Maja Banana (manjar de plátanos con canela)

I wanted to make a traditional Filipino dessert called maja blanca. It's made with coconut milk and corn kernels, cooked and set in corn flour. Mmmmm! However, living in the Sub-Himalayan part of the Indian Subcontinent means I get snow and little access to fresh coconuts because they don't grow here. I could buy tinned coconut milk from the local supermarket but they're imported from Thailand and that just defeats the whole reason this food item was invented in the first place. This dessert is an adapted version of the Spanish manjar blanca, which means white delicacy, made with dairy milk. Since we Southeast Asians didn't have a prevalent cow-milking culture before and during the days of colonisation, we made use of what was available to us -- coconuts -- thus maja blanca was born. In channelling the spirit of those who came before me, I simply couldn't make do with something flown in from Thailand -- at least for this food item -- so I decided to use what was in the pantry: bananas and cinnamon.

maja banana

This recipe makes

- 1 small bowl mold good for 4 people if served as a dessert or snack


You will need:

- 2 tablespoons of corn flour (also known as corn starch)

- 3 large bananas, mashed to oblivion or blended

- ½ teaspoon of powdered cinnamon 

- 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar (adjust to taste)

- 1 cup (450ml) of water 

- 1 tablespoon of neutral cooking oil (sunflower and corn oil are good)

- ⅛ teaspoon (or a small pinch) of salt 

Let's do this!

1. In a small frying pan (ideally non-stick), heat some oil and lightly fry the bananas with a tiny pinch of salt. After 2 minutes, add powdered cinnamon and sugar, and stir to incorporate well. Cook over medium heat with constant stirring for 3 minutes until aromatic.

2. Mix the corn flour and water well to make a slurry and pour it into the pan. Cook in high heat with constant stirring until the mixture becomes very thick. Not sauce-thick, not batter-thick. I mean sticking-to-the-spatula and difficult-to-stir-thick. But be careful not to burn it or dehydrate it too much. Use wise judgement, for heaven's sake!

3. Transfer to a greased mold or bowl and refrigerate covered for at least 3 hours to set.

4. Invert the mold onto a plate to reveal the set maja banana. Serve as a snack or dessert. 

Tip:  Best served with tea, coffee or hot chocolate.

Basic Silken Tofu and Mushroom Ramen

One of my biggest quandaries about turning plant-based is not being able to order ramen at Japanese restaurants because, even if they don't put meat cutlets or formerly live seafood in it, the broth they use is always, always, always based on meat -- usually pork. And if I ask them to omit the broth, they wouldn't know how to make it taste good, so rather than suffer eating bland noodles soaked in plain hot water, I just skip it. For years, I steered clear of the holy noodle bowl until one day someone slapped my forehead with chopsticks and I realised I could actually make it myself!

This recipe makes

- 1 bowl for one person


You will need:

Mandatory Ingredients

- 1 tablespoon of good quality soy sauce (e.g. nama shoyu, tamari, Pantai Mushroom Soy Sauce, Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce)

- ½ teaspoon of black bean garlic paste * alternatively: ½ teaspoon of fermented black soybeans and one clove of garlic, bashed into a paste with a mortar and pestle * alternatively: 1 teaspoon of miso paste

- 1 teaspoon of instant vegetable broth paste or powder * alternatively: mushroom powder 

- 100-120g of dry ramen noodles

- 500 ml (2 cups) of boiling water 

- 50g of silken tofu (or any kind of tofu), cut into cubes

- 50 g of mushrooms (ideally shiitake, but any kind will do), whole or cut, you decide 

- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil 

- ½ sheet of nori, thinly cut 

- 1 tablespoon of scallions, chopped 

- 1 teaspoon of crispy fried garlic, finely chopped

Optional Ingredients

- ½ teaspoon of chilli oil

- 1 tablespoon of cabbage, finely chopped 

- 1 tablespoon of sweet corn kernels

- 1 teaspoon of roasted sesame seeds

- 1 tablespoon of mung bean sprouts

- ½ teaspoon of crushed (pulverised) Sichuan pepper corn

Let's do this!

1. In a large serving bowl, add soy sauce, vegetable broth paste/powder, black bean garlic paste (or miso if using it as an alternative) and dry ramen noodles. Add boiling water. Cover the bowl with a lid and leave for 5 minutes.

2. Open and stir everything to mix well. When the noodles have swollen up and the pastes and broth powders have dissolved, add silk tofu, mushrooms and sesame oil. Sprinkle nori on top, then chopped scallions and fried garlic.

3. Add any or all of the optional ingredients. If not, serve.

Tip:  This is best served immediately after preparing.

Avocado-Based Vegan Ice Cream

a vegan dessert 

Now that summer has hit most of the Philippine Islands, let me share my Avocado-Based Vegan Ice Cream recipes even if I'm currently living in a cold city where spring has just come.

There are three (3) recipes for three different flavours in this post -- Mochavocado (chocolate and coffee), Mangocado (mango), and Avocadurian (durian, obviously). Try all or some of them depending on what you fancy.

MOCHAVOCADO Ice Cream

If you follow one recipe strictly, you will be have:

- 2 ice cream servings



Mochavocado (pictured above)

- 1 whole large avocado (flesh only) 

- 1 teaspoon of nama shoyu or tamari (or plain soy sauce if you don't have either) 

- 50g of melted dark chocolate (ideally 70% and above) 

- 2 tablespoons of agave nectar, maple syrup or coconut sugar 

- half a cup of coconut cream 

- 1 shot of espresso

Mangocado (pictured below)

- 1 whole large avocado (flesh only) 

- 1 whole ripe large mango (flesh only) 

- 3 tablespoons of overnight-soaked steel-cut oats 

- 1 heaped teaspoon of grated turmeric (half teaspoon if powdered)

Avocadurian (pictured below)

- 1 whole large avocado (flesh only) 

- 5 tablespoons of durian flesh

To make:

Throw everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Then use an ice cream maker and churn until it turns to ice cream. If you don't have an ice cream maker, freeze it for at least four (4) hours. A good tip is to take it out every half hour for the first 2 hours; lightly blend it; and put it back to freeze. This is to make sure your ice cream is well-aerated and does not harden into a solid block.

