Vegan Japanese Curry Rice - Karē Raisu (カレーライス)

Japanese curry rice is one of my favourite foods because of its homey feel and nostalgic taste. Curry rice is an extremely popular dish in Japan, and often appears in anime, manga and video games.

This particular recipe is based off of those delicious, convenient, pre-made curry roux which a lot of people use when making curry. I know that I for one used to swear by these (especially as a lazy teenager)! Their cheap and easy, what's not to like?

But today we're going to be making it from scratch for several reasons; 1. Because there's nothing quite like the authentic taste of a home cooked meal that is, well, completely home cooked! ^^ and 2. most of these brands of instant curry roux contain all, or some, of the following: milk, cream, honey and cheese/s,  and since this is an all vegan blog... well, that's not going to work... but never fear! I have designed this recipe myself to replicate those siren song curry roux so that you can enjoy them vegan-style (this particular recipe is supposed to be an exact vegan dupe of "House Vermont Curry" the most popular brand of curry roux in Japan ;) )  

I will admit that this recipe has a lot of ingredients... and can be a little time consuming, but trust me it's all worth it! :3

So, let's get started, shall we?

Karē Raisu (カレーライス)

Serves: 2, generously ;)

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook time: 1 hr, 10 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 large potato
• 1 large carrot
• 1/2 brown onion
• 1/2 Tbs. of rice bran oil (or other vegetable oil)
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 2 Tbs. flour
• 3 tsp. curry powder
• 2  tsp. garam masala
• 2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. cacao or cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. cornflour
• 1 Tbs. soy milk powder
• 2 Tbs. milk
• 2 tsp. yeast flakes
• 1 tsp. agave
• 1 Tbs. apple sauce
• 1 Tbs. peanut butter
• 2 Tbs. tomato paste
• 1 Tbs. soy sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups of filtered water

Directions

• Bring a saucepan full of water to the boil and add salt. Meanwhile, chop the potato and carrot into medium-large bite sized pieces. (It's okay if they're not all exactly the same size, as long as they're near the same size so they cook properly. And besides, it will give the meal a more comforting, homey feel if they're a little different :3).

• Put the chopped potato and carrots into the boiling water. Bring the heat down to a medium heat (so it won't boil over) and cook for 20-30 minutes (until you can poke a fork in them and they're not hard). 

• Once they have been cooked, drain and set aside for later.

• Next, heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a large pan on a medium heat. Chop the onion into half moons and then add to the frying pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions have softened and have started getting a little colour.

• While I'm doing this I start cooking my rice because it takes so long (I use brown rice). If you're using regular white rice you don't need to do this until later. :)

• Take the onions out of pan and set them aside with the potatoes and carrots.

• Now, it's time to make the curry roux :). Melt two tablespoons of butter in the pan, then add two tablespoons of flour and mix until it forms a paste.

• Next, add all the dry ingredients, and mix together until they combine. Now you just add the wet ingredients (excluding the water), and let it all cook on a medium-low heat for a few minutes. It should start smelling nice and aromatic :).

• Turn the heat up and add 1 cup of water to this, stirring until the lumps begin to dissolve. Add the onion to the sauce and stir in. 

• Next, add in the potatoes and carrots and stir until they are mixed in as well. At this point you may want to add the other 1/2 cup of water. It depends on how you want your curry sauce. I like lots of sauce with things (to the point where they look like they're drowning) so I add the extra 1/2 cup of water ;P.

• Let everything heat through for 10 minutes on a medium heat. 

Serve with rice and enjoy!

Yep, that's a lot of curry! :3

Itadakimasu! (いただきます) Let's eat!

<3

Usagi

aka

Moonlight

Salted Caramel Apple Crumble

I've been trying to go a bit more seasonal with my food lately, and since we're in the cold months here, what could be more seasonal than apples?

I sent my housemate and myself on a quest to find the most appealing apple dishes to make, and we found a lot of things; caramel apples, baked apples, apple pies, apple cobblers, apple cheesecake, apple bars, apple cakes, ginger ale, ginger pop, ginger beer, beer bubbles, bubbleade, bubblecola, double cola, double-bubble-burple-cola, okay I'll stop quoting Wonka now, but you get the picture. ;P

Strangely enough, we couldn't actually find a recipe which reflected exactly what we wanted; something hot, gooey, rich, and flowing with rivers of fudgy caramel. So, I just decided to invent one. 

Now, I'm sure there's recipes for salted caramel apple crumble around, but I couldn't find any that did it like this one and were also vegan.

