Curry Favor

Recipe: Coconut Curried Squash 
Vegetable oil 
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced 
1 tbsp fresh minced ginger 
2 tsp. curry powder 
1 1/3 cup of coconut milk 
2 small delicate squash, 
1 acorn squash or other medium squash; roasted or cooked and diced into bite-sized pieces 
1 16 oz can of garbanzo beans, drained and well rinsed 
1 cup frozen peas 
Salt and pepper to taste 

In a large saucepan, heat the oil and onion and cook until it turns translucent, about five to seven minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, stirring and cooking until it is fragrant, about one minute. Add the curry powder and cook for one minute longer. Stir in the coconut milk, squash and garbanzo beans and simmer over low until the sauce is thickened. Stir in the peas and continue to cook until they are warmed. Season with salt and pepper; taste and adjust seasoning. Serve warm with rice or other accompaniments. 

Serves four as a side dish; two as a main.

Recipe: Indian BBQ Tofu
Vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1 1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup unsulphured molasses
Pinch of sugar
3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 teaspoons garam masala
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 16 oz blocks of extra firm tofu

In a large saucepan, heat three tablespoons of oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until translucent, 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant. Add the ketchup, vinegar, molasses, sugar, mustard, cinnamon, ground coriander and cayenne and simmer over low heat, stirring, until it's reduced and thickened; about five minutes. Stir in the garam masala and season with salt and black pepper.

Meanwhile, drain and pat dry the tofu. If you are not using an dry, extra firm variety, it may be necessary to press some of the moisture from each block. Slice each block width-wise into twelve pieces.

Place some of the sauce in a medium sized casserole. Dredge each piece of tofu in the sauce and layer into the casserole, topping each layer with a little more sauce. After all of the tofu is in the dish, add some additional sauce to the top and make sure it is all well covered. Cover and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a jelly roll pan coated in aluminum foil, layout the tofu. Use a pastry brush or spoon to make sure the pieces have a good coating of the sauce. Bake for twenty minutes, then flip the slices, apply additional sauce and bake for an additional twenty minutes. Serve warm with rice, naan or other Indian dishes and additional sauce reheated and spread over the top. 

Makes four servings.

Vegaquiles

In a follow up to my post on the difference between migas and chilaquiles, I offer another option: vegaquiles!  Or, I guess you could say vigas...

I try to follow a vegan diet at home, but I say try because it isn't an absolute sort of thing.  Rather, a way to eat more veggies and less animal products.  I'm not changing the name of this blog to 'Vegan at Home' or anything.  It's still about delicious eats, but as I think a lot of people can tell you, the ideas of 'vegan' and 'delicious' are not in contradiction.  Take for instance this recipe for vegaquiles...

Idea: Vegaquiles
The basis of this recipe is the wonderful recipe for tofu scramble provided by Post Punk Kitchen and published in Vegan Brunch, one of my favorite cookbooks for a variety of reasons.  I made a few subtle changes to the recipe to make it more appropriate for the vegaquiles.

1. Omit the thyme and use oregano or Mexican oregano.
2. Add 1 tsp. each of onion powder and garlic powder to the spice mix.
3. Use 4-5 tbsp. of vegetable broth in place of the water.  You want a little more liquid for for the vegaquiles to come together.
4. Move the scramble to a plate while you fry up the chips; use a new skillet or clean out the scramble skillet well.  If you don't, you'll end up with a bunch of burned spices coating your chips.
5. Otherwise, proceed with the directions in difference using stale tortilla chips, pico and your favorite salsa.  Lucky me, I had leftovers from Rosa's again!  How did that happen?

I topped mine with red and green salsa (Christmas style!) and a mix of Daiya cheeses.  Delicious way to start a Sunday morning...

Recipe: Crispy Soft Cevice Tacos

This is the perfect combination of citrus, spiciness and crunch...a great taco for spring and summer!

I devised the original recipe a few years ago after reading an article by Calvin Trillin's on ceviche. I've never had a ceviche made with fish (or anything else, for that matter!) in my life, but the combination of flavors and the idea of something crisp and fresh was appealing. Why not substitute tofu? A firm tofu cubed could pass in a ceviche for small pieces of fish, right? It's turned out beautifully and I loved it. So, why not make a taco out of it?