Notes: 

- For Mangocado - Turmeric is not absolutely necessary and I must say it adds a bit of a distinct flavour and you will be able to tell what it is if you know turmeric. I use it primarily to mask the persistent green colour. Plus, it's also really good for you.

 - For Mochavocado -  Soy sauce (nama shoyu or tamari) kicks out most of the avocado taste and enhances the flavour profile of chocolate. I've tried making the ice cream without it and while it's also good, it's not quite as good. You may omit it if you have a problem with soy.

- For Avocadurian - If you don't like durian, don't make it.

AVOCADURIAN Ice Cream

MANGOCADO Ice Cream

Mushroom Stir-Fry with Asian Style Tomato Sauce

a vegan dish

Following the ouster of all non-European teams from the 2018 FIFA World Cup Finals season, I felt the need for a healthy distraction. What better way than cooking awesome vegan food?

Oyster Mushroom Stir-Fry with Asian Style Tomato Sauce on a Bed of Lamian Noodles

If you follow this recipe strictly, granting that this is the only food item eaten for a meal (with your preferred carb staple, of course), you will be able to feed:

- 1 hungry person, or
- 2 not-very-hungry people


You will need:

For the Mushroom Stir-Fry

- 150 g of mushrooms (oyster, champignon or portobello), rough cut 

- 1 teaspoon of garlic, finely chopped  

- 1 tablespoon of scallions, finely chopped 

- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (more or less to taste because it depends on what kind and brand you use, I use Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce) 

- 1 or 2 tablespoons of neutral-flavoured oil (vegetable or sunflower oil is ideal; pomace olive is acceptable; coconut oil is NOT OK as it's too overpowering)

For the Asian Style Tomato Sauce

- 4 fresh medium ripe roma tomatoes (or alicante tomatoes or whatever medium ripe tomatoes you have, but make sure they are all ripe and red, otherwise, you can forget about cooking this), quartered 

- 1 teaspoon of garlic, finely chopped  

- 1 tablespoon of scallions, finely chopped 

- 1 teaspoon of ginger, grated 

- 3 pieces of bird's eye chilli (more or less, depending on your heat tolerance; you can also use whatever spicy chilli you have), finely chopped

- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce 

- 1 or 2 tablespoons of neutral-flavoured oil 

- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil

Let's do this!

1. In a wok (or pan, if you're not Asian), heat 1 or 2 tablespoons of neutral-flavoured oil in high fire. DO NOT WAIT FOR SMOKE POINT, duh. As soon as it heats up, add scallions and stir for around 15 seconds. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds or until it turns a bit brown. Just a bit brown, not burnt! Add mushrooms and soy sauce. Stir. Cook until the mushrooms are done. Make sure there is still quite a bit of liquid (from the mushrooms). Don't let it dry up too much; that's not what we want. Turn off the heat. Remove everything from the wok. Transfer into a bowl and set aside. 

2. In the same wok (no need to wash, don't be fussy), add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of neutral-flavoured oil. Throw in the chilli. Stir for 30 seconds and cover your mouth when you sneeze. Follow the same sequence of adding spices in. Add the ginger together with the garlic. Add the tomatoes in. Stir everything around in super high heat until the tomatoes are well softened. Rub the tomatoes on the sides, deglazing the caramelised bits from the mushroom thingy you just cooked. Press down on the tomatoes to release flavour and liquid. Reduce heat to low, but not super low. Simmer covered for 5 minutes. Now, I know woks don't normally have lids, so figure something out! Make sure the liquid doesn't dry up; it's a sauce, not a paste. Turn off the heat. Add the sesame oil and mix. 

3. Mix everything together. Adjust the taste to your liking. You may use a bowl or just the wok. Simply add the mushrooms back in after turning off the heat.

Tip:  This is best eaten with rice or pre-cooked plain lamian (ramen) noodles. You may eat it with other types of Asian noodles like saang mein, shahe fen, banh pho or khanom chin. You may also eat it with pasta. Heck, you may even eat it with bread if you feel that you must. However, you must resist the urge to eat it with mashed potatoes. Come on, have a little respect!

Champignon Mushroom Stir-Fry with Asian Style Tomato Sauce

Vegan Laing

a vegan adaptation of a traditionally non-vegan Bicolano (North-Eastern Philippines) dish

Savouring a spoonful of my most recent piece of art after it left the saucepan and moved to a serving bowl, I asked myself why I don't make it often. It's effing amazing, but the last time I cooked it was over a year ago. Then I looked at the wall clock and saw that it was 7:30pm--two hours after I had started cooking. I got my answer: It takes super long. And, on top of that, it could get very painful if you're not careful enough.

Taro, as a vegetable, can categorically be considered a risky ingredient. Unlike onions and garlic that will simply turn unpalatable if you mishandle them, this stuff could actually cause harm. Kind of like cassava. Why do we use these ingredients, you ask? Because if you pull things off, they are heavenly and irreplaceable! Also, we Filipinos are adrenaline junkies! We sweat and palpitate as we stir stews in a cauldron, awaiting the very moment when we need to take a sip of the broth during the seasoning process and ultimately find out whether we would be giggling at the dinner table afterwards or bleeding from the mouth in the ER.

So do yourself a favour if you decide to cook this dish and follow the full detoxification process. Don't take shortcuts. Maybe I overplayed its toxicity a bit in the previous paragraph. I hope that didn't put you off. If you, you daring kitchen diva you, still want to make this dish, read on.

