I am always amazed how a day begins one way & in a couple of hours it changes. Suffice it to say I had little sleep last night due to yet another weather induced headache so slept in & then got up thinking about recipes. Bex & I had been out for supper with friends & one of the dishes at our favourite Chinese restaurant is a ginger and beef hot pot. I don't eat the beef but the huge slices of ginger, onion & green onion always make their way to my plate. The taste sensation & kick are wonderful. So I started thinking about a Vegan version & this is what I made:
Ginger Vegetable Hot Pot
A piece of ginger about the size of your thumb
1 onion
1 head of garlic
1/4 large or 1/2 small bulb of fennel/anise
1 medium large portabello mushroom
2 McCormicks' vegan "beef" stock cube
1/2 tsp tamari (wheat free soy sauce)
2 cups of water
1 tbspn arrowroot
Heat oven to 350
Boil water, add 2 cups to vegan stock cube & tamari in measuring jug. Stir to dissolve cube.
Slice all veg lengthwise so they look similar in shape. Layer 1/2 onion, ginger, fennel/anise & garlic in a small casserole dish, put a layer of mushrooms & finish with layer of remaining 1/2 onion, ginger, fennel/anise & garlic.
Pour over stock mix. cover casserole & cook in oven for 45 mins to 1 hour depending on how al dente you want veg. Pour liquid off of veg into saucepan. whisk in arrowroot, bring to almost boil to thicken, but remove from heat as soon as mix turns from creamy colour to opaque as over boiling will stop thickening. Pour back over veg in casserole & serve.
In the restaurant it is served with rice and other dishes, but I am going to serve with mashed parsnips and potatoes.
While I was slicing veg I decided to do enough to make a curry. Usually I chop veg into chunks for a curry, but thought adding some sliced veg would make a change.
Spicy Aduki Bean & Vegetable Curry
Vegetables:
1 onion cut in 4 lengthwise and sliced
3 sticks celery sliced crosswise
2 large carrots cut in 3 cross wise & each piece cut in 1/2 lengthwise, then sliced lengthwise to make thickish slivers.
Piece 1/4 inch of ginger chopped small
1/4 small butternut squash cut into slivers similar size to carrots
1/2 small bulb fennel/anise sliced lengthwise
1/4 sweet red pepper de-seeded & sliced
Spice mix:
1 small red Thai pepper (leave out for milder curry)
1/2 jalepeno pepper de-seeded & chopped fine (leave out for milder curry)
1/2 pack of Shan spice mix for Maslaydar Sindhi Biryani, (this is spicy but not too hot)
Sauce:
1 tin diced tomatoes
1 small tin Aduki beans drained
1 vegan vegetable stock cube
1 tin coconut milk - get one that has the cream solid on top.
1 + 1/2 cups of mixed rices (brown, wild, red, black etc)
Water & salt to cook as per packet instructions
Put 2-3 tablespoons of water into a good size stock pan. Place all sliced vegetables into pan & steam-fry/sweat for a few minutes to release flavours. Add another tablespoon of water, stir & add spices. Stir & cook for a couple of minutes to mix spices into veg. Add tomatoes, beans. stock cube & coconut milk. Stir, cover & bring to boil. Turn heat down to low-medium so curry can simmer. Cook for 45-50 minutes while rice cooks. You can make the curry earlier & leave on stove top for flavours to meld. Then just bring back to simmer before serving with fresh cooked rice
Serve with a few chopped celery leaves& fennel/anise fronds sprinkled on top.
*Note the Sindhi Biryani has dried plums with the pits in, so be careful if you get one in your mouthful - delicious but the pit is rock hard!
Enjoy!
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