You're in for a teat, oh, and did I mention that it's a lot healthier than a normal crumble? It's got so much coconut in it, it's practically good for you! ;P

Salted Caramel Apple Crumble 

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients: 

For caramel sauce:

• 1 can of full-fat coconut milk (400ml)
• 1/2 cup of coconut sugar (or brown sugar if you prefer)
• 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt (it would be best to slowly as this in and taste as you go. You may find that you don't want it that salty, or you may want it even saltier).
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla (I use vanilla paste)
• 2 tablespoons of vegan butter (I use Nuttelex) 

Optional: 

• Cornflour (if you want your sauce a bit thicker quickly) 

For crumble:

• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
• 2/3 cup of coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
• 3 tablespoons of vegan butter
• 3 tablespoons of coconut oil (or you can just use 3 more of the butter)

For apples:

• 4-6 small, granny smith apples
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of vegan butter
• 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

Prep time: 15-20 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes 

Preheat your oven to 180 Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) then start making the caramel sauce. 

In a small-medium sized saucepan mix the sugar and butter until it has melted. Bring this to a boil then pour the coconut milk in slowly, stirring as you go, then add the salt and vanilla to the mix.

Let that boil away, without a lid, on a medium heat for 15 minutes to thicken (you may need to stir it occasionally). While the sauce is thickening, you can cut the apples into wedges. Once they've been cut, put the lemon juice and butter in a large frying pan, on a medium heat, then add the apples once the butter has melted. Cook the apples for 2-3 minutes, then add the salt (which will help the apples let out their moisture). Turn the heat down to medium-low, and let them simmer away while the sauce is thickening. 

As they are cooking you can make the crumble topping. 

Put the dry ingredients for the crumble in a large mixing bowl, then add the butter and coconut oil. 

Mix the ingredients together (preferably with your hands), until they become soft, buttery cookie crumbs. 

Once the 15 minutes are up the sauce should be thickened, but if you want it thicker then add a little cornflour to help it. 

Pour 2/3 of the sauce into the pan with the apples and let it cook for a further 2 minutes until they are properly combined.

Pour the apple mixture into a baking dish of choice, and tap down lightly with the back of a spoon, then sprinkle the crumble mixture on top. Put it into the oven for 20 minutes.

When you take it out the crumble mix should have puffed slightly. Serve immediately for best results (although it's still delicious if you want to refrigerate it and heat it up again later).

You can top it with vegan whipped cream and the remaining caramel sauce.

Tell me if you liked this one. ^_^ I know it did!

xo.

Moonlight

Vegan Pad Thai & Other News

Ah, I'm glad to be back, yknow. 

And to celebrate there's going to be two new special things.

Firstly, I'm going to improve the layout of this place sometime this upcoming week. I'll tidy it up, make it look a little nicer and even add a banner (gasp! that's crazy right?!).

and secondly,

I'll be getting a digital camera soon! :'D

Well technically, my housemate and I will be getting one for our little craft business, but I will be able to use it for taking pictures for this blog. No more crappy phone pictures! Woo! 

Anyway, to celebrate my return, I give to you a delicious vegan Pad Thai. The kind that will make you wonder why you never had this version to begin with. ;)

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but it's winter (well Autumn technically... but my frostbitten toes like to say otherwise) where I live, and in those cold, dark recluse months it is habitual for people all around the globe to start craving those cosy, warm and usually butter-smothered foods. Soups, stews, and casseroles become the staple of people's diets.

And it's true, while those dishes have their alluring, siren-song charm, there's something else, which is often overlooked, that comforts me and gets me through those long formidable months... and that something is spicy food.

No matter how cold it gets, as long as I have a big bowl of chili I know I'm going to be alright. So, today's recipe, Vegan Pad Thai, is one of my main chilly season dishes. It'll put some fire in your belly! ;) 

Vegan Pad Thai

Serves: 2 

Ingredients: 

• 100g Pad Thai noodles or rice noodles
• 1/2 broccoli bunch 
• 125g firm tofu
• 1/2 brown onion
• 2 cloves of garlic 
• 1 red or green chili (the medium sized ones not the really small ones)
• 1/2 red capsicum/bell pepper 
• 50g peanuts 
• 1 handful of beansprouts 
• 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil (you can also use peanut oil, or you choice of vegetable oil) 
• a small handful of chopped parsley (or coriander) 
• vegetable stock, to taste 

For sauce:

• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 2 tablespoon of kecap manis soy sauce (thick sweet soy sauce. you can use the regular kind too, but this one gives it a sweeter, thicker taste)
• 1 tablespoon of white miso paste
• 1 tablespoon of tamarind paste 
• 1 tablespoon of sriracha sauce
• 1 teaspoon of coconut sugar (you can also use regular cane sugar. If that's the case then brown sugar would work best, but any sugar will work fine)
• 1/4 cup of filtered water 

Optional:

• a few drops of sesame oil 

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Before I do anything else, I first bring a medium sized saucepan filled with water to boil, then add the broccoli florets to it (I just break them off of the bunch and cut them if they're too big). I boil them for five minutes maximum so that they don't take so long to cook later. So, we're basically just blanching them. You can tell when they're ready to drain because they turn bright green. 

Next I cut the tofu into bite sized pieces. If you like you can marinate your tofu before hand (with some oil, garlic and lemon). I do this on days where I'm not lazy. ;P

Then, I fry it in a large pan with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. I sprinkle a bit of vegetable stock so they soak up some flavour (you don't want them to be bland, yuk! >_<). If you like you can also sprinkle a little turmeric powder to give them a more golden colour. 

