Korean Spicy Garlic Eggplant

If you follow my blog, by now you should have known that I love eggplant, round, long , thick, thin, any shape eggplant I can eat it. This is my new favorite way to eat eggplant, its so flavorful and its goes perfect with steamed rice. You don't need any fancy rice with this since eggplant has so much flavor you need to enjoy that with plain rice. You can make this as per your taste, mild or spicy since it has gochujang and Korean red pepper powder. 

I made this for my diner and leftover I enjoyed it for my lunch next day and it was tasted even better. 

so lets start making it. You need long purple eggplant for this.

Ingredients : 

2 purple eggplant

2 to 3 cloves of garlic chopped

1 green onion chopped

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. agave syrup, honey or sugar or maple syrup

1 tbsp. sesame oil

1 or 2 tsp. gochujang sauce 

1 tsp. Korean red pepper powder or flakes

2 tsp. sesame seeds

Method : 

Remove caps of eggplant. Depend upon the eggplant size, cut it in 3 inches long then cut into halves lengthwise.

Bring water to boil in a steamer pot. 

Put all the cut eggplants skin side down on steamer. 

Cover and steam for 5 minutes. 

While its cooking combine, garlic, green onion, soy sauce, agave, sesame oil, gochujang , red pepper powder in a serving bowl. 

When eggplant is done cooking, remove from steamer and cool it down for 5 minutes or till you can handle. 

Once its cold cut eggplant in three pieces lengthwise. 

Add it to the sauce mixture and mix gently with spoon not to break it. if you can handle the heat in your hand , use hand to mix it otherwise wear gloves and mix it. 

Garnish with sesame seeds and serve with warm white rice. 

Vegetarian Japanese Kare (curry) and Rice

Curry Rice or Kare Rice is brought to Japan by Britishers when they rules Japan. So its mixture of Indian flavors and Japanese but its very different than Indian or Thai curries. Japanese curry is very thick like a stew and its perfectly go with rice. Japanese curry is a mixture of flour , butter and curry powder. You can make it vegan by adding oil instead of butter. You can find readymade curry cubes just like chocolates cubes in store but I didn't wanted to buy it in packet and missed out that home cooked feeling. So I made it from scratch and it was easy and it smells so good. 

You can choose your own vegetables but don't keep all soft vegetables, firm vegetables like carrot, potato, mushroom really goes well in this curry and its like a stew consistency so that kind of vegetables goes well too. Always cut your vegetables in same length so it cooks at same time. Don't overcook vegetables , mushy vegetables ruin the dish. and try to use colorful vegetables to give dish nice look, after all we are eating with the eyes first. 

Ingredients : 

Curry roux: 

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

4 tbsp. all purpose flour

1 tbsp. curry powder

1 tbsp. garam masala

1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper 

Curry ingredients : 

1 onion cut in match sticks

1 carrot

1 each red and yellow pepper

1/2 tofu - cubes

1 sweet potatoes

4 mushrooms

4 asparagus

1 tsp grated ginger and garlic each

Seasonings 

1 cup Vegetable stock

salt and pepper as per the taste

Method : 

To make the curry roux : 

In a non stick pan, melt the butter completely over medium heat and then add the flour. Stir to combine the flour and butter. The mixture starts as thick but it will becomes more liquid form. Reduce the heat to low and continue to stir for 15 or so minutes. 

The mixture will darken in the color , make sure you don't burn it , it just have to be right color not to brown or black, 

Add 1 tbsp. curry powder and mix well. Add 1 tbsp. garam masala and cayenne pepper powder. 

Mix well to combine and cook stirring for 20 seconds more. Then transfer the roux in to a bowl and keep aside. 

Now lets make curry :

In a same pot, add vegetables texture wise, first goes hard vegetables who take more time to cook and then rest. 

Add ginger and garlic and mix. 

Let the vegetables steam for 5 minutes. 

Add vegetable broth and  add 2-3 roux  mix and mix it together , add more broth if you think your curry is too thick. or add more roux if its too thin. 

cook for a minute till all nice and mixed. 

Serve hot with just plain white rice. 

Harissa Roasted Veggie Bowl

If you get tired of eating sweet stuff during this holiday time, need something spicy to change the taste then this is your dish. It has Harissa spice paste and roasted vegetables in it , Its light on stomach but so full of flavor and above all , don't miss the tahini dressing on top of it. If you want to make a meal, you can have it on top or side of couscous or quinoa but I just had it with a side of green salad and roasted vegetables and Tahini dressing. It was supposed to be for two serving but I was enjoying so much didn't realized that I finished everything. Don't go by my vegetables, you can have it what ever you feel like and you think it will roast , take those vegetables, this was in my fridge so I used that one. I have readymade Harissa paste so used that one , if you have homemade you can use that too.

Ingredients : 

1 Red onion cut in wedged

1 Red pepper cut in strips

1 Sweet potatoes cut in cubes

Few asparagus

Few Long string beans

1 Yellow pepper 

1 Serrano pepper whole (optional) 

2 to 3 Tbsp. Harissa paste

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup boiled white chickpeas

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cumin powder

1/4 cup Tahini paste

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 lemon juiced

Some mixed greens

Method :

Heat oven to 400F.

Prepare your vegetables. 

Whisk together, Harissa, red wine vinegar and oilve oil in a bowl. Drizzle that mixture on top of your vegetables. and stir.

Put that tray in oven and roast for 30 minutes or till the sweet potatoes are cooked. 

Drain, rinse and dry chick peas if you are using can one. Toss with salt, pepper and cumin. 

Top those bean over the vegetables when vegetables are cooked for 10 minutes. 

Whisk tahini, water and lemon juice. 

Take the vegetables out and when its done. 

Drizzle the tahini dressing on top  and serve it over the bed of mixed greens or quinoa. 

Add more dressing if you like it more. 

Pad See Ew - Thai Stir Fried Rice noodles

Pad See Ew literally means Stir fry soy sauce noodles. For Pad Thai its on a sweet side, this noodles are on salty and sour balance. Basically you can add just fresh rice noodles, Chinese Broccoli, egg and sauces but I needed more vegetables so I have added mushroom too to give a meaty texture. The sauce for the noodles is the key, don't add more or less otherwise noodles will be dry if less or runny if its too much. If you can not find Chinese broccoli, add spinach and broccoli or broccolini.

You can use any protein in it, chicken is the best but for me I keep it simple.

For sauces you need, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, vinegar and sugar.

For noodles, if you can get fresh rice noodles its best, otherwise you can use any broad rice noodles or even pad Thai noodles.




Ingredients : 

1 packed fresh wide flat rice noodles or 7 oz. dried wide rice stick noodles
2 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 large egg
5-6 chopped portebello mushrooms
4 stems Chinese broccoli or handful of spinach and broccoli or use bok choy

For sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce - for meat, regular oyster sauce
2 tsp soy sauce - light is fine
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp white vinegar
2 tbsp water



Method : 

Trim the ends of  Chinese broccoli and separate leaves from stems.

Prepare noodles according to package if using dried, if using fresh , just cut the stripes length wise.

Mix all the ingredients under sauce and mix till sugar dissolves.

Heat the oil in a large wok or pan.

Add garlic, mushrooms, your greens and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Take it on side and crack the egg inside. scramble the egg and mix it everything.

Add noodles and sauce and mix it nicely till everything is covered in sauce.

Take it out and serve immediately.