Tofu bánh mì

July 20, 2017August 17, 2017 Elisabeth6 Comments

Vietnamese food has been on my mind a bit lately due to the recent opening of a great new vegan restaurant in the 9th arrondissement, La Palanche d’Âulac. I had lunch there a couple weeks ago and fell in love! Scrumptious food (noodles, egg rolls, soups, coconut desserts) and a dining room that manages to be both spacious and cozy at the same time. And it is of course always very nice to be able to choose what actually appeals to you on the menu of an Asian restaurant rather than having to select from only two or three items that happen not to contain oyster sauce. Paris did already have a vegan Vietnamese restaurant, Vietnam in Paris, but for some reason it didn’t win me over like this new place has. If you live in Paris or will be visiting, definitely put La Palanche d’Âulac on your list.

So today I thought I would bring you an easy but delicious Vietnamese recipe that also happens to have a French connection. As you may already be aware, Vietnam is a former French colony—from the late 19th century to 1945, together with what is now Cambodia and Laos, it formed French Indochina. During this time, the colonizers introduced bread to the region and this fusion sandwich featuring traditional Asian ingredients was eventually born. The name bánh mì literally means “wheat cake” and so is the Vietnamese word for bread, as I understand it, but outside of Vietnam, the term is used to refer to this iconic and so very delicious sandwich.

If you have a Vietnamese or general Asian grocery store in your area, you can try looking for Vietnamese baguettes, which are made with added rice flour and so differ a bit from the firmer, crustier traditional French baguettes. But any baguette-shaped bread will work. A must for this recipe is the toasted sesame oil—be sure not to buy untoasted sesame oil by mistake because it’s key to this sandwich’s yumminess.

Since the various components of this sandwich can easily be marinated ahead of time, it’s ideal for bringing to a picnic or a day of hiking. Just assemble it shortly before leaving to ensure that the bread doesn’t get too soggy (you may also want to bring the “sauce” or soy-sesame marinade along in a separate container to add just before serving).

Tofu bánh mì

Makes two sandwiches

7 oz (200 g) firm tofu
1 long baguette or 2 submarine sandwich type buns
1/2 cup (50 g) carrot, shredded/grated
1/2 cup (75 g) cucumber, sliced thinly and chopped into quarters
1/4 cup (60 ml) rice vinegar
1 green onion/scallion, chopped into rounds
small bunch fresh cilantro (or coriander in UK English)
1/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce or tamari sauce
1/4 cup (60 ml) toasted sesame oil (be sure it’s the toasted kind)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Sriracha or other hot sauce
a few tablespoonfuls vegan mayonnaise
1 or 2 limes

The first thing you’ll want to do is get your carrot and cucumber marinating. Shred or grate the carrot and chop the cucumber into small pieces. Place in a smallish bowl and add 1/4 cup (60 ml) rice vinegar. Stir the veggies a bit with a fork to make sure they’re evenly covered by the vinegar. Set aside and take note of the time, as this should marinate for about an hour (longer is okay too).

Next you’ll be preparing the tofu for its marinade.

With a non-serrated knife, chop the tofu into slices as shown. Be careful not to cut overly thin slices as the tofu could break apart. Each sandwich will get three or four of these slices.

In a non-stick pan over low heat and without any oil (this makes it firmer — also there will be plenty of oil in the marinade!), brown the tofu about five minutes on each side until golden as shown and slightly crispy.

While you’re waiting for the tofu to brown, prepare the tofu marinade. Combine the soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and hot sauce, and then stir in the two minced garlic cloves.

As soon as the tofu is done browning, transfer it to the soy sauce and sesame oil marinade and toss a bit to coat evenly. Allow to marinate for the remainder of the time that the veggies are marinating, or longer, but the tofu should ideally marinate for at least a half hour. Stir them halfway through, changing the positions of the tofu slices to be sure that they all get to soak up some of this magical marinade.

Once the marinating step is finished, you can begin to assemble your sandwiches.

With a serrated knife, slice a length of baguette (this one was about 8 inches/20 cm long), taking care not to cut entirely through to the other side as having one uncut side helps keep all the fillings in. Spread the bottom part with some mayonnaise and squeeze a bit of lime juice over the top. Alternatively, you could mix the mayonnaise and lime juice ahead of time, but the result will be much the same.

Add three or four slices of marinated tofu, depending on the size of your bread and how stuffed you want the sandwich to be. Spoon some of the marinade over the top.

Now top that with your marinated carrot and cucumber, plus some sliced green onion and fresh cilantro leaves. Make sure you’re using only half of all the ingredients for your first sandwich so that the ingredients for the second one don’t come up short!

Close the sandwich, and you’re done! If you have overstuffed it and it threatens to spring open, you can secure the bread with some of those long toothpicks that have fancy decorative tops.

You can use the excess tofu marinade to stir-fry some seitan, mushrooms or other veggies for a great Asian umami dish (serve over rice or noodles). If any of the rice vinegar remains from the other marinade, you can add it to a homemade salad dressing.

Variations: Substitute or add different fillings: avocado, marinated radish, red bell pepper, etc. Experiment with a peanut-based sauce by mixing some peanut butter into the tofu marinade. Garnish the fillings with sesame seeds before closing the bread for an extra-fancy touch. For a gluten-free version, prepare everything as described (making sure that the soy or tamari sauce you use is a gluten-free one) but serve over a bowl of rice noodles.

Retro spinach-artichoke ring

June 5, 2017August 31, 2019 Elisabeth6 Comments

In the United States in 1971, Nixon was president, the Vietnam war was going on, the 26th Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, National Public Radio broadcast for the first time, Amtrak was founded, Texas Instruments released the first pocket calculator, soft contact lenses became available, cigarette advertising on television was finally banned and the Walt Disney Resort opened in Orlando, Florida. And, in somewhat less sensational news, the Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library was created.

The recipe card collection could be acquired through a subscription arrangement, where you paid in installments and received a new set of cards every couple of weeks for a few dollars each time. In 1972, my newlywed mother subscribed. In the first shipment, she received her first set of cards and the (otherwise empty) plastic box in its trendy avocado green shade. Over the following months, she received the remaining 23 card sets with titles such as Family Breakfast Brighteners, Hurry-Up Main Dishes, Fondues, Recipes for Calorie-Counters and Entertaining on a Shoestring.

Visiting my parents this past month, I happened upon the familiar green box in the basement and opened it up to delve into the memories.

