you NEED masala dosa. if nothing else, the potato filling.

 

from top: cucumber salad with mint, brown rice, masala dosa potato filling, red lentil daal

i tried to make dosa once (from a packet mix), and let me put it this way: grasshopper is in need of much patience. the potato filling is almost as satisfying without the heavenly, lacey crunch of the dosa crepe. who am i kidding- the potato filling will do me only until i can get to salaam namaste dosa hut in west footscray or maya vegetarian in surry hills!!

1kg potatoes (waxy are best, such as dutch cream)
2 small onions, finely sliced
2Tbs finely grated ginger
2 fresh chillis (red or green, mild or medium heat- up to you), finely sliced
1tsp turmeric powder
pinch of salt

4Tbs oil (coconut is the best, olive or other is fine)
2Tbs mustard seeds (i use black mustard, either should be fine)
2tsp garlic powder (though the recipe calls for asafoetida- must get me some- garlic is apparently similar)

5-6 fresh curry leaves (optional)

cut potatoes into large chunks (2-3cm); boil in salted water until cooked. drain and mash coarsely; set aside.

heat oil on medium in a large frying pan for 1 minute: add mustard seeds, cook for 1 minute, then add garlic powder, followed by sliced onions, chillis and ginger. cook on medium-low until onions are soft and becoming translucent- avoid browning. add the curry leaves, if using.

add turmeric and salt, a little more oil if needed, and the potatoes. fry for about 5 minutes, mixing gently until the spices and onions are mixed through the potato.

serve with daal, chapati, and cucumber salad.

it's tom kha tofu!

this has got to be one of my top ten meals of all time: hot, sweet, sour, salty and umami galore, fresh and quick and comforting. magic.

i think the proportions are very flexible, based on taste and what you have available. a litre of coconut milk makes a great soup, but less can be used without problems.

1L coconut milk

200ml water 

3cm knob of galangal or ginger (preferably young)

1 stalk lemongrass (cut and keep the top half for tea; chop the bottom half into 3cm lengths for the soup)

4 kaffir lime leaves

2-3 red chillis

3-4 tsp black/fried chilli paste

1 large piece kombu seaweed

300g firm tofu

1c mushrooms, quartered (tinned straw mushrooms are nice, too)

4-5tbs soy sauce

2tbs sugar (palm or brown sugar is best)

1 bunch bok choy or other asian greens

1 lime, juice and zest

bunch of coriander

jasmine rice to serve

put rice on to cook.

on low-medium heat, gently simmer coconut milk and water in a large saucepan. add galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves, half the chillis (you can always add more later!), kombu and chilli paste. stir and heat for 5-10 minutes. remove kombu and discard.

add tofu, mushrooms, soy sauce and sugar. cook for a further 10 minutes on medium heat without boiling. after the first 5 minutes, add the greens in to cook. finely grate lime zest into the saucepan. adjust seasoning, then remove from heat. 

serve in bowls: add a teaspoon of lime juice to each, and top with a few stalks of lightly chopped coriander.

awesome salad

based on my favourite vietnamese flavours, this salad is a serious meal and can be eaten over two sittings. all ingredients can be increased/decreased/omitted according to taste, diet and seasonality. make the dressing first, then pour over the veggies. can be served with rice.

dressing

120ml tamari/soy sauce (or vegetarian fish sauce, which i've heard of but not yet seen)

50g/3tbs palm or brown sugar

30ml sesame oil

juice and finely grated zest of two limes (lemon can be used for up to half of this)

2cm piece of ginger, finely grated

3 cloves garlic, crushed

finely chopped fresh chillis/hot chilli sauce to taste

splash of water

mix all ingredients in a bowl: adjust seasoning to taste.

500g firm tofu/cold roasted chicken/other

garlic powder/seasoning

.25 small cabbage (chinese cabbage is best)

4 medium carrots

200g bean shoots (2-3 big handfuls)

1 tomato/10 cherry tomatoes

1 bunch mint

1 bunch coriander

100g roasted unsalted nuts (peanuts and cashews are the best)

100g package mung bean vermicelli (glass noodles)

if using, cut the tofu into 1-2cm cubes. sprinkle with garlic powder or other dry seasoning, shallow fry in oil until crunchy, and set aside.

soak the vermicelli in a bowl of recently boiled water for about 2 minutes. stir, then drain.

grate cabbage and carrots into small-medium pieces. coarsely chop the mint and coriander. arrange these, the bean shoots, sliced tomato, nuts and vermicelli on a large serving platter (a large, shallow bowl of at least 30cm diametre is good). put the tofu/other on top, and pour dressing over.

serve sprinkled with these: