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.