Numbing Char-siuIsh Eggplants

This has been the MOST popular recipe on my Instagram feed - more than 100 saves of the post from 2021 and tested by many of my followers and connections. It still blows my mind! Originally developed with Trumpet Mushrooms to create a deeply flavorful vegan Chinese BBQ style dish at home, in later iterations I realized Eggplants are better suited to absorb that umami bomb marinade and transform magically when roasted or deep fried.

This has converted many eggplant haters and believe it or not when I served it at a dinner party to all my meat loving friends, they couldn’t tell it’s vegan?! So this LNY , I present you an easy side that might change your perspective about eggplants.

Ingredients (serves 4 as side)

1 lb Eggplants, cut into large 2-3” chunks (preferably Chinese or Japanese variety - easily found in produce section of Asian specialty markets)

Marinade

3 tbsp Hoisin Sauce (substitute with Oyster Sauce if you’re are not Vegan/Vegetarian or you have it on hand)

4 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce (substitute with Tamari or Coco Aminos to suit your dietary restrictions. You can use Light Soy Sauce as well , just increase it to 5 tbsp)

2 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar (substitute with white vinegar you have on hand, but do try to scout rice vinegar - it’s pretty great and versatile)

1.5 tsp Pomegranate Molasses (substitute with 1 tsp Maple Syrup and increase the rice wine vinegar to 3 tsp)

1.5 tsp Maple Syrup (extra 1 tbsp for glaze)

5-7g Fresh Ginger, peeled and grated

6-7 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder

1-1.5 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns (preferably green variety but the red ones are fantastic too)

1 tsp Gochugaru (substitute with red pepper flakes of your choice)

1-2 Star Anise, whole

Neutral Oil for cooking

Garnish

2 tbsp finely chopped Chives

2 tsp toasted Sesame Seeds

1/2 tsp Gochugaru (substitute with red pepper flakes of your choice)

Directions

🍆Salt eggplant chunks and let it sit on a colander for 20-25 mins (skip this if using Japanese/Chinese Eggplants). Meanwhile, whisk all marinade ingredients until smooth (don’t worry about the whole star anise , it’s for the most amazing aroma)

🍆Transfer drained eggplant chunks and marinade into a large ziplock bag. Make sure it’s sealed properly, shake well until eggplants look well coated. Let them marinate for at least 4 hrs or upto overnight. Soak up all the deliciousness!!

🍆 Fish out eggplant cubes and transfer marinade (alongwith the whole star anise) to a saucepan. At this stage, you can either bake or deep-fry the marinated eggplants - 

Baking: pre-heat oven to 425F, toss marinated eggplants in 2.5 tbsp Neutral Oil. Bake on a parchment lined sheet for 25 mins or until the outside is golden crisp and inside is soft. I recommend dividing into large sheets to avoid crowding in the oven

Deep fry: heat 200ml neutral oil. Once shimmering, fry eggplants for about 7-8 mins in three batches

🍆 Make glaze: add 1 tbsp maple syrup and about 1/4 cup (40ml) water into the saucepan with reserved marinade. Give it a good mix and cook on medium heat for 10-12 mins or until syrupy consistency

🍆Toss fried/baked eggplants in the sticky glaze so that everything is well coated. Transfer sticky golden eggplants to a serving platter and garnish. Chives and chile pepper. Enjoy!

Clara’s Courgette Oven Fries

A very very special recipe to commemorate my bucket loads of gratitude, love and respect for Clara Loizzo - a professional educator based in Nice 🇫🇷 who has been enthusiastically cooking most of my recipes for past two years - translating my recipes to French, printing those out to refer while cooking, hunting down specialty ingredients to try out my whimsical creations and sending me sweet note of appreciation after trying out the dish. Isn’t she the best?!

On several occasions, I would post a recipe feeling proud of creating something special and secretly wishing at least one person should make it to know what I mean - and that one person has always been Clara ♥️

Last summer, to honor her birthday and her love for Courgettes and Cumin … I created these Masa Harina Crusted Zucchini Fries baked in oven and spiked with toasted Cumin seeds and Chaat Masala. We usually have it with curry ketchup but any hot sauce or Garlic Aioli will be awesome!

Ingredients (serves 2-4 as side)

620g Courgette / Zucchini, cut into thick batons about 1/2” thick and 2-2.5” long

3 tbsp Chickpea Flour (substitute with regular White Rice Flour)

2 tbsp Masa Harina (substitute with Cornmeal)

1 tbsp Cornstarch or Cornflour

3/4 tsp Ground Turmeric

3/4-1 tsp Chaat Masala

2 tsp Toasted cumin Seeds, lightly crushed

1 tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder 

Pinch of salt

96ml Neutral Oil (little more than 6 tbsp)

Lemon and chopped fresh herbs such as cilantro / parsley / basil for serving

Directions

💥Pre-heat oven to 425F (230C) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment. In a large bowl, combine courgette / zucchini batons with everything. Toss until all the batons are well coated

💥Transfer the coated batons onto the prepared baking sheets (skin side down). Make sure not to crowd

💥Bake for 35-38 mins or until outside looks deeply golden and crisp. Transfer into a lipped platter, finish it with generous squeeze of lemon and some sprinkling of fresh herbs of your choice. Enjoy with some nice crisp white or Rosé

Remy's Ratatouille- My Way

Back in 2019 summer, after watching “Ratatouille” gazillionth time, I made my first ratatouille and I remember vividly when my husband took that first bite of confit summer squashes wrapped in peppery sweet tomato sauce and gasped “This is ridiculous! I think this is your calling, everyone needs to eat this”. It was hard to believe him as it’s such a humble dish. The recipe has evolved a wee-bit since then but the reaction I receive (now my friends too) is exactly the same and believe it or not it still continues to be the most requested dish by my husband…

With a bit of planning, its a perfect make ahead dish for a summer dinner party. Make the sauce the night before, arrange the vegetables on top, cover and keep it in the fridge until an hour before your guests are due. Bake and serve right away with some good sourdough or baguettes! Double the recipe to make it in a large 13’ x 9’’ roasting pan / casserole dish. Don’t stress too much about the arrangement or pattern to be perfect, with such vibrant colors and flavors it will be stunning.

*Note: in the second image I have a dinner party spread inspiration with the radicchio and apple salad, seared asparagus with lemon and parmesan, marinated olives and goat’s cheese and pinot grigio sauteed wild mushrooms.

Ingredients (serves 4)
2 Medium Zucchinis, thinly sliced (approximately 1/8” thick)
1 Medium Yellow Summer Squash, thinly sliced (approximately 1/8” thick)
4 Vine or Roma Tomatoes, preferably equal sized and thinly sliced (approximately 1/8” thick)
1/2 tsp Fine Sea Salt
1-2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sauce
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Medium Red Onion, thinly sliced
1 Large Red Bell Pepper, oven roasted and chopped or 160g Roasted Red Pepper from Jar, coarsely chopped
1 Large Very Ripe Tomato, skin removed and pulp grated or 240g Canned Crushed Tomato
1 tsp Paprika or Kashmiri Chili Powder
1 tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper or any Hot Pepper Flakes
Heaping 1/2 tsp Ground cumin
210g Canned crushed tomatoes (if not using a fresh large Tomato then just use 454g or 1lb Crushed Tomato from the can)
75ml Vegetable Stock or Water
2 tsp Dried Basil (substitute with dried oregano)
1 tsp Fine Sea Salt

Topping
2 tsp Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced or crushed
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 tsp dried Basil or Oregano

Garnish
Fresh Basil or Oregano leaves, whole and torn
Flaky salt & Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Top Quality)

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 375F / 190C (175C with Fan). If making the sauce the day before then skip this step until ready to bake. If using a large casserole dish then grease it with Olive Oil and keep it aside. Prep the vegetables at this point (I prefer using a mandoline for uniform thickness, but a sharp knife is fine and slight variation in thickness is fine too), toss the sliced vegetables in 1/4 tsp salt and keep them aside

2. Make the Sauce: heat up oil in a oven safe skillet (if using casserole dish then any 10’ skillet is fine), on medium flame. Add onion, fry for 5 mins then add roasted pepper and continue sautéing for 5 more mins. Add grated tomato (if using crushed tomato from can then add half qty), half of spices and dried herb - cook everything for 4 min. Now add crushed tomatoes (remaining if using entirely crushed tomatoes) and stock/water. Season with salt and bring everything upto vigorous simmer. Turn off the heat now

3. Arrangement: Once the sauce and skillet are cool enough to handle, pat any excess liquid out from the salted vegetables and arrange them in alternating colors on top of the sauce in concentric circles (fan them out to your preference). If using a casserole dish, then transfer the sauce from skillet into the greased casserole dish and arrange the vegetables on top. Drizzle 1-2 tsp oil and sprinkle remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Cover and bake in the oven for 42-45 mins and then uncovered for 20 mins. (If making ahead then just cover and refrigerate until 90 mins before serving, pre-heat oven to the recommended temperature and bake as per instructions)

4. Serving: Just before serving, combine first topping ingredients in a heat safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute in 30 second bursts. Pour the topping on top of ratatouille, garnish with fresh herbs, pepper flakes, a bit of flaky salt and a generous drizzle of very good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil on top. Enjoy!

*It tastes much better the next day so making a big batch to ensure leftovers is a great idea

My Ultimate Soy Curry

Like everybody else, I have my set of comfort foods as well - that help in serotonin boosts to ride through rough workdays, dreary weather or after a long holiday! For me the top spot is invariably a good crispy bottom dumpling bowl with fixings such as sautéed greens, fried shallots, some sauce or lots of chili oil. Then comes the trio of Rasam-Rice, Khichdi (aka Kedgeree) and this Soy Puff Curry. The soy puffs are a great source of protein and absolutely incredible at soaking up all the curry goodness and transforming into these magical flavor bombs. However if you can’t find them then highly recommend looking for Soft or Firm Silken Tofu instead of regular Firm Tofu.

With an overriding flavor of Black Cardamom (found in Indian Grocery stores) and the cooling creaminess from lentils-coconut combo, this one can be a curry canvas for various toppings such as - grilled halloumi or any meat, pasta, meatballs, koftas, fried eggplant, silken tofu… the list is endless truly. I urge you all to make an effort to seek out this specialty cardamom variety that’s native to South Asia and a critical ingredient for Biryanis, it’s very unique - is more floral than green one and when toasted renders a slight camphor like tingly sensation on your palate. If you can’t find them then regular green one will be fine too but not the same. I hope just like in our house, this one will become a staple in your house too!

*Note: it tastes better the next day!

Ingredients (serves 4)
2 Bay Leaves
2 Whole Cloves, Crushed
4 Whole Black Cardamom pods, Crushed
2 Tbsp Sunflower Oil (substitute with any Neutral Oil)
2” Knob of Fresh Ginger, grated
4 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Shallot, thinly sliced
1 tsp Ground Turmeric
1.5 Tbsp Sambal Oelek (Indonesian Chile Paste) - substitute with Sriracha or any Hot Sauce. Red Curry Paste works in a pinch too!
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 Tbsp Coconut Sugar or Brown Sugar

65g Red Lentils, properly rinsed
400g Vegetable Stock or Water
315g Coconut Milk (I prefer full-fat but reduced fat works just fine)
1.5 tsp Fine Sea Salt
90g Soy Puffs (each cube halved) or 100g Soft Tofu
210g Frozen Chopped Spinach, unthawed
1/2 Tbsp lime juice
Generous drizzle of favorite Chili Oil for each serving

Directions
💥 Heat up a deep bottomed pan; on medium-high flame dry roast first 3 ingredients for 3 mins or until very fragrant. Then add oil into the pan, sauté the spices for a minute and immediately add ginger, garlic, shallot. Continue sautéing for 5-6 mins on medium flame

💥 Now add sambal paste, turmeric, tomato paste and sugar - sauté everything for 2 more mins. Then add lentils, vegetable stock/water, coconut milk and salt. Bring it to boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 15 mins

💥 Fish out the bay leaves; Add soy puffs and spinach (straight from the freezer). Give it a good stir, let it cook for 3 mins. Turn off the heat and add lime juice

💥 Divide into serving bowls, drizzle generously your favorite chili oil on top and serve with your favorite flatbread (mine are Chinese Scallion Pancakes or the Trader Joe’s Malabar Parathas) or some jasmine rice. Enjoy!

Smoky Cauliflower Pepper Wraps

How do you all celebrate Valentines Day? Or you don’t? For us it’s usually cooking together interspersed with video games, online shopping, making our favorite cocktails & sometimes snowball fight (courtesy Chicago deep freeze). I call it cheesy capitalism way!

If you are looking to make something fun yet easy to put together then here I have - cauliflower florets and peppers are smothered in a Chile pepper concoction and roasted until super smoky with charred bits. Served on a creamy avocado sauce and finished with Sumac shallots and fresh mint. Once you try it, it’s quite addictive…

Ingredients (for 3-4 wraps depending on the size of the wrap bread)

Smoky Cauliflower

1/2 Medium Cauliflower Head, leaves removed and cut into 2-2.5” florets (roughly 150g)

1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 2” pieces (about 75g)

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 2” pieces (about 80g)

2.5-3tbsp Neutral Oil

1.5 tbsp Harissa Paste

1 tbsp Tomato Paste

1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1 tsp Curry Powder

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

1 tsp Ground Ancho Chile (substitute with 1/2 tsp ground Chipotle or increase the quantity of smoked paprika and add 1/2 tsp Cayenne)

2 tsp ground Coriander seeds

1/2 tsp Ground Turmeric

1/2 tsp Fine Sea Salt (increase to taste)

Avocado Crema

1 medium Ripe Avocado, pitted & mashed

3 tbsp Vegan Yoghurt (substitute with Plain Greek Yoghurt, I prefer whole milk but you can use low fat or no-fat versions)

5g Fresh Mint Leaves

1 tsp dried Mint (optional)

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

1/4 tsp Fine Sea Salt

Sumac Shallot

1 large Shallot, thinly sliced into rounds

2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Pinch of sugar

1-2 tsp Sumac

Fresh Mint leaves , torn

Directions

💥 Combine cauliflower florets and peppers in a large bowl. Whisk all other smoky cauliflower ingredients into a paste like mixture and transfer into the cast-iron skillet. Massage the vegetables with the mixture really well - make sure everything is well coated. Let it marinate for 30 mins to overnight (if doing for 30 minutes then I recommend directly mixing everything in the cast iron skillet or baking dish)

💥 Pre-heat oven to 450F. Meanwhile, whiz all Avocado crema ingredients in a food processor into a creamy paste. Adjust seasoning. In a small bowl, toss all Sumac Shallot ingredients and let it pickle for 20 mins at least.

💥 Bake the marinated cauliflower-peppers for 15 mins. Then increase the temperature to 485-500F (as high your oven can go). Give it a stir and continue baking for 12 more mins. After 27 mins, everything should be cooked through with charred splotches all over. Smelling smoky!

💥 Now take a tortilla, lavosh, pita or my sandwich wrap bread. Lightly toast the bread, spread some avocado crema, top it with smoky cauliflower-pepper mix, fresh mint and sumac shallot. Fold into a wrap and enjoy!