Living abroad as I do, and being regularly called upon to explain the cuisine of my country, or lack thereof, I found the American Classics set quite interesting. I know the traditional Midwestern dishes, of course, but sometimes forget what the iconic foods of other regions are. Also noteworthy is that in 1971, Hawaii and Alaska had been US states for only 12 years. It must have been rather a novelty for homemakers of the day to make recipes paying tribute to them, if not necessarily originating in the states.

My favorite set is Children’s Parties. My mom made the top three cakes for our birthdays on various years, and the first two of the bottom row on other occasions. She never made the Lincoln-inspired Patriotic Birthday Party cakes as far as she can remember, but it would be a cute thing to make for a lumberjack-themed party, if you’re ever invited to one of those.

Men’s Favorites is a set that you (hopefully) won’t find in a recipe card set today, but in the world of the 1970s it was perfectly normal. As the introduction to the set goes, “When a man’s fancy turns to thoughts of his favorite foods, chances are good that you’ll find the right recipe in this collection. . . . They’re all here—princely recipes for kingly dishes, tested and male-approved for you.” There was clearly always the chance of losing your man if you were hopeless in the kitchen. Fortunately, Betty Crocker had your back with her Man-Pleasing Appetizers (mugs of beef broth and chicken livers wrapped in bacon). As you might expect, the set is full of meat-based dishes (but then, so is the entire library, so I’m not sure what the difference really is), but confusingly there are also some suspiciously fussy items like the minted fruit cups in the third recipe and tomatoes and lettuce on a plate (not shown).

As we looked through the cards together, my mom commented that for most of the recipes, a pre-made mix of some kind was a main ingredient, forcing you to buy Bisquick or a can of frosting rather than telling you how to make it from scratch. This may be due in part to the limited available space—the entire recipe always had to fit on one side of a 5 x 4 in. (10 x 13 cm) card—but we also suspect some collusion with the manufacturers of the mixes. But that was how cooking had been since the 1950s, she said, when convenience took priority over healthfulness. I also heard her say “gross” while looking at the ingredients for the breakfast recipe Pork-Potato-Apple Bake (corn syrup, crunchy peanut butter, boiled crab apples and Spam, anyone?). But she got a good chuckle from seeing the cards again and reminiscing.

But let me finally get to the point of this post. As I was looking through the cards, I thought it might be fun to revisit one of the recipes for you. Choosing one was hard, but I finally settled on Tuna Ring with Cheese Sauce, with its entertaining impress-your-guests ring shape and ramekin of cheese sauce, from the Budget Casseroles set. In my first attempt, I experimented with a chickpea-based mock tuna salad that proved too starchy and heavy in combination with the thick biscuit crust. In search of a lighter, moister filling, I then tried a spinach-artichoke mixture that turned out to be very yummy with the crust and cheese sauce. I’m very happy with how it turned out. It was also a chance to share an activity with my mom, who helped me with the process of rolling the dough into a log and forming a ring, modeling the motions so I could take more action-oriented explanatory photos for a change.

I’m not sure how specifically 1970s this recipe is, since (as my mom informed me), people have been making sweet “tea ring” cakes with the same cutting-and-turning technique since forever, but something about this dish just spoke to me. And as it’s inspired by the Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library, I feel justified in tacking the word “retro” onto the title.

So roll up your sleeves, take a moment to feel gratitude for pocket calculators, soft contact lenses and NPR, and let’s get started!

Spinach-artichoke filling

6 ounces (170 g) artichoke hearts
¼ of a yellow or white onion, diced (about ½ cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup frozen spinach
¼ cup (60 ml) unsweetened non-dairy milk
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
1 batch stretchy mozzarella-style cashew cheese (prepare last; see below)

If you’re pressed for time, you may want to start the cashews boiling for the mozzarella-style cashew cheese recipe (see below) before you begin making this spinach-artichoke mixture.

Dice the onion, mince the garlic and roughly chop the artichoke hearts, then place in a medium mixing bowl.

Defrost the spinach a bit and squeeze to remove most of the moisture. “Fluff” it and place it in your measuring cup to ensure you have the right amount, then add to the mixing bowl. Add the non-dairy milk, salt and white pepper and stir to combine. Set aside and make the mozzarella cheese, which will be added to this mixture in the same bowl.

Stretchy mozzarella-style cashew cheese

½ cup raw cashews
1 cup (236 ml) water
3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons tapioca starch
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Equipment needed: food processor or high-power blender

Place the raw cashews in a small saucepan and fill with enough water to cover the cashews. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the cashews are soft.

Drain the cashews, place in a food processor or high-power blender along with the cup of water and process until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process again until everything is fully incorporated.

Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan and heat on medium-high, stirring constantly. After just a minute or two, clumps will begin to form, and then after a minute more it will become stretchy, gooey cheese.

Remove from heat and incorporate into the spinach-artichoke mixture. Set aside while you make the biscuit dough; if you end up making the mozzarella last for some reason, ensure that the mixture is somewhat cool before you spread it on the dough.

Biscuit dough

2¼ cups (288 g) all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons (71 g) margarine
1 cup (236 ml) unsweetened soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Equipment needed: pastry cutter (ideally) or fork, rolling pin, parchment paper, baking sheet.

Begin by mixing the soy milk with the apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside; mixture will thicken.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Then, with a pastry cutter or fork, work the margarine into the flour just until you have a crumbly texture. Be careful not to handle it too much as this can make the dough tough.

Add the soy milk and stir a bit to incorporate. Knead with your hands briefly until you have a somewhat sticky dough. Again, avoid overmixing.

Place a large sheet of baking paper or waxed paper on your countertop and sprinkle it with a bit of flour. Put the dough in the center of the paper and gently roll it out using a rolling pin until you have an approximately 15 x 10 inch (38 x 25 cm) rectangle. Since I was making this at my parents’ house, I got to measure mine using a Reagan-era D.A.R.E ruler that one of us kids had gotten at school.

Spread the dough evenly with the spinach-artichoke mixture, leaving a margin free around the edges. The longer edges should have a wider margin, and the short ends a smaller margin.

Starting at one of the longer sides, roll the dough in one direction to make a log (do not roll the paper up with it). If using waxed paper, transfer to baking paper or, if you don’t have baking paper, directly to a greased baking sheet or pizza pan.

Press along the long edge to seal the log, and bring the ends together to form a ring. Try to keep the center hole large enough to hold the ramekin you’re planning to serve the cheese sauce from.

