Veggie Vegan Koftes in Curry Sauce

My introduction to this dish was cooked for me by a wonderful Sikh lady many years ago in Hong Kong. I have long striven to perfect the recipe and bring it close to the original. The genius of this dish is in the cross-cooking of the koftes from frying to poaching them in the sauce.

The original recipe calls for bottle gourd or dudhi (calabash), but courgettes (zuccini) are a very close approximation which is readily available to me.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Koftes:

Oil for deep frying

2 large courgettes (zuccini), grated

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of toasted cumin (jeera) seeds

6 spring onions very finely chopped

2 teaspoons of grated fresh ginger

2 teaspoons of crushed garlic

1 cup of gram flour (besan)*

Curry Sauce:

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

A pinch of panch poran or cumin seeds (optional)

2 cups of finely chopped or blended onions

1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger

4 cloves of crushed garlic

4 teaspoons of mild Madras curry powder

1 cup of canned chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup of garden peas

2 whole hot green chilli peppers

1 cup of good vegetable stock

A generous pinch of fresh coriander (cilantro)

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Koftes:

Mix all the koftes ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to form a stiff batter, adding a little water if the mixture is too cloying, or a little more flour if too loose. Shape handfuls of the batter into small balls or quenelles and fry until brown. Set aside.

Curry Sauce:

Heat the oil until hot and add the panch poran or cumin seeds, fry until they start to pop. Add the onions then stir and fry over a medium heat until the onions soften and begin to brown. Add the garlic and ginger and continue to stir and fry until a characteristic sweet smell comes from the pot and the mixture browns as the onions caramelise. Add the curry powder and stir for 1 minute. Add the stock, peas, tomatoes and chillies and stir to mix. Simmer for at least 15 minutes then add the cooked koftes. Stir very gently so as not to break up the koftes and slow-simmer until the koftes are heated through. Season to taste then add the coriander garnish. 

Serving:

I like to serve this on steamed basmati rice with Indian mixed pickle and a naan, pitta bread or other flat bread on the side. Excellent with a cucumber and mint raita or with Greek tzatziki.

Notes:

I once served this dish to some of my army friends, and it wasn't till after the meal they discovered it had no meat in it; one of them asked me what meat it was, and I said, "Courgettes"!

The kofte mix can be fried in patties and served as veggie burgers. They also make nice vegan sausages.

Veggie koftes are a great snack, served like falafel with salad in warm pitta bread pockets with hot pepper sauce.

*You can use plain (general purpose) wheat flour, spelt flour, polenta or cous-cous instead of gram flour, but gram flour (besan) is best if you can find it. It is possible to make besan by grinding dried chick peas or yellow split peas (channa) in a coffee grinder until it is a fine powder.

Kofta, koftas, kofte, koftes, courgette, zuccini, bottle gourd, dhudi, vegetarian, vegan, veggie burger, veggie sausage

Thai-Style Chicken Rice with Chilli-Ginger Sauce

This is another of those amazingly simple dishes that is delicious, nutritious and satisfying. This is a Thai take on Hainanese Chicken Rice, versions of which are found all over South-East Asia. The combination of the delicious rice and chicken and the piquancy of the chilli-ginger sauce is a real winner.

Serves: 4

For the sauce:

5 fresh red bird eye hot chillies

3 garlic cloves

5 pieces fresh ginger, peeled

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of roasted peanuts or cashews

4 teaspoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chicken stock

Combine the ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth but not puréed. Set aside. 

For the chicken and rice: 

1 x 1.5Kg whole free range corn fed chicken, skin on, any excess fat removed.

1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon of light soy or mushroom soy sauce

5 spring onions (scallions)

1 thumb-size piece ginger, peeled and sliced

8 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cups Thai fragrant rice, rinsed and drained

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

For the garnish:

Finley-shredded spring onions 

Peeled and cut batons of cucumber

Slices of fresh tomato 

To make the chicken and rice, rub the chicken with the salt. Place the spring onions and 2 pieces of ginger in the cavity. Place the chicken in a large saucepan, add the stock and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered skimming off any foam, until the chicken is cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the heat. Transfer the chicken to a platter and allow to cool slightly. Discard the  spring onions and ginger from the cavity of the bird and remove and discard the skin. 

Remove the breast meat, legs and wings. Discard the carcass. Slice the breast meat and separate the drumstick from the thigh. Return the meat to the platter and keep warm.

Measure 4 cups of the stock the chicken cooked in, retaining the rest for another use. In large saucepan, heat the oils over medium-high heat and add the garlic and remaining ginger slices.

Cook stirring for 2 minutes. Add the rinsed rice and toss until coated. Add the 4 cups of stock and bring to a boil.

Simmer, covered until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender about 15 minutes.

Transfer the rice to a serving platter. Top with the chicken, garnish with the spring onions and serve immediately with the chili-ginger sauce on the side.

Dedicated to my Thai food guru Wan and my bestie Conrad, who loves this dish and surpasses all human tolerance of chilli consumption.

Lumberjack Cake

Aussieangel writes:


This a dessert standby in our house.  Warm with icecream and cream for dessert, or for afternoon tea in the garden.

Ingredients:


 2 large (400g) apples, finely chopped  
 1 cup (200g) chopped dates  
 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda  
 1 cup boiling water  
 125g butter  
 1 teaspoon vanilla essence  
 1 cup sugar  
 1 egg  
 11/2 cups plain flour  


Topping:


 60g butter  
 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed  
 1/2 cup milk  
 2/3 cup shredded coconut  


Method:


Grease deep 19cm square cake pan, line base with paper, grease paper. Preheat oven to moderate (180 deg C) 
Combine apple, dates, soda and water in bowl, cover, stand until warm.  
Beat butter, essence and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and creamy, add egg, beat until combined.  
Transfer mixture to large bowl, stir in sifted flour alternately with apple mixture. 
Pour into prepared pan.  
Bake in moderate oven (180-200) 50 minutes. 
Spread with topping, bake about further 30 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.   Put a tray on the rack below the cake in the oven, as sometimes the topping bubbles over the edge - if your cake tin isn't quite deep enough. 
Cool cake in pan.  


Topping:


Combine butter, sugar, milk and coconut in pan, stir over low heat until butter is melted and sugar dissolved.  

Carrot Cake

This is a recipe from a dear Australian friend of mine.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 Cup of castor Sugar

1/2 tsp of vanilla

3/4 cup of  vegetable oil

1 cup of  plain Flour

1 tsp of  bi carb soda

1/2 tsp mixed spice

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2  cups of  finely grated  carrot

1/2 cup of  chopped  walnuts

Method:

Combine  eggs,sugar, vanilla, oil  beat well. Sift  dry ingredients and  add  to mixture. Add grated  carrot and  walnuts. Mix  well. Pour  mixture into a  well greased 20cm  cake tin. bake in a moderate oven (180-200 celcius) for  40- 45 minutes

Frosting:

30g butter

60g  cream cheese

1 tsp grated lemon rind

1 1/2  cups of  icing   sugar

melt butter. Add cheese and  beat  well.Add lemon rind and  sifted  icing   sugar. continue  to beat until icing is nice and  smooth