It is taco nirvana, that is all I have to say. Perfection.

Recipe: Crispy Soft Ceviche Tacos

Following a couple of easy steps with the tofu will go a long way to create amazing flavor and texture in your ceviche--this means you have to start thinking about the ceviche a couple of days before you want to eat it. First, freeze the tofu--at least overnight. This improves the texture and allows you to get more moisture out of it. After it's thawed, press as much water out as possible, dice and proceed with the recipe. Once assembled, your really want to let the ceviche sit overnight as the tofu will absorb the flavors and be 'cooked' by the citrus. I know, it sounds weird, but the texture does change. A great addition: thinly sliced kumquats if you can find them. The salad that follows is a great accompaniment to the tacos.

1 lb. firm tofu, pressed and cut into 3/8-inch cubes
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 small jalapeno chilled, cored and seeded, finely diced
1 medium red onion in small, finely diced
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 cup ketchup
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
large pinch of cumin
small pinch ground cinnamon
small pinch of ground cloves
dash of Tabasco
2 tbsp. virgin olive oil

1/2 cup cilantro leaves
Crispy Taco Shells
Soft, flour tortillas

Place the tofu in a large bowl, add onion, tomato and jalapeno. In a smaller bowl, combine ketchup and through the olive oil. Whisk together, then pour over tofu mixture, folding gently until mixed well. Add salt to taste, then chill for several hours, or overnight if possible.

(The ceviche is also great served in little spoons, endive spears, or small glasses with a celery garnish.)

When you're ready, heat the oven and prepare the crispy tacos as directed by the package. Warm the flour tortillas in a dry skillet. Assemble the tacos by placing a crispy taco shell in a soft flour tortilla, filling with the ceviche and topping with freshly chopped cilantro.

Makes eight to ten tacos.

Recipe: Creamy, cumin-scented Salad Dressing with Chili Pepitas

I love this creamy dressing--the cumin adds a little bite, to contrast the creaminess. The pepitas add spiciness and a delicious crunch.

For the Dressing
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp. light vinegar (a Champagne vinegar would be good)
1 tbsp. olive oil
Freshly ground pepper

In your salad bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise through vinegar. Slowly add the olive oil and keep whisking. Add freshly ground black pepper, taste and adjust seasoning.

For the Pepitas
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Spray olive oil

Heat a small, non-stick skillet to high heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and spray generously with the oil. Sprinkle with chili powder and salt, stirring and tossing until the pumpkin seeds begin to brown and pop. Cool.

For the Salad

Top the salad dressing with 6 ounces butter lettuce, toss and taste for seasoning. Top each serving with a the pumpkin seeds. Other nice additions might be cucumber or avocado.

Serves 4.

Taco #4

Recipe: Beer-Battered Tofu Taco

My family is Southern, so when I was growing up, frying was a delicious way of life. But then the 80s happened and my parents got all healthy and went through their 'orange roughy period' and all of that kind of stopped. Our Christmas dinner is fried, but otherwise I don't think there are many meals that revolve around the fried foods of my youth: fried okra, fried fish, very thin fried slices of zucchini and squash, fried chicken, fried peppers, fried cheese....and so on and so on.

And frying is a mess. That oil splatters all of over the place and you are cleaning for days. And then what do you do with the oil left in the pan? You have to deal with that as well. Not fun. So, I reserve frying for special occasions--or when I'm particularly inspired, as with this amazing taco.

First, I have to admit: I've never eaten a fish taco. But, the idea of a crisp fried piece of something in a tortilla with some aromatics and a little crunch is incredibly appealing. So, I put this recipe together using a beer batter that recalls the fried fish I remember from childhood and accompaniments that play up the crunch. Some spicy mayonnaise, a little bit of tropical salsa and you're good. It is exactly what I wanted it to be: warm, crunchy, smooth, spicy and delicious!

Plus, when you're frying tofu, you're kind of canceling out something on the bad list with something on the good list, right?

Recipe: Beer Battered Tofu Tacos Tropicale

It seems like a lot of work, but if you're organized you can put these tacos together pretty quickly. I start by warming the tortillas in a dry skillet, then wrap them in foil and toss them in a low oven. That way, they're pliable and warm then you're ready to assemble the tacos. Just put a baking sheet in the upper third of the oven and you can also put the tofu on it to stay warm as you take it out of the fryer.