Transfer the baking paper with the log on it to your baking sheet (I forgot to do this until the next step) and press the ends together to seal the ring, trying not to pinch it too much and make it too narrow. Don’t stress too much if the dough stretches and breaks in some places; it will be less obvious once the ring has baked.

With clean kitchen scissors, make cuts two-thirds of the way straight through the log at one-inch (three-centimeter) intervals all the way around the ring.

Now, lifting each part of the log from both sides, gently turn each cut section slightly so that it rests partly on its side and the filling is partly exposed.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in an oven preheated to 375°F (190°C). While it’s baking, prepare the cheese sauce.

Cheese sauce

1¼ cups (295 ml) soy milk
1 tablespoon miso (preferably red)
1 tablespoon regular tahini (sesame paste)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup (57 g) margarine
¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

Equipment needed: wire whisk

First, combine the soy milk with the miso, tahini, soy sauce, lemon juice and optional tomato paste and whisk to combine thoroughly.

Heat the margarine over medium-low heat in a saucepan until it melts. Add the flour and whisk; it will form what is called a roux. Add the soy milk mixture and whisk thoroughly to prevent any clumps from forming. Add the nutritional yeast and white pepper, combine thoroughly, and taste to see if you want to make it saltier (add a splash more of soy sauce or a pinch of salt).

When the ring is done baking and the cheese sauce is ready, place a ramekin or small bowl in the center of the ring and fill with sauce. To serve, place a spoonful of sauce on each plate and top with a slice of the spinach-artichoke ring.

Variations: Rather than making a log formed into a ring, cut the dough into four squares, divide the filling among them and fold each one over to make savory turnovers. Cut slits on the top for the air to escape, and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Ideas for other 1970s dishes you could serve with this can be found here.

For your dinner playlist, look no further than the Billboard Hot 100 list for 1971. Consider Donny Osmond’s “Go Away Little Girl” (no. 7), John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” (no. 8) or Al Green’s “Tired of Being Alone” (no. 12).

After dinner, relax with a Grasshopper and an episode of Mary Tyler Moore, The Partridge Family or The Odd Couple.

And if, after reading this post, you want some vintage Betty Crocker recipe cards of your own, check eBay, where several sets are for sale. Alternatively, someone has scanned the fronts and backs of all the cards and generously shared them with the world here.

For more fun, be sure to check out this collection of 1974 Weight Watcher recipe cards (don’t miss the commentary in the captions!). 🙂

If you make this dish, please comment and let us know how it was!

French fruit cheesecake

April 16, 2017April 4, 2021 Elisabeth2 Comments

Here’s a light dessert for the springtime—a vegan version of gâteau au fromage blanc, a traditional French recipe. Fromage blanc (literally “white cheese”) is a soft cheese that we don’t have in the US, so it’s hard to describe, but it’s said to be something between sour cream and cream cheese. The soft texture of silken tofu, with some structure from blended cashews, recreates this consistency for a 100% plant-based version. Lemon zest and juice add to the tartness of the fromage blanc, while the vanilla and almond extracts balance the overall flavor.

This crustless cheesecake is sometimes made with fruit (cherries, raspberries, apple, pear or stonefruit). Here, I have used canned apricots.

I used a springform cheesecake mold that measures 8 in. (20 cm) in diameter, and the cake was 1 in. (2.5 cm) high. A larger mold could be used, for a lower cake, or a smaller mold for a higher cake.

French fruit cheesecake

Ingredients

14 oz (400 g) silken tofu
1 cup (125 g) raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
zest of one lemon (about 1 tablespoon, loosely filled)
juice of one lemon (about 3½ tablespoons)
6 tablespoons (55 g) arrowroot powder or cornstarch
6 tablespoons agave syrup, rice syrup or maple syrup
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
14 oz (410 g) can apricots (8 oz/235 g after draining), or other fruit

Equipment needed: food processor or high-power blender, springform cake mold or pie dish

The first thing to do is begin soaking your cashews—at least two hours before you plan to start making the cake. If you have a high-power blender or food processor, the soaking time can be shorter.

When the cashews have finished soaking, zest your lemon and then juice it. Be sure to zest it before cutting it open!

Drain and rinse the cashews, then blend them in your food processor/blender together with the lemon zest and juice until smooth. Add the silken tofu and blend until it is fully incorporated.

Add the remaining ingredients (arrowroot powder, agave syrup, vanilla and almond extracts) and combine well, either in the food processor/blender or whisking in a bowl.

To keep the cake from sticking to the cake pan, cut a circle of baking paper to fit into the bottom.

Spread a bit of vegetable oil on the bottom of the pan to get the baking paper to stick.

Fill the pan with the batter.

Add the apricot halves, cut side down, pressing down gently to partially submerge. Avoid getting batter onto the exposed part of the fruit.

Bake at 347°F (175°C) for 40 minutes. It will look something something like this, with a solid, dry surface and a golden-brown color around the edges.

if you’d like to brown the top a bit more, move the cake to the top-most oven rack and broil for about 3 minutes—but stay close to the oven and check every minute or so to avoid over-browning. Given my oven’s small size, I did not increase the temperature for the broiling step, but if you have a standard-size oven you might need to.

Allow the cake to cool fully before unmolding. You will notice that the height reduces as the cake settles. Gently slide a knife with a thin blade around the edges before releasing the spring mold. To remove the cake from the metal cake bottom, first gently slide a thin spatula around the edges between the cake bottom and the paper, then using another spatula, cake server or flat, wide knife (or similar—I used a long wooden crêpe flipper) on the other side, carefully lift the cake from the bottom and transfer to a serving plate.

When slicing the cake, be sure to remove the paper from the bottom.

If you have some powdered sugar, you can dust the top with it for a pretty effect. Do this just before serving as the sugar tends to melt into the top after a little while.

Finally, please enjoy this behind-the-scenes shot of Sésame supervising the photo shoot. 🙂

Variations: Use a combination of fruits in different colors for a range of flavors and a more colorful appearance. Serve with a fruit sauce and/or whipped coconut cream.

Deviled avocados

March 6, 2017April 5, 2017 Elisabeth1 Comment

If you can devil an egg, why not an avocado? This is one of those recipes that are quite easy to make but seem more complicated, and are thus perfect for impressing dinner guests. 😉

As a starter, one avocado half can be served per person, or for a light lunch (perhaps with a larger salad), serve two.