* If using lavosh or large tortilla - fold and wrap it like a burrito, lightly toast on a skillet. If using, pita then toast it lightly, slice into two to get two pockets. Spread the crema, stuff with cauliflower, peppers & Sumac shallot.

Crispy Taro Cake Bowl

Whether it was the influence of several friends and colleagues being Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Taiwanese or just my very deep-rooted love for the flavors from East Asia - we celebrate Lunar New Year every year. Other than making Nian Gao (the New Year cake) from scratch we do try to make most of the traditional dishes such as dumplings, hand-pulled noodles, pickled veggies, turnip and taro cakes. Along with some non-traditional ones such as Baozi or Gua Bao, Steamed Eggs, Rice Paper Rolls, Wontons, etc. The spirit of eating a lot of food with friends and family being intact!

For this year’s celebrations, I made this salad with leftover Taro Cake pieces and was a massive hit at the party! I made the cakes from scratch but you can find them in specialty stores such as H-mart or Park to Shop. If not then, substitute with Tteok or Tofu for similar textural delight or else go with boiled baby potatoes or cauliflower florets. Add some chopped up omelette or boiled eggs for extra richness. Gong Xi Fa Chai!

Ingredients (serves 2 as Main)

Vegetable Base
2 Persian Cucumbers, de-seeded and cut into 2” chunks. Salted and drained after 10 mins
2 Baby Carrots, thinly sliced into batons
1 Celery, cleaned & thinly sliced (optional)
1/2 Jalapeño, thinly sliced
1 small garlic, crushed
1 tsp Chili Oil (Homemade or Lao Gan Ma)
1 tsp light Soy Sauce (substitute with Tamari or Coco Aminos based on your dietary preferences)
1/2 tsp Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp Doubanjiang or Fermented Broad Bean Paste(optional but highly recommended)

Sauce
2 tbsp Neutral Oil
4 Scallions, finely chopped (Handful greens Reserved)
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp Ground Coriander
1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder

1 tsp Brown Sugar or Agave or Maple Syrup
1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce (substitute with Tamari or Coco Aminos based on your dietary preferences)
2 tsp Black Vinegar (substitute with equal parts of Balsamic and any White Vinegar)

10-12 pieces of rectangular Taro Cakes, cooked (substitute with 100-120g sliced rice cakes/Tteok or soft tofu)

12g Cilantro, roughly chopped (substitute with basil)
1 tsp Black Roasted Sesame Seeds
1 tsp White Roasted Sesame Seeds

Directions
🧧 In a large bowl, combine all vegetable base ingredients and mix thoroughly. Keep it aside for 15-30 mins or while you prep rest.

🧧 In a non stick skillet - add oil, scallions, garlic and spices. Turn on heat on the lowest setting/flame. Fry the aromatics until they begin to color and become very aromatic (about 4-5 mins on low flame). Fish out the fried aromatics into a small bowl and increase the heat to medium.

🧧 Now gently fry the cooked Taro cakes or any of the substitutes until golden and crisp on both sides. Be patient for this step as it will take about 15-20 mins of attentive frying - but when you achieve that crisp exterior and jelly like soft n chewy interior it will be all worth it! If using rice cakes, then it will be much faster but keep an eye as it’s easy to over cook and make it rubbery. If using tofu, then gently coat with some cornstarch (about 1 tbsp). Adjust the timing if using Potatoes or Cauliflower. Once fried, transfer the Taro cakes to a paper towel lined plate to get off any excess oil

🧧 Now add rest of the sauce ingredients to the bowl with fried aromatics. Give it a good mix and transfer into the large bowl with vegetables. Transfer the crisp Taro cakes into the large bowl, add fresh cilantro, give everything a gentle mix and let the flavors meld for 15 mins

🧧 Divide into serving bowls, finish with roasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Winter Special Dal

A red lentil, turmeric and coconut milk based dal packed with a punch from ginger, re-hydrated chiles and lime. Substantiated by spinach, cumin flavored fried sweet potatoes and finished with a sweet-spicy coconut topping (to which I also add a good measure of curry leaves, totally optional though). I came up with this as a quick and complete meal that stores well for busy weekday lunches. I was thrilled to see that so many of my followers loved this humble soup and have recreated it with squashes and pumpkin as well. Hope this winter you will find an opportunity to give this all time house favorite a go!

Ingredients (serves 4)

Sweet Potatoes

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut cross-wise into 1” discs (about 325g)

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground cayenne (substitute with crushed black pepper)

1 tsp Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp Fine Sea Salt

Dal

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 Shallot, coarsely chopped

2” Fresh Ginger, grated

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 tsp Ground Turmeric

1 tsp Fine Sea Salt

2 Small dried red chiles, finely, rehydrated and chopped

(feel free to substitute with 1.5 tsp red pepper flakes)

2 lemongrass stalks, tough parts removed and blitzed (optional)

96g Red Lentil, rinsed under cold water

400ml Coconut Milk (I prefer the Chaokoah brand)

500 ml Water

100g Baby Spinach

Zest and juice of 1 small lime

Garnish

1 tsp Olive Oil

55g grated coconut (thaw frozen ones available in Asian grocery stores.

