Sudanese Mullah

The recipe for mullah was originally discovered in a newspaper by my mum back in the 1990s - she didn't quite follow the recipe and made her own version of it. It became my favourite childhood dish (my tastes buds have always been adventurous!). I recently learnt that “mullah” can mean any kind of stew in Sudan, normally made with local ingredients. The main ingredient I copied from my mum’s recipe is cinnamon. It really makes this dish for me. 

Here’s my vegetarian mullah recipe for 3-4 good size portions:

5 potatoes
2 onions
500g chickpeas
3 garlic cloves (pressed)
olive oil
400g tomato purée
2 x pinch of cinnamon
1 pinch chilli powder
salt & pepper

Peel and cook the potatoes. Once they're cooked, cut them into small cubes. Fry the onions in olive oil until they have soften, then add the potatoes, vegetables and spices. Cook until the potatoes are soft (about 20-25 minutes). Make sure you use enough seasoning.

 

Tandoor Restaurant in Warsaw

Tandoor is the best curry place I have discovered in Warsaw so far.

I've had a few bad curry experiences in Poland; I guess Indian food is still quite new in here, so some restaurants are either playing it safe by serving food that's more acceptable to the average palate (note to them: creamy tomato sauce with some curry powder in it is NOT a curry!), or maybe just lack the knowledge.

I'm not an expert to be able to claim what's authentic or not, but food at Tandoor is really good! 

Dubai

I was quite impressed with vegetarian food in Dubai. Apart from the standard, Western/European food you can get in most places all over the world, I also enjoyed more traditional Middle Eastern food like falafel, hummus, manaeesh (manakish) and soups. I wasn't there long enough to properly explore the cuisine, but it's definitely a place where you won't starve being vegetarian or vegan.

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (Spaghetti with Garlic & Oil)

If any Italians come across this recipe they probably won't be very impressed. I know the traditional Spaghetti Aglio e Olio recipe, but it has been posted online billions of times. Therefore, here is my own version of it, with a slightly different list of ingredients. Apparently it's edible!

Ingredients for 2-3 portions:

250g spaghetti (I used wholemeal)
1/4 cup virgin olive oil
3 large/5 small garlic cloves, sliced very thinly
a few chopped mushrooms
a few pieces of sun-dried tomatoes (chopped)
1 chilli pepper (or less if it's very hot), chopped super finely
1 handful of chopped basil leaves
2 tbsp sliced black olives
salt & pepper
grated hard cheese (optional) 


Bring a pot of water to boil and add a generous amount of salt. Cook the spaghetti according to instructions. bvkf

Meanwhile, chop the vegetables and heat up the olive oil. Fry the mushrooms for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic and chillies and fry on medium heat until the garlic turns golden. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and sprinkle everything with salt and pepper.

When the spaghetti is ready and drained (leave a small amount of water so it's not too dry), toss it with the warm olive oil, black olives and basil leaves. Serve with grated hard cheese (optional).

Warsaw: Beirut Hummus & Music Bar

Lentil Soup

Halloumi with pomegranate

I found another good place in Warsaw! The choice of veggie food was so varied for a non-vegetarian restaurant that it took me a while to decide what to have. I liked the variety of food Beirut offers, from small snacks to proper meals, e.g. halloumi burgers.

Hearty chickpea & avocado salad

I don’t normally order salads when I eat out because they're often rather boring, so I created a few easy salad recipes I actually enjoy eating at home.

My no. 1 is chickpea & avocado salad:

Ingredients for approx. 2 big portions:

1 can of chickpeas
a handful of radishes
a few stems of fresh dill
1 large avocado
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs olive oil
1 handful of cherry tomatoes
3-4 handfuls of lettuce/mixed leaf salad
ground black pepper
optional: grated cheese 

The instructions are simple - chop and mix everything in no particular order. 

Greek (Cretan) Cuisine

Crete offers a good variety of vegetarian food and, most importantly, you can enjoy traditional Greek vegetarian food (rather than rely on pasta or pizza).