For the spicy mayo:
1 cup of mayonnaise
2-4 tsp. of hot sauce

Combine the mayonnaise and hot sauce in a small bowl, use a spoon or whisk to blend together. Reserve in the refrigerator for assembling the tacos.

For the tofu

1 lb of extra-firm tofu, prepared as below

For the best texture and flavor, buy an organic extra-firm tofu and place it in the freezer for at least overnight. Take it out and let it thaw for several hours or run under warm water in the sink. It seems like a small step, but freezing and then thawing the tofu creates a firmer texture and allows you get more of the moisture removed.

Cut the tofu in half lengthwise. Using paper towels or a clean dishtowel, gentle press as much water out of the tofu as possible. This may take a couple of towels to get done. The more water you get out, the tastier your end product.

Then, cut each rectangle into six pieces. I like to cut them at slight angles so you don't end up with a perfectly shaped piece.

Set the tofu aside until ready to fry.

For the batter
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
scant 1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 cups (12 oz) dark beer
Peanut oil for frying

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a small yellow bowl. Whisk or stir to combine. Remove 3/4 cup of the mixture to shallow bowl or pie plate.

Add the beer to the mixture in the small yellow bowl and stir to combine.

Heat the oil in large pot or skillet to 375 degrees. You will need between 48 and 64 ounces, depending on the size of your skillet.

As the oil is heating, coat the tofu in the dry flour mixture and set aside. Once, the oil reaches the appropriate temperature, dip each piece of tofu in the batter, allowing extra to drip away, then place in the skillet. Depending on the size of your skillet, you probably want to do six pieces at a time. Fry for 4-5 minutes, until the batter is puffed and golden-brown. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain, then place on the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining tofu.

Accompaniments
Corn and/or flour tortillas
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Green onion, finely sliced
Lettuce, small pieces of iceberg or butter lettuce
A fruity salsa, like mango or pineapple salsa--the sweetness goes nicely with the spicy fried tofu.

To assemble the tacos

Cut each piece of tofu in half lengthwise. Double-up the corn tortillas, if using. Spread about 1 tbsp of the spicy mayonnaise down the center of on each tortilla. Place a little bit of lettuce on the mayonnaise, top with two halves of fried tofu. Sprinkle with cilantro and green onion, then top with a spoonful of salsa.

Makes 12 tacos.

Taco #3

Black Bean & Cheese

One of my favorite taco places in Austin serves something that is so simple, it kind of surprises you it's so good. Warm slices of queso fresco, refried black beans and a green salsa. Amazing. I've recreated those same flavors for lunch on a dreary, rainy Saturday.

Taco #2

Loco por los Tacos!

I love tacos in all shapes, sizes and iterations: bean, squash, classic breakfast, mole, spicy, savory, crunch, dripping, corn, flour. I love them all. I used to make a 'beans and greens' taco that was fantastic, so I was excited when I saw a recipe recently for a spinach taco with ricotta. Amazing! Honestly, I could eat them every day for a week and then probably for a couple of more days after that.

I'm trying to stick to 'vegan at home' right now, so I made a vegan ricotta using the recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz in the Veganomicon. But, use regular ricotta if that suits you. The creamy, blandness of the ricotta is the perfect foil to the spicy, greens.

Recipe: Spinach Ricotta Tacos
If you are trying to sneak some tofu into your diet, here is a good place to do it. The mashed up and flavored tofu stands in well for the ricotta and is great with the spicy flavors of the filling. You can find a recipe here, just omit the basil as this recipe of course calls for cilantro instead.

For the ricotta:
1 cup of ricotta cheese (or 1 cup of the tofu ricotta with the basil omitted)
3-4 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

Using a fork, mix the cilantro and garlic into the ricotta. Taste and season with salt, depending on the flavor of the cheese you may need a little or a lot. Set in the refrigerator to chill, this can be done the night before.

For the spinach filling:
olive oil
1 large yellow onion, cut into 1-2 inch slices
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
12 oz. of fresh spinach, washed and rinsed. Stemmed if you feel it's important, but not really necessary. Especially if you use baby spinach.
1 4-ounce can of chopped green chiles
1 tsp of ground cumin
corn tortillas for serving
Salsa verde for serving

Heat the oil in large skillet to medium-high. Add the onion and saute for for 5-7 minutes, until it's soft and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and continue to cook until the garlic is fragrant. Add the chiles and cumin and stir for 1-2 minutes, until the spice is nice and toasted and smells delicious. Add the spinach one handful at a time, stirring until it wilts. Continue until all of the spinach is combined and cooked through. Turn to medium-low heat and keep warm until you're ready to assemble the tacos.

Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in a pan, the oven or a microwave. Put two tortillas together, and place a about 1/4 cup of the spinach mixture in the middle. Top with the ricotta or the 'ricotta' and some of the salsa verde. Enjoy!

Recipe: Eggless/Tofu/Sandwich Salad

When I first became a vegetarian, I had the darnedest time understanding tofu. Lots of books suggested great ideas for using it, but I had no idea how to prepare it. I would buy the wrong type, prepare it the wrong way and end up with some odd-sort-of good something.

And there were mixes and recipes for 'eggless' salad and I tried to enjoy them, but never came up with something that was really....delicious. After lots of trial and error, I've finally come with a preparation and recipe that you won't be able to stop eating. The key here is how you deal with the tofu, the rest can be handled according to taste. I love the strong flavor of dry mustard and lots of relish, so this recipe leans that way. Like something creamier? Use more mayo. Want something cruchier? Add more celery. Suit yourself.

To prepare the tofu:
Buy a tub of Chinese-style tofu packed in water: don't buy the smoother, Japanese-style sold in aseptic containers. Get extra-firm and organic, if you can find it. Place the tofu in its container in the freezer and leave it there overnight to freeze. That's right: you've got to start this part a day or two ahead. Freezing the tofu magically transforms it, making it firmer and chewier.

Next morning, put the tofu out to thaw. Once it's completely thawed, drain off the water and press as much water out as you can. Next, slice the tofu into six slices. Using a couple of layers of paper towels and working with two pieces at a time, squeeze as much water out of the slices as you can. The more water out, the more flavoring gets in.

Now, here's the recipe for the salad...

Recipe: Happy Sandwich Salad

3 ribs celery, sliced horizontally in three pieces and cut on the diagonal into quarter-inch pieces
3/4 cup mayonnaise or mayonnaise style product (I use a soy product, but its up to you.)*
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. tumeric (in addition to giving the salad a great yellow color, tumeric is great for you.)
1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard (use less if you want a milder flavor)
A large pinch of cayenne
1 14-oz package of Chinese-style tofu prepared as described above
4-5 tbsp of sweet pickle relish (if you like it)

In a big yellow bowl, combine the celery with the next five ingredients, stirring to blend. Using your finger, crumble the dried tofu slices into the mixture and fold until well-mixed. Add the pickle relish and stir to combine. Season with salt and freshly-ground pepper, taste and check for seasoning. This is delicious as soon as its prepared, but even better after it sits in the refrigerator overnight. Serve on toast, in a wrap, on a bed of greens or just on a spoon from the bowl.

For my next batch, I am going to substituted finely chopped hot pickled okra for the relish and lemon. It think it will give the salad a briny kick and fiery bite that will be delicious. We'll see.

*I've updated the recipe with a little more mayo, realizing I use a heaping 1/2 cup (more like 3/4 cup) rather than a perfect 1/2 cup. But, to your taste of course!

Restaurant: Saigon (Indianapolis)

There is very good Chinese food in Terre Haute, plus Thai and Indian food that are both pretty good. But no Vietnamese. In Austin, my house was right at the epicenter of where the Indian, Vietnamese and Mexican communities collided, which meant several things:

• Great Vietnamese food
• Great Indian food
• Great Mexican food
• Speciality grocery stores selling the ingredients to make all of the above (MT Supermarket, a Vietnamese grocery that expanded a couple of years ago is listed in the current issue of Saveur as one of the top privately owned stores in the country.)

So I miss my Vietnamese food. I miss being able to call up Sunflower and order some lemongrass tofu to go or a big bowl of noodle soup when I was feeling ill. I miss the brusk familiarity of the owner and her staff: "We know you because you come in here all of the time, but we don't really want to acknowledge that or talk to you more because of that." And the spring rolls! Rolled to order.

