Cabbage, Apple, and Celery Stir-Fry

This is really good with the Persian rice I posted last, or with noodles.

Ingredients:

1 onion

oil

2-4 stalks of celery

1 pointed cabbage or ½ regular cabbage

water (in ¼ cup increments or as needed)

2 apples

1 tsp sugar

lemon juice (2-5 tbsp, depending on taste)

mint (1 tbsp)

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Peel and dice the onion and fry lightly in some oil.

2. Chop the celery and cabbage and add to the pan. Cook for a few minutes, then add some water and cover. Leave over medium heat for 8-10 minutes.

3. Chop the apples and add to the pan, along with the other ingredients. Cook another 10 minutes, adding more water if needed.

4. Season with more lemon juice, mint, salt, and pepper.

Chestnut Stir-Fry

I posted about roasted chestnuts last time and I just want to add that I’ve started including them in stir-fries. It’s delicious and adds a subtle, full flavour to the stir-fry. A great combination was red pepper, shallot, chestnuts, and mange tout. I seasoned it with tamari sauce and sour plum juice (but lemon juice would be fine). We liked it so much that we had it again just a few days later. And yes, you can use ready-prepared chestnuts if you prefer.

Mushroom and Tofu Stir-Fry

I used to think I didn’t like mushrooms, but M convinced me to give them another try and I have found I really do enjoy them. I use them in omelettes and stir-fries and with pasta quite a bit. Here I’ve cooked them with tofu, but my beloved can no longer eat soya products, so I can’t make this anymore.

You can easily vary the seasoning by varying the sauces. I loved ume plums (sour plums) in Japan, so I was pleased when I found the ume plum sauce at my local vegetarian store. It adds a distinct tang and is good as a salad dressing or in dishes such as this one.

Ingredients:
oil
1 tsp honey or sugar
¼-½ cabbage
1 handful mushrooms (about 5-8)
200 g tofu
soy or tamari sauce
plum sauce or ume plum seasoning, optional
noodles

Instructions:
1. Heat the oil over low heat and add the honey.
2. Wash and slice the cabbage and mushrooms and fry them in the oil and honey until the mushrooms are darkening, about 5-8 minutes.
3. Chop the tofu and add it to the pan.
4. Season with soy, tamari, and/or plum sauce as desired.
5. Add the noodles and stir for another minute or two, then serve.

Spicy Tofu

This is really easy and tasty. I like to add it to stir fries. For example, it goes well with aubergine, broccoli, and noodles in a peanut cream sauce.

Ingredients:
1 package tofu
2 tbsp horseradish, or to taste
1 tsp mustard powder, or to taste

Instructions:
1. Drain the tofu.
2. Coat the tofu in horseradish and mustard.
3. Bake it in the oven at 180 C for about 15 minutes, until firm and slightly golden.
4. Use the tofu in any dish you like.

Green Stir-Fry

Green Stir-Fry

This can be endlessly varied, depending on what sort of veg or spices you have on hand. It’s fast for weekdays.

Ingredients:
1 leek
½ green garlic
1 courgette
½ cabbage
1 handful cherry tomatoes
oil
spice (curry paste, miso paste, soy sauce, sweet-and-sour sauce, etc)
noodles (I like rice noodles)

Instructions:
1. Wash the vegetables and dice them.
2. Stir-fry them in the oil and add the spice of your choice. Mix well.
3. When it is all nearly cooked, add in the noodles. Stir-fry for a couple more minutes, then serve.