It's probably not the most vegan-friendly place, but most restaurants should cater to special requests as the food appears to be fresh and made from scratch.

I didn't find many dishes with my favourite sources of protein (chickpeas and lentils), except for a salad in our hotel, which also happened to contain ham...but you can definitely survive in Greece being a vegetarian or vegan.

Surprisingly, I didn't come across much hummus or pita bread, perhaps they're more common in other parts of Greece. My favourite dishes were grilled halloumi cheese, stuffed peppers and tomatoes, roasted vegetables and potatoes, feta pastries, as well as "regular" European food like salads, pastas etc.

Grilled halloumi

Stuffed peppers & tomatoes

Feta pie

A random selection of veggie food in our hotel restaurant

Just to be clear, this is not a picture of one of my meals!

beautiful Balos

Spicy Tomato & Lentil Soup

Healthy & super easy to make!

Ingredients:

1.5l water
200g red lentils (check if they need to be soaked)
1 can peeled & chopped tomatoes
1 garlic clove (whole)
2 tsp salt
1 pinch of turmeric
1 allspice berry
1 dash of pepper
1 bay leaf
1 dash (or more!) of chilli powder
2 tsp soy sauce

Add the lentils to boiling water (if they need to be soaked first, do it earlier). Add the tomatoes and all the spices in any order. Cook at medium heat for as long as the lentils need to be cooked (check the package). 

  

Blue Cheese & Mushroom Pasta Bake

Vegetarian meals don't have to be super healthy or low in calories (thank god!)

This is one of these meals. I was surprised with the outcome as it tasted better than it looked and had a really rich flavour. Just make sure you use veggie cheeses if you're vegetarian, so no Gorgonzola.

Ingredients:

100g crumbled blue cheese
100g grated mature cheddar cheese
300g pasta
100g cream
1 can chopped tomatoes
200g chanterelle (or other) mushrooms
half an onion
2 garlic cloves
dried basil
salt & pepper
1 handful sliced black olives

1. Boil a pan of water for pasta. Heat oven to 180C. Chop the vegetables.

2. Fry the onions and mushrooms for a few minutes (with a bit of salt and pepper) and add garlic a couple of minutes before they're done.

3. When the pasta is ready, place it in a large oven dish and mix it with the canned tomatoes, cream and fried vegetables. Add a generous amount of basil and pepper and a bit of salt, then stir.

4. Sprinkle the cheese mixture on top, then stir gently so that some of it gets inside the dish.

5. Bake for about 25 min at 180 degrees. Scatter some sliced olives on top.

French-Indian food

One of my favourite Indian restaurants - Chez Mumtaj in St Albans.

Their weekend menu is not as vegetarian-friendly as it is during the week, but you can still get a few lovely dishes. A little swank, not your typical curry in a hurry kind of place :)

Paneer Shashlik - my favourite!

Spinach dumplings

Quick dinner - lentils with mushrooms

Ingredients for 2 -3:

1.5 cup red lentils (check that they don't require long soaking)
3-4 handfuls of oyster or other type of chopped mushrooms
half a cup of rice
half an onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp chilli powder
olive oil for frying
soy sauce (optional)

1. Cook the lentils with all the spices as recommended on the packet, normally 10-15 min.

2. Fry the mushrooms and onions with a little salt and pepper for about 10 minutes.

3. Once the lentils are soft and have absorbed most of the water (a little water is good as it creates a nice sauce), add the mushrooms and onions. Serve with rice. It's not a very saucy dish so the lentil to rice ratio should be 1:1 or 1:0.5

You can also pour a little soy sauce over the rice for a stronger flavour.

