Why Malaysia Needs "Kindness Camps" Of Its Own

I was surfing the Net out of boredom today and chanced upon a story which enchanted me from start to finish. It was a press release about "Camp Kindness" a summer camp for kids held in New York recently which taught children how to care for animals and cook vegetarian meals, among other things (read the full release here). 

The story warmed my heart, yet saddened me at the same time. I think it's wonderful that camps like the above are held for kids, yet really crappy that we don't hear of such camps here in Malaysia. For all the nation's progress, it's people have yet to lobby for laws that protect animals--domestic and farm-- from being exploited and sometimes tortured by random people or irresponsible owners. One example is a family in my parents' neighbourhood. They keep their two dogs tied in an abandoned house all day and I often hear the dogs barking at night, likely for some love and attention. Then I look at my family dog who is so loved and taken care of and I wonder why the owners of those two dogs are so heartless. You may wonder why I'm taking a back seat with this matter; it's because I've tried all avenues and failed to get these dogs away from their horrid owners and into a loving home. The best I can do now is say a prayer for those two dogs and hope that the next day will be better for them.

Imagine how different life would be for these dogs and countless other abused pets if children were sent to "kindness camps" to learn compassion towards animals. These children would then grow into more caring, conscious adults who know the value of being kind, be it to animals or humans. At the end of it all, all you need is love.

Indian-themed Birthday Lunch

Tomato and Cashew Pilaf. Photo: Sharmila G.

Today is my mum's birthday so I tried my hand at making pilaf, with raita and sambal as sides. The main was tomato and cashew pilau:

Tomato and Cashew Pilau (from Quick and Easy Asian Vegetarian Recipes, published by Periplus)

Ingredients: 

2 tbsp ghee or oil
2 cinnamon sticks
5 cloves
5 cardamom pods
2 onions, finely sliced
3 green finger-length chillies, deseeded and slit lengthwise
2 tbsp ginger paste
2 tbsp garlic paste
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
3 tbsp chopped mint leaves
2 1/2 cups basmati rice (washed and drained)
1 can (12 oz/350g) peeled chopped tomatoes
1 cup thick cocount milk
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsps salt
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup raisins
2/3 cup fried or roasted cashew nuts

Serves: 4-6

1. Heat the oil or ghee in a pan. Stir-fry cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, onion, green chillies, ginger and garlic paste until onion is golden brown.
2. Add the coriander and mint leaves. Stir in rice and mix well. Add remaining ingredients (except cashews and raisins) and mix thoroughly. (I did this in a rice cooker).
3. Cover rice cooker pot with lid and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the moisture has been absorbed.
4. Let rice cool once it is cooked. Stir in roasted cashews and raisins before serving.

Zucchini and Onion Raita

Zucchini and Onion Raita


Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups low fat yoghurt
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 zucchinis, thinly sliced
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsps chopped daun pegaga
salt to taste


1. Add cumin and chili powders, as well as salt to the yoghurt. Pour into a salad bowl.
2. Stir in sliced zucchinis, onions and chopped pegaga leaves.
3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Tauhu Sambal

Tauhu Sambal (from Vegetarian Odyssey, published by ARK publications)

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried chillies, 4 cloves garlic and 1/2 cup sliced shallots (ground to a fine paste)
1 tbsp tamarind and 1/4 cup water (extract juice)
1 onion, cut into rings
2 pieces of fried firm white tofu
3 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp oil
salt to taste


1. Heat oil in a work and stir in chili paste. Keep stirring until oil bubbles up.
2. Stir in tamarind juice and bring to a boil.
3. Add onion, sugar and salt and let cook for about 3 minutes.
4. Stir in fried tofu and let it cook in the gravy for 2-3 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and serve warm.

Thai-Style Green Curry, Long Bean Salad and Mixed Vegetables

Clockwise (from left): Mixed vegetables, long bean salad, white rice and green curry. Photo: Sharmila G.



One of the more challenging aspects of giving up meat in your diet is that certain types of cuisine may appear to be off limits because they are largely meat-based. However, thanks to some creative cooks out there who've 'vegetarianised' meat-based dishes, that is not necessarily true.

9 Foods That Are Not Vegetarian

sugar, a photo by Judy ** on Flickr.

Being a vegetarian is often like a journey down the yellow brick road. It's full of surprises, sometimes unpleasant ones. Take for instance when you're invited to dinner and after enjoying your scrumptious vegetarian green curry, the hostess proudly informs you that she only used prawn paste to flavour the curry.

By then it would be too late to enlighten your hosts that prawn is not vegetarian (especially if you're having dinner at your boss' house!). The lesson you take away from there is to always warn your hosts before hand what exactly vegetarians eat. Granted, things could go awry anyway but at least you know that you did all you could to prevent ingesting a dead animal.