I use the one from Deep brand found in all Indian Grocery Stores)

1 tbsp Maple Syrup or Agave Syrup

1 tsp Red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

Directions:

🥣 Prepare the sweet potatoes - heat up oil in a skillet, add the potatoes spices, sugar & salt toss until well combined. Fry for 13-15 mins or until both sides are golden brown. Once ready, keep it aside

🥣 Now in a soup pot heat up oil then add shallot & ginger. On medium heat, sauté for 8-10 mins then add cumin seeds & sauté for 1 more minute. Add the spices, rehydrated chiles, lemongrass (if using) & continue to sauté for 2 mins

🥣 Add the lentils, coconut milk, water & salt (adjust seasoning if required), bring it to boil then simmer for 20 mins. While dal is simmering, in a small bowl combine all garnish ingredients and keep it aside

🥣 After 20 mins of simmering, add the sweet potatoes, spinach, zest & lime juice. Reduce heat & mix every thing well. Now, turn-off the heat after 2-3 minutes

🥣 In a small pan, heat up 1 tsp Oil and add the garnish & fry on high heat for 3-4 mins or until entering looks golden and sticky

🥣 Ladle the dal in a serving bowl, top it with the crunchy sweet-spicy coconut garnish. Serve with flatbread or jasmine rice & a couple wedges of lime

*Note: to rehydrate dried chilies - just place them in boiling water. Cover and let them soak for 15-20 mins

Harissa Carrots and Garlic with Tahini Drizzle

Sticky & Sweet whole baby carrots and garlic cloves are smothered in a shalloty harissa oil; Glazed with pomegranate molasses & maple syrup concoction and finished with a spattering of lemony tahini sauce. The easiest seasonal side you will get hooked on to! You can find a quick video demo here

Ingredients (serves 4)
35ml Neutral Oil
1 lb Baby Rainbow Carrots - peeled & whole
8 garlic cloves, peeled & whole
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 tbsp Harissa (1.5 tbsp if using mild variety)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Tomato Paste
1.5 tbsp Maple Syrup + 1 tsp Pomegranate Molasses + 1/2 tbsp water - whisked well

Tahini Drizzle
3 tbsp Tahini
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tbsp Water
Pinch of Salt

Garnish
1 tbsp of very finely chopped cilantro or chives
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

Directions
🥕 Pre-heat oven to 415F. Bring a large pot of water to boil. When vigorously boiling, add whole baby carrots into that. Boil for 8-10 mins or until fork tender. Drain & keep it aside. Whisk all Tahini Drizzle ingredients

🥕 In a medium baking tin (we want everything to fit snugly) - add oil, shallots, garlic, Harissa, tomato paste & spices. Give everything a very good mix. Bake for 7 mins. Then add tender carrots, mix carefully so that carrots are well coated with spices. Now bake for 10 mins

🥕 Now add maple syrup & pomegranate mixture. Mix & broil for 4-5 mins. Until it looks & feels sticky

🥕 Transfer everything onto a lipped platter. Drizzle tahini mixture; garnish with chopped herbs & seeds

Spicy Numbing Cauliflower Fry

Loosely inspired by the Sichuan Cauliflower dish from MCCB restaurant in Chicago, this one is a staple in our house during cauli season. It comes together pretty quickly for a weekday lunch or dinner. The Taiwanese variety of cauliflower can be found in Asian Supermarkets and have slender, light green stems with small flower buds. When cooked, it tastes sweeter than regular variety! I highly encourage you to make an effort to find this variety to make this dish as is at least once.

Ingredients (serves 2 as Main)
500g or 1 Head of Taiwanese or Chinese Cauliflower (substitute regular cauliflower)
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
6 Dried Red Chilies (optional but highly recommend), snipped into small pieces
1 small red onion, finely chopped
10 garlic cloves, whole
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger (optional)
1/2 tsp Sichuan Peppercorns

1.5 tbsp Doubanjiang Paste
1/2 tsp Ground White Pepper (substitute with black pepper)
1 tsp Ground Coriander Seeds

Sauce
60ml Water
2 tbsp Shaoxing Cooking Wine (substitute with Dry Sherry to keep it GF)
1.5 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
2 tsp Maple Syrup

Garnish
2 tsp Roasted Sesame Seeds
1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
Handful fresh cilantro, chopped (substitute with 1-2 tbsp chopped chives)

Directions
💥 Remove tough parts of cauliflower stems, cut into long florets if using Chinese / Taiwanese variety. For regular cauliflower, cut into bite size florets. Rinse well, pat dry and keep it aside

💥 In a bowl, whisk all sauce ingredients and keep it aside. Now add oil into a large wok or skillet and put on medium high flame

💥 Once hot, add onion, chilies and ginger (if using), fry for 2 mins. Then add coriander, Sichuan peppercorns and Doubanjiang fry for 60-90 seconds (if the aromatics start sticking then splash 1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine or water to deglaze)

💥 Add garlic cloves and cauliflower into the wok and fry for 2 minutes. Now add the sauce, cover and let it cook for 8-10 mins or until cooked through with a bite (if using regular cauliflower then 5-6 mins). Check at 3 mins mark to see the doneness - if too dry then splash some shaoxing cooking wine or water and if too wet then cook on high heat uncovered