Vegan Laing

If you follow this recipe strictly, granting that this is the only food item eaten for a meal (with rice, of course), you will be able to feed:

- 3 regular sized people,
- 2 large people, or
- 1 very hungry person of any size


You will need:

- 200 grams of fresh taro leaves (100 grams if dried), stalks and main rib chopped off 

- 6 cups of fresh coconut milk, ideally using the coconut water to extract it (use 1½ large coconut or 2 smaller coconuts; 3 cans if you don't have access to fresh ones)

- 4 large sheets of nori, roughly chopped or ripped to bits

- pieces of seriously spicy chilli, ideally 10 pieces of bird's eye or 12 pieces of siling labuyo or 1 ghost pepper, finely chopped and seeds included (you may use more or less depending on your tolerance for spicy food) 

- 1 large onion, very finely chopped 

- 9 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped 

- 3 tablespoons of finely grated ginger

- 2 teaspoons of salted black beans, also known as tau-si, douchi or tochi, mashed with a fork/spoon

- 1 cup of minced tofu adobo or minced vegemeat adobo, meaning marinated in garlic, vinegar and soy sauce, and fried (purely optional; I mean it's so optional that I didn't even use it) 

- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (ideally coconut oil; other neutral-tasting vegetable oils will do; avoid olive oil as it has a distinct taste)

- water as needed

- sea salt for seasoning

Traditionally, this dish is not vegan at all. Purist omnivores in northern Philippines would spit on the ground in front of me for forgoing shrimp paste and pork shoulder, but I don't really care.

To replace the oceany taste of shrimp paste, I use a combination of nori sheets and salted black beans. Married, they basically become vegan bagoong.

To replace pork, if one feels that they must, you can use minced vegemeat adobo or minced tofu adobo. I didn't, though. I didn't feel it was necessary.

For best taste, cook this dish in a pot/cauldron made of clay on top of actual wood instead of an LPG stove. Of course, not all of us have this option, so boo-hoo!


First of all, let's make sure the taro leaves are edible before we cook with them:

1.  Put all the leaves in a saucepan. 

2.  Push the leaves down and cover with water about 2 cm higher than the pile of leaves. 

3.  Close the saucepan with a lid and bring to the boil. 

4.  Simmer for 20 minutes. 

5.  Drain the water completely. Rinse the leaves and squeeze out remaining liquid. 

6.  Repeat this process two more times, reducing the simmer time to 10 minutes and 5 minutes, respectively.

7.  After squeezing for a final time, chop the leaves roughly. 

Now, let's make vegan laing:

1.  Heat your pan and pour in 2 tablespoons of oil. 

2.  Maintain medium heat, drop in your chopped onion and chillies together.
Saute until the onion softens. 

3.  Add the garlic and ginger and sautee for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Make sure nothing burns and sticks to the bottom of the pan because, god almighty, that would be a disaster!

4.  Pour in 2 cups of coconut milk. Drop a generous pinch of salt. Add the prepared taro leaves and stir to mix everything well. Bring to the boil.

5.  When it boils, stir in the nori and mashed salted black beans together. Add the rest of the coconut milk. If you elect to put tofu or vegemeat in your vegan laing, now would be the time to drop them in. Stir to mix everything.

6.  Bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce reduces and thickens. When I say "reduce," I don't mean dry up. I mean around the level of the solid ingredients when you can actually see the taro popping up, not swimming but still soaking.

7.  Season with more salt if necessary. Stir. Taste.

8.  Take off the heat and serve. 

Note:  Don't worry, you'll live.

Peanut Butter

a vegan spread

For the 80% raw, 20% cooked food vegan that I am, this, my dear friends, is the epitome of comfort cooked food.  This tops the list!  I eat so much of it so I had to learn to make it myself--if not for economic reasons, then for convenience and sheer awesomeness!  Any why not?  It's simple and you can be absolutely sure there aren't any nasty and harmful substances in it.

I had a conversation with my Dutch friend, Dominik, a few days ago about how I make my own peanut butter.  He asked if I had posted a recipe on my food blog but then I hadn't at the time so I just gave him the instructions.  This posting is for the sake of pictures and for the benefit of the rest of the world.

Hey, Dominik, enjoy making your own peanut butter from now on!

Presenting: My home made peanut butter... and my Chinese visa papers? Hahaha!

I made just a small batch for photographic purposes since I still have a half-full jar in my fridge good for the rest of the week.  This recipe, though, will be good for about a 150-millilitre mason jar.

You will need:

- 2 cups of raw peanuts (off the shells, of course, but skin on or off doesn't matter to me) 

- 2 tablespoons of peanut oil or coconut oil (I use virgin coconut oil.) 

- 1 tablespoon (more or less or none) of agave nectar/maple syrup/honey/sugar 

- ½ teaspoon of salt

To make peanut butter:

1.  You may begin by dry roasting the peanuts or frying them in the coconut oil.  Up to you.  This takes about 5 minutes over low heat, with constant stirring to ensure even cooking. 

2.  Drop everything in a food processor along with all your other ingredients and blend for about 2 minutes or until you achieve the desired consistency.  (Because I only made a tiny batch, I used a coffee grinder instead of a food processor.  It works, too.)

NOTE:  To make chunky peanut butter, reserve a tablespoon of peanuts before blending and add them in afterwards, blending for only 20 seconds to make sure you get chunks.

ANOTHER NOTE:  After making your base peanut butter (i.e. the recipe above), you can take it to the next level by adding cocoa powder or cinnamon or vanilla.  You can even apply this recipe using other nuts like cashew and almond to make other types of nut butter.

Peanuts frying - skin on

blending in a coffee grinder

Voila!  It's fluid at this point because it's hot but it'll turn viscous when it cools.
Those are green tomatoes from my mother's farm in the background.

Mixed Vegetables Soup

a vegan soup

This is my way of educating people on the basics of soup making.  Anyone can make soup but the question of taste is always a concern.  In this recipe, I will explain the rudiments of how to adjust ingredients and what the basics are to making it work.

right before cooking

This particular recipe will give you a bowl good for 2 people (eating only this dish as a full meal) but you can adjust it proportionately so you can make more.

There are various kinds of soup and a wide variety of ingredients you can use.  For this one, I used:

- 2 standard-sized potatoes 

- 3 medium tomatoes 

- 1 cup of chopped broccoli head 

- 1 cup of chopped broccoli stalk (without the hard outer layer) 

- 2 whole onions, roughly cut 

- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 

- 1 teaspoon of dried marjoram (oregano) leaves 

- water 

- salt and black pepper for seasoning (after cooking)

Tools necessary are a sauce pan and a food processor or blender.

