Ghanaian One Pot Curry

or stew. I will already tell you this “recipe” is a gem; quick, healthy, and you would have to try real hard to screw up.

I came across this while researching a couple from BBC America’s Last Restaurant Standing (it broadcasted last year as The Restaurant on regular BBC) who cook Ghanaian food.

I stumbled upon a volunteer’s site about traditional Ghana culture and food.

And there was the Universal Method for cooking one-pot stews and curries.
It gives very easy instructions and some example recipes.

I have done this twice in the past week, using up veggies and adding different liquids. Mine turned out more Indian, as I used Indian spices and curry paste for the base. (And MaMa Ronin proclaims it’s better than our yummy Indian restaurant’s!)

The picture above is made with onions, garlic, spices, veg bratwurst, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, & peas.

The picture at the end is made with onions, garlic, spices, veg bratwurst, tomatoes, potatoes, spinach, mushrooms & peas.

You will need:
A big pot
Any veggies you have!
Spices (such as garlic, cumin, paprika, etc) or something like curry paste
Fake meat or tofu (opt)
Liquid (opt) (like water, broth, coconut milk, etc)

Start chopping your onion while the oil is heating. While that sautees, start chopping the next batch to go in, while that sautees, start with the next batch, etc. No time is wasted, it’s great.

-I started with a little oil on low/med heat, chopped onion and garlic, spices (I used a couple of spoonfuls of curry paste). Sautee.

-Add the “meat category” & sautee. I used chopped Tofurky’s Bratwurst.

-I add chopped potatoes now too to soak up some of those lovely spices. I also add chunks of tomatoes so they can start to simmer and stew. (Now would be the time to add the rest of your “Class B” food like beans, carrots, broccoli, eggplant, etc.). Sautee just a minute or two for the spices to start to coat and absorb.


(Shown: 1 onion, 2 med potatoes, 2 tomatoes, 2 garlic cloves, 1 brat)

-Add your liquid now if you choose. Try to add just enough to cover the potatoes. From here on out the pictures are with coconut milk. In the picture at the top I used water to finish as a stew. Or add a little and have the potatoes steam to have more of a dry curry.

-Simmer about 10 minutes (more or less depending on your chunks) or until potatoes are done.

-At the end of the cooking time add the veggies in “Class B” that cook quickly, such as frozen peas and mushrooms. I would stir in spinach right before serving.


Isn’t that color amazing!?

It takes around 20 minutes from start to finish. That’s just about the same time it takes to cook some rice to go along with it! I used Basmati rice cooked with saffron threads.

Full of veggies and flavor, you can’t go wrong!

Simple things

I think when you don’t eat certain things for a long time you sort of forget about them. So here is a refresher for your mouth for those no-fuss lazy days.

Pizza Bites!

Sauce and a little Tofutti cheeze on mini bagels, top with bac’n bits (and they taste just like the frozen ones, heartburn and all!). Also good with mushrooms!
Bake 350F for 10min.
Note- I dropped these on the floor right after I took the photo. I still ate them.

Turn a simple bag of ramen into a lovely soup!
Here we have Wizard and Astronaut flavors from the Asian grocery store. They smelled like Pringles.

Before you add your instant noodles, throw in any left over veggies. Boil chunks of things like carrot, onion, cabbage, mushrooms, & faux-ham for about 5 minutes, then add your noodles & base. Stir in green onions and spinach or bok choy after you put it in a bowl. Turn cheap noodles into a warm hearty soup!

Vegan Tofu Takoyaki

Takoyaki is a Japanese dish that translates to “fried octopus balls.” And that’s “balls” as in the shape of dish! It is a piece of octopus covered in batter and cooked in special takoyaki-iron that produces the ball shape. Osaka is very famous for its takoyaki.

I decided to translate & alter an authentic Japanese tofu takoyaki recipe so that the rubbery filling is a mushroom! I’m a genius, I know.