💥 Once done, serve right away with finishing touches of sesame seeds, oil and fresh cilantro. Best eaten with Jasmine Rice

New York I Love You Ramen

Here I present you a meat-free Ramen that I have been working on for almost a year - Soy-Sesame-Miso Based Broth with a very special topping of blistered scallions, corn and Jammy cherry tomatoes tossed in a dressing. It’s a recipe that I’m incredibly PROUD of and may have shed happy tears over…

It’s my humble homage to three of my favorite shops in NY Mr Taka Ramen, Nishida Shoten and Ivan Ramen where I have spent hours to just get a spot, always returning happy & content! The eggs in the picture are completely optional, without those the dish is completely Vegan.

Ingredients (Serves 3-4)

250g Dry Ramen Noodles
3-4 Ramen Eggs
6 Roasted Nori Sheets (packaged)
2 tsp Toasted Black Sesame Seeds
Shichimi Togarashi (optional)

Dashi: combine everything & keep it aside for an hour. Discard mushrooms to repurpose for something else
Two 2” x 2” pieces of Kombu
10g Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
500ml warm water

Umami Sesame (toast everything for 2-3 mins and grind into fine powder)
1 tbsp white sesame seeds

1 tbsp White Sesame Seeds
2 tsp Chile Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Demerara Sugar (turbinado sugar, if not available then use light brown sugar)
1 tsp Sea Salt

Broth
1.5 tbsp toasted sesame oil
15g ginger, grated
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 scallion, finely chopped
Full qty. of Umami Sesame
1 tbsp tomato paste
1.5 tbsp Doubanjiang (Spicy Broad Bean Paste mostly used in Chinese cooking)
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Mirin
2 tbsp White Miso
750ml Unsweetened Soy Milk, room temp (substitute with Oat or Sesame Milk)

Topping
3 scallions, cut into long 3cm pieces
55g steamed corn kernels
12 Cherry Tomatoes
1.5 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce (1.5 tbsp Light Soy)
1 tsp Mirin

Directions
🍜 Make sure to prepare Dashi and Umami Sesame beforehand. Prepare the topping by heating up a nonstick skillet. Once smoking, add scallions and char for 2 mins then add corn and keep charring. Transfer both to a small bowl, now add tomatoes to the very hot skillet and char until each of them is bursting and jammy (about 6-7 mins). Now toss all of these charred toppings with rest of the ingredients and keep it aside

🍜 Now to make the broth - combine first 4 broth ingredients in a deep-bottomed pot and cook on medium flame for 4 mins. Then reduce the heat to low, add next 3 ingredients sequentially at 1 min interval and cook for 5 mins in total

🍜 Deglaze using soy sauce for 1 min then once soy is slightly absorbed into the base, deglaze using mirin for 1 more min. Now remove kombu sheets (it will be slimy) and transfer dashi into the pot. Once lightly simmering, add 1 tbsp miso by slowly dissolving it into the broth

🍜 Add soy milk and keep stirring while it cooks for 2 mins. Add remaining miso by slowly dissolving in the broth and turn off the heat

🍜 Now assemble the bowl - divide cooked noodles into bowls, ladle some broth, add the toppings with a ramen egg and Nori Sheets. Finish with some chopped scallion greens, sesame seeds and a dash of shichimi

Blistered Baby Carrots with Soy Butter, Lime and Shichimi

Sticky, sweet, salty and super smoky. These baby carrots definitely hit the Umami Jackpot! Friends from the US, if you haven’t yet discovered those Les Petit Carrots of Many Colors at Trader Joe’s then I urge you to run and pick up a bag stat! Hands down one of my top 5 TJ products. The technique of making the soy butter and pairing with lime can be used in other vegetables or even for Egg on Toast.

*I eat it with some sticky rice, roasted nori and silken tofu but feel free to stuff in a sandwich wrap or serve as a small plate in a dinner party spread.

Ingredients (serves 4 as a side)
1 lb Baby Carrots, whole & peeled
2.5 tbsp Vegan Butter (substitute with regular Unsalted Butter if not keeping vegan)
1 small garlic clove, grated or crushed
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce (substitute Tamari or Coco Aminos)
1 tbsp Maple Syrup
1/2 tbsp Mirin
1.5 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar
Zest and juice of 1/2 Large Lime

1 tsp Shichimi Togarashi (substitute with 1/2 tsp chile flakes + 1/4 tsp+ toasted black sesame seeds + 1/2 tsp crushed toasted Nori)
1-2 tsp Roasted Sesame Seeds

1 tsp Finely chopped cilantro or scallion greens for garnish

Directions
🥕 Bring a large pot of water to boil, add carrots and let them boil/cook for 13-15 mins or until tender but firm enough to hold shape. Drain and keep it aside

🥕 Melt butter in a large skillet, then add garlic. Fry for 45 sec then add soy sauce, using a whisk or spatula keep stirring on medium or low heat so that it’s well emulsified. Immediately add carrots and turn off heat. Coat the carrots well with soy butter, then blow torch thoroughly so that it has black patches all over and very smoky. If not using blow torch then transfer into a baking dish and put it under grill / broiler for 2-4 mins while giving it shakes in every minute

🥕 Transfer the carrots onto a platter reserving the buttery juices. Now transfer those juices into a microwave safe bowl, add maple syrup, mirin, vinegar and lime juice into that. Give it a good whisk & microwave for 30-45 seconds and pour this concoction on top of the carrots.

