Favorite vegetarian dishes

[Âme]

Unsanitary is such an [+o(] word. Always makes me think of Jo Brand and fairy hammocks, Sweet!

I like the smoked tofu from Biocoop, but it also needs to be drained (perhaps use a flower press) before cooking.

[mint]

Ame, please do NOT mention Jo Brand and food in the same breath.  Puts me right off my food, that will!

[Théière]

Boring fact:

My old office block was shared by Jo Brand's agent also Rory Bremner's so I used to bump into them regularly and Jo isn't anything like her stage persona off stage.

[bubbles]

What was she like then - in real life?

It's ok. I'm not eating yet.

[Théière]

Polite and quiet! she came over as an arch feminist on stage but was always courteous when I held the door open for her. Used to drink in the Bankside tavern near London bridge.

[Frenchie]

The man has manners !! [:D][Www][:D]

[mint]

So, what was her poison, Teapot?

[Théière]

It was 1991 Sweets I can't remember.

[mint]

Back on topic:  there are, of course, all sorts of pasta with non meat sauces.  My favourite shape is Pappadella (ribbons).

Then, for a hot or cold dish, how about egg noodles tossed in groundnut or olive oil, soya sauce and toasted sesame seeds?  Yum.

[Swissie]

 'gomasio' is easy to make - toast/dry fry sesame seeds and pound with good sea-salt - great on salads, pasta, etc.

[bubbles]

Well, I've learnt something tonight.

Seeing as you are named as a feminine teapot I always thought of you as being female.

Now I find you are a gentleman and hold the door open for ladies!!!!!!!!

[mint]

yes, Bubbles, "ladies" so if you aren't one, he won't be opening the door for you![:P]

How's it going with selling all your "stuff", house included?

[Théière]

Good morning ladies [;-)]

Has anyone had sucess with a vegetable curry without it turning into a mushy soup, texture is so important. I know the Thai stir fry ones seem to be the best but an ocassional Korma or biriany would be good 

[Patf]

Have you tried cooking the veg. separately, boil or fry or roast, then add to curry for the last few minutes? I make fish curry that way, but put the fish in raw, and cook in the sauce for 5 mins.

For the curry sauce, mix ground cummin, corriander, turmeric, chilli etc wuth a few cloves and cardomums. Fry a chopped onion in oil or butter, add mixed curry spices, plus some tomato purée if you like, and/or creamed coconut, and some stock. Simmer the sauce for half an hour or so, then add your cooked veg.

But I think the authentic way is to cook the veg in oil for a few mins. with the addition of the appropriate spices. To preserve the flavour of the veg.

[Fridgeman]

Theiere

mushy veg curry.... never had one.

try this:-

chop an onion, some garlic and say potatoes and some spinich (note. there is no exact amounts as it is down to taste) next your spices again to taste (would you add 4 / 6 hot chillies like I do?) or you could cheat and add your fav curry powder.

OK, now against what I have just said I feel I must guide you a little so

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

500g potatoes cut in to bite size pieces (I just wash leave skins on)

200g spinach (well washed inc tender stalks)

2 tbsp ghee, butter or oil

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam-masala

1 inch fresh ginger (grated)

chilli powder or fresh chilli to taste

Method

fat/oil in pan medium heat, add onions fry 2 mins add ginger fry 2 mins add garlic fry 2 mins turn heat down to low allow pan to cool 1 min add turmeric and chilli keep mixing (you want to cook the spices not burn them) 2 mins then add the potatoes allow to sizzle 2 mins keep them moving then cover pan anallow to cook 15 mins, drain and chop spinach and add to pan, mix well and cook 15 mins uncovered, when you will find most of the liquid will have vaporated now mix in the garam-masala, transfer to a serving dish cover and keep warm in a low oven until ready to serve.

Try the above exactly as I have stated if you are not happy remember why and we can change it next time but I promise "no mushy"

[Théière]

Thanks Fridgeman, maybe I should pass that on to the local takeaway. Their veg curry (accompaniment to biriani) is pure slop [+o(] hence they don't get much business from me.

[Frenchie]

Come to France, Mr Théière, I'll cook you ratatouille and gratin de courgette  and tian de légumes à ma façon ! [:)]

 

 

[mint]

Que ce que c'est, tian de légumes?[8-)]

[Théière]

Let us look at the dangers of food coming not from the man-made pesticides, fungicides, or herbicides, but from the true danger, that is the fresh and natural poisons manufactured by the plant to stay alive and be able to multiply.

There are four categories of chemical armaments that salad deploys against human predators: nutrition blockers, toxins, mutagens (which alter genetic material), and carcinogens.

Nutrition blockers are chemicals that bind with some desirable vitamins or minerals and prevent your body from absorbing it.

Oxalic acid in raw spinach forms an insoluble complex with calcium and iron and renders uncooked spinach a non-nutritious green. The same is happening in raw beet green, Swiss chard and rhubarb. (But eating raw rhubarb could produce death due to toxic anthraquinone glycosides.)

