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Afghan Chutneys 2 Ways: Coriander Chutney and Red Pepper Chutney

October 3, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

Every good cook needs an arsenal of sauce recipes to take their dishes to that next level in terms of flavor. Every culture has their own versions, from mole and salsa in Mexico, to Europe’s mustard and America’s ketchup. There’s Korean gochujang and Chinese hoisin. Greek tzatziki, Japanese ponzu, and seemingly endless versions of hot sauce from around the world. Chutneys hail from the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, and there are seemingly endless variations of them. They are super flavorful sauces that accompany everything from flat breads to stuffed savory pastries, snacks and appetizers to main dishes. Today I’m sharing two recipes for two different chutneys inspired by the Afghan cuisine: coriander chutney and red pepper chutney….

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!…

Gochujang Tempeh Wings

September 14, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea 2 Comments

I’ve been making way too many recipes with chipotle peppers lately (not that this is actually a problem), and I reallly needed to do something about that. So I decided to take a little culinary trip across the ocean to Korea and have a little affair with gochujang. It’s super trendy in the US right now, so there’s a good chance it’s crossed your path, but in case it hasn’t, gochujang is a red chile paste made of fermented soy beans, glutinous rice, sugar, and of course, red chili powder–specifically gochugaru, Korean red chili powder. Due to the fermented nature of the ingredients, it has a lot more depth of flavor than your average chili sauce. Because of this, it’s used differently than most chili sauces, and is combined with other ingredients to thin it out and sometimes dilute. Gochujang has a delicious lingering heat that builds slowly in your mouth, but despite that it’s actually a rather mild spice. Though, it can also vary a lot in heat level by brand, so check your labels and taste before using. My gochujang is pretty mild, so I use a lot. If yours is spicy you may need to use less (dependent on your spice tolerance). …

Spicy Roasted Tomato Salsa

September 12, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea 3 Comments

Making your own salsa is super easy to do, and the results are so incredible. It’s so much more flavorful than the bottled stuff, and you can adjust it to meet your exact tastes. There’s no better time to make it than at the end of summer, when tomatoes are ripe, juicy, and bursting with flavor. This salsa is made with traditional ingredients: with a thick roasted tomato base, hot peppers, a healthy dose of garlic, sweet red onion, lime juice to brighten the flavors and let them sing, and cilantro for a fragrant citrusy fresh finish….

Vegan Chipotle Cheese Spread

September 7, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea 3 Comments

If you’ve been following along with me for a bit now, you know that I like my bread and I like my [vegan] cheese. But as of yet, I haven’t shared a recipe for my everyday cheese-spread. While sometimes I spread creamy almond cheese on toast, I tend to gravitate towards flavored cheese spreads for my bread. I’ve always been a flavored cream cheese over plain type of girl, what can I say. For a long time my go-to was a cultured creamy cashew cheese. And while I tried a lot of different mix-ins over the years, I’d always gravitate back to a chipotle one. Something about the smokey flavors of chipotle makes cultured vegan cheese even cheesier tasting. This cultured version is still probably my go-to for the depth of flavor it achieves, but over the past year I’ve developed a non-cultured version. It’s perfect for busier times, and is nice because there’s no chance it will go off while culturing!…

Vegan Mexican Pizza

September 5, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

When I hear the term “Mexican pizza” I can’t help but think of that version I’d order at Taco Bell — Mexican pizza, add beans and hold the meat. It’s probably been almost 20 years since I’ve ordered that, and it’s nothing like the recipe I’m sharing here today. Here there are no crunchy flat tortillas sandwiching any filling. Instead, the toppings are piled high over a perfectly doughy pizza….

Vegan Singapore Noodles

August 31, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

Have you ever had Singapore noodles? Contrary to the name, they are not from Singapore at all, but actually a popular dish served at Chinese restaurants! It’s traditionally made with BBQ pork and shrimp, and has fish sauce in it, so it’s not the most veggie-friendly dish to order out. But, an easy one to make at home! For me, the dish is all about the sauce–it’s essentially a curry flavored Chinese noodle stir fry. Two of my favorite cuisines (I probably say that of all the cuisines), Indian and Chinese, in one flavor packed dish! …

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….

Vegan Tinga Tacos with Avocado Crema

August 8, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

Have you guys ever had tinga? It’s a traditional Mexican dish where shredded chicken (which is easily substituted to make it vegan) is cooked in a tomato, onion, and chipotle in adobo sauce. The simple sauce is made of only TEN ingredients and packs a ton of flavor. It’s tangy and smokey, tomatoey and oniony, and oh so mouth-watering delicious. It quickly became a favorite around here, to the point where we made 4 batches in one week–in part because the first day I made it Omar ran out to the store for more tortillas (not that we were out yet) and brought home a 5-pound bag of them. Did you know they sold tortillas in 5 lb bags? Me either. For those of you concerned about our current tortilla status, we had some friends over for a tinga taco party (I highly recommend you do the same) and that took care of most of them….

Indian Spiced Chickpeas and Greens

August 1, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

I make a lot of food that I never photograph or share with you guys. It’s not because it’s not delicious, but because I’m too hungry (or occasionally too lazy) to plan or take photos or measure ingredients and generally be meticulous about the process. This chickpea and kale recipe was originally one of those meals. We were at home on our last night before a short trip, and had a big beautiful bunch of lacinato kale to use up. Omar was working, and I needed to get dinner made quickly so I could move on to other chores. It was literally me throwing things I had to use up into a pan, including 2 half-used onions from the fridge, one red and one yellow. I didn’t even decide to use Indian spices until halfway through cooking. So, you can imagine my surprise, when we finally sat down to eat that we were blown away by how delicious it was!…

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