A true Vegan~ Bobotie

Story of a true Vegan~

When you hear about a meat rich dish but the flavors sound really appealing to you and the techniques seem like a must try at least once kinda of deal...you start researching... you research high and low to find the right substitutes and combinations that will work for your new vegan dish.
One such experiment lead me to making a purely vegan version of the South African national dish called Bobotie.

The authentic Bobotie is made with curried lamb or chicken mince and topped with an egg custard and then baked for a few minutes. The flavor components and spice ingredients were so tempting, I had to give this a vegan twist!
So here's my original recipe as a vegan treat for Bobotie!

For the filling~
1 cup sprouted moong or 1 cup soaked soya granules (drained)
1 red onion finely chopped
1 cup tomato puree
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 bay leaf
4-5 cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
Handful of sultanas or raisins
1/2 tsp finely chopped ginger
2-3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Water as required

For the custard
1 cup chickpea flour (besan)
3/4 cup almond milk or soy milk
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tap chilli powder
Salt to taste

For garnish
Almond cream or vegan cream
Few bay leaves
Skinned almonds
Cilantro and Parsley

Heat a pan, add oil, add bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, onion and sauté until translucent. Add dry powders except salt and mix well. Add tomato puree and cook for 2-3 minutes with a little water. Add raisins and sprouts. Cook until sprouts are tender but not fully cooked. Add salt to taste. The filling should not be too dry as it needs to go into the oven for a few minutes.

To make the custard, mix all the ingredients and keep aside.

Heat oven at 180c. In a bakeware layer the filling to the bottom of the pan. Pour custard on top of filling. Garnish with bay leaf, almonds and vegan cream. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the custard is thick and forms a cake like covering over the filling.

Let it rest, cut into wedges and serve with yellow rice. I served it with white bread and it equally tasted good.

Hope you try this recipe. Do leave your comments and feedback if you would like to see more such altered vegan recipes! 

~Khow Suey....you say!

A Burmese one-pot meal bursting with flavors and gorgeous colors is what Khow Suey is all about! I first got the taste of it at a small Tibetian shack in Bangalore....the taste kept lingering on until a friend of mine made it for a dinner party.  I still don't know why I kept myself from making this wonderful curry sooner than now....but finally I'm glad I did....coz boy oh boy!!! Flavorful coconut curry broth, noodles, fried onions, fried noodles, chilli flakes, peanuts, lime and cilantro....one pot couldn't get more flavor-muddled than that! I have found my ultimate go-to comfort food... For me it beats dal chawal...sorry to some of you who would disagree....but try it to believe it! :)

Khow Suey calls for some elaborate ingredients like lemon grass and authentic spices in the curry paste.  I know people who add Maggi flavor blocks or Aromat for an instant version.  Mine is also an instant version but I used  Knorr soup to do the trick for me.

Here's the super simple recipe~

For the curry-
1 pkt Knorr premium Veg Thai soup
100ml coconut milk
1 cup mixed veggies of your choice (broccoli, cauli, carrots and beans)
1 medium onion finely chopped
3-4 garlic pods finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric pwd
Salt to taste
2-3 tsp oil
Water to dilute

Mix Knorr soup mix with 300ml water and set aside.
In a sauce pan, heat oil, add onions and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes.
Add veggies and saute until veggies are partially cooked.
Add turmeric powder and Knorr soup mix.  Add additional water and salt to taste. Let it come to a rolling boil. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.  Switch off the flame and add coconut milk. Curry broth is ready.

To serve ~
1 pkt plain noodles (boiled, oiled and kept aside)
Fried onions
Fried noodles
Spring onions fine chopped
Chilli flakes
Roasted peanuts
Lime wedges
Chopped cilantro

Add a handful of noodles to a soup bowl, top with curry broth and leave it up to your guests to top with remaining garnishes as per their choice.  Serve hot....best for a nice wintery evening! Enjoy!

:)