The process is very simple:  Put all ingredients in a sauce pan; add a couple of pinches of salt; cover with about 3 to 4 cups of water (depending on how viscous or fluid you want it); bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.  After simmering, transfer to a food processor or blender and pulse to liquefy.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and then serve.

simmering

served with a garnish of cooked chopped broccoli head

Depending on the available ingredients and your taste buds' preference, you can adjust what the soup contains.  For example:  You can use just one onion or half.  You can use only one or two tomatoes, or five if it pleases you.  You can omit the marjoram or use thyme.  Better yet, add coriander and parsley.  You can omit the broccoli and use pumpkin instead.  The possibilities are endless.  Just don't go crazy.

If something isn't desirable eaten in a salty scenario, don't use it—or if you have to use it, don't use too much.  Take carrots, for instance.  It's a good vegetable but I think it makes soup cloying if you use a lot.  Don't use too much of ingredients that are strong unless they have a necessary appeal like tomatoes.  They are lovely and most of us wouldn't mind a lot of them in soup.  Heck, you can even make them your primary ingredient.  Onions, as well, are great—as in French onion soup.  More than three cloves of garlic, however, in a bowl of soup that serves two people, is not very palatable.

Your choice of herbs will affect the taste, too.  Coriander, marjoram, thyme and parsley are great for soups.  You can add lots of parsley and coriander but not really thyme and marjoram.  They're very imposing.  So are other herbs like tarragon, basil, mint, rosemary and sage.  While they are acceptable in small quantities, they might give you the feeling that you're drinking an infusion rather than eating soup if you use too much.

Experimentation is necessary in the art of soup making.  You'll find that the more mistakes you make, the more you get better.  Mistakes are how I came up with these guidelines.  Make soup making a habit and you'll get the hang of it as the days come by.

Hummus

a vegan sauce

To be completely honest, although I do consume a fair amount of Tahini, I'm not a huge fan of it on its own.  The real reason I make it is so I could then proceed to making hummus—an awesome Middle Eastern food item that requires it.

Hummus is actually the Arabic term for chickpeas.  What we're dealing with here is called ḥummuṣ bi ṭaḥīna in Arabic—meaning hummus with tahini.  It is the non-sweet cousin of peanut butter that is commonly consumed in the region where Jesus Christ and Mohammed lived.  Whether or not you adhere to an Abrahamic religion, you'll probably love this.

Following this recipe will fill up a standard peanut butter jar or, in my case, again, a plastic container.

You will need:

- 2 cups of cooked chickpeas (or garbanzo beans, as they are otherwise called) 

- 2 tablespoons of tahini 

- 1 clove or garlic (or 2, depending on the kick you want in it) 

- ½ cup of the stock from cooking the chickpeas 

- 4 tablespoons of lemon juice (or lime juice) 

- 1 teaspoon of salt (or ½, depending on the strength of your salt) 

- 2 tablespoons of olive oil

To make it, just blend all the ingredients in a food processor until you come up with a smooth paste.

Serve with a light sprinkle of ground black pepper and paprika and a good drizzle of olive oil.

Tahini

a vegan sauce

I've been playing with Middle Eastern vegan food over the last couple of days and, really, one can't function well in such a field without Tahini.  It's actually Tahina, if you're gonna be strict about its Arabic pronunciation, by the way.

Following this recipe will fill up a small jar or, in my case, plastic container.

You will need:

- 2 cups of sesame seeds 

- 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil (preferably extra virgin olive oil because it is cold pressed and raw) 

- water if necessary

There are two ways to go about this:  Raw or roasted.  I personally prefer raw because I think it's healthier but roasting is traditional so I'm not adverse to it.  There are two attitudes you receive this food item with—you either like it or you don't—and raw or roasted won't make much of a difference.  Either way, you'll be needing a good food processor or high speed blender (Vitamix or Blendtec are the best brands).


Let's make Tahini:

1.  (For raw)  Soak your sesame seeds in water overnight.  This is done so the seeds become easier to digest in their raw state.  Drain afterwards. 

or 

1.  (For traditional)  Roast your dry sesame seeds in a pan, just long enough for oil to start coming out of them.  Toss or stir the seeds continuously to make sure they are evenly heated.  Make sure they do not turn brown.  They may turn yellow—even goldish—but never darker than that.  Dark seeds will give you a very bitter tahini and, properly made, this food item is already slightly bitter to begin with. 

2.  Blend or process the seeds with the oil until it turns into a smooth paste.  Add a bit of water—a tablespoon at a time—if you find it difficult to blend.  Don't add too much, though, as you don't want it to become too fluid.  You want considerable viscosity in your final product.

Note:  The extra water is not necessary if your blender or food processor is powerful enough or if you have the patience to smoosh it down every five seconds.  You may even forgo the oil if you feel you don't need it.  The sesame seeds are rich in oil so all that the extra oil really does is help with the fluidity but it's not absolutely necessary.

Heavenly Chocolate Brownies

a vegan cake (or whatever category brownies fall under)

Today, I had the strongest urge to bake brownies but the last time I made them, I was still lacto-ovo.  Now that I'm vegan, though, I didn't know if flax or banana would work as an egg substitute.  As it turned out, they're absolutely perfect.  I made mine using a banana.  Flax, I read upon doing research, is a better substitute but I don't have any at the moment so I settled for the fruit-based alternative.

If you follow the recipe strictly, you will come up with half a party platter.


You will need:

- 2 cups of all-purpose flour 

- 1¼ cup of agave nectar or honey if you're okay with it (Adjust sweetness by adding or subtracting a tablespoon or two) 

- 1 unit of banana-based egg alternative OR 2 units of flax seed-based egg alternative 

- 200 grams of dark chocolate, melted (Melt using the double boil method or microwave.) 

- 1 cup of liquefied virgin coconut oil 

- 1 cup of water 

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

- 1 teaspoon of baking powder 

- 1 teaspoon of salt

Let's get baking:

1.  Preheat your oven to 350°F or 175°C. 

2.  In a mixing bowl, mix your agave nectar, egg alternative, water, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt. 