🥕 Finish with lime zest, shichimi, sesame seeds & greens. Serve at room temp or straight away! Highly recommend alongside a sushi or soba noodle dinner spread.

Sichuan Potato Pepper Salad

Have you tried green Sichuan peppercorns? If not, then highly recommend you do - as it’s citrusy & floral aroma with more potent numbing kick makes a dish quite unique! Here’s presenting Potato Batons & Peppers dressed in spiced numbing oil tempered with soy-vinegar duo - a house favorite that we often have it alongside dumplings or cold noodles.

Ingredients (serves 6-8 as a side)
500g Yukon Gold/Yellow Potatoes (waxy variety), julienned or super thin batons
1 small red bell pepper, julienned
2 Jalapeño, de-seeded & julienned
4 scallions, thinly sliced
15g Cilantro (including stems), finely chopped

Numbing Oil
1/2-3/4 tsp Green Sichuan Peppercorns, (sub Red Variety); adjust based on your tolerance for numbing sensation
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 tsp Coriander seeds
1 pod Black Cardamom or 4 Green Cardamom pods, seeds removed
1 tsp Chili Flakes
1.5 tsp Sugar
3/4 tsp Salt
45ml Neutral Oil

Dressing
3 tbsp Light Soy Sauce (substitute with Tamari for GF and with Coco Aminos for Soy-free)
1.5 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil

Garnish
1 tsp Toasted Green Sichuan Peppercorns (optional)
1 tbsp Roasted Sesame Seeds
Chopped Cilantro

Directions
🥗 In a small pan, add first 7 ingredients of Numbing Oil. On medium flame, dry roast for 3-4 mins. Now transfer everything on to mortar pestle or spice grinder to coarsely grind the aromatics. In a large heatproof bowl, add scallions & ground aromatics & heat up oil until shimmering. Pour the hot oil onto the aromatics, mix well & cover. Keep it aside

🥗 Bring a large pot of water to boil. Set up an ice bath in a large bowl or fill a large strainer with ice. Line a large baking sheet or your kitchen work surface with paper towels. Once vigorously boiling add potato batons. Cook for 5 mins then transfer them straight into the ice bath or ice lined strainer to stop the cooking. Transfer them on to the paper towel lined sheet/surface, to remove as much moisture as possible

🥗 Now add julienned peppers & half quantity of cilantro to the bowl with aromatic oil. Add dried potato batons into the bowl, give everything a gentle mix. Now add all dressing ingredients with remaining cilantro. Mix, mix & mix (but gentle enough to not to break the potatoes). Let it sit & flavors come together for 1-2 hrs

🥗 Garnish with Sichuan peppercorns, sesame seeds & cilantro. Serve right away!

Umami Oats

The perfect vegan breakfast porridge that’s very very close to my heart! Stick to the porridge recipe and use your favorite toppings such as chopped kimchi, chili oil, hot sauce, pea shoots, fried egg, the list is endless indeed.

Ingredients (serves 2)
Porridge
15 g ginger, finely chopped
8 scallions, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Thai green chile, finely chopped
80g old fashioned oats (do not sub with quick cooking oats)
4 tbsp sunflower oil
160 ml hot water
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 baby bok choy, separated (sub choy sum)

Umami Mix
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp dark Soy (sub Tamari)
1 tbsp Shaoxing Cooking Wine (substitute with 1/2 tbsp Mirin and increase lemon juice quantity to 2 tsp)
1 tbsp White Miso

Topping
1 breakfast radish, thinly sliced
1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Ramen eggs, with jammy yolks (optional)
Toasted sesame oil, for drizzling
1 tbsp Furikake (sub toasted sesame seeds)
1 tsp shichimi togarashi (sub chile flakes)

Directions
🥣 In a small bowl combine radish, cucumbers, sugar & vinegar. Let it pickle for 20 mins. In a cup, combine umami ingredients & keep aside

🥣 Heat up oil in a deep bottomed pan - once sizzling, add chile, ginger, garlic & scallions. On low heat, fry for 6 mins (until lightly golden); then add oats & fry for 2-3 mins (stirring continuously)

🥣 Add water, season with salt & bring it to boil. Then reduce heat, cover & let it simmer for 15 mins. After 15 min mark, add 2/3 umami mix into porridge. Give it a good mix & let it simmer uncovered for 10 more mins

🥣 While the porridge is cooking; heat up 1 tsp sunflower oil in a small pan, add bok choys followed by 1/3 umami mix. Give it a good toss & cook on high heat for 3-4 mins

🥣 Divide the porridge into two bowls, top it with equal amounts of bok choy & pickled radish & cucumbers. Garnish with a ramen egg, furikake, shichimi & drizzle some toasted sesame oil

Spicy Turmeric Udon with Smoked Tofu & Crispy Shimeji

I adore the chewy bouncy texture with a bite from Udon noodles. Invariably I always have a packet of cooked Udon in my freezer, no need to thaw straight into boiling water for 1 min and hot sear in the pan with the sauce for another minute or two and done. This version has both chile pepper and sriracha for the kick but feel free to adjust to suit your spice tolerance. Smoked tofu adds another layer of complexity which is hard to substitute so highly recommend procuring some from your local grocery store.