Whilst I'm cooking the tofu, I prep the onions, garlic and chili. I cut the onions into half moons, cut the garlic into slices, and cut the chili also into half moons (although, it really doesn't matter how you cut it).

After the tofu have begun to crisp slightly on the outside, and have gained a bit of colour, I set them aside in a bowl for later.

I add more coconut oil to the pan if needed, then add the onion, garlic and chili and let it cook and soften for a few minutes. While this is cooking you can cut the capsicum/bell pepper into long, thin strips (although as you can see, I'm not all about cutting them that thin. That would actually require me to be patient :P) When the onion mix starts become fragrant that's when you know it's time to add the capsicum/bell pepper.

After cooking on a medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, I then add the partly cooked broccoli and tofu. Then I chop the peanuts roughly and throw them in too. The peanuts I get are already roasted, but fresh ones would be fine too.

While this is cooking I bring a saucepan of water to boil again, then add the noodles. I find that a lot of brands have different cooking instructions, so it's best to follow what they say on how to cook them, but none of them will take very long. 

While the noodles are cooking I make the sauce which will bring everything together. <3

I add all the ingredients for the sauce together in a small bowl and mix until combined.

Note: I find it best to dissolve the miso in 1/4 cup of the water used for the sauce before adding it in. Make sure it's boiling water so it dissolves properly. This is so the sauce isn't lumpy (let's face it, no one wants a large clump of miso in their mouth). It's okay if it doesn't dissolve 100%, as long as it's mostly dissolved. 

Once the noodles are cooked I drain them and add them into the pan along with the beansprouts. I mix until everything begins to combine, then I pour in the sauce and mix that through. If the sauce is too thick, you may want to add about a tablespoon more of water.

Let it heat through for a few minutes, and at this stage you can add 3/4 of the parsley and mix it through. Then simply serve and sprinkle the rest of the parsley on top. 

Hope you liked this recipe!

xo.

Moonlight

Hearty Minestrone Stew

Soups and stews are underrated, at least I think so.

Usually, they're associated with a defeated groan, sigh and then acceptance, "Okkkayyy... fine..."
But it doesn't need to be this way! Because soups and stews are awesome! And in the colder seasons (like it's trying to be right now where I live), it's like a comforting hug in your belly.

This recipe is the kind of meal that takes lots of love and care to make... in other words, it's not a meal of moments...

But it is easy, and most of the time it takes to make, well, you're not actually slaving over it, so really, it's little time on your behalf. :P

Note: If you have a slowcooker, you can use that instead of a large pot. Alas, I do not own one, so I used just a regular pot.

Hearty Minestrone Stew

Ingredients

• 25g Red Kidney Beans
• 25g White Beans (I used Cannellini)
• 1/2 Brown Onion
• 1 Celery Stalk
• 1/2 Carrot
• 1 Clove of Garlic 
• 1 medium sized Potato 
• 1/2 can of diced Tomatoes 
• 1 tablespoon of Tomato Paste
• 1 tablespoon of Vegan Butter
• 2 teaspoons of Vegan "Chicken" stock
• 1 teaspoon of Vegetable Stock 
• 1 teaspoon of Celery Salt
• 1 teaspoon of dried Thyme 
• 1 teaspoon of dried Rosemary
• Pepper, to taste
• A small handful of Parsley
• 1 3/4 Filtered Water 

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 100 minutes  

Other: Gluten-Free 

If you're using canned beans, then you can skip this part, but as I use dried beans I first fill a small-medium saucepan with water, bring to the boil, add salt, then add the beans. I usually cook dried beans (which haven't been previously soaked), for 80 minutes, which works well for this recipe. 

Once the beans are boiling away on a medium heat, with a lid covering half the saucepan, you can then fill a large saucepan with 1 1/2 cups of filtered water. Add the stock to this and bring to the boil. As this is gaining heat you can chop the vegetables into bite sized pieces. 

When the stock has come to a boil, add the onion and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes on a medium heat so it can release its delicious sweetness to the stock. 

Next, add the other vegetables.

Now, add the tomato paste and vegan butter, and mix together. (The vegan butter is important to take away any acidic taste the tomatoes might give the stew).

Add the canned tomatoes, dried herbs, celery salt and pepper to the stew. 

After mixing together, leave the stew to cook with the lid on for 40 minutes. Once 40 minutes has been check the stew (and beans if you're cooking them from dried), and stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. 

Cook for a further 40 minutes.

After that time has passed, drain the beans and add to the stew. At this point you may also need to add a further 1/4 cup of water if you think the strew doesn't have enough liquid. 

Cook the stew, with the lid off (so it will thicken), for a further 20 minutes.

Chop the parsley, serve the stew into a bowl, then sprinkle the parsley on top.

Voilà!

xo.

Moonlight