Lentil & Sweet Potato Loaf

Good alternative to a Sunday roast! The main ingredients are lentils, sweet potatoes, veggie broth and oats - except for these, you can experiment with different vegetables and spices.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup green lentils (that require short or no soaking)
750 ml instant vegetable broth (strongly flavoured)
a couple of bay leaves and allspice peppers for the broth
2 cups grated sweet potato
1 cup rolled oats
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1/2 chopped onion
2 chopped carrots
2 tbsp olive oil
half tsp chilli powder
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
2 tsp paprika
a little plain flour

Prepare the broth and add the allspice and bay leaves. Heat the oil in a large pot or a wok and sauté the mushrooms and onions until soft. Add the lentils, sweet potatoes, carrots and broth (take out the bay leaves and allspice before you do, they will be harder to find later). Add the spices (be generous, without the right amount of seasoning it can turn out quite bland). Cook the mixture on medium heat until the broth has absorbed and the lentils are soft - it can take 30-45 min.

Once it's ready, stir in the oats. The texture should be thick but pliable, you can add a teaspoon or two of plain flour to make it a bit thicker. Place the mixture into a loaf pan and bake at 250C for about 45 min or until it's firm. If the top gets too brown, cover the loaf pan with foil.

You should be able to cut the loaf into slices, but it gets a lot firmer when you let it sit for a couple of hours and then reheat.

Fennel & Mushroom Risotto

Serves 2
(For more portions you can use the same amount of vegetables, just add more rice and stock.)

Ingredients:

half a large cup risotto rice
0.75 litre vegetable stock
2 handfuls dried mushrooms (soaked for about 30 min, blended into paste and salted)
2 handfuls fresh mushrooms
1 fennel (peeled and sliced into thin strips)
half a cup green peas
250ml dry white wine
half medium onion (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons olive oil
ground black pepper
optional: grated hard cheese

Fry the fresh mushrooms and fennel for about 5 minutes, then add the onions and garlic and fry on medium heat for a few more minutes. When the fennel starts to look a little crispy, add the rice followed by the white wine, peas and blended dried mushrooms.

Stir until the wine is fully absorbed, then start adding ladlefuls of stock. Keep stirring frequently and allow each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next – this can take around 15 min.

Leave to sit for a couple of minutes before serving. Sprinkle the black pepper and, if required, grated hard cheese on top. 

Squash & Crispy Kale Pasta

Serves 3 - 4

Ingredients:

250g pasta
1 x large butternut squash
200 ml soya milk
1 tbs coconut oil
1 cup green peas
a few pieces of sundried tomatoes
2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder (alternatively, 1/2 vegetable stock cube)
1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 tbs dried coriander
salt and freshly ground pepper

For the crispy kale:

100g kale
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsb sea salt flakes

Preheat the oven to 200C. Halve and deseed the squash. Place it in a roasting dish, flesh side down, and pour in 150ml water. Bake for 1 hour (or until the flesh is soft). When it's cooled down, scoop the flesh out with a spoon.

Place the squash and green peas in a saucepan and stir with the soya milk to a purée. Pour it into a saucepan and simmer. Dissolve the bouillon powder/vegetable stock in a bit of hot water and add it in with all the seasoning and chopped sundried tomatoes.

Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted water.

While cooking the pasta, rub olive oil over the kale (torn into bite-size pieces). Spread it out on baking foil, sprinkle the sea salt flakes over the top and bake for about 10 min (in 150C) or until it's crispy.
Pour the squash sauce into the pan of drained pasta. Stir and cook on low heat for a couple of minutes. Serve with crispy kale on top.

Potato Cakes

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

Potato cakes:

6 large potatoes
1 egg
4 tbsp plain flour
salt and pepper
vegetable oil for frying

Sauce:

10 mushrooms
one large red pepper
1/4 medium onion
1 tbsp crème fraîche
salt and pepper
vegetable oil 
50g cheddar cheese (optional) 
mixed salad

Peel and grate the potatoes. Add the egg, flour, salt and pepper. Heat 1-2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan. Once hot, drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the oil and fry for about 2 min each side (until golden and crisp on each side).

 
For the sauce, chop the vegetables and heat up one tbsp of vegetable oil in another frying pan. Add the onions, mushrooms and peppers. Once the vegetables are soft, add the crème fraîche, 2-3 tbsp of water and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for one minute. 

 
Keep the potato cakes warm while you cook the rest. Serve with cheese and sauce. Goes well with mixed salad.