Japan

Menu:

Edamame
Avacado & Cucumber Maki
Onigiri
Ochazuke
Yakitori
Gyoza
Tofu Udon Stir-Fry

The Japan menu was inspired by food cravings. Basically I thought of all my Japanese take-out staples, combined them with my "I should learn to make this someday" list and we had ourselves a meal. The only downfall to preparing food I have mad cravings for is that in all the urgency to promptly stuff my face, I did not take the time to get the best pictures. But it was a ton of fun so crappy pictures is a fair sacrifice.

We had to start with edamame. I love edamame. In fact, I am an edamame monster. I would say you should see me near bowl of edamame, but the truth is, you really shouldn't. It isn't pretty.

Avocado & Cucumber Maki rolls were surprisingly easier than I expected. I think getting the rice right is a big part of it. Thank you, Cuisinart rice steamer. The same rice was used for the Onigiri, which are basically a rice ball. Forming these was a lot trickier and stickier but once they were done I was pretty pleased with myself.

Ochazuke is a dish I discovered at a little restaurant called Manpuku. It's one of those hidden secrets that is so good you want to tell everyone, but also so good you kind of want to keep it to yourself. The Ochazuke starts with Onigiri which is pan fried with soy sauce. The Onigiri is normally prepared with fish in the centre but the awesome folks at Manpuku make them up for me with tofu instead. Add a few garnishes, pour green tea over it, and you've got delicious soup.

The Yakitori was a tribute to my friend Luke who has extensive knowledge of all things Japanese. Actually Luke is my go-to guy for his knowledge of pretty much everything (but he isn't vegan so clearly there is still some stuff for him to learn). Luke always orders Yakitori which are marinated chicken kebabs. I basted faux chicken skewers in a sake, soy, mirin and sugar sauce, then threw them on the grill. They were just as good as Luke's. I don't have a recipe for these because I pretty much winged it. In fact all the recipes up to this point are essentially guidelines with a lot of winging it.

Gyoza are another one of my weaknesses. Irresistible crispy little dumplings of deliciousness. Note that a small batch of filling goes along way. But don't worry about making too many, they freeze brilliantly.



The final item was going to be a Tofu Udon Stir-Fry. By now we were all way too full so I came up with the idea to have an udon showdown. I divided up the ingredients (udon noodles, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, fried tofu cubes) and sent them home with two of my friends. They each sent me pictures of their creations. I have to call it a tie - both look fantastic!

We finished the meal with an assortment of snacks and candy that we picked up at a local Japanese grocer. They all come in ridiculously adorable packaging but the hit of the evening was definitely the Super Lemon. Oh! Powerful candy.


Avocado & Cucumber Maki
4 cups steamed sushi rice
1 Cucumber
1 Avocado
1 package dried nori sheets

1. Slice cucumber and avocado into thin strips.
2. Cover the bamboo mat with plastic wrap.
3. Place a rectangular sheet of nori on the mat (half sheet).
4. Spread an even layer of rice on top of the nori. Wet your hands to keep the rice from sticking.
5. Place the avocado and cucumber strips horizontally across the centre of the rice.
6. Fold the mat forward and apply pressure to shape the maki.
7. Fold the mat forward once again and apply more pressure.
8. Wet the tip of your knife and cut the roll into six even pieces.

Onigiri
4 cups steamed sushi rice
2 sheets dried nori
8 fried tofu cubes
Teriyaki sauce
Salt

1. Lightly brush tofu cubes with teriyaki sauce.
2. Cut the nori into eight 1-inch wide strips.
3. Put about 1/2 cup of rice in your palm. Wet your hands to keep the rice from sticking.
4. Make a dent in the centre and add the tofu cube.
5. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on your hand and form into a ball.
6. Flatten to a disc using your palms.
7. Wrap with a nori strip. Serve chilled.


Ochazuke

4 onigiri (remove nori strip)
Soy sauce
Vegetable oil
4 cups hot green tea

Toppings:
Rice crackers or okaki
Shredded nori strips
Scallions, chopped

1. Heat oil in frying pan.
2. Brush onigiri with soy sauce.
3. Pan fry onigiri to get a crisp sear on both sides.
4. Place one onigiri in each bowl.
5. Add toppings.
6. Pour 1 cup of green tea over each.
7. Season to taste with salt or soy sauce.

Gyoza

40 gyoza wrappers (wonton will work too)
1 cup dry TVP, small granules
2 cups boiling water
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 cup mushrooms, minced
1 carrot, grated finely
3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
3 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Oil for frying

Dipping Sauce:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1. Place the TVP in a bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Stir and let sit until softened.
2. Heat sesame oil on medium and saute the mushrooms, onion, carrot and ginger until soft.
3. Add the TVP, soy sauce and vinegar.
4. Raise the heat to medium-high and stir frequently until most of the liquid is gone. Let filling cool before assembling gyoza.
5. Put a large pot of water on to boil.
6. Place a teaspoon of filling in the centre of a wrapper.
7. Use you finger to wet the edges of the wrapper with water.
8. Fold in half into a crescent shape.
9. Press and pinch the edges together until sealed. Repeat until you run out of wrappers or filling.
10. Place gyoza in boiling water for about 2 minutes, until wrapper is cooked (you can also steam them).
11. Pan-fry until browned on each side in a heavy bottomed pan.
12. Keep warm in 200 degree oven until ready to serve.
13. Mix dipping sauce ingredients and serve.