And when you called, she never gave you a total, told you when the order would be ready or even said goodbye. She just hung up! I miss her. So on last week's trip to Indy, I decided to try Saigon, the Vietnamese place I had read about on-line. Located in a dilapidated strip mall, it's a whole-in-the-wall place with interesting paint, strange decor and a huge TV on the wall. Above each booth, there were cutouts from the beer boxes advertising the different brews available. Oddly, they were in a different order and arrangement at each table.

I ordered:

• Spring rolls: good, but without the intense fresh flavor of the ones at Sunflower in Austin.
• Lemongrass tofu: Sunflower in Austin? What is that? This is damn good lemongrass tofu. Perhaps the best I have ever had.
• Cafe sua: delicious, cold and refreshing.

And the service? I felt like a regular after the first visit, they were friendly and attentive. There is even a small market next door. While it isn't around the corner, and I can't call for a to-go order whenever I want, it's comforting to know that some delicious Vietnamese food is just down the road.

Saigon Market and Restaurant
3103 Lafayette Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46222
Phone: (317) 927-7270

Holiday Blitz

When it comes to holiday entertaining, I like to hit it hard and hit it fast. This year, that meant getting the tree and other decorations up before Thanksgiving; planning a party for forty-something upon returning from New Orleans; and giving an open house on the first day of December before anyone had a chance to get sick of all the madness.

Those who know me, know that I am a meticulous party planner. This means that I:

• Begin to think about the menu months in advance.
• Pull recipes as I find them and keep copies in appropriately labeled files.
• Start a shopping list weeks before with complete breakdown of what needs to be purchased from where.
• Create a list of what need to prepared in what order.
• Consider serving pieces and tablescaping far in advance.
• Make intricate sketches of how the serving pieces should be arranged.
  

This year, I just threw it together in about three days. Honest. I didn't even decide on the final menu until the Wednesday night before the party. Of course, this sort of lackadaisical approach took its toll on the host, and I spent the week after recovering at an undisclosed location frequented by many celebrities. Anyways, it all turned out magnificently and I hope you enjoy the photos of the spread...



Savories:
Mixed nuts
Peanuts with rice paper (my favorite addiction)
Pub mixed
An array of fine cheese, with fig compote, quince paste, dried apricots, fruit and nuts
Raw and roasted vegetables with green goddess dip and hummus
Polenta squares with tomato olive relish
Potsticker baskets with cherry, cashew 'chicken' salad
Hot onion souffle
Wheatsville Co-op Popcorn Tofu w/apricot dipping sauce

Sweets:
Chocolate cakes with peppermint whipped cream
Ruth Johnson's Almond Roca
Crème puffs

To drink:
Beer and wine (everyone was drinking beer, which was strange)
Sodas
Spiked Angel Punch

Glad you came if you were there, wish you had if you didn't...

Happy Holidays!

MT Supermarket

Last Saturday, Leslie and I went to MT Supermarket. It is the anchor in the new Chinatown Shopping Center on North Lamar, almost to Braker that is also filled with all kinds of interesting restaurants. A visit to MT Supermarket is an amazing experience with tons of things to look at. Problem is that I don't know what to do with most of it. On a visit, here is what you might find:

Kewpie Mayonnaise. Just like mom used to make.

An array of fresh noodles in a variety of shapes and sizes. How yummy! In soup, with sesame oil, sauteed vegetable...and on and on and on.

Soy sauce by the gallon!

Strange purple sweets. Sorry, couldn't do it. You try them and let me know.

Wet One's Whistle candies. There are so many wonderful and weird Asian candies that are available, it's difficult to know where to start.

These are some sort of weird, squid dumpling things that are delicious if you like squid. I do not, but I do adore the packaging. If you go and buy some, save it and I'll put it in a frame.

What did I buy?
Spicy dried tofu (delicious crumbled in salads or slice on a bun.)
Leek buns
A little rice paddle with the Double Happiness pattern on it (they have TONS of great kitchen and tableware)
Green Tea Mocchi
Noodles
Sweet Pepper Sauce
Bee and Flower Soap, Sandalwood Scent

What else? I think that's it. MT is always great to visit, and you'll leave with a bag of new food finds.