Traditional deviled eggs are made by mixing the cooked yolk with mayonnaise and mustard. This healthier vegan version just subs cooked chickpeas for the yolk and adds kala namak Indian salt (also known as black salt—comes in packages like these), which provides the sulfury flavor reminiscent of egg. It can of course be made with regular salt, but the effect would not be the same. A bit of turmeric makes the mixture more yellow, which also helps recreate the look of the traditional dish. Black pepper is added to boost the turmeric’s bioavailability.

The most challenging part of this recipe is probably having the luck to land upon perfectly ripe avocados. Once you’ve managed that, the rest is a breeze! If serving at a party, the filling can be made ahead of time.

Deviled avocados

Makes 4 filled avocado halves

Ingredients

2 avocados, ripe but still firm
a few handfuls of baby greens

Chickpea mixture:

1 cup (165 g) cooked chickpeas
1 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon kala namak Indian salt
pinch ground black pepper
several pinches ground paprika

Equipment needed: food processor or blender

The first thing you will want to do, before making the chickpea mixture, is to cut open your avocado to make sure it really is ripe and also hasn’t gotten overripe and formed black spots inside. If the avocado isn’t useable, you’ll have saved yourself the trouble of making the filling, and you can try again another day. If the avocado is fine, put the two halves back together to keep them fresh while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

Now combine the chickpeas, mayonnaise, mustard, turmeric, Indian salt and black pepper in a food processor or blender. Pulse until you have a hummus-y texture. If it seems too dry, add more mayonnaise or perhaps a tiny bit of water (a little goes a long way, so start with a teaspoonful). Add more turmeric if the mixture does not seem yellow enough. Taste and adjust the other ingredients to your liking.

At this point, you can open up the avocado again and place the halves on a bed of greens (here, I have used spinach dressed with a bit of tamari sauce and olive oil and garnished with pink peppercorns). You can opt to serve the avocados in their peels, or to be a bit fancier, remove the peel as I have done here. If you choose to remove it, proceed slowly to prevent large chunks of avocado from coming away with the peel. If this nevertheless does happen, you can to a certain extent gently press and mold the avocado flesh back onto the side or bottom of the avocado without it being very noticeable.

Fill the avocado halves with the chickpea mixture. If you have a pastry piping bag with a wide nozzle, you could try forming a swirl shape. Otherwise, just fill them with a spoon, taking care not to press down too hard on the avocado as this could cause it to break. Sprinkle with the paprika and a dusting of additional Indian salt.

Enjoy!

Variations: If you’re in the mood to be creative, you could try adding fresh chopped herbs or spices like curry powder or Ethiopian berbere to the chickpea mixture.

Creamy miso ramen soup

February 23, 2017July 8, 2019 Elisabeth1 Comment

Have you ever met a new friend and immediately felt as if you’d always known them? I experienced this not long ago when Yukiko, an online contact of mine (we first met in a group for volunteers of an international vegan organization) visited Paris from her native Japan and we got together for a smoothie in the Marais. It turned out she was planning to move to France very soon to be with her French boyfriend. As we shared impressions of Paris and discussed expat life in France, and of course the usual favorite topic of vegans from anywhere in the world—food and cooking!—the time ran short and we still had more to say. Another meetup was thus in order, and we decided to make it a culinary one so she could introduce me to one of her favorite Japanese dishes.

One chilly day not long after, she appeared at my door with a smile, bearing a cloth shopping bag full of goodies—fresh organic oranges, carrots, green onion, ginger root, vegetable bouillon and, best of all, some homemade miso that she’d brought with her from Japan! On my end, I’d stocked up on ramen noodles, sesame paste and toasted sesame oil, shiitake mushrooms and soymilk. We put on aprons, rolled up our sleeves, and set to work making the dish she had chosen: tantanmen (担々麺), a Taiwanese-Japanese fusion dish featuring Chinese ramen noodles and a Japanese-style creamy miso broth, served with a crisp carrot salad for a balance of textures in line with the traditional Japanese approach.

As we worked, Yukiko and I chatted about this and that and all kinds of things and Sésame padded in and out of the kitchen, the tip of his tail curled into a question mark, checking on our doings and trying to detract our guest’s attention to himself. We kept discovering more and more things we had in common, from similar past (mis)adventures in the romance department to literary interests and even our age—we were born the same year, exactly one month apart! In spite of all our chatter, we eventually managed to finish the dish, and sitting down to this fragrant soup at the end of the afternoon was just heavenly.

Tantanmen has since become one of my new favorite dishes. It’s the perfect comfort food for a chilly winter day, especially around this time of year when sunshine and fresh warm breezes are but a distant memory and there’s at least another month of cold ahead. The creamy miso broth with earthy garlic notes and a touch of spicy cayenne warms your tummy while the noodles fill it, the tender shiitake mushrooms and toasted sesame add an extra dimension of texture and flavor, and the tangy ginger and citrus of the carrot salad provides a burst of freshness that reminds you of the spring season that is surely coming back around sooner or later.

Since we can all benefit from a warming winter pick-me-up right about now, I decided (with Yukiko’s blessing) to share her recipe with you!

There’s some room for variation in this dish, for example substituting seitan or tofu for the mushrooms or using a different crisp vegetable (cucumber, radish or a crunchy lettuce such as romaine) in place of the carrot, according to what you have on hand.

The soup and salad may be served separately, as shown in the main photo above, but they’re best enjoyed together for the contrast of textures, so for the presentation you may opt to place the salad directly on top of the noodles, either to one side as shown in the last photo below, or all around the edges of the dish, leaving the noodles and mushrooms visible at the center.

Carrot salad with tangy sesame-ginger dressing

Serves 2 (about 3/4 cup dressing; some will be left over)

14 oz. (400 g) raw carrots, julienned or roughly grated
small bunch fresh parsley or cilantro
4 tablespoons sesame paste (tahini)
juice of 1 orange
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Equipment needed: food processor or blender for the dressing, julienne peeler or other device (spiralizer, grater) for the carrot (or just cut julienne style with a regular knife)

Start by making the dressing (can be made even a day ahead). Place the sesame paste, orange juice, soy sauce, sesame oil and grated ginger in your food processor or blender and pulse until you have a creamy consistency. Taste and add more soy sauce, sesame oil or ginger if needed.