Antithiamine substances bind with the vitamin B thyamine and stops its absorption. They are in raw red cabbage, Brussels sprouts and beets. Similarly in in mustard seeds, some berries, cottonseed oil and some ferns (fiddlehead).
Raw egg contains avidin, which binds up the vitamin B (biotin) and acts the same way.

Uncooked grain protein (wheat germ) which contains magnesium, zinc and copper, is bound by phytates. Raw soybeans contain neutralizing agent to vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

Raw kidney beans, alfalfa and some of the peas block the vitamin E and could cause in some incidences a liver disease.

Protease (enzyme that breaks down proteins) inhibitors in raw turnips, rutabagas, chickpeas, bamboo sprouts, cashews, peanuts, and most beans counteract the enzymes in our body that digest protein. The same way amylase inhibitors in raw red kidney beans and navy beans make their carbohydrate unusable.

These salad ingredients act as anti-nutrient only in their raw state. It is important to know the right method, temperature and cooking time for each vegetable.

Toxins are chemical compounds in food that are toxic when consumed in small or large quantities.

Cyanogens are found in Lima and other broad beans. They are also in unripe millet, young bamboo shots, cassava, manioc and tapioca. They must be carefully peeled, washed under running water and boiled without a lid.

Goitrogens are chemicals that cause extreme enlargement of the thyroid glands among people with little iodine, by preventing intake of iodine from the food. Goitrogenes are found in raw cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, turnips, rutabagas, cauliflower, mustard seeds and horse radish. These are broken down by cooking.

Chickpeas could cause lathyrism (neurological lesions of the spinal cord.) The sale of chickpeas is illegal in many states in India. If you soak chickpeas overnight and cook them in excess of boiling water, they will not give you lathyrism.

Favism is a disease named after fava bean. Mild cases could result in fatigue and nausea, acute cases in jaundice.
Cooking will not protect you if you make potato salad with green immature potatoes, which could contain LETHAL mount of solanine in their sprouts and skin.

Undercooked kidney beans (al-dente) contain hemagglutinins, which make your blood cells stick together and account for poor growth among children.

Soyabean sprouts and yams are high in estrogenic factors that can inflict havoc with woman�s hormones.

Aflatoxin is among the most potent carcinogen known and is present in the mold contaminated grain and nuts. Almost as hazardous are the hydrazines in some raw molded mushrooms or basil which contains lots of estragole. Safrole is a compound related to estragole and it is the reason natural root beer is now banned by the FDA.

That much about salad components. And what about raw fruits? Unlike the antisocial vegetable, ripe fruit is friendly and loves to be eaten and have it seeds widely dispersed.

(Sources: Bruce Ames, chairman of the biochemistry department at Berkeley. Jeffrey Steingarten food writer at Harvard College. Awards from James Beard foundation.)

[Fridgeman]

And there was I thinking you where an interesting person :)

no more curry recipies for you my man.

what they don't tell you is you need to eat 10 lettuce a day for 6 months or

eat 7kg of chickpeas a week for 9 years

and these findings where found in rats and not us humans

eat everything / anything in moderation makes sense to me

most bad things happen at the toss of a coin ie. if it's your turn "IT HAPPENS" you ain't going to do anything about it.......it's called fate

Bonne chance

[Théière]

[:D] It's just when you hear so much about the healthy eat raw stuff you really don't expect to hear that some things are bad.

I am reading a book at the moment "The PH miracle" by Dr Young, it started off ok but he soon starts beating the evangelical vegan drum. I can put up with that if the "facts" he states had any medical evidence or even the slightest chance of being true but further I am reading the more ridiculous the argument. Alkalize your body, drink water with drops of hydrogen peroxide in. Utter rubbish. I agree that eating the freshest veg should be better than processed and reducing sugar intake has to be better than the over sugared diets that a large proportion consume but that's as far as it goes.

I am increasing my vegetable intake and the recipes have been helpful as you say everything in moderation.

Thank you.

[Dog]

It's good to see you are only looking at one side of the negative.

[Théière]

Fire away Dog!

Oh and any more recipes (except out of a tin) welcomed, I really expected a bigger input from you.

[Dog]

Théière you have to follow your own path.

I cannot tread the path for you.

Tinned Patra is fine as a treat.

Grand Frais where selling malanga leaves today so you could make some fresh.

 

[Fridgeman]

Hi Theiere

I love this dish, too much sometimes

Bengan Bhajee

Aubergines are best cooked in plenty of hot oil so do not skimp on the oil during cooking although you can strain it off afterwards.

Enoough for say 4-6, freeze what ou don't eat

500 g aubergines

1 small green pepper

1 large onion

1 clove garlic (I use 6 / 10)

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon chilli powder or to taste

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 cup vegetable oil

Wash and cut the aubergines lengthwise into quarters, and the cut into about 2.5cm thick wedges.

Cut the green pepper in a similar way, and peel and chop the onion coarsely, separating the slices.

Place all the vegetables into a bowl and sprinkle on the salt and the spices and mix well.

Heat the oil in a deep pan. When hot put in the vegetables and cook, stirring frequently on a medium heat for ten minutes.

Turn down the heat slightly and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until the aubergine wedges are soft but still hold their shape.

Allow the oil to settle for a few minutes and drain off if desired.

Serve hot.