Ingredients:
1 tub of 14 oz extra firm tofu, drained & pressed
14 small-medium sized white button mushrooms, extruding stem bottoms cut off
1/4 heaping cup of flour

Ingredients PART 2:
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp pickled ginger, chopped (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
1 Tbsp golden sesame seeds

frying oil
metal tongs

Toppings (opt)- Use all of these for an authentic eating experience (I did leave out the fish flakes though!):
-Okonomiyaki sauce (available at any Asian grocer- check ingredients) BBQ sauce is an acceptable substitute
-mayo, drizzled
-nori (seaweed) flakes

I say 14 mushrooms, but in reality, you may use more or less depending on the size of your mushrooms

1. Heat oil on medium in a deep dish pan to start to heat up.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix all of PART 2 from the ingredients.

3. Crumble tofu into same mixing bowl. Mix well with hands, fork, potato masher, etc. Make sure the tofu is finely mashed. No chunks.

4. Mix in flour well. It should thicken into a “dough” immediately.

5. Take a palm full of dough and place a mushroom on top of it.

6. Start to work the dough around the mushroom until “just covered.” Squeeze around between your cupped palms to distribute the dough around more evenly. This also squishes out any excess air.

7. Place in hot oil. Fry a minute each side until golden. Turn using a pair of tongs. (If you didn’t have a lot of oil/deep pan like me, you may have to turn the mushroom on its side to cook as well).

8. Place on paper towel to drain excess oil.

Enjoy with your toppings!

Chocolatey News!



http://chocoagogo.etsy.com

FEB 5th (tomorrow) I will be launching my vegan chocolate online store!
I’m nervous and excited to see how it will do. Especially with Valentine’s Day coming up, vegans and vegan sweeties will now have a nice quality chocolate to munch on!

Here is a sneak peak just for you Ronin readers! Items will be different types of pretzels, chocolate covered Oreos and a nice mixed box of chocolate.


Peanut Butter wrapped pretzels


Butterscotch Tuxedo pretzels


Dark chocolate Oreos


Sprinkle-tastic pretzels


Zoom in of the mixed box of chocos

So please tell your friends! =)

Homestyle Vegan Chicken Fingers

This is based practically entirely on my General Tso’s Tofu.

This is for more of a spicier Cajun vegan finger, so replace any spices with what you see fit!

2 C dried bean curd skin/peel
2 C veg. chicken broth (1 bouillon cube = 2 C broth)
1 C cornstarch
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
1/2 tsp oregano, dried
1/4 tsp cumin, ground
1/4 tsp garlic powder

1. Boil 2 C of water and add bouillon cube. Stir until dissolved.

2. Put dried tofu in a bowl. Pour 1 C of broth over to cover tofu. Stir around.

3. Let sit for 10-15 minutes (whenever you don’t feel any hard parts). You may need to add more broth as needed.

4. Place cornstarch and spices in a tall bowl. Stir with a fork.

5. Heat 1/4″ of oil in frying pan on Med/Med-High heat. Drop a small piece of batter in (a little of the cornflour + a little broth). When it sizzles, it’s ready. (BE CAREFUL OF NOT GETTING ANY LIQUID IN THE OIL!)

6. When tofu is ready, drain the excess broth (don’t let it sit in it).

7. One at a time, place about 10 soaked tofu bits in the bowl of cornstarch. Gently swirl it around to cover completely. They should look dry. If moisture is coming through, give them another swirl.

8. Gently place in the oil. Fry each side about 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to drain on a paper towel.

9. Repeat 7 & 8 in small batches until all gone (duh).

Serve with your favorite sauce! I used BBQ sauce and a homemade ranch.

*Dried tofu skin is ideal. I bought mine at an Asian grocery store.

Poppers!


Well Vegan: Over 90 Mouthwatering Recipes for All Occasions calls it Crispy, stuffed peppaew peppers .

I don’t know what a peppadew is, and the grocery store certainly didn’t have any. They are smaller and the recipe calls for 8. I used a variety of larger peppers that included jalapeño, poblano and a mild banana pepper.

You can also easily play with the filling ingredients.

If you do not have plain yogurt on hand, slowly add your milk so the batter isn’t runny (like mine was!).