Julienne the carrots, roughly chop the herbs, and toss together in a salad bowl. If you will be serving the noodle soup within the hour, you can go ahead and add the dressing, tossing to coat the carrots evenly. If you’re using a more delicate item such as lettuce or cucumber in place of the carrots, wait to add the dressing just before serving or your salad may wilt. Add the dressing a little bit at a time; you probably won’t need the whole amount, but it’s good to have it on hand in case you do! (If some remains, it makes an excellent dip for crudités, and can also work as a spread in a bánh mì type sandwich.) Transfer to serving bowls and top with an extra sprig of parsley.

Creamy miso ramen soup

Serves 2

10 oz. (280 g) brown rice ramen noodles, or other noodles
6 oz. (175 g) fresh shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon miso, preferably red
2 tablespoons blond sesame paste (tahini)
1 cube vegetable bouillon
2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
1 and 3/4 cup (400 ml) unsweetened soy milk
3/4 cup to 1 cup (200-250 ml) hot water
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or more to taste
pinch cayenne pepper
2 green onions/scallions

Begin by rinsing and slicing the shiitake mushrooms.

Place them in a nonstick skillet or frying pan over medium heat, without any oil at this stage as the mushrooms will release liquid as they cook. As always with mushrooms, the volume will reduce considerably, so don’t worry too much about overcrowding at the beginning if your skillet is on the smaller size, as is this one in the photo above.

While the mushrooms cook, mince one clove garlic.

When the mushrooms have become tender and browned, as shown, you can push them to one side and, tipping the skillet slightly, add the toasted sesame oil and minced garlic to the other side. Reduce the heat to low or medium-low, cook the garlic a minute or two, stirring gently, then mix it in with the mushrooms and remove from heat. Note that this is just my own convenience-based approach and not the way my friend did it. You can alternatively remove the mushrooms and return them to the pan again to combine them once the garlic has browned. Set the mushroom-garlic mixture aside. Ideally, keep them in the skillet and cover them so they retain some of their heat (unlike what I have done in the photo below). 😉

Prepare your ramen (or other) noodles according to the directions on the package, being very careful not to overcook them because they will be heated further once combined with the hot broth at the end. If in doubt, go for al dente. Drain the noodles, return them to the pan they cooked in, cover to maintain the heat and set aside.

You will now make the creamy miso broth. Combine the sesame paste, the remaining clove of garlic (minced), miso paste, bouillon cube, soy sauce (not shown) and 1 tablespoon of the toasted sesame oil in a small or medium ceramic or glass bowl. Ideally, you should prepare these ahead of time so the mushrooms and noodles don’t lose too much heat while you make this part. Heat 1 cup water in a tea kettle, but not to boiling. If you have a way to check the temperature, it should be around 158°F (70°C). Add about 3/4 cup hot water to the bowl and whisk to combine.

Heat the 1 and 3/4 cup (400 ml) unsweetened soymilk on the stovetop until close to simmering (do not allow to reach a boil). Turn off the heat and quickly incorporate the miso mixture with a whisk. Important: avoid reheating after this stage, and definitely do not bring it to a boil since the soymilk would most likely separate and the health benefits of the miso (a fermented product) would be neutralized.

Add the pinch of cayenne pepper, taste, and adjust if needed. If you want the broth to be saltier, add a bit more soy sauce. Cover the broth and transfer the drained noodles directly to the serving bowls. At this point, you will want to work somewhat fast since you need to put everything together without losing too much of the heat—this is why it’s useful to have the salad already prepared ahead of time.

Ladle the broth over the top of the noodles, dividing it evenly between the two bowls, until you have the right quantity of broth for a soup but the noodles can still be seen poking through the top.

Add the shiitake mushrooms to the top of the noodles and ladle a bit of the broth over the top of them. Top with sliced green onions and you’re ready to serve your dish!

As I mentioned above, you can serve the soup and salad separately, as shown here, or in the same bowl, as below. Encourage your guests to combine noodles and salad together in each bite. 🙂 You will want to remember to provide a spoon too!

I hope you enjoy this soup, a fusion dish that celebrates international encounters and friendship. It tastes best when made with a friend! 🙂

Variations: Instead of mushrooms, use finely sliced tender seitan or diced tofu. Substitute lettuce leaves or sliced cucumber for the carrot.

Short days in Scandinavia

January 19, 2017September 10, 2017 Elisabeth4 Comments

I usually spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve either in Paris or back home with my parents and sister. But this year, for something different, I went north to Denmark, where my brother is now living. To make things more interesting (and give my trip a much smaller carbon footprint), I decided to travel there and back by train rather than flying. This took me through Germany (with stops in Hamburg and Hannover), which was fun as I hadn’t been there for a few years. And as I also spent an afternoon in Malmö, Sweden (only a half-hour from Copenhagen by train), this trip took me to three countries, two of them new to me. I love this about Europe—with these relatively small nations (compared to the US), it’s so easy to cross borders and experience other cultures and languages.

Another excuse for traveling by rail was the chance to take a train that crosses the Fehmarn Belt strait by ferry! Yes, it drives right into the ferry at Puttgarden, Germany alongside the cars and patiently waits for the boat to reach Rødby, Denmark on the other shore 45 minutes later. During this time, passengers must leave the train and go up the stairs to the upper levels of the boat, where a plethora of duty-free shops and pricey food services can be found.

When you get this far north at the end of December, the days are pretty short—the sun sets at about 3:30 pm. I was hoping that it would still be somewhere in the sky for the beginning of our ferry crossing, but some technical delays meant that we couldn’t get started until around 4 pm. So my photos are a bit dark (click on them for a larger view), but for a better look you can also check out this short video that someone made in the summer.

Leaving Hamburg

Heading north!

Windmills in northern Germany

Driving into the ferry!

“Parked” in the ferry!

Pulling away from the landing

A great winter view 😀

Spending time, waiting to reach the other shore

One of the many shops inside the boat

A good share of the vacation was spent cozily on the couch, indulging in movies with my brother and his wife and kids, with candles and plenty of popcorn (this was where the mysterious Danish hygge was to be found, for me). We watched some Christmas classics, such as A Child’s Christmas in Wales and The Shop Around the Corner, and some of our childhood favorites including Coming to America and The Muppets Take Manhattan. But there was of course also a Denmark outside waiting to be discovered!

