Asian Purple Cabbage Slaw

There was this head of purple cabbage in my fridge that had been forlornly staring back at me for about a week. I bought it telling myself I’d make a shredded cabbage salad, but each day I’d plan a menu that just didn’t call for any kind of cabbage salad.

So finally, as the heat got to me and the desire to actually cook just melted away, I reached for the poor cabbage before it wilted to death and decided to show it some love- with a bright dressing, fresh mint and sharp red onions. The outer leaves had to be chucked, though- too much neglect.

I made this salad with a little inspiration from the Korean Slaw recipe in It’s All Good. This salad is quite refreshing and light on it’s own, and makes a great side to stir-fry or noodles. I mixed some of the salad with cold soba noodles and toasted sesame oil to make it a one-bowl meal. If you top that with a protein, like chicken, fish, beef or tofu, then you have yourself a pretty substantial meal.

I love the colours of the salad- once the dressing is mixed in, the purple cabbage bleeds a little bit of it’s colour into the onion, so everything is jewel-toned and glossy. And the mint is just gorgeous, both in terms of colour and flavour- be sure to use the freshest mint you can get your hands on.

ASIAN PURPLE CABBAGE SLAW

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups purple cabbage, sliced thinly
• 1 large red onion, cut into half-moons
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds (you can use less, much less, in fact, about a teaspoon. I just love sesame seeds!)
• A fistful of fresh mint, torn

For The Dressing

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (not extra virgin)
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1-2 teaspoons brown sugar, depending on how sweet you like it

METHOD

• Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
• Toss the cabbage and onions together in a salad bowl.
• Pour the dressing over, mix well. Scatter the sesame seeds and mint over the top and mix again. Top with a sprig of mint.
• Allow the salad to sit covered in the fridge for 15 mins to half an hour to let the flavours absorb.

Rachel Allen’s Roasted Aubergine And Chickpea Salad

I’m a sucker for cookbooks, especially if they are on sale or at a great price. Even if they are the weirdest of titles, like Pooh’s Yummy Cookbook (I actually own this. I bought it ages ago, before my son was born, hoping to cook from it together when he was old enough.)

Some cookbooks you buy for the novelty factor- like the Momofuku MIlk Bar or Roberta’s cookbooks. Some cookbooks are for the purpose of learning and understanding more about a cuisine, like Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking or Mastering The Art Of French Cooking. And some you pick up because they’re on sale. Like I said, I love a great bargain. And when I come across a nice cookbook at a steal, it’ kind of hard to walk away. Which is how I ended up adding Rachel Allen’s Easy Meals to my collection.

The first time I ever saw Rachel Allen was when her show Bake! aired on TLC India. I (kind of) assumed that she was solely a baker and pastry chef, and sweet treats and breads were all she did. It’s only later when I watched her Home Cooking and Easy Meals shows that I realized she is an all-round cook.

I enjoy her shows- especially the segments where she visits patisseries, bread makers, chocolatiers, farms & suppliers and interacts with them. I quite like her approach to food- it’s not scary or dicatorial, it’s not too complicated, and it’s not appallingly semi-homemade like Sandra Lee (who, I agree with Anthony Bourdain, is going to kill people with her food.)

I saw this book at a clearance sale and it was in great condition, and available at a really, really good price. There aren’t as many pictures as Bake! and All Things Sweet, but the recipes do stand up to their promise: they are easy, uncomplicated and from what I’ve tried so far, pretty flavourful.

The book is split into sections, with one dedicated to store-cupboard meals (using a lot of lentils, beans, pasta and chickpeas,) another called Fast & Fabulous dedicated to very very quick meals; another section with 5 ingredients or less; as well as a no-cook section (which has a great beetroot gazpacho recipe and a bunch of salads and tartines.)

I’m a fan of pared-down cooking. Just a few quality ingredients and bright seasoning that shines through. Since I’m all about salads these days, I made the chickpea and roasted aubergine salad. This one is from the Fast & Fabulous section of the book, recipes which take under 30 mins to prepare. The original recipe calls for rocket leaves, but I tore in some basil because I didn’t have any. I think cilantro would work really well, too.

