Jeweled Curry Rice and Braised Peppery Tofu

Serves: 6-7 | Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 35 min

2 cups basmati rice

4.5 cups water

1 cup frozen peas & carrots

1 cup fresh corn kernels

1 onion, finely diced

2 tbs curry powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup vegetable broth

1.25 cups roasted cashews

3/4 cup unsweetened raisins
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Rinse and scrub rice. Add to a rice cooker with all the water plus a pinch of salt and dash of curry powder. Steam for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, sauté all remaining ingredients using the veggie broth, starting with the onions and spices, adding the cashews and raisins last. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and stir into rice when done.

2 blocks firm tofu, pressed

1-2 tbs virgin coconut oil

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

Press firm tofu overnight. Cut and toss with spices. To a nonstick ceramic or cast iron pan, add the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the tofu until golden, about 2.5 minutes on each side, then cover and turn off heat to finish cooking. Serve aside the jeweled rice.

Enjoy :)

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Simple Spicy Pulao (GF Vegan)

Serves: 1-2 | Time: 5 minutes

3 cups cooked Basmati Rice
3 tbs Tomato Paste
1/2-1 tbs Sriracha*
1/2-1 tbs Ginger paste
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Amchur powder
1 tsp ground Cumin
1 tsp dried Cilantro**
1/2 tsp Kalonji
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Cardamom
1 tsp Tamarind paste (optional)
1 tsp Coconut Sugar (optional)
Few ounces (3-5) of Water

* 1 tbs is very spicy, so be careful if you are not a fan of heat
** fresh cilantro is much preferable, but that's all I had; for fresh, use about 1/4 cup chopped

Every weekend I cook a batch of rice to save time. It keeps well in the fridge or freezer. To prepare it, I soak for 30 minutes and then boil for 5. I make about 4 cups dry, which triples when cooked. It lasts a week in the fridge, and months in the freezer, and it maintains its texture well when reheated.

In a mid-size pot on medium heat add water and pastes. Stir with a wooden spoon and add spices. Small bubbles should form and it will become very fragrant. Soon the sauce will thicken and reduce slightly.
Add rice and fold. I tossed gently with two wooden spoons until the rice grains were evenly coated. Your rice shouldn't be sticky so the final product will be relatively fluffy, despite the weight of the sauce.
Serve with potatoes or flatbread.

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Black-Eyed Pea and Red Lentil Stew (V, GF, No Soy)

It is getting colder, so let's warm up!

Serves: 8 | Cook time: 1h 15m

Ingredients:
1 cup dry red lentils
1 cup dry black eyed peas
2 teaspoons virgin coconut oil
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 tbs turmeric powder
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1-inch fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoon chili paste
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 cup red onion, chopped
3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup roughly chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 inch of jaggery or 1 tsp raw sugar
1/4 teaspoon pink rock salt

Preparation:
Soak the black eyed peas and lentils, in separate containers with double the water to cover, overnight or for at least 4 hours. Drain and rinse; set aside. Chop your onion, garlic, and ginger.
In a deep pan, add coconut oil and heat on medium. Add cumin seeds and mix until they pop, being careful not to burn. Add in the ginger, garlic and onion and sauté for 4 minutes or until onion is translucent.
Add in all the spices and mix for a few seconds. Add in the celery, bell peppers, tomato and chili paste to taste and cook for 4 minutes until tender and mushy.
Add the lentils, peas, salt and 3 cups water. Cover and cook for about an hour or until the lentils are soft.
Soak rice for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse. Boil salted water, then add rice. Cook for 6 minutes. Drain.
Taste stew for salt and spice. Add spices or more water, if needed. Add half of your cilantro, and reserve the rest for serving.
Serve hot atop or alongside a bowl of rice.

Pairs well with fresh naan, roti or banana chips.

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Curry Tempeh Loaf with Plum Chutney + Whole Grain Mustard

My plums finally ripened! And what do you do with ripe plums? Make a delicious chutney, of course. You'll need:

2 cups chopped Plums (2-3 plums)

1/4 cup Golden Raisins or Currants

1/2 - 3/4 cups Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tsp Ginger paste or freshly grated

1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder or Flakes

1/2 tsp whole Brown Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Ground Cloves/Nutmeg

1 clove Garlic or 1 tsp hing

1/2 cup Onion, minced

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Sea Salt

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes (will reduce by 1/3). As the chutney begins to thicken, stir more frequently to assure it does not burn. It should be syrupy within another 10 minutes.

To test for readiness, dip a cold metal spoon into the chutney. If the chutney evenly coats and sticks to the spoon, it is done. Can or serve.