Prep: 15 min
Cooking: 20 min
serves: 2

8 tsp vegan cream cheese
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
8 peppadew peppers, tops removed and seeded
1/2 C strong white flour
1/2 C (125 ml) rice or soy milk
1 Tbsp vegan yogurt
1 tsp arrowroot
1 tsp vegan bouillon powder
1 tsp finely grated lime rind
1 Tbsp coconut oil
sesame seeds for sprinkling

1.Oil a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 350F (180C)

2. Place cream cheese, garlic an parsley in a bowl and mix together thoroughly. Put a teaspoonful of the cream cheese mixture into each pepper.

3. Place flour, milk, yogurt, arrowroot, bouillon powder and lime rind in a small bowl or jug and mix well to make a stiff batter.

4. Dip each stuffed pepper into the batter to coat the outside, then place on the prepared baking sheet.

5. Sprinkle the peppers with the oil and sesame seeds, then bake for about 7 minutes. Baste, then return to the oven for a further 7-10 minutes, until crisp.

Mapo Dofu/ Mabo Tofu

This is the best I’ve ever had! And smells divine!
This dish is popular in China and Japan. Spicy and warm with the smoothness of tofu.

1 box silken-firm tofu
1/2 C beef-style crumbles (or TVP bits, slightly moistened)
3 Tbsp sesame oil
1 chili pepper, minced (or 3 Tbsp mild chili powder)
1 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp soy sauce + 1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch + 1/2C water

green onions for garnish

If you don’t have silken, a regular tub of tofu is fine. Also reg oil is fine too, still yummy! Exactness is just for optimum results! Honestly, it’s just as good without the crumbles.

1. Carefully wrap tofu in a tea towel or paper towels to soak up the excess liquid. Set aside.

2. Heat oil on medium heat and add garlic, onions and chili pepper. Fry until onions are soft.

***NOTE: To regulate spiciness, use chili powder. Start step #2 with 1 Tbsp of chili powder. Add an additional 1 Tbsp for every step until spiciness is desired.***

3. Cut tofu into about 1 cm squares while waiting (about 48 squares)

4. Add vegetarian “beef” crumbles until it darkens a bit.

5. Add soy sauce and sugar mixture.

6. GENTLY add tofu. Silken tofu is very very delicate. Lightly push everything around to mix.

7. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on med-low heat.

8. Add cornstarch and water mixture. Gently stir, it will thicken immediately.

9. Taste, and add chili powder/hot sauce to your liking.

10. If you like, garnish with green onions and serve alone or with a side of rice.

ENJOY!

If you are pressed for time or are lazy, you can buy a pre-made Mapo sauce pouch in varying spiciness at any Asian grocer. Usually vegan, but you always double check don’t you my beautiful readers? Just add your own tofu and crumbles!

General Tso’s Tofu

Well bite my ass and call me Sally! I had another recipe lined up for today, but last night was such an incredible success, I couldn’t wait to share it. I figured out how to make restaurant-style General Tso’s Tofu. Ready?

2 C dried bean curd skin/peel
2 C broth (1 bouillon cube = 2 C broth)
1 C cornflour
1 C General Tso’s Sauce (recipe)
vegetable oil for frying
1 green onion, chopped (or regular onion)
some dried chili peppers (or slices of red pepper)

This makes 4 good portions.

(notes about ingredients following recipe)

Instructions:

You’ll probably serve this with rice, so start it now to make sure it’ll be ready

1. Boil 2 C of water and add bouillon cube. Stir until dissolved.

2. Put dried tofu in a bowl. Pour 1 C of broth over to cover tofu. Stir around.

3. Let sit for 10-15 minutes (whenever you don’t feel any hard parts). You may need to add more broth as needed.

4. While soaking, chop your green onion/onion and dried chilis/red peppers. Place cornstarch in a tall bowl.

5. Heat 1/4″ of oil in frying pan on Med/Med-High heat. Drop an onion chunk in. When it sizzles, it’s ready. (BE CAREFUL OF NOT GETTING ANY LIQUID IN THE OIL!)

6. When tofu is ready, drain the excess broth.

7. One at a time, place about 10 soaked tofu bits in the bowl of cornstarch. Gently swirl it around to cover completely. They should look dry. If moisture is coming through, give them another swirl.

8. Gently place in the oil. Fry each side about 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to drain on a paper towel.

9. Repeat 7 & 8 in small batches until all gone (duh).

10. On your last batch, heat up another frying pan and on low-med sauté your onion and peppers.

11. When veggies are soft, add the fried tofu chunks and sauce. Mix around until sauce is heated.

Serve hot with a side of rice!

NOTES:
*Dried tofu skin is ideal. I bought mine at an Asian grocery store.

You could also rehydrate other types of tofu and have this still work I’m sure.

*Vegetarian chicken bouillon works the best.

*Save your leftover broth for another recipe, or for a base for a small bowl of soup.

*I use IRON CHEF brand General Tso’s Sauce. It’s got the right kick to it and it doesn’t use high fructose corn syrup.

*OIL PRECAUTIONS! Make sure your pan is completely dry before adding oil. Make sure your hands and any freshly rinsed utensils are DRY. One accidental water drop in the oil will cause it pop and splatter! You or someone else could get burned or ruin your favorite shirt! No one needs that.

*It’s very easy to half or double this recipe, so do as you please! =)

Mild Coconut Curry

From Vegan: Over 90 Mouthwatering Recipes for All Occasions.

I said I liked this book, and there is more to come!

This is really good. After always hating Thai food, within the past six months I have been slowly coming around to it. Coconut curry doesn’t taste like coconut at all! But it gives it such a creamy taste, almost reminiscent of mac & cheeze.

NOTES: I had no Thai ingredients lying around, and in fact, what I made is completely different from the book.
I did NOT use: potatoes, lemon grass, lentils, coconut oil, cumin, green beas, peppers, or corn. I used lime juice from a bottle.
I DID use tofu, onions, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant. I used spinach instead of parsley. Goes to show, use what ya got!
I simmered the tofu in the coconut milk while the other ingredients were sizzling. I used a boat load of Yellow Thai Curry powder and salt.

2 med potatoes
1 lemon grass stalk
4 Tbsp Puy lentils
1 T coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
6 mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
4oz/125g green beans
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped (courgette)
8oz/250g frozen sweet corn
1 (300ml) can of coconut milk
juice of one lime
1 Tbsp chopped parsley (coriander)

1. Put the potatoes, lemon grass and lentils into a medium saucepan and add enough boiling water to just cover the tops of the potatoes. Retuen to the boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion, garlic, mushrooms, turmeric and cumin until the onion is soft. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the parsley, and stir well.

3. Remove the lemon grass from the lentil pan, then add the lentil mixture to the onion mixture.

4. Simmer everything for about 10 minutes, or until the lentils are soft, then add the chopped parsley.

5. Serve with brown basmati rice cooked with a few cardamom pods, plus warm naan bread.

YUM

Spicy Avocado Toast

The British love things on toast. Beans on toast. Spaghetti hoops on toast. “Fish” fingers on toast. And now (drum roll!) there is avocado on toast! Now you’re talking!

From Vegan: Over 90 mouthwatering recipes for all occasions

1 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp roughly chopped avocado
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green chili, finely chopped (opt)
2 pinches of nutmeg
2 slices rye bread
4 tsp of hempseed oil or pumpkin seed oil
salt & pepper

Garnish:
1 sm spoonful of chopped parsley or seaweed flakes
2 slices of lime

1. Heat the oil in a small saucepan, then add the avocado, onion, chili and nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Fry gently until onion is soft.

2. Lightly toast the rye bread.

3. Drizzle the hempseed oil on to the toast, then spoon the hot avocado mixture on top.

4. Arrange the toast on warm plates, sprinkle with parsley and garnish with the lime slices

EASY right? I took a lot of liberties with this recipe (whole avocado, leftover onion, chili powder, lime juice, etc). But that just proves how versatile and flexible this is! You can’t really go wrong when it comes to avocado. Note it made more than what is shown in the picture.