Squash Couscous

This was a simple weeknight meal that was healthy and full of flavour. The tomatoes might seem a bit odd, but I had tomatoes to use, so I added them. It worked fine, but you can leave them out too.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
oil
1 courgette
1 tsp sugar
2 tomatoes
200 g couscous
water
¼ cup raisins
handful of pine nuts (about 30 g)
2 tbsp crème fraiche or yogurt, optional
salt
black pepper

Instructions:
1. Wash the butternut squash and coat it lightly with oil. Roast it in the oven at 200 C for about an hour, until the skin has browned. Leave aside to cool.
2. Wash and dice the courgette. Fry it in oil over low heat for about 8-10 minutes. Add the sugar so it caramelises.
3. Meanwhile, peel and de-seed the squash. Dice it into small pieces and add to the pan.
4. Wash and slice the tomatoes and add them as well. Continue to stir-fry.
5. Put the couscous in a pot. Boil the water and add it to the couscous. Leave it to stand, covered, for about 5 minutes.
6. Add the raisins and pine nuts to the squash.
7. For a more creamy couscous, add the crème fraiche or yogurt to pot and mix in well.
8. Season the squash with salt and black pepper to taste.
9. Serve the squash over the couscous.

Aubergine Stir-Fry

Aubergine is not the typical ingredient in a stir-fry, but it works well as a base for other flavours. Here, for example, I give it a slightly Asian taste with miso paste and udon noodles.

And I like to eat a spoonful of peanut butter while cooking for an extra shot of protein.

Ingredients:
1 large aubergine
salt
oil
1 package sugar snap peas
5-6 radishes
other veg as desired
1 tbsp miso paste
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp yogurt
1 package udon noodles
chilli flakes

Instructions:
1. Wash and chop the aubergine into small pieces. Salt the pieces lightly and then fry them in oil, stirring often, for 8-10 minutes.
2. Wash and add the sugar snap peas. Wash, slice, and add the radishes. Add any other veg. Stir-fry another 5-10 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add the miso, peanut butter, and yogurt. Mix well.
4. Add the noodles and stir-fry for another 2 or 3 minutes. Season with chilli flakes.

Stir-Fries

I’ve been making a lot of stir-fries lately. They’re healthy, fast, and easy to vary. Basically, I take a bunch of vegetables and lightly fry them in oil. If I’m using tofu, I dice that and add it now too (or sometimes I marinate it and bake it, then add it). Meanwhile, I cook rice (if I’m making it over rice). I use seasonings such as peanut butter, miso paste, curry paste, or chilli. If I’m using noodles, I add them in to the pan right towards the end. I often add an egg or two and scramble it for a minute, so it’s just cooked. Then I serve the vegetables either over the rice or with the noodles.

Dinner’s ready in 10 or 15 minutes. Does it get much easier than this?

Starring...Radish

When I was young, I wasn’t really exposed to radish, so the vegetable often seemed strange and inaccessible to me in some way. Luckily, I’ve given in to curiosity and begun using them.

They have a nice crispness and a slightly sharp, almost peppery flavour. They work in salads, of course – you just slice a few and toss them with lettuce, cucumber, celery, avocado, or whatever else you want in there. But I’ve also been pleasantly surprised to see how well suited radish is to stir-fries. I add a few slices towards the end of the cooking process so they retain their crunch and add a strong, biting undertone.

I’ve recently also gotten the idea of adding some radish to a loaf of bread. I can imagine the flavours working together. But I haven’t yet tried it out.

Stir-Fry with Udon Noodles

I’ve been making lots of stir-fries lately, because they’re so easy and healthy. I’ll post a few variations on them, but play around and see what combinations you like. You can also add an egg in at the end, for extra protein.

Ingredients:
1 red pepper
½ broccoli (or a container of tender-stem broccoli)
oil
1 container tofu
100 g sugar snap peas
1-2 tbsp miso paste
1-2 tbsp peanut butter
chilli flakes to taste
150 g udon noodles

Instructions:
1. Wash and chop the pepper and broccoli. Stir-fry them in oil.
2. Dice the tofu and add it to the pan. Wash and add the snap peas.
3. Add the miso paste and peanut butter to the pan and stir well, so all the vegetables and tofu get some sauce. Season with chilli flakes according to how spicy you like it.
4. Add the udon noodles and stir-fry 2-3 minutes more, then serve.