coconut milk

Vegan Mango Tarts with Vanilla Pastry Cream

April 3, 2018 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! That is, it’s mango season! Specifically champagne/ataúlfo mango season. We might be able to find mangoes year round in most parts of the United States, but it’s typically the larger red and green skinned varieties which tend to be less sweet and more fibrous. Ataúlfo mangoes on the other hand are beautifully golden hued on the inside and out, they border on too sweet with the most delicate buttery flesh. I’m smitten, usually skipping whole meals just so I can stuff more mangoes into my belly. And I love that in season also means well priced, and I can often buy whole cases of them for less than $1/mango. This means I regularly find myself with some 18 ripe mangoes that need to be finished within days of each other. Challenge accepted! Again, and again, and again, at least until the season is over and I have to bide my time until next year….

Vegan Malai Kofta: Indian Dumplings in Curry Tomato Cream Sauce

March 6, 2018 By thecuriouschickpea 15 Comments

If malai kofta isn’t one of your top 5 Indian dishes you probably fall into one of these categories: you’ve never been to an Indian restaurant*, you’ve been vegan or lactose intolerant your whole life, you don’t like rich foods, or you’re really bad at ordering. Kofta are meatballs, and there are variations of them from the Balkans and Middle East through South Asia. In this dish they are typically made with potatoes and paneer (a fresh farmer’s cheese). Malai simply means cream. In this recipe we make easy swaps for those two non-vegan ingredients for the most delicious, richest tasting, better-than-restaurant style malai kofta. Sound like dream? Because, it is, and you should be eating it already!…

Vegan Thai Green Curry with Tofu

February 20, 2018 By thecuriouschickpea 2 Comments

Meet my favorite green curry. It’s vegan (duh), green (also, duh), stuffed full of green veggies (yum), and has fried tofu tucked throughout (yessss!). It’s incredibly easy to make, ready in just over 30 minutes, less if you skip frying the tofu. Throw a pot of jasmine rice on the back burner when you start, and by the time your curry is done you’ll be all set to eat. It’s filling, as it’s full of all the important food groups: protein, vegetables, carbs, and healthy fats (some less healthy ones as well if you fry the tofu.. but, um, whatever). And did I mention how incredibly flavorful and fresh tasting it is? Cause, yum. I think some of the magic comes from using my homemade curry paste, but don’t worry store bought will also turn out some delicious curry (and let’s face it, most Thai restaurants use prepared curry pastes).

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Green Curry Noodles with Broccoli and Mushrooms

January 23, 2018 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

Could there be a more perfect food than Thai-style curry? In the summer it helps keep you hydrated, filling you with liquid and keeping you thirsty (because, spicy!). In the winter, it warms your belly and leaves you nice and full. And green curry is the freshest tasting of the curries, chock full of lemongrass, fresh chiles, ginger (or galangal), and kaffir lime. And curries are completely adaptable, making them pantry friendly. You can switch up the vegetables, enjoy them with noodles or rice, or simply them as a soup. This recipe uses a traditional Thai curry paste and creamy coconut milk, but beyond that it is not a traditional Thai curry. However, it’s ultra flavorful, delicious, and ticks all the comfort food boxes, so, it’s definitely something you’re going to want to make!…

Vegan Mattar Tofu Paneer

November 28, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

I didn’t set out to create a veganized mattar paneer when I made this dish. I was craving a rich tasting and creamy Indian curry, and didn’t want to break out a second pot to make a vegetable dish. Tofu was my first choice for the protein, I just love the tender morsels tucked into a thick creamy sauce, and its mild flavor doesn’t compete with the strong Indian spices. I don’t always love the heavily cooked texture of vegetables in traditional Indian cuisine (depends on my mood), so this time I decided to blend the cauliflower into the sauce to add to the creaminess of the dish while lightening it up a bit. Green peas provided extra texture and that burst of juicy sweetness, the perfect counter balance to the rich and spicy sauce. To be honest, I don’t know if this recipe fully qualifies as a vegan mattar paneer, but there are a hundred and more variations of the dish across the various cultures and cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, so what’s one more?…

Vegan Curry Seitan Steamed Buns (Siopao)

September 21, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

There’s something extremely satisfying about eating the pillowy soft dough of a steamed bun. Tender and moist in texture, yeasty and slightly sweet in flavor. I think it’s perfect when accompanied by a bold, savory filling (I’ve never been that into sweet versions, like red bean paste steamed buns). A lifelong vegetarian, my life has been largely devoid of savory steamed buns, as they are typically filled with meat. But in my dream life, I’d be eating steamed buns all the time (I mean, really, who wouldn’t be), so I knew I had to learn how to make them. And hey, guess what?! They’re really rather easy to make!…

Coconut Ginger Custard Filled Doughnuts

August 29, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea 2 Comments

Calling all doughnut lovers! These doughnuts are everything you want your doughnuts to be. Or at least, everything I want in a doughnut. They are yeasted and fried. No baked or cake doughnuts here! They are light and airy inside, with a bit of a chew. Eaten while still warm, they practically melt in your mouth. If you’ve never had a homemade doughnut before you are in for a treat! These doughnuts are filled with a coconut ginger custard that’s so delicious you could just eat it with a spoon. Which, you can do, because the recipe definitely makes extra!…

Thai Curry Cauliflower Lentil Soup with Chickpea Croutons

August 24, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

DC is a cool 72 degrees as I write this post this morning (and the high is only 79 ºF today). It feels like a godsend after the last week, which was around 20 ºF hotter. We’re taking advantage of this brief respite with some soup. I mean, ok, we actually don’t have any more soup. It’s too good! We ate it all! But you should take advantage of a cool day (I’m not sure when I started calling 70s cool weather) with some soup. But having had this in 95 degree weather I will attest that it’s great then too….