Because I was in Copenhagen right in the middle of the holidays (plus a Monday), most museums and restaurants were closed, but I did manage to stroll through the city streets and also explore a bit of Freetown Christiania, a self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood that happens to lie within the borders of Copenhagen. One restaurant I did get to visit (twice!) is SimpleRAW, which I highly recommend. Despite its name, it does offer a cooked burger plus another cooked dish of the day (dhal, the week I was there), and hot drinks like coffee, tea and matcha latte, of which I was very glad as it really was SO COLD outside. Their raw lime cheesecake was simply divine.

The weather was gray and drizzly most of the time, but I still managed to get some fun and colorful photos. Here’s a selection.

Amager Strand (beach)

House near the beach

City center

Gråbrødretorv

SimpleRAW

City center

Random window

Christianshavn

Nyhavn

Near Christiania

Christiania

Leaving Christiania

Outside Christiania

I took one afternoon to go and explore Malmö, Sweden, which as mentioned above is only a short train ride (more trains!) to the east of Copenhagen. Trains leave in both directions several times per hour, and the cost is only around €10. I loved Malmö, a very cute smallish town with lots of old-timey charm. It didn’t hurt that it was also a nice sunny day.

Thanks to some advance planning, I managed to visit two vegan restaurants that were not closed during the holiday period. First, Lotta Love Açaí Bar, where I had—what else?—a huge açaí bowl covered with fruit, nuts and cacao nibs. And later, Vegan Bar, which is more like a restaurant with a bar in it and offers a range of super yummy burgers, including a portobello mushroom one. I also happened upon a thrift shop with lots of cute things (candleholders, clothes and dishes that would have been perfect for my food photos). It was sad, but probably also lucky, that I couldn’t buy anything due to insufficient room in my suitcase (and my apartment!).

If you ever visit Malmö, don’t miss Lilla Torg, a little square with a lamp installation that is lit both at night and during the day, but is most interesting after sunset.

On the train from Copenhagen to Malmö

Malmö

St. Petri Kyrka

Streets of Malmö

Canal in Malmö

Cute stuff

Lotta Love Acaí Bar

Acaí bowl

Lotta Love Acaí Bar

More cute stuff

Window shopping

“Poet on the corner” poetry café

Thrift shop!

The perfect skirt for Scandinavia

Café in Malmö

Vegan Bar

More window shopping

Viking supplies

Holiday lights

Lilla Torg by night

We also took a day trip to Denmark’s second-largest city, Aarhus, to visit the impressive ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum. Established in 1859, it is Denmark’s oldest public art museum outside Copenhagen. It has been especially attractive to visitors since 2011, with the addition of the circular skywalk installation Your Rainbow Panorama by Icelandic-Danish artist Ólafur Elíasson. Inside, we enjoyed various exhibits on multiple floors, most of them featuring Scandinavian artists apart from a temporary exhibition devoted to works by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos.

The final excitement of my trip was the New Year’s Eve party with some friends of my brother, for which we made a huge dinner. My contributions included a spinach, red bell pepper and tomato quiche and some almond-apricot cupcakes decorated with toasted slivered almonds and edible gold dust. Everyone in the neighborhood was setting off fireworks the whole evening, but at midnight they multiplied their efforts by 10 and there was no break in the booming, crackling and colorful explosions of lights for a full 35 minutes.

Your Rainbow Panorama by Ólafur Elíasson

Anything Helps by Jani Leinonen

Work by Joana Vasconcelos (pots and pans)

Work by Joana Vasconcelos (telephones)

Work by Joana Vasconcelos (plastic cutlery)

Work by Joana Vasconcelos (tampons!)

Work by J.F. Willumsen

The vegan aisle at a Danish supermarket

My vegan quiche for New Year’s Eve

Apricot-almond cupcakes for New Year’s Eve

Fireworks mark our entry into 2017

Soon after that, I was back on the road (or rather, rail) again to return to Paris. I stopped for the night in Hannover, where I got to try out the highly acclaimed restaurant Hiller, and the next evening was home and reunited with Sésame, who greeted me with many kitty kisses.

Chocolate mendiants

December 24, 2016March 16, 2019 ElisabethLeave a comment

It’s easy to get overly ambitious around Christmastime and to plan a number of grand meals and complicated desserts, only to wake up one day and realize it’s already the 23rd or 24th and you don’t have the right ingredients or enough time to make everything you wanted. This is especially likely to happen, for some reason, with dishes that you hope to bring to holiday parties, escalating your anxiety levels further. But never fear, your favorite blogger is here to the rescue! Today I bring you a very easy-to-make traditional French confectionery creation that will nevertheless impress just about everyone. And since the toppings can vary greatly, you might already have everything you need in your kitchen cupboards.

These little Yuletide delicacies hail from the south of France and the fruits and nuts traditionally used represent the colors of the robes worn by the friars in four mendicant orders during the Middle Ages. These are gray (raisins) for the Dominicans, brown (hazelnuts) for the Augustinians, white (almonds cut in half) for the Caramelites and purple (fig or cranberry) for the Franciscans. As these friars subsisted on charitable offerings, they were referred to as mendiants (beggars), and the confections took on the same name. These items are also among the 13 desserts served at the end of the traditional Christmas meal in Provence.

Today, many types and combinations of nuts and fruits are used, so feel free to use whatever you have on hand! I used walnuts, peanuts, pistachios, cranberries, physalis and pineapple.

Chocolate mendiants

Makes 12 to 15 mendiants

Ingredients

about 6 oz (180 g) dark chocolate in bar form (or chocolate chips)
toasted nuts (walnuts, peanuts, almonds, pistachios, macadamia, etc.)
dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, raisins, apricot, citrus segments, etc.)
other items such as pumpkin seeds, candied ginger, white chocolate chips, toasted coconut chips, colorful Christmas sprinkles, fleur de sel, gold leaf

Equipment needed: double-boiler or metal mixing bowl plus saucepan, parchment or waxed paper

Begin by assembling all the fruits and nuts you will use, so that you’re ready once the chocolate has melted.

Break or chop your chocolate bar into more or less evenly sized pieces.

Next, heat some water in a medium-sized saucepan and place a metal bowl on top of it (or a second, smaller saucepan for a double-boiler). Be sure that the water in the saucepan does not touch the bottom of the bowl or second saucepan. Place the chopped chocolate in it and heat, stirring occasionally with a heat-proof spatula.

Once all of the chocolate has melted, turn off the heat but keep the bowl on top of the saucepan full of hot water.