Congo & Zambia

Menu:

Nshima (Zambia)
Gbegiri (Zambia)
Wali Wa Nazi (Congo)
Corn on the Cob (Congo)
Golabjamoun (Zambia)
Fruit Salad (Congo)
Ginger Beer (Congo)

Not long ago I saw a documentary called Where Are We Go at the Bicycle Film Festival which follows a group of cyclists along the route of the Tour D'Afrique. Starting in Cairo and ending in Capetown, the film takes you on an incredible and breathtaking journey through many of the eastern countries in Africa, including Zambia. I had already drawn Congo & Zambia and was inspired to get cooking.

I started with Nshima, a cormeal dish similar in preparation to polenta, because it is a staple in Zambia. It's a quick and easy substitute for bread, eaten by tearing off small pieces and dipping them into a stew or soup. Next I needed a stew or soup. My love of black eyed peas extends beyond my love of Will. i. am so I had to try the Gbegiri (Black-Eyed Pea Soup). This soup was thick enough to qualify as a stew - I figured I had it covered. Best of all it was cheap, easy, and soup-er tasty. The ingredients are all staples at my place. I just threw it all in a pot and 30 minutes later - delicious soup!

Wali Wa Nazi is rice cooked in coconut milk. Paired with the Nshima, the coconut added another layer of sweetness which really complimented the tomatoes in the soup. For some crispness I chose corn on the cob as our third side. In the Congo they generally grill it in the husk and top it with cayenne pepper, salt, and lemon juice before serving.

We served the Golabjamoun along with the meal even though it is actually a dessert. I pan fried the fritters just enough to get them crispy on the outside and then baked them through. No real reason other than the fact that I needed to free up a burner on my stovetop. The sweet potato and cinnamon gave them a real southern flavor - sort of like bite-sized sweet potato pies.

A popular Congo drink is ginger beer. Carribean Bistro, a great little roti place in my neighborhood, carries a fantastic one but sadly they were closed the day I needed it. I picked up an all natural ginger ale as a last minute replacement and it worked quite well.

We ended the meal with the Congo Fruit Salad. I was really excited preparing this, chopping (and sampling) this amazing variety of delicious fruit. I had never used avocado in a fruit salad and decided it was simply genius. I stirred in the coconut - it was awesome! I added the mint - hated it. It may work for some folks, and it was brilliant in the fatouche salad from Senegal, but personally I am in no rush to toss mint leaves into tropical fruit again any time soon.

Nshima
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
3-4 cups water
Salt to taste

1. Mix cornmeal with 1 cup of cold water.
2. Bring 2½ cups water to a boil, add salt.
3. Stir in cornmeal and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly until thick.
4. Continue cooking about 5 minutes. Add more boiling water, a little at a time, until of desired thickness. It should be fairly stiff.
5. Turn out into a serving dish.
(adapted from Wikia)

Gbegiri (Black-Eyed Pea Soup)

1 19 ounce/540 ml can black-eyed Peas, drained
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 796 ml can diced tomatoes
2 cups vegetable stock
Salt
Pepper

1. Heat oil in pan over medium heat.
2. Saute onions until soft.
3. Partially mash the black-eyed beans using a fork or potato masher.
4. Add the mashed beans, tomato paste, tomatoes, stock, and salt & pepper. Mix well.
5. Lower heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.
(adapted from Wikia)

Wali Wa Nazi (Coconut Rice)
1 cup long grain white rice (such as basmati)
1 414 ml can coconut milk, plus water to make 2 cups
1/2 tsp salt

1. Mix rice, coconut milk , water and salt in a saucepan.
2. Cover and bring to boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked through, approximately 20 minutes (add more water if needed until desired doneness).
(adapted from CongoCookbook)

Golabjamoun

1/2 cup soy milk
500 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Oil for frying

1. Boil sweet potatoes in milk until soft
2. Mash sweet potato mixture.
3. Add ground cinnamon and flour.
4. Knead into dough and shape into small balls.
5. Pan fry in oil over medium heat.
(adapted from Wikia)

Congo Fruit Salad
1 avocado, peeled and seeded
1 banana, peeled
1 grapefruit, peeled and sectionned
1 orange, peeled and sectionned
1 papaya, peeled and seeded
1 peach, seeded
1 Pear, cored
Mint leaves, finely chopped
1 cup grated coconut

1. Cut fruit into bite-sized pieces.
2. Combine all fruits in a glass bowl.
3. Add the mint leaves. Stir gently.
4. Cover the fruit salad and allow it to stand for a half hour before serving.
5. Top with grated coconut immediately before serving.
(adapted from Wikia)

Spain & Portugal

Menu:

Patatas Bravas (Spain & Portugal)
Escalivada (Spain)
Tomato Rice (Portugal)
Broa (Portugal)
Citrus Sangria (Spain)
Valencia Orange Pie (Spain)

In Portugal, for obvious reasons, they have fish or seafood in the majority of their meals. Their approach to cooking keeps it simple using locally fresh and available ingredients. It was a bit more challenging to find something suitable for my menu, but I stumbled upon a Tomato Rice dish that I think really represented that simple yet brilliant thing the Portugese do with food. I absolutely loved this rice and admittedly hid all the leftovers so no one else could take any home (sorry guys).