3.  Thoroughly mix your coconut oil and your melted chocolate.  You may use a pan over low heat or a double boiler to do this. 

4.  Pour the chocolate and oil mixture into the mixing bowl.  Throw in the flour and mix well for about a minute, preferably using a mixer but a whisk will do. 

5.  Lightly grease a baking tray (23cm x 34cm or 9" x 13") and line the surface and sides with baking paper. 

6.  Pour your brownie mix onto the tray and bake for 30-35 minutes. 

7.  Check if it's done using a cocktail stick or toothpick (i.e. it should come out clean when poked).  If done, take it out of the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting to squares. 

8.  Serve heaven.

Refried Beans

a vegan sauce

I made bean stew and soaked way too much beans for the folks in the house to consume in a single sitting.  They were beginning to sprout in the bowl so I had to do something with them and I didn't want to make the same dish again.  I remember my vegan friend, Chef Marla (who now resides in Bali), brought refried beans at a dinner party we were in.  I particularly relished that stuff so I made some myself!

It kind of looks like peanut butter, doesn't it?  If you make it without the spices, reduce the salt and use a sweetener (e.g. honey or agave nectar), it's actually going to taste a lot like peanut butter.

This recipe makes a bowl good for I don't know how many people.

You will need:

- 1 cup of dried beans 

- 3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped 

- ½ medium sized onion, coarsely chopped 

- ½ teaspoon of marjoram (dried or fresh) 

- 2 tablespoons of olive oil 

- salt and pepper for seasoning 

- water

To make it:

1-3.  Soak the beans on 4 cups of water overnight.  

or   

1.  Add beans to 4 cups of boiling water.  

2.  Bring back to the boil and boil for 5 minutes.  

3.  After 5 minutes, turn the heat off; put the lid on and leave for 2 hours to cool.  

4.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  

5.  Put the beans back in a pan and cover it well with water.  Make sure the water lever is about an inch above the beans. 

6.  Add garlic, onion, marjoram and 2 pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper and bring to the boil.  

7.  When it comes to the boil, bring the heat to low.  Cover with a lid and simmer for 2 hours to tenderise the beans.  Check periodically to make sure the water does not dry up. 

8.  Drain the water out. 

9.  Heat your olive oil in a pan over low heat. 

10.  Drop in a cup of beans at a time and mash it with a masher. 

11.  Add water to increase fluidity--about ¼ cup or more based on your judgement--just not too much. 

or 

9-11.  Put beans with olive oil and ¼ cup of water in a food processor and blend away. 

12.  When all the beans have been mashed to perfection, check seasoning and serve.

Beans in Spicy Tomato Sauce

a vegan dish

I've been itching to eat vegetarian tomato sauce beans but I didn't want to have the canned ones anymore; they're rather cloying.  Also, fresh is always best, so I decided to whip up my version of the tinned favourite.  Guess what, it tasted awesome!  It takes a lifetime to make but it's totally worth it.

This will feed:

- 2 to 3 people

You will need:

- a burning passion for cooking (otherwise this dish will taste like cardboard marinated in sweat squeezed from wet old socks) 

- 1 cup of dried beans (In my case red beans, but you can use any type you want.) 

- 4 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped or pulsed to chunky bits in a food processor, seeds included (If you don't think they're large enough, add more.) 

- 3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped 

- 1 medium sized onion, coarsely chopped 

- 3 cloves of garlic, halved 

- 1 medium sized onion, quartered 

- 3 cayenne peppers, halved, de-seeded and cut crosswise (You can omit, reduce or increase based on your tolerance for spicy food.) 

-  1 tablespoon of olive oil 

- salt and pepper for seasoning 

- water (and lots of it) 

- ½ teaspoon of chopped basil 

- ½ teaspoon of dried or chopped marjoram/oregano

Let's make it:

Cooking this dish has three parts:  preparing the beans, preparing the tomato sauce, and cooking them together

Preparing the beans: 

1-3.  Soak the beans on 4 cups of water overnight 

or  

1.  Add beans to 4 cups of boiling water. 

2.  Bring back to the boil and boil for 5 minutes. 

3.  After 5 minutes, turn the heat off; put the lid on and leave for 2 hours to cool. 

4.  Drain and rinse with cold water. 

5.  Put the beans back in a pan and cover it well with water.  Make sure the water lever is about an inch above the beans. 

6.  Add halved garlic, quartered onion, 2 pinches of salt and bring to the boil. 

7.  When it comes to the boil, bring the heat to low.  Cover with a lid and simmer for about 1 hour.  We're not looking to tenderise too much because we will put them through another cooking stage later on. 

8.  After an hour of simmering, drain the beans and set them aside.

Preparing the tomato sauce: 

1.  In a saucepan, wok, or frying pan of considerable depth, sauté the chopped garlic and onion for about a minute. 

2.  Add in your cayenne pepper and sauté for 30 seconds. 

3.  Add in your juicy tomatoes and mix well. 

4.  Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. 

5.  When it comes to the boil, add in your herbs (basil and marjoram) and mix well. 

6.  Reduce the heat very low; cover the pan and simmer gently for about 1 hour.  Check on the sauce every 20 minutes to make sure the sauce doesn't dry up.  It should get thick but not to the point where it can potentially burn, so if you think it lacks fluidity, stir in 2 tablespoons of water at a time.

Putting the two together: 

1.  Add the beans to the pan where the tomato sauce is simmering. 

2.  Cover and allow to cook with the same low heat for about 15-30 minutes, until the beans are comfortably tender to the bite.  Test by biting on a bean after every once in a while. 

3.  Season as deemed necessary and serve.

Here's a green tomato version of such awesomeness!  Slightly more tart but no less blissful.

HAPPY WORLD VEGETARIAN DAY!

Oat Flour Crepe

a vegan quick bread

I had some mango chutney (achār or whatever) left from last night but I didn't have any more chapati to eat it with and I didn't want to settle for ordinary bread.  I was basically looking for an excuse to play with the stove so I decided to make some crepes.  The bummer was I didn't have flour anymore so I improvised.  Thus, I came up with something vegan, gluten-free and awesome!