CHICKPEA & AUBERGINE SALAD (From Rachel Allen’s Easy Meals.)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 red onions, peeled and quartered
• 1 large or 2 medium aubergines, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
• 400g cooked and drained chickpeas
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• A handful of basil leaves, torn

Dressing

• 200 ml yoghurt (a little less than 1 cup of yogurt)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt to taste

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 220 C, set aside a shallow baking dish for the vegetables.
• In a bowl, toss the onion wedges and aubergines with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.
• Tip the vegetables into a shallow baking dish and bake in the oven at 220 C for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned.
• To make the dressing, whisk together the yogurt, paprika and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
• Once the vegetables are done cooking, assemble the salad. In a large salad bowl, add the chickpeas and season with salt and pepper. Toss in the onions+aubergines, and mix well. Drizzle over the yogurt dressing, then scatter the torn basil leaves on top.

Roasted Tomato & Lentil Soup

I’ll admit I have a short temper. Sometimes it’s with an applicance that doesn’t work. Sometimes it’s triggered by muddy shoe tracks around the house. Sometimes by my son, who is being his 3-yr-old self but making a mess and racket while doing so. I try to work on it as much as I can- but there are times when I blow my fuse.

Cooking and being in the kitchen, however, makes me forget whatever it was that made me angry. I’m happy to toss a salad. Shake some vinaigrette together. Chop some onions into half-moons, dice tomatoes and slice cucumbers. And if my son has been punished, then a snack is what is produced as a peace offering.

Happy as I am to prep, chop, cook and stir, there are days when I take the lazy route- that is, cooking without having to stand over the stove for too long. For me, lazy cooking is about chopping some vegetables, roasting them in the oven, and tossing them with pasta, creating a salad, or blitzing everything into a soup.

The great thing about roasting veggies in the oven is that the oven does all the work for you…the natural sugars come alive, the juices come out and the vegetables just dress themselves, absorbing all the lovely flavours of the herbs and oil.

 

If you think garlic sautéing in butter/olive oil is one of the nicest (savoury) aromas, think again. Tomatoes and peppers roasting in the oven with rosemary is an aroma that can make any stomach growl. Ever since I tried Clara’s blistered cherry tomatoes, I’ve had a weakness for roasting tomatoes in the oven- big and small. I agree, cherry tomatoes look prettier when roasted and paired with pasta or a topping for a tartine, but when you are roasting tomatoes for a soup, it doesn’t matter. I also found these red chillies in the market earlier this week, and was a little undecided about what to do with them.

Anita suggested pickling them, which I intend to do, but I was impatient to get cooking with them, so I slit, de-veined and de-seeded them, tossed them with chopped tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, thyme and crushed pepper, and put everything in a 200 degree oven for 40 minutes, with a gentle toss and massage after 20 mins.

Once done, I blitzed everything in a blender with a little water, and added the mix to a pot of simmering lentils- dinner is done.

ROASTED TOMATO & LENTIL SOUP

INGREDIENTS

• 4 medium tomatoes, halved
• 2 medium red chilli peppers, halved, deveined and de-seeded
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 8-10 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon rosemary, fresh or dried
• A good grinding of black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 cup red lentils or husked masoor dal
• Water for boiling

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 200 C.
• Place the tomatoes, peppers and garlic in a roasting tray/baking dish and toss with the olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper till well coated.
• Place in the oven for 40 minutes, checking on them after 20 mins and giving everything a quick toss.
• Once cool, place everything in a blender and blend, adding a little water, till smooth.
• Place lentils in a large pot and add enough water to cover. Simmer on medium-low heat until lentils are tender, skimming off the foam at the top periodically. Once the lentils are tender, add in the tomato-pepper puree and cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes more. Add more water or vegetable stock if necessary.
• Season with more salt and pepper if you wish, and drizzle some olive oil over the top before serving.