Line a tray with parchment paper and, using a teaspoon (the kind you use to stir your coffee, not the measuring kind), form small, round disks. After creating them, go back and add a bit more on the top of each one to ensure that they are thick enough. Make only six at a time so that you have time to add all the toppings before the chocolate firms.

Add your toppings. I like to start with the larger items and then add the other ones around them.

Once you’ve finished the first batch, put the tray in the fridge and continue making mendiants until you have used up the rest of your chocolate. The mendiants will be set after an hour or two of chilling (allow two to three hours to be on the safe side).

Serve your mendiants on a platter at a party, or box them up as a gift!

These mendiants were my Christmas gift to the concierge of my building, who brings our mail to our doors and takes time out of her morning to give Sésame (who is in love with her) a thorough scratching and petting on the days when my mail includes a package. This year, I included some photos of the furry little guy, which she was delighted to receive (they now adorn her refrigerator door, I was told). 🙂

Variations: change things up with this white chocolate version!

Chocolate & peanut butter pies

December 12, 2016April 18, 2019 Elisabeth2 Comments

After living in France for almost eight years now, and having traveled a lot before that, my sense of nationality and culture is somewhat fluid. I’m not French, but I also don’t really feel American anymore. Yet I still have a taste for certain American foods that are not always met with enthusiasm by people from other places. One of these is peanut butter. Often relegated to obscure shelves of mainstream French supermarkets, including the “world cuisines” section, peanut butter is not a guaranteed find at the average grocery store. And when you do encounter it, it’s sometimes quite expensive or not very good. But about a year ago I discovered a nice one from the Ethiquable brand in the fairtrade section of my local Franprix. It comes from a woman-inclusive cooperative in Nicaragua and isn’t any more expensive than most of its non-fairtrade (unfairtrade?) counterparts. And so, safe in the knowledge that I have this steady supply available, I have been freely experimenting with peanut-based recipes like Thai satay sauce, peanut-butter cheesecake (yep!) and of course, desserts with the magical peanut butter and chocolate combination, of which we will see an example below!

First, some history, and the answer to a pressing question. Is peanut butter actually from the United States? A widespread legend has it that it was invented by George Washington Carver (1864-1943), an American botanist and inventor who was born into slavery. But in 1884, before Carver had even begun studying botany, pharmacist Marcellus Gilmore Edson of Canada patented a process to make peanut paste. And much, much before that, as far back as the first century of the Common Era, the Aztecs also mashed roasted peanuts into a paste. So, it’s actually a Mexican-Canadian creation.

But Americans are still very fond of it. We are the world’s leading exporter and, according to this source, we eat around 700 million pounds (317 million kg) of peanut butter per year (about 3 pounds/1.4 kg per person). That’s not too hard to believe. When I was growing up, children brought their lunch to school, and very often it was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I carried mine proudly in my metal Pigs in Space lunchbox alongside carrot sticks and a Hostess cupcake. Now, peanut butter has apparently been banned from most schools due to the high number of kids with peanut allergies. I don’t understand how this allergy can have become so common, but that’s a matter for the experts to solve.

So the other week, I began experimenting with chocolate-avocado mousse, and the idea came to me to pair it with peanut butter in some way. I looked around my kitchen and spotted my set of mini-pie plates, and was on my way. The crust proved a bit tricky. My first version was made of ground almonds with peanut butter as a binder, but it wasn’t peanut-buttery enough for me. A second attempt with the addition of toasted millet (for crunch) wasn’t quite what I was looking for. Finally, a third try with a combination of ground roasted peanuts and ground almonds was just right. The rich-but-light texture and slight fruitiness of the mousse is nicely complimented by the earthy, salted peanut crunch of the crust.

As desserts go, this easy, no-bake recipe is definitely on the healthy side. It does contain fat (from the peanuts, avocado and coconut), but has no cholesterol or refined sweetener. And it packs a punch as far as protein goes, so the next time someone asks you where you get your protein, you know what to answer!

Chocolate & peanut butter pies

Makes two mini-pies (5 in./12 cm in diameter at widest point)

Note: several hours before making this recipe, place the coconut cream/milk and your metal mixing bowl plus the beaters of your mixer in the refrigerator to chill. The lower temperature helps ensure a nice firm whip.

Ingredients

For the peanut crust

1/2 cup (75 g) salted peanuts, whole (snack/party kind)
2 tablespoons (12 g) ground almonds
2 tablespoons peanut butter, either creamy or chunky
1 teaspoon maple syrup

For the chocolate mousse filling

1 large avocado (9 oz./250 g weighed when whole)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2-3 tablespoons maple syrup, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
small pinch salt

For the whipped coconut cream

3/4 cup (200 ml) coconut milk (full-fat) or coconut cream, chilled
1-2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the garnish: roughly chopped bar chocolate, cocoa powder, finely chopped peanuts or gomasio

Equipment needed: food processor for the nuts, electric mixer with beaters to whip the cream, plastic wrap, mini-pie plates (or small bowls/ramekins)

First, grind the peanuts by pulsing them just a few times. Be careful not to grind them too much, or (depending on the power of your processor) you could end up with something closer to peanut butter and the structure of the crust will not hold up as well. I stopped when my peanut chunks looked about like this (see next photo):

Now add the ground almonds, peanut butter and maple syrup. Don’t be tempted to add more maple syrup, as it could make the crust too soggy. It’s okay if the crust is not especially sweet, since the filling and whipped cream will be.

Combine the ingredients, mixing and pressing the mixture against the sides of the bowl with a large spoon or spatula (alternatively, knead with your hands) until you have a sort of sticky dough. Taste it at this point and if it seems to be lacking salt, for example if you have used a natural peanut butter that contains no salt, consider adding a small pinch.

Rip off a piece of plastic wrap that is the length of two mini-pie plates. Cover the inside of the pie plate with one end of it and press half of the crust dough into the plate as shown above. Be sure to fill the tops of the ridges well to get a nice result when the crust is unmolded. Then double the plastic wrap back over the top to cover the crust. Repeat with the second pie plate. If you’re making the crusts well ahead of time, you can place them in the refrigerator to chill at this point, stacked together if space is a problem, but if you will be finishing and serving the dessert right away this step is not necessary.

Cut the avocado in half, scoop out its flesh and transfer to your food processor. Add the cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides once or twice.

Now you have your mousse! Taste it and add more maple syrup if you want it to be sweeter, and more vanilla or cocoa powder if it seems to need it (the results of different cocoa brands can vary). Process further if you have added something, and be sure that no chunks of avocado remain.