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Whole Grain Mustard

1/2 cup brown mustard seeds

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup basically any beer

1 tbs organic brown sugar

In a glass bowl, mix everything but the sweetener. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of 12 hours to 2 days.

In a food processor, blend your mixture. Add in a heaping tablespoon of brown sugar. This balances out the acidity of the vinegar. For a sweeter mustard, add more sugar. Store in a small glass jar: last months in the fridge.

Side note: for alcohol-free chefs, simply omit the beer. You can also play around with adding herbs, spices, etc. This is just your basic recipe. You want an equal ratio of seeds to vinegar. You can also use black or yellow mustard, and white balsamic vinegar. Have fun!

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Now chutney is a South Indian condiment that pairs wonderfully with various curries and breads. I was going to make something along those lines, but my dad was out of town, and I really needed to use up some of the tempeh I bought. So why not modify one of my old meatloaf recipes? This one pleases even my animal-eating parents!

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 25 minutes | Serves: 4 (2 slices each)

1 (8oz) package tempeh

1 small onion, minced

1 large carrot, minced

1 cup instant oats

2 tsp ginger paste

1 tbs liquid aminos

2 tbs spicy mustard

3 tbs curry powder

1 tsp turmeric powder
1-2 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp liquid smoke (optional)

1 green chili, minced (optional)

4 tbs (no-HFCS) tomato ketchup

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a glass loaf pan. In a mixing bowl add everything but the tempeh. Chop your tempeh or mash it with a fork in the bowl. Mix everything. Press it into your baking pan. Rest 5 minutes. Bake 25-30 minutes. Let cool before slicing. I served this with blanched broccoli, spiced with chili powder and cumin plus lemon juice. And drizzled everything in chutney!

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My Favorite Version of Jeera Rice

Prep: 30 minutes | Cook: 10 minutes | Serves: 4

1 cup Basmati rice

1.5-2 cups of water

1 tsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp turmeric or saffron coloring

1 tsp coconut oil or Earth Balance butter

1/4 cup chopped mint (optional)

1 tbs minced fried onion (optional)

1 green chili, minced (optional)

Soak your rice for 30 minutes, then drain. In a rice pot, heat your oil and toast your cumin seeds over medium heat. Add your green chilis and mint. Stir and add warm water. When boiling, add salt and rice. Cover for 10 minutes on a low heat. Add onion, coriander, turmeric or saffron, and coconut oil or vegan butter. Stir and cook on high (uncovered) until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Enjoy :)

Black-Eyed Pea Curry

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 40 minutes | Serves: 4

3 cups of soaked (1 cup dry) black-eyed peas or 2 15-ounce cans

1 cup basmati or jasmine rice

3 tbs coconut oil

3 tbs garbanzo bean flour (besan/gram)

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

3/4 tsp cumin seeds or ground cumin

1 tsp hing/asafetida or 1 clove minced garlic

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 thumb fresh ginger, diced

2 vine-ripped tomatoes, chopped

1 cup vegetable broth

2 tbs lemon juice, squeezed

1-2 bay leaves

1 tsp coconut sugar

1 can coconut milk

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp sea salt + 1 tsp extra

1 jalapeño or green chili (optional)

4 tbs or 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (extra for garnish, if desired)

I soaked my black-eyed peas overnight for 7 hours. Drain and rinse the beans, remove floating shells and debris. Add to a medium pot with just enough water to cover and 1 tsp sea salt. Cook on high for 15-20 minutes. Similarly, follow the directions on your package of rice. Meanwhile...

Chop your onion, cilantro, ginger and tomatoes. Heat 1 tbs of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add mustard and cumin seeds, stirring until they pop. Add more oil and then the flour, keep it moving so as not to burn. When slightly golden and aromatic, push to the side and add 1tbs more oil. Add your hing or garlic, stirring until fragrant.

Add onion, ginger and tomato plus the veggie broth. Boil for 5 minutes and then add your lemon juice plus bay leaves. Simmer with lid for 15 minutes. Remove the leaves, add sugar and salt. Once thick, add your coconut milk and rest of spices. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add your beans and cilantro, then remove from heat. 

Serve with plain or jeera rice and rotlis.
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This is a really fantastic recipe because even though it has a lot of ingredients, it is very simple. The stove does most of the work, you just need to give it the goods. When I first started making Indian food, I thought everything was supposed to burn your mouth and have curry powder in it. I have come a long way! A few great things I've learned since exploring this cuisine: it's full of healthy ingredients, I get to learn some Hindi, it's really easy to make vegan, and it can be as complex or simple as you have time for :)

See here on my Instagram