doors up, especially if you like seaweed. I’m writing this on the run but definitely coming back to stock up post-Xmas when there’s a little more freezer space.
Verdict: run, don’t walk!

Two Sisters from Boston

‘A girl who spoke Greek!’ The ancient kind, that is. I wouldn’t have believed it either, buddy. Get the girl some gin, stat! So I was discussing, in my last post, what to eat in a handbag emergency, by which I mean the kind of emergency precipitated by the acquisition of an obscenely overpriced commodity of any description (usually along the lines of ‘gorgeous and irresistible’). Today’s lesson: home made bread and baked beans. I won’t reproduce the recipe from June’s Delicious magazine because I didn’t use it, but I did use the spice combination of cumin, turmeric, allspice, smoked paprika and plenty of black pepper, and the technique of making a sticky reduction before adding tomatoes, water and cooked beans. I also had an inadvertent technical difficulty with a packet of brown sugar, which was akin to ordering a pint and receiving 700mls, so the end result was sweeter than I would have liked. I like molasses in my baked beans; it gives an earthy, ferric flavour, boosts iron content and is preferable to more refined sugars. I like to serve my beans with hot buttered (whatever kind of ‘butter’ you like; we like Nuttelex) toast, grilled tomatoes, sometimes tofu scram or a little smoky tofu. I also like liquid smoke; correction, I love liquid smoke, but suppliers are few and far between here and for the moment I am making do with chipotle powder or smoked paprika. I like Tone’s more than Wright’s or Colgin’s. If you’re on the Handbag Diet, you’ll want to use dried beans. Any will do, although traditionally white beans such as cannelini or navy beans are used. I like turtle (black) beans, borlotti or pinto beans. I don’t bake them either, unless of course I’m preparing something else in the oven (economy cake, anyone?).  Baked beans are better the next day when they have had a chance to absorb the sauce, but don’t feel you have to reserve them for brekky. If you happen to have a waffle maker, they’d probably be good with cornmeal or potato waffles (more on that later, or not, depending on the contents of the pantry this week).

Moving right along to the cheekbones of the dish, toast, a perennial British favourite but near-unknown to the French. For my standard loaf I use the light rye mix from local mill Lauke. I’ve had good reports on their other varieties, but I have a ten kilogram sack of it so I won’t be trying them any time soon. Since you’ll be baking your loaf in the oven, why not consider concocting some kind of work snack –  this way instead of going downstairs and staring at the the vending machine thinking about what you’d get if you were carefree and handbagless, you can be the envy of your colleagues with a nutritious home-baked treat. I’ve already posted the original Anzac recipe, so here’s the gold-standard, from iconic publication the Australian Women’s Weekly Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits (don’t have it? Pick it up for 50c at your local op shop). For a chewier Anzac, use half brown sugar.

1 c rolled oats, 1 c plain flour, 1 c sugar [we prefer 3/4 c sugar], 3/4 c coconut, 125g butter, 2 T golden syrup, 1/2 t bicarb soda, 1 T boiling water. Combine oats, sifted flour, sugar & coconut. Combine butter and syrup over gentle heat, stirring until melted. Mix soda with boiling water, add to hot syrup mix, stir into dry ingred (it will froth up, so use a decent sized pan). Place teaspoonfuls of mix onto lightly greased oven trays allowing room to spread. Cook in a slow oven 20m. Loosen while warm then cool on trays. Makes about 35.

 

 

Down & Out In Paris & London

If it’s not a film, it should be. It’s been an eventful few days and I’m off to see Midnight in Paris shortly so I might not get back to this tonight, but when I do I’ll be noting that sometimes vegan handbags cost Just As Much If Not More than the leather kind, and following that with some ideas for how to eat well and cheaply after such indulgences. Yes, there will be lentils, and pulses, and rice, but there’ll also be lots of seasonal stuff and ingenious ways of Stretching The Budget With Onions, a pamphlet issued to housewives post-WWII when rationing was in full force. There’ll be Economy Cake (eggless, butterless, milkless and quite possibly tasteless in the hands of the unvegan), lots of faux stuff (and I’m not talking Roast Duck here), all sorts of Depression-era food and heaven alone knows what else. I might even throw in some Lima Beans …