Spicy Vegetarian Aglio Olio and Garlic Toast

Living in a small town has its benefits: fresh air and (almost) kind drivers on the road being two of them. Good quality Italian food, especially the vegetarian kind is one benefit I've been living too long without. Hence the menu for tonight's dinner: spicy vegetarian aglio olio with garlic toast on the side. I tweaked the aglio olio recipe a little to make it a little more Asian.

Spicy Vegetarian Aglio Olio (adapted from Rachael Ray's Spicy Shrimp and Spaghetti Aglio Olio)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (4 turns around the pan in a light stream) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup fried vegetarian anchovies
• 6 to 8 large cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls
• Coarse salt
• 1 pound spaghetti, cooked
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
• sesame oil (optional)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
  
  1. Fry anchovies in oil. Set aside.
  2. Fry garlic until slightly brown.
  3. Return pan to heat and reduce heat to medium low. Add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Add anchovies, garlic, and pepper flakes to oil. Add a few drops of sesame oil for extra flavour.
  4. Add red chillies to pan. Toss spaghetti in the pan with parsley and the garlic-infused olive oil, then season with a little coarse salt, to your taste. Add about a tablespoon of lemon juice for taste if desired.
  5. Serve hot. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese and chopped cooked vegetarian sausage if you like on the aglio olio when serving.

Here's a photo of the finished dish:

And the garlic toast:

Simple Garlic Toast


Ingredients:


Butter, wholemeal bread, 5 cloves garlic (minced), salt and pepper to taste 

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
2. Mix butter with minced garlic. Spread on the slices of wholemeal bread. 

3. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper to taste (optional).
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until butter has melted and bread is lightly browned.
5. Serve with mushroom soup or enjoy on its own.

Open Faced Curried Potato Crust Pie

Open-faced Curried Potato-Crust Pie
Photo: G. Sharmila 

After a long hiatus from this blog, it's a relief to be blogging again. Blogging is a bit like riding a bicycle; once you get the hang of it, you never forget how to do it. The same goes for cooking, this time around I made an open-faced curried pie with a potato crust. There's a little story behind that: the dough I made for the original crust turned out too crumbly, so I froze it to make a crust for a fruit cobbler for later. In the dough's place, I boiled six potatoes to make the pie crust and let them cool before peeling them. Then I mashed the potatoes up (with salt, black pepper and butter mixed in) for the crust, and filled it in with the curried vegetable mixture once the crust was lightly browned.

Here's the original crust recipe from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/broccoli-quiche-with-mashed-potato-crust/detail.aspx:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes; drain. Meanwhile, place broccoli in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender but still firm, about 2 to 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. Mash the potatoes with milk and salt. Brush a deep 9 inch pie dish with olive oil and press the potatoes in. Brush with remaining olive oil. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Curried Vegetable Mixture (adapted from BBC Good Food's “Curried Vegetable Pie” recipe)

  2 tbsp canola oil

  1 onion, finely chopped

  2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp curry powder

1 ½ cups cauliflower florets

1 cup mixed frozen vegetable

¼ butter

4 tbsp yogurt

3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

4 cloves

half a stick of cinnamon

  4 cardamom seeds 

1. Heat oil in a large pan, then cook the onion, garlic and chilli for 2-3 mins until tender. Stir in the spices, turmeric and cumin, then cook for a further 2-3 mins.

2. Add mixed vegetables and cauliflower to the pan with 300ml/1/2pt water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 mins until the vegetables are almost tender. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid, then mix with the peas.

3. Melt butter in a small pan, stir in flour, then cook for 1 min. Add reserved vegetable cooking liquid, then cook, stirring, until it forms a thick sauce. Simmer for 3 mins, stirring, then remove from heat and stir in the yogurt, coriander, vegetables and seasoning. Leave to cool.4. Brush baked potato crust with vegetable oil. Fill in with curried vegetable mixture and return to oven. Baked for 35-40 minutes at 190 deg. Celsius or until crust is lightly browned.

Why You Shouldn't Take Your Veggie Diet For Granted

Vegan diets are just as unhealthy as meat-based ones, if you're not vigilant, say researchers in China.

Over the years, I've received a certain measure of criticism for turning vegetarian (and I've dished out my fair share to the more insensitive among meat-eaters). And I admit that since I've shed my appetite for artery-clogging meat and seafood, I've felt a lot healthier and energetic. 

But lately, I've been indulging in chocolate and desserts once too often, and it wasn't until I read this article that I (metaphorically) screeched to a stop. It seems that like the meat-eaters I was so fond of condemning, I too have been careless with my diet. 

To spare you the extra energy of clicking on the link and reading the entire article, I'll summarise it in a few sentences: Researchers at Zhejiang University in China have discovered that vegans are placing themselves in the path of heart disease. Apparently vegans are often deficient in zinc, iron, vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids [which has been found to be essential for a healthy heart]. The researchers also found that vegans also have lower levels of HDL (good cholesterol) and higher blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which is associated with a higher risk of heart disease.

For more information, visit: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/vegan-diet-may-increase-risk-of-heartrelated-diseases-study-2216872.html

7 Delectable Desserts For Valentine's Day

Vegan red velvet cake is the perfect dessert for Valentine's Day

Monday is set to be an interesting Valentine's Day now that spiritual leaders in Russia and Malaysia, as well as the Iranian regime have banned V-Day celebrations among their citizens. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the ban, how the heck will the authorities differentiate people who are out celebrating the occasion from those who are just out for a meal with family, friends, or their significant others?

Fortunately, the ban in Malaysia only affects certain states and sections of society, which leaves the rest of us free to engage in culinary exploits and other ways of spoiling our loved ones. What better way to pamper the vegetarian(s) in your life than whipping up a decadent dessert? Here are some of my favourite Valentine Day dessert picks:

Guilt-Free Vegan 'Nasi Lemak'

Nasi lemak is one of many Malaysian favourites you can "veganise" easily.
Photo: SG

The secret of the best nasi lemak lies in its sambal (clockwise, top right). The boiled egg and chicken rendang are only extras---this creamy coconut rice is nothing without a fantastic sambal. I have fond memories of the makcik who ran a stall next to the neighbourhood watch headquarters (what we in Malaysia call rukun tetangga) in Seremban. She made simple, no-frills nasi lemak with a slice of hard-boiled egg, a few slices of cucumber and some fried anchovies to keep the rice and sambal company. The nasi lemak would always be sold out by lunch time, so my dad would be at her stall early on a Saturday or Sunday morning, queuing up with the other fans.

Reinventing the Sattvic Diet

It's time to question how "sattvic" store-bought milk really is. 

The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men. ~Alice Walker

When an idea is "out there", most people resist it, often for the sake of resisting. It's human nature, I'd dig my heels in too if in a crazy world, governments declared it was illegal to be vegetarian. 

My idea is that the modern sattvic vegetarian diet (often synonymous with the lacto-vegetarian diet), is as far from sattvic as Kuala Lumpur is from the moon. (Ok, maybe not the moon, New York seems far more believable). Which leads me to my second idea: it is time to reinvent the sattvic diet.

One-Dish Meals For New Veggies

A slice of curried vegetable pie is the perfect comfort food on a rainy Sunday.
Photo: SG

Today's post was inspired by an episode of Jamie's Food Revolution, a TLC programme that chronicles renowned UK chef Jamie Oliver's journey to different parts of America, helping people cook and eat healthy. This morning's episode saw Oliver go head to head with a stubborn radio deejay intent on thwarting Oliver's mission in the latter's West Virginia town. Oliver made a bet with the deejay that he would get 1000 people to participate in his cook-a-thon and not only did he achieve that, the same deejay happened to be the 1000th person!

Of course it helped that Oliver got the townsfolk to cook a one-dish-meal: stir-fried noodles with plenty of vegetables, which is far less off-putting than a five-course dinner. In fact, it was this dish that got me thinking: many people harbour a secret desire to go vegetarian or vegan, but they are 'forced' out of it by naysayers who tell them how inconvenient a new diet would be.

7 Ways To Stay Awake Without Coffee

As a recovering coffeeholic, I find that caffeine- despite the quick boost it gives on a cold, rainy morning or during the occasional boring class- wears off faster than I like and does nothing to get rid of the heavy feeling in my body. Sometimes I skip the coffee altogether and reach for an isotonic drink to kick me awake.

Same difference.

For the uninitiated, here's what caffeine does to your system: your body takes between 30 and 45 minutes to absorb it, and the short boost wears off in about three hours. Isotonic and other energy drinks do pretty much the same thing, except that the high sugar content in these leave you feeling lethargic and a little dull after the burst of energy wears off.

Do your mind and body a favour and go on a caffeine fast. Here are seven healthier ways to stay awake at your desk:

Before You Eat That Apple, Read This

Apples contain high amounts of pesticides.
Photo by SG.

While many of us who live in Asian climates skin apples before consuming them, we forget that as these fruits are imported, they contain high levels of pesticides. In fact, US-based Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit research organisation, has rated apples no.4 on their 2010 list of fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide content.

Exotic Dining: Marigolds

Marigolds add some 'kick' to desserts and salads. Photo: SG

Just the other day, I was watching TLC when they ran a commercial for "Dining With Death", a new reality series on 'exotic dining' the channel is promoting locally. Needless to say I went a bit white about the lips at some of the things people were popping into their mouths. But the commercial got me thinking, why is it that 'exotic foods' almost always refers to the slaughtering of some kind of animal? Why should vegetarians be relegated to boring meals because their diet is less glamorous in the media's eyes?