Fill the crust with the mousse. The crust should still be in the pie plate at this point, as the filling process could make it crack if it were unsupported. Next, holding onto both sides of the plastic wrap, carefully lift the crust out of the pie plate and transfer it to a small dessert plate, removing the plastic.

Take the pre-chilled coconut milk or cream, metal bowl and beaters out of the refrigerator. Transfer the milk or cream to the bowl. If using a can of coconut milk, stir the cream and liquid part together before measuring. Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until soft peaks appear (this will take a few minutes). Continue until you have reached the desired thickness, but be careful not to overbeat as it can become too thick. If this happens, do not despair as it can be salvaged—just continue beating and it will eventually revert to a more liquid state (unlike overwhipped dairy cream, which turns into butter!).

When ready to serve the dessert, top each pie with a dollop of the cream and decorate the top with a garnish of roughly chopped bar chocolate, a sprinkle of cocoa powder, some finely chopped peanuts or a pinch of gomasio.

Note that the avocado will begin to oxidize and darken upon contact with the air, so it is best to fill the crusts not long before they will be served. Alternatively, if the top has already darkened, you could opt to cover the entire top with the whipped cream. The lighter color of the mousse inside would then not be noticeably different from the color of the top, and you would also have an interesting tiramisu effect.

Variations:

Make the crust with ground almonds and almond butter (no peanuts) for a chocolate & almond version.
Add banana to the mousse for a tropical flavor.
Serve parfait-style in clear glasses so that the various layers show, alternating with additional layers of whipped cream and chocolate mousse.

Sri Lankan purple yam porridge

November 4, 2016April 15, 2017 Elisabeth1 Comment

On a recent trip to my favorite cash & carry in the South Asian neighborhood, inspired purely by the photo on the shelf, I picked up a new (to me) vegetable to experiment with. It looked like some kind of great-grandfather root with rhinoscerosy skin, halfway between sweet potato and celeriac. A Google search later on informed me that it’s a purple yam, and that its Latin name is Dioscorea alata. It’s native to Southeast Asia but now also grows in other parts of the world including South America, Australia, China, Africa and the southeast US. Its Tamil name, used on the label in this Sri Lankan shop, is rasa valli kilangu, while in Yoruba, a language of southwestern Nigeria, it’s called isu ewura and in the Philippines it’s ube. The purple yam has apparently gained some fame among Western foodies under this name.

In folk medicine, Dioscorea alata is thought to be effective at treating ailments such as fever, leprosy and hemorrhoids. Some even believe that consuming it increases the likelihood of bearing twins!

In Sri Lanka, the purple yam is often cooked and mashed to make a sweet dish. As it contains a lot of starch, it can also be formed in a mold rather like polenta, and then cut it into slices or other shapes.

For my first experiment with this tuber, I decided to try the basic mashed form. As it doesn’t have much flavor on its own, this yam benefits from a bit of vanilla and/or cardamom (the latter being a traditional ingredient in the Sri Lankan dish). The end result is a slightly sweet mash that seems ideal for breakfast, so I am calling it a porridge. Warm and filling, it could become your new favorite comfort food.

Incidentally, I was disappointed at first that my rasa valli, once peeled, turned out not to be the bright magenta promised by the label photo, but rather a light lavender color. Maybe some are just more purple than others. But lavender is nice too—one of my favorite colors actually. So it’s okay. It’s still sort of (vaguely) in the red-violet range, and therefore acceptable enough for the first recipe to appear on this blog.

Sri Lankan purple yam porridge

Serves 2 (as a fairly filling breakfast)

Ingredients

3 cups (350 g) peeled and cubed purple yam (one large yam)
1/2 cup (118 ml) coconut milk from a can, some cream from top of can reserved
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
optional garnishes: cardamom, powdered açaí, dried coconut, edible lavender flowers

Begin by peeling the yam. Caution: these yams are quite slippery characters once peeled, and will want to suddenly fly out of your grasp and across the kitchen!

Chop the yam into evenly sized cubes.

Next, place the cubed yam in a medium-sized saucepan and fill it with enough water to cover it. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. After about 20-25 minutes, test the yam for doneness with a fork. When the cubes seem mashable, turn off the heat and drain most of the water from the pan. With a hand-held potato masher (or large fork), mash the cubes until you have something that resembles mashed potatoes. Alternatively, you could process them with an immersion blender or in a food processor, but they will be so soft that this isn’t really necessary, and the partially chunky texture is kind of nice.

Open up a can of regular (not reduced-fat) coconut milk. Remove a couple tablespoons of the thick cream from the top, transfer to a small bowl, mix with a bit of maple syrup and set aside. This will be the topping.

Stir the rest of the coconut milk in the can so that the watery part at the bottom combines with the thicker part toward the top. Add about 1/2 cup (118 ml) of the mixed coconut milk to the saucepan and turn on the heat again to medium-low. Use a bit more if you want the porridge to be more liquidy.

Continue mashing the yam together with the coconut milk until you achieve a uniform consistency. Now add the maple syrup, vanilla, salt and optional cardamom and combine well. Taste and add more maple syrup and cardamom if you prefer it sweeter or with a stronger cardamom flavor. Alternatively, you can drizzle extra maple syrup on top of the porridge once it has been transferred to the bowls.

Transfer the porridge to two medium-sized bowls (or one larger bowl to share, for romantic types!) and top with the reserved sweetened coconut cream, which will melt a bit. Garnish with added ground cardamom, ground açaí (shown here), dried coconut or edible lavender flowers. Enjoy!

Variations: use regular yams or sweet potatoes, vary the spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.), add golden raisins or chunks of fruit.

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Solid gold vegan recipes and more from a United Statesian living in Paris, France.

Tag: vegetarian

Tofu bánh mì

Tofu bánh mì

Retro spinach-artichoke ring

Spinach-artichoke filling

Stretchy mozzarella-style cashew cheese

Biscuit dough

Cheese sauce

French fruit cheesecake

French fruit cheesecake

Deviled avocados

Deviled avocados

Creamy miso ramen soup

Carrot salad with tangy sesame-ginger dressing

Creamy miso ramen soup

Short days in Scandinavia

Chocolate mendiants

Chocolate mendiants

Chocolate & peanut butter pies

Chocolate & peanut butter pies

Sri Lankan purple yam porridge

Sri Lankan purple yam porridge