East of Eden

Neither Hell nor high water were anywhere to be seen on this glorious sunny afternoon in some godforsaken outpost of Her Majesty’s empire (did anyone notice she wore the same outfit as the PM at the Official Reception? And that it was a Silver Suit? What Is The World Coming To? Inquiring minds want to know), but Knappstein’s fruity, grapey ale and a mediocre offering from James Squire were rampant as bees on wild honeysuckle or academics at a free filing cabinet convention. It was a long, lazy day, a day for lying in the cool green grass, gazing up at the clouds through the hills hoist and analysing the merits of various local ales/car bar snacks. But alas, we have lives outside idyllic backyard scenarios, so I set to work with a will, constructing the monstrous Bahn Mi I’d been dreaming about for weeks. And guess what: it was good. The jalopenos really lifted it. I ate it, so I’m bored of it. I’ll analyse it tomorrow because right now I want to talk about the salt & pepper eggplant at East Taste on Gouger street. Now, I’ve been hearing about this particular dish for some time now, but eggplant, like potato, is absolutely godawful when done badly, so I’m always hesitant to eat it out. But after yet another recommendation, I decided to give it a crack and I have to say, I was floored. It was sensational. I’ve had their salt & pepper tofu years ago, and I’ve been there on a slow night and remained unimpressed, but tonight they came up trumps. We began with shallot cakes, always a good test of mettle along the strip. They were ok. A little overcooked and the flavour wasn’t really there, the dipping sauce was an average watered down soy .. I wasn’t feeling optimistic. The wine list was pretty mediocre and I had to ask twice for our tea. My companion ordered the seafood-spinach soup which was a a lovely vibrant, velvety green. It looked great. I’ll be recommending that to Jaded Traveller, who is fond of those sorts of little soups.  We then had a dish of steamed gai lan with ginger which was perfectly fine; no complaints there but nothing spectacular, and then the salt and pepper eggplant, piled high and pale on the dish. It was light, fluffy,  perfectly cooked and meltingly tender; like eating a deep-fried angel. The spices were beautifully balanced and it was strewn with little noodle-like strips of batter .. or something .. I don’t know .. it was crispy and dry and utterly divine. One criticism – the slivers of red capsicum, onion and thick tubes of spring onion need to go. A sprinkle of spring onion is all these bad boys need. These guys are seriously giving YC a run for their money. I want to go back there stat, they have improved out of sight. Definitely give them a go, they know their stuff. Highly, highly recommended.

Bad News Bears

Tomorrow, come Hell or high water, I’ll be having Bahn Mi. This might be bad news for anyone else who intends to join me but becomes waylaid. OH WELL. I haven’t had a Bahn Mi before but I’ve been thinking about it for weeks now. I picked up sliced pickled jalopenos, Kingland soy mayo, mock duck, cukes, lovely coriander from B’s garden (why does mine never grow, but the seeds I chucked in at hers have gone bunta?), and I’ll whip up a quick salad from Madhur Jaffrey’s seminal tome, Eastern Vegetarian Cooking (yes, it has dairy and egg, but they have their own chapters separate from the rest and she has plenty of ideas for substitutions). I forgot to get a nice lettuce or some bean sprouts, so I’ll pick those up when I grab fresh rolls, and I’ll roast the duck tomorrow, just in case it needs something extra – some shreds of star anise mock, a drizzle of soy, a little chili oil – who knows? I picked up an unidentified jar of paste today; the staff member said it had fermented tofu and mushroom, and anything with fermented tofu can’t be all bad (except maybe the slimy black kind, I’m game but not that game), so I gave it a crack. Pretty much essence of umami which is nice. I added a little to my steamed mustard greens and they came up a treat. The intended use is not clear from the pictures on the jar but Google is my friend so I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough. The usual – noodles, stir fries etc. Not so much as a dipping sauce though, this one. I want a Clayton’s Hoisin – not so sweet .. I’ll try some more black bean based stuff. And yes, eventually pictures will appear. But don’t hold your breath.