Ingredients (serves 2)
3 tbsp Neutral Oil
1 tbsp Ground Coriander Seeds
1.5-2 tsp Ground Turmeric (adjust based on your personal preference)
30g (4oz) Buna Shimeji Mushrooms (any petite cluster mushrooms should be okay), whole & separated tossed in 1/2 tbsp Corn or Potato Starch
1/2-1 tsp Chile Pepper Flakes (adjust to your spice tolerance)
1/2 tsp Flaky Sea salt
220g Cooked Udon (I prefer the frozen pre-cooked ones from the frozen Aisle in H-Mart)

4 scallions, whites finely chopped & greens thinly sliced for topping
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp Miso Paste well mixed with 2 tsp Sriracha & 1/2 tsp Water
120g Smoked Tofu, finely diced (if living in the US then the Trader Joe’s Sriracha Tofu could work)
1/2 head of roasted garlic - about 10 cloves (optional but highly recommended)
2 tbsp Light Soy (substitute Tamari or Coco Aminos)
1/2 tsp Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar (substitute with Apple Cider Vinegar)
40ml Water (I use reserved Noodle cooking water)

Generous squeeze of Lime (optional but kinda not!)

Directions
🍜 Heat up a wok or deep bottom pan, sprinkle some water to test if it sizzles. Once it does, quickly add oil, coated mushrooms, coriander and turmeric. Fry on high heat for 5-6 mins or until golden brown. Fish out mushrooms into a bowl and leave spiced oil in the wok. Add chile flakes and salt to fried mushrooms, toss well and keep them aside

🍜 Add scallion whites & garlic to the spiced oil. Turn on heat and fry them on low heat for 3-4 mins or until it’s aromatic. Now add miso-sriracha concoction and fry for 1 min then add Tofu & Roasted garlic (if using). Fry for 1 min then add remaining ingredients. Let it cook on medium heat for 2-3 mins or until begins to bubble a lot

🍜 Now transfer the Cooked Udon into wok, fry everything (while mixing well) on high heat for 2 mins. Divide and transfer into serving bowls, top with fried mushrooms & reserved scallion greens. Finish with a generous squeeze of lime!

Silken Tofu Citrus Celebration Salad

A dish that celebrates the citrus season and my love for silken tofu with sesame oil - charred peppers and cherry tomatoes are mixed with a flash fried ginger scallion numbing oil, which is further intensified with blood orange zest and juice, soy, vinegar, Shaoxing cooking wine and toasted sesame oil. Silken tofu and citrus wheels are arranged in a platter then this smoky sweet aromatic dressing is poured all over. Finished with toasted sesame seeds, flaky salt and scallion greens. It tastes better over time and can be kept in the fridge up to 3 days.

Ingredients (serves 4 as a side)

14oz or 400g Silken Tofu, cut into roughly 2” x 4” rectangles

3 Blood Oranges (substitute with 2 Navel or Cara Cara Oranges), peeled and cut into 1/2” thick discs

5-6 Mini Sweet Peppers, whole

12-14 Cherry Tomatoes, whole

Dressing

2 tbsp Fresh Ginger, grated

1 Scallion, white portion - finely chopped and green portion sliced at an angle (reserved for garnish)

1 tsp Ground Sichuan Peppercorns (I use a mix of red and green , feel free to use whatever is available)

1.5 tsp Chile Flakes (feel free to use your go to hot pepper flakes)

2 tsp Roasted Sesame Seeds

2 tbsp Vegetable oil, shimmering hot

2 tsp Red Wine Vinegar

1 tbsp Shaoxing Cooking Wine

3 tbsp Blood Orange Juice (substitute with fresh Orange Juice)

2 tbsp Dark Soy

1/2 tbsp Maple Syrup

1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil

Garnish

1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1/2 tsp Flaky Salt

Directions

🥗 Heat up a skillet, once smoking add peppers to it, using tongs begin the charring process. After 8 mins, add tomatoes into the skillet & continue charring everything until blistereded and soft. About 15 mins total. Once cool enough to handle, chop up the peppers and leave the bursting tomatoes as is

🥗 Combine first 5 Dressing ingredients in a heatproof bowl, pour the hot oil into it, give everything a good mix (it should making a hissing noise). After 1 min add remaining dressing ingredients, followed by chopped peppers & tomatoes. Give everything a good mix and let it marinate for 45 mins at least or upto overnight

🥗 In a large lipped platter, arrange the tofu pieces and blood orange discs. Pour the dressing all over, garnish with sesame seeds, oil and scallion greens. Serve at room temp or chilled (during summer chilled version is too good), Enjoy!

*Note: Feel free to substitute the citrus during summer with peaches or plums