If you follow the recipe strictly, you'll come up with:

- 2 medium sized crepes


You will need:

- 150 grams (1 cup) of oat flour * You can make it yourself by grinding oatmeal in a coffee grinder until it becomes completely powdered. 

- 250 millilitres (1 cup) of soy/almond/coconut or any non-dairy milk * In my case, I used organic soy milk. 

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil * If you use coconut milk, omit this ingredient. 

- 1 tablespoon of agave nectar or maple syrup (or honey, if you're okay with it) 

- 1 unit equivalent of banana-based egg substitute * Click on the link to know how to make it.

- ¼ teaspoon of salt 

- 1 tablespoon of baking powder

To make pancakes:

1.  Mix all the wet ingredients in a bowl, including the banana egg substitute. 

2.  Add in all the dry ingredients to the mixing wet ingredients in this order:  Flour, salt, and baking powder 

3.  Make sure your batter is a little bit runny.  If, by your good judgement, it's not runny enough, mix in a bit more vegetable milk.  Make sure it doesn't become too fluid because then it will fall apart when you flip it since it's completely gluten-free. 

4.  Cook over low heat with a non-stick or greased pan.  Spread it fairly thin all over the surface.  A minute on each side will likely do.  Make sure you flip it carefully since it won't hold as well as normal gluten-filled crepes would.

Mango Chutney (or Achar or Whatever)

a vegan sauce

I wanted to make mango chutney but I didn't have all the right spices so I thought I'd simplify it and make achār instead.  Then again, I wanted it to be sweet, so I decided to improvise using simple ingredients.  If Mango chutney and mango achār were to make love and have babies, at least one of them would probably taste like this.

If any Indians are reading this, please don't get mad.  I love you!

If you follow this recipe strictly, you'll come up with about half a small jar of whatever this thing is.


You will need:

- 1 large mango (flesh only), roughly chopped 

- 2 teaspoons of ginger paste or shredded ginger * If you don't like ginger, reduce it to 1 teaspoon.  Remember that a little ginger goes a long way.

- ½ teaspoon of turmeric (paste or powder) * This is for colour. 

- 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar 

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil 

- 1 tablespoon of agave nectar (or honey if you're not opposed to the idea)

- ⅓ cup of water 

- ¼ teaspoon of salt (or a little less)

mango

shredded ginger

turmeric powder

To make it:

1.  Sauté the ginger paste in olive oil over low heat for a few seconds. 

2.  Add in your mango and sauté for about a minute. 

3.  Add in the turmeric and sauté for 2 minutes. 

4.  Stir the salt, vinegar and sweetener in. 

5.  Stir in water and simmer over very low heat (with occasional stirring) until thick.

(Raw) Vegan Chocolate Pudding

a vegan dessert

This is an adapted version of Laura Miller's "not gross avocado chocolate pudding."  It's simple; it's delicious; it's vegan!  So, go make it.

This recipe is good for a whole bowl of pudding, which will feed a varied number depending on how hungry or greedy the diners are.

You will need:

- 2 large ripe avocados (of course just the flesh) 

- ½ cup of agave nectar, maple syrup, or honey (Now, maple syrup may not be technically raw but it's still used in a lot of raw food recipes.  Honey may be raw but not exactly pure vegan.  You can use it if you're not hardcore.  Just make sure it's cultured and you know the bees weren't killed in the process of collecting it.) 

- ½ cup of raw cocoa powder or melted dark chocolate (Use the latter if you're not fanatic about eating raw.) 

- 3 tablespoons of liquid coconut oil 

- ½ teaspoon of balsamic vinegar (No other kind of vinegar will do.)

- ½ teaspoon of nama shoyu or regular soy sauce (Nama shoyu is simply raw, unpasteurised soy sauce which raw foodists use in place of regular soy sauce but you may use the latter if you don't have the raw option.  It's not going to make your dessert taste like soy sauce; it simply destroys the taste of avocado and sharpens the taste of chocolate.) 

- ¼ teaspoon of salt (You can add even less than this because you literally need very, very little.  Just an itsy bitsy pinch will do.)

To make it:

Mix everything well in a blender, food processor, or in a bowl using a fork. 

Ideally, mix in the avocado, salt, nama shoyu, balsamic vinegar and coconut oil first.  Add the agave nectar and cocoa powder after about a minute of blending the first batch of ingredients and blend for another minute or two.

END TIP:  If so desired, you may top it with your choice of fruits and/or nuts when you serve it.

Vegetable Red Curry

a vegan dish

I went to Siem Reap last year and bought a few spices for my kitchen.  There was this packet I picked up which said Red Curry and the shop keeper said it was the basic ingredient of Thai Red Curry Paste but that we needed to add garlic, onion, shrimp paste and fish sauce when the actual cooking happens.  It even came with instructions on a little piece of paper stuck on one side.  I asked if the thing I was holding was vegetarian.  She said, "yes because no shrimp, no fish yet."  She said the same thing for another packet labeled Amok Powder.  I couldn't have been happier putting the packets in my bag and paying a measly dollar for each.

It's now almost the end of February and the Red Curry powder is extinct.  Well, at least in my own kitchen.  I do, however, know how to make red curry without depending on a pre-mixed condiment so I did.  It's not quite as blissful as the real thing but it's pretty close.  Let me teach you how!