Carrot & White Radish Salad

1 med carrot, 225g white radish, 1 t salt, 1 T sesame oil, 1 T rice vinegar, 1/4 t Japanese soy sauce, 1/4 t sugar, dash cayenne. Peel & julienne carrot & radish. Put in bowl. Add salt, mix well, set aside 1 hr. Drain, pressing out liquid. Put in dish, add rest ingred, mix.

 

East West

We all have our favourite ingredients, and since I’ve dwelt on eating out lately I’m going to share some of my top pan-Asian products. Milk products are kept to a minimum in most Asian cuisines, and the use of meat, while widespread, is completely different to that of a traditional Western approach. So it’s pretty easy to veganise anything that isn’t close already – firm tofu makes a perfect substitute for paneer, a dash of coconut milk in place of cream etc. Without further ado, the stars of my show:

Pearl River Bridge Golden Label Superior Soy Sauce. Only the Golden Label will do (it’s the same one Cheong Liew uses). Beware of imitations.

Lamyong veg oyster sauce is the best I’ve found, although the new formulation is not as good as a dipping sauce. It’s still good in stir-fries, noodle dishes and dumplings. I think it’s produced under the name Vessimix now.

Frozen edamame. Baby soy beans are a great source of protein, versatile, delicious, convenient.

Little sachets of pickled mustard greens. Simon Bryant recommends making your own pickled mustard greens with sugar cabbage, but I am lazy so I use these little sachets. There are a variety of pickled vegetable sachets available, look for potherb mustard.

Nutrisoy Teriaki Tofu. I make my own tofu for perennial local fave dish BBC using my own method, but restaurants on popular dining strip Gouger street use this tofu in theirs. It’s also good in sandwiches, salads etc because it’s already marinated and easy to use.

Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow Chilli Oil for dumplings, stir-fries etc. Hot with a nice smoky bbq flavour. Highly recommended.

Lee Kum Kee Chou Hu paste. A braising paste for meat/veg, this thick black bean-based paste has a healthy hit of 5-spice. It contains fermented tofu, which is very umami. It works best with fried/frozen style tofu that is chewier, or as a seasoning in stir-fries or noodle hotpots.

Fermented Tofu. I like the one with chilli & sesame oil in brine. It is very reminiscent of sharp blue cheese and I imagine it would make a great US style creamy blue cheese dressing.

Pickled ginger, only in the fine flakes not strips

Tinned Inari. These are little pouches of fried tofu marinated in a sweetish syrup. They are used to make Inari sushi, and there are 18 pouches in a tin. Popular at functions and very easy. I make a non-traditional filling of sushi rice mixed with chopped pickled ginger, coriander, chilli and sesame oil, with a wedge of avocado or cucumber. Serve with wasabi and soy sauce.

Miso. Just a handy thing to have around, Miso has a very strong, salty flavour. Umami is the main thing missing in vegetarian food so it helps to have a few things to add it in. Don’t let it boil.

Coconut Milk powder – much more convenient than coconut milk. Makes a nice cup of cocoa or instant chai that you can carry around in a ziplock bag (just mix with sugar and cocoa or spices and a teabag for spiced chai). I use the one in the green box. Watch out for milk products.

Sesame oil – indispensible in Asian cooking but also adds a smoky, savoury flavour that is not identifiably sesame to Western dishes.

Festival of Souls

No posts since Thursday .. shockin! Had some nice pakoras at the music festival today and picked up some fantastic greens at the farmers market .. more on that tmrw ..

Well, I was pretty rooted after Womad Earthstation, what with the excitement of Cate and Ricki, and the only thing I ate there was the aforementioned pakora, which were ok but a bit fluffy for my liking. I want to talk about the best samosa I aver had, which incidentally, I also made. But I can’t take the credit for it, because I used Madhur Jaffrey’s bazaar recipe and lucky tasters were rolling their eyes and licking salt off the proverbial in ecstasy. The filling itself is quite straightforward, although you will need amchur (dried mango powder) and anandana (ground pomegranate seed). These are both souring agents and worth acquiring at your local Indian spice market. The pastry and shaping is more complicated and fiddly, so you could be forgiven for tossing the lot into squares of puff pastry, pinching together at the top and baking in a hot oven.