Testing tasty treats

As many of you know, Krys of Two Vegan Boys is awesome, so is her blog and her food.  Lucky for me, I get to test recipes for her ;)  Along the way I will share pics and thoughts on my trials with you.  Not sure if I've mentioned, but I love trying out new recipes!  It's exciting and I learn so many things along the way.
Today I am sharing pics of Indian Curry (with tofu) and Blueberry Scones.  Both were quite tasty.  My current favorite, however, is the curry, which was nice and spicy.  We will definitely be making this again!  Also, check out the Two Vegan Boys blog for another pic of the Indian Curry.

Onion Lentil Snack and Potato Curry (Bangladesh)

First of all I have some great news.  Know that fantastic Peanut Soup I talked about a few days ago?  Well, I have permission to post the recipe!  So, head on back to that entry and make some fantastic Peanut Soup (compliments of the Mennonite Central Committee who publish the fantastic line of World Community Cookbooks)!

Staples in Bangladesh include rice and lentils (dal or daal), especially red lentils (according to Bangladeshi Recipes).  Bangladeshi Recipes, also, states that these are commonly used:  mung beans, ripe coconut, mustard oil and paste.  Fish are a major source of protein.  From Wikipedia: "As a large percentage of the land (over 80% on some occasions) can be under water, either intentionally because of farming practices or due to severe climatological, topographical or geographical conditions, not surprisingly fish features as the major source of protein in the Bangladeshi diet. There is also a saying which goes, "Mach-e-Bhat-e-Bangali" (Fish and rice make a Bengali)."  Beef is also very common.  You might find this 'common to region' information interesting (also from Wikipedia):
South - sea fish and coconut milk
Dhaka - fried rice and lot of meat (biriani)
West and NW - Vegetable curries, heavily spiced food and river fish
NE - lake fish, fruit, and pickles
Most important spices: ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, turmeric and chili.
For sweet dishes: cardomom and cinnamon. 

This meal:  I really enjoyed the Potato Curry.  The book recommends serving crisp, brown onions on top, which was a fantastic suggestion!  I would not recommend serving it on rice, however.  It was too dry for that.  I think, like the book recommends, that it would be a good idea to serve it with a juicier dish (which you could serve on rice if you wanted).  I wasn't a huge fan of the Onion Lentil snack, but I haven't really developed a taste for lentils.  Perhaps I will work to develop a lentil treat I like ;)

Potato Curry or Alu Torkari
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 med. onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
12-14 oz. tomatoes
1 t. garam masala
1 t. tumeric
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1 T. dry parsley
1 T. lemon juice (we used lime because we are out of lemon)
4 potatoes, cubed
1/4-1/3 c. water

Fry the thinly sliced onion in oil until brown and crisp, then set aside.  Fry onion and garlic until soft (about 3 min.).  Add tomatoes and spices and fry until tomatoes are soft (3-5 min.).  Add everything else, cover loosely and simmer.  Be sure to stir ovvasionally and continue until sauce is thick and potatoes are tender.  Garnish with onions.

For more food from Bangladesh, try these sites:
BangaliNet
Bangladesh.com
Bangladeshi Food and Recipes
Bangladeshi Recipes
Khanapinaa
Sify Food - Indian Food

Dancing souls, Happy animals and Massaman Curry

Herzog did it again. Another completely fantastic film (Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans)! And Nicolas Cage was amazing, doing what he does best :) Cage truly has a way with eccentric, offbeat characters. A wild man that does it well! And Herzog? Well, perhaps the same could be said. Here we are stranded in New Orleans and he still manages to reflect on a few reptiles. He loves those animals. Herzog has a way of drawing out amazing characters and creating an atmosphere unlike any other director I know.

How happy would you be if you found this is the mail?

Adam and I haven't exchanged gifts yet and are excitedly waiting for packages to come in the mail. Today an envelope came addressed to me from sweet Amey at Vegan Eats & Treats
It's a wonderful cookbooklette that made me smile with each page! I'm super excited to try out the recipes, especially her recipe for Disaronno Cookies (which I have never had)!

Here's the cover and I will include another image at the end. Because I really can't get enough of these :)


Tonight's dinner was Massaman Curry. We have this once a week generally because it's cheap, easy and delicious! Recently we have tried some of Maesri's other pastes, but this is still our favorite. The original came from Mac & Cheese. Since we like to make enough for leftovers, here was tonight's variation:


Massaman Curry

Ingredients:
Onion
4 med. potatoes
19 oz. tofu
fresh spinach leaves
fresh broccoli
2 cans Maesri Massaman Curry Paste
2 cans Coconut Milk
Red Pepper Flakes
Cashews

Saute onion on med. heat until it starts to brown on the edges, it will be a dark golden color. Dump in the curry paste and saute for 1-2 min. Add coconut milk. Mix until the paste and milk seem evenly mixed and allow a few bubbles to form (maybe a min. or so). Dump in potatoes, tofu, broccoli and spinach and mix thoroughly. Allow the curry to cook for 15-20 min. or until potatoes have softened to your liking, stirring periodically. About 2 min. before the curry is done add cashews and red pepper flakes. Serve over rice.

We like ours pretty spicy. For a milder sauce use more coconut milk or less paste.


One more image from Amey's super cute cookbooklette!