Portugal is also the home of an amazing corn bread called Broa, which I'm sure I could make, but cheated and bought at a local bakery.

It was really easy to find Spanish recipes that were vegan-friendly, especially when it came to tapas. The hard part was choosing which ones to make. So I went with what I already knew: Sangria, Valencia for oranges (thank you Starbucks), and of course tapas.

The first tapas recipe I made was Patatas Bravas which I understand hails from both countries. It is basically like upgrading fries with ketchup from coach to first class. My apologies to the fine folks at Heinz but I have this recipe memorized now and may never turn back.

The second was Escalivada. Escalivada is roasted vegetables. Delicious roasted vegetables. Need I say more?

I absolutely love tomatoes so up to this point I was in love with this meal. I also happen to love lemons so the Citrus Sangria seemed an obvious choice. For those who weren't drinking that day I squeezed the citrus slices into all natural concord grape juice, topped it with soda and served it over fruit and ice. It doesn't pack quite the same punch but you can certainly knock back a few. Sangria however...well that's a whole other blog.

The Valencia Orange Pie just didn't want to set. I ended up putting it in the freezer and that basically did the trick. Unfortunately I had already garnished it so the mandarin oranges froze too. If I were to attempt this recipe again I would reduce the juice, or replace it with extract, or even eliminate it altogether. A little agar agar could also be the solution. If all else fails serve the sangria first, no one will notice the frozen fruit. Salud!

Patatas Bravas

2 lbs potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Cut potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes.
3. Coat in oil and season with salt (I shake them in a sealed container).
4. Roast on a baking sheet for 20 minutes.
5. Turn over and bake for another 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden.

Sauce:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
796 ml can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

1. Heat oil in pan over medium heat.
2. Saute onions until soft.
3. Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, and seasonings.
4. Bring to a boil while stirring.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-20 minutes until slightly thickened.
6. Serve over roasted potatoes.
The sauce can be made in advance and reheated. It tastes even better the next day.
(adapted from BBCFood)

Escalivada
1 bulb garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
2 small eggplants
1 bunch scallions (5-7 in a bunch)
2 red peppers
2 large tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Cut top off garlic bulb just enough to expose each clove.
3. Pour olive oil over exposed garlic and wrap completely in foil.
4. Cut remaining vegetables into fairly large pieces, similariy sized.
5. Coat vegetables in olive oil and season with salt and pepper (I shake them in a sealed container).
6. Place vegetables and garlic on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.
7. Roast for 30 minutes, turning part way if needed.
8. If you want to remove the skins, place peppers and eggplant in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam, about 10 minutes, then peel (I only peeled the peppers).
9. Remove garlic cloves from the bulb and toss in a serving dish with the other roasted vegetables.
10. Serve warm.
(adapted from SpainRecipes)

Tomato Rice

1/8 cup olive oil
1 tbsp margarine (I like Earth Balance)
1/2 a large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
796 ml can whole tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup long-grain white rice
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Drain the tomatoes. You will only need about 5-6 tomatoes, chopped (I save the liquid and extra tomatoes for soups).
2. Heat oil & margarine in a saucepan until melted over medium heat.
3. Saute onions until soft.
4. Add garlic and saute another minute.
5. Add chopped tomatoes, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Add broth and bring to boil.
7. Add rice, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until cooked.
8. Salt and pepper to taste.
(adapted from WorldRecipes)

Citrus Sangria
Step 1:
26 oz bottle dry red wine
1/2 cup Cointreau
1/2 cup brandy (we used cognac because we had it on hand)
Juice of 1 large orange
Juice of 1 medium lemon
Juice of 1 medium lime
2 tbsp confectioner's sugar

Step 2:
1 small orange, sliced thin crosswise
1 small lemon, sliced thin crosswise
1 small lime, sliced thin crosswise
Club soda to taste
Ice

1. Mix ingredients from step 1 in a large pitcher and refrigerate overnight.
2. Right before serving, add fruit slices, club soda. Serve over ice.
(adapted from SpainRecipes)

Valencia Orange Pie
1 prepared chocolate cookie crumb pie crust
2 x 227g packages soy cream cheese

4 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp orange juice
Small can manadarin oranges
Chocolate shavings (I used orange infused chocolate)

1. Beat cream cheese, sugar & orange juice until combined.
2. Pour into pie crust and refrigerate for four hours (I put it in the freezer).
3. Decorate with mandarin slices and chocolate shavings.
(adapted from SpainRecipes)