If you follow these instructions strictly, you will be able to serve:

- 3 people


You will need:

For the Curry Paste: 

- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled 

- 1 shallot or one medium red onion, chopped 

- 2 or more chilli peppers (depending on the size and how spicy you want the dish to be), chopped 

- 1 tablespoon of grated ginger 

- ½ teaspoon of salt 

- 1 teaspoon of lime or kalamansi zest 

- 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh coriander leaves (½ teaspoon if using coriander powder) 

- ½ teaspoon of cumin powder 

- ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper 

- 2 tablespoons of grated lemongrass bulb 

- ¼ cup of chopped peeled tomatoes 

- 1 tablespoon of chilli powder (or more if you want it extra spicy) 

- 1 tablespoon of raw muscovado sugar (or a vegan sweetener of your choice) 

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil 

- 2 tablespoons of fresh lime or kalamansi juice

For the rest of the curry: 

- 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks 

- 350-400 grams of an assortment of vegetables of your choice (in my case, aubergine and luffa) 

- 1 bay leaf (laurel leaf is another term for this)

- a handful of chopped fresh basil leaves 

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil 

- salt and pepper for seasoning 

- 1 cup of coconut milk or ½ cup of coconut cream 

- 1 tablespoon of mushroom sauce (optional)

Curry up:

1.  To make the curry paste: mix and bash all your paste ingredients using a mortar and pestle.  Spend at least 7 minutes doing this to make sure everything is crushed and ready.  Do it with love or don't do it at all. 

Of course, you may use a food processor or a coffee grinder if you're not skilled or courageous enough to use the traditional sacred tool or if you aren't in possession of it.  This is a quicker option because you only need a couple of pulses and you're done.  30 seconds, maybe.  Don't liquidise it, though.  You want a paste, NOT a purée.

2.  Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and sauté your vegetables along with the bay leaf for about 30 to 45 seconds. 

If you're a diva like me, use that pan skill to toss the vegetables without using a ladle and show off.  This is best done when people are watching you cook—especially a date you're trying to impress!  Just make sure you don't miss the veggies when they come down after airtime because you're in for a big clean up job that your audience won't likely be glad to help you with.

3.  Add the tomato chunks and sauté for a minute. 

4.  Pour in the red curry paste.  Add the coconut milk or cream to the pan, mix everything well and bring to the boil. 

5.  When it comes to the boil, you have an option to add 1 tablespoon of mushroom sauce.  Whether you add any or not, though, your next step is to pour in ½ cup of water. 

6.  Bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 7 minutes or until the water has reduced considerably and the sauce is thick enough. 

7.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

8.  Turn off the heat, take out the bay leaf and mix in your fresh basil leaves.  If you don't have fresh basil leaves, don't even bother adding anything else.  Dried leaves are absolutely unacceptable!  You hear me?  UN-AC-CEP-TA-BLE!

9.  Serve by itself or with a staple carbohydrate-rich food of your choice:  rice, pasta, couscous, potatoes, chapati, pita, naan, tortilla or whatever else.

Deep-Fried Aubergines in Curry Batter

a vegan dish

I'm back after what felt like an eternity of not posting any recipes.  This particular dish is my own variation of a food item I had the pleasure of sinking my teeth into when I was in Cambodia.

Get this:  I was living in a hotel whose kitchen had very little knowledge of how to take care of vegetarians so the chef ended up cooking the same stuff over and over again.  We were four in the vegetarian table and what bothered us was that tofu fritters in mushroom sauce and this dish I'm about to show you how to make were their best items yet they only served them thrice for the entire time we were there.

Looking back at it makes me miss it so I decided to make my own version.  The thing about mine, though, is that it isn't quite the same as the ones they served at Monoreach Angkor Hotel.  Some of you would probably say it's better (if you love curry) but if not...  Oh well.  Not my problem.

If you follow this recipe strictly, you'll come up with a plate good for:

- 3 people


You will need:

- 2 medium-sized aubergines (about 350-400 grams total), sliced

For the marinade:

- 5:3:1 tablespoon ratio of soy sauce (or nama shoyu), pineapple juice and muscovado sugar 

OR 

- ½ cup of vegetarian oyster mushroom sauce

OR 

 - your own favourite vegan marinade... Do what you want, yo!

For the batter: 

- ½ cup of all-purpose flour 

- 1 tablespoon of corn starch 

- ½ teaspoon of turmeric 

- 1 teaspoon of curry powder 

- ⅓ cup of water, or more as needed

Let's make it:

1. Make thin slices out of the aubergines—about a third of an inch.  Crosswise, of course. 

2. Marinate them for about half an hour to an hour, squeezing and pressing occasionally to make sure the aubergines absorb the marinade. 

3. Mix your batter well.  Make sure to add just enough water to make the batter a little bit runny but not too runny 

4. Coat each marinated slice of aubergine well with the batter right before deep-frying. 

5. Deep fry them in batches for about 4 minutes or until golden—like the photo above.  Turn after 2 minutes if you think it's necessary.  Do not deep-fry individually, of course, but make sure you don't crowd them because they won't cook properly if you do that.  Duh!

6. Enjoy with teriyaki sauce or pineapple sauce or that awesome ubiquitous Indonesian condiment called kecap manis (sweet soy sauce).

P.S.  The bok choy in the photo is optional.  I just put it there because it makes things look pretty.  Deal with it.

Shiitake Mushroom Soup

a vegan dish

I've been cooking a lot of mushroom dishes lately.  It was an inadvertent theme for my culinary week's virtual calendar (since I don't keep one).

Say hello to shiitake goodness in a bowl!

If you follow this recipe strictly, you'll come up with a bowl good for:

- 1 or 2 persons


You will need:

- 1 cup of shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced 

- 1 medium sized potato, boiled and blended into a paste 

- 2 cups of vegetable stock or water 

- ¼ cup of chopped onion  

- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped  

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil 

- 1 pinch of chopped fresh/dried marjoram leaves  

- 1 pinch of chopped fresh/dried parsley leaves  

- salt for seasoning  

- 3 tablespoons of sweet-salty flavouring sauce (Lee Kum Kee Vegetarian Stir-Fry Sauce or any vegetarian oyster mushroom sauce if available)

If you don't have pre-made flavouring sauce, you can use this:

Mix 1½ tablespoon of soy sauce, ½ tablespoon of molasses or brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of hot water.

Let's make some mushroom soup:

1. In a saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil for half a minute.  

2. Drop in the mushroom and sauté for a minute.  

3. Pour in your vegetable stock (or water). 

4. Bring to the boil and simmer covered for 10 minutes over low heat.  

5. After simmering, sprinkle in your marjoram and parsley leaves.  

6. Add in the blended potato and pour in the flavouring sauce.  

7. Bring to the boil with continuous stirring to fully mix the ingredients.  

8. When it comes to the boil, simmer covered over low heat for 10 minutes with occasional stirring.  

9. Season with salt to your palate's desire.  

10. Serve!

NOTE:  If you want a smooth soup with just chunks of mushroom but no other annoying chunks, you may blend the onion and garlic before beginning to cook. That's what I did.  It's advisable to do it 'cause it gives the dish a more exciting kick.  It's actually much better!

Asparagus and Potato Soup

a vegan dish

I've recently discovered I actually like asparagus so I bought a lot of it last Saturday while shopping for groceries.  The downside, however, is that they don't like to linger in my crisper for a long time.  They tend to wilt and become stringy and inedible if you leave them hanging around for more than three days in your fridge.  Three various stir-fry recipes later, I was at risk of causing myself to become sick of it.  I was so intent at consuming it quickly before it went past its keeping period that I almost began to dislike it.

The solution?  Soup.  I don't know what it is about vegetable soup that seems to make everything better for me.

If you follow the recipe strictly, you'll come up with a bowl that will serve:

- 1 person if he/she isn't having anything else,
- 2 people if they're eating other stuff


You will need:

- 5 asparagus stalks (To prepare: Chop off and throw away the woody part at the bottom of each stalk.  Finely chop 2 whole stalks.  Halve the three remaining stalks crosswise.  Chop the bottom halves and leave the top halves intact.

- 1 medium sized potato, boiled and mashed or blended

- 3 cups of vegetable stock or water

- ¼ cup of chopped onion 

- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil

- 1 pinch of chopped fresh/dried marjoram leaves  

- 1 pinch of chopped fresh/dried parsley leaves 

- salt for seasoning 

- black pepper for seasoning 

- 3 tablespoons of sweet-salty flavouring sauce (Lee Kum Kee Vegetarian Stir-Fry Sauce or any vegetarian oyster mushroom sauce if available)

If you don't have pre-made flavouring sauce, you can use this:

Mix 1½ tablespoon of soy sauce, ½ tablespoon of molasses or brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of hot water.

Let's make some soup:

1. In a saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil for half a minute. 

2. Drop in the chopped asparagus and sauté for another 30 seconds. 

3. Pour in your vegetable stock (or water) and drop in the intact asparagus halves. 

4. Bring to the boil and simmer covered for 5 minutes over low heat. 

5. After 5 minutes, remove the intact tips and set them aside for later. 

6. Sprinkle in your marjoram and parsley leaves. 

7. Add in the mashed potato and pour in the flavouring sauce. 

8. Bring to the boil with continuous stirring to fully mix the ingredients. 

9. When it comes to the boil, simmer covered over low heat for 10 minutes with occasional stirring to scrape anything that sticks to the sides (because, yes, it will definitely happen). 

10. Season with salt and pepper to your palate's desire. 

11. Before serving, garnish with the intact asparagus tips like I did in the picture above.  And if you're wondering, of course you can eat them!

Spinach and Broccoli Adobo

a vegan dish

It's a modified version of something I've cooked hundreds of times before but never cared to post a recipe of.  It's just such a no-brainer that any run-of-the-mill Filipino could whip up a wok full without having to scream every three minutes asking their mums for help.  There's basically no chance this recipe could go wrong when it's cooked in a Filipino home.

If you're a Pinoy vegetarian living in the Philippines, I'm quite sure you've tried Adobong Kangkong.  What I'm about to teach you how to cook is simply a westernised version of it where I've replaced kangkong with real spinach and brought broccoli into the picture.

If you follow the recipe strictly, you'll come up with a bowl good for:

- 1 vegetarian, or
- 14 meat eating nut jobs who think it's good enough that they swallow half a teaspoon of vegetables once a week after gorging on fancily prepared dead animals for the rest of it


You will need:

- 1 cup of broccoli flower 

- ½ cup of broccoli stalk (without the woody/stringy outer coating) 

- 1 fistful of spinach leaves 

- 2 cloves of crushed garlic 

- 1 tablespoon of finely chopped onion 

- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce 

- 1 teaspoon of vinegar 

- ½ teaspoon of molasses (1 teaspoon of brown sugar will do, too) 

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil 

- salt for seasoning 

- black pepper for seasoning

NOTE:  If you don't like broccoli stalk, you may do away with it and replace it with one more cup of broccoli flower.


To cook it:

1. Mix the soy sauce, vinegar, molasses and garlic in a bowl, and then marinate the leaves in it.  Don't leave it to soak right away, though.  Get your hands dirty by squeezing the spinach like a sponge.  Let it absorb the marinade. 

2. Cover the bowl and allow it to sit in a warm place for 15 minutes while you take a shower or watch a shady short flick. ;) 

3. After you've showered or watched your 15-minute flick, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and drop in your onions and broccoli stalk to cook for about a minute. 

4. Remove the spinach leaves and garlic cloves from the marinade and drop them into your pan.  Don't you ever dare squeeze the marinade off it!  The idea is for some of the liquid to go with it when you drop it in.  Cook for about a minute with continuous stirring using a spoon to keep the ingredients from sticking to the pan and burning. 

5. Take a tablespoon of your marinade and it add to the pan.  You may throw the rest away. 

6. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to the pan and allow it to simmer covered over low heat for 5 minutes. 

7. After five minutes, drop in your broccoli flower.  Stir to coat it with the sauce. 

8. Add two more tablespoons of water and simmer covered for another 5 to 7 minutes.  Note that the broccoli flower will cook a bit slower here than most other recipes because it's not completely covered with liquid.  It's more like it's being steamed than simmered.  With the tiny amount of sauce in this dish, it usually just sits on top of the spinach. 

9. Remove the cover and season with salt and pepper to your taste buds' delight.  You may add a teaspoon of vegan stir-fry sauce if you like. 

10. Serve with a side of chilled black grapes and a glass of cold apple juice.

Veggie Adobo, Black Grapes and Apple Juice