Orange & Passion Fruit Pudding (only 5 ingredients!)

It's simple desserts like this which fill me with joy. This vibrant orange pudding only contains 5 ingredients (actually technically only 4 because two of the ingredients come from the same oranges...) and is very easy to make (as long as you don't take your eye off it when it's cooking!) This recipe is part of Costa Rican Food month, which kicked off a couple of days ago with the very special Resbaladera (Rice and Barley Milk Drink). I had to post this recipe next because it was one of my absolute favourites!

The reason it is part of Costa Rican food month, is because I have based this recipe on a Costa Rican dish - Atol de Naranja. An atole/atol is a Central/South American dish which is thickened with either cornstarch or hominy grits. It is often consumed as a hot drink, however I decided to make mine a cold dessert pudding instead. I've also added a tropical touch with the gorgeous fresh passion fruit on top which really took this simple dessert to a whole new level!

So- with all the changes is it actually an authentic Costa Rican dish? I have no idea! Maybe a Costa Rican can tell me. What I can tell you is that this dessert is spectacular. So just make it :)

Ingredients
3 cups fresh orange juice (should be about 3-4 oranges worth)
1 tbsp orange zest (tip: zest orange before juicing)
1 cup cornstarch
2 cups brown sugar
4 passion fruits

To Make
1. Place the orange zest and 1/2 cup of the orange juice in a saucepan.
2. Add the cornstarch and stir well until completely dissolved and with no lumps.
3. Gradually stir in the remaining orange juice and the sugar.
4. Place the saucepan over a medium to low heat and stir continuously while you slowly heat it through.
5. As the pudding heats it will begin to thicken, stir continuously to prevent lumps forming. Heat until the pudding is thickened (this should take about 10 minutes, but may take less or more time depending on how hot your stove is).
6. Once the pudding is thick transfer immediately into 8 individual serving bowls (or glasses). Place in the fridge and chill for a couple of hours until completely cold.
7. Top each serving with the pulp of 1/2 a passion fruit and serve.

Serves 8 (note: makes fairly 'modest' servings, if you want large servings you can use this recipe to serve 4-6 people with larger serves).

This month I'm featuring lots of delicious food from Costa Rica.

Check out my other recipe posts:

Resbaladera (Rice & Barley Milk Drink)

Paprika de Papa (Paprika Fried Potatoes)

Chayote con Maiz (Chokoes and Corn)

Home Made Salsa Lizano 

Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding)

Gallo Pinto (Beans and Rice)

Hearts of Palm Salad with Lime Coriander Dressing

Mushroom Ceviche

I've also been nominated in 2 categories in the 'The Homies' blog awards for 2013. It's an annual award run by The Kitchn, and it's a bit of a popularity contest - so your support would mean more to me than I could possibly express!

If you enjoy my recipes or my photos then please take a moment to hop into The Kitchn using the links below, if you think I'm worthy, that is :)

To vote follow these steps

1. Create an account an in order to vote here or if you already have an account simply login to vote.

2. Vote for Gormandize with A-dizzle & K-bobo here for the Best Food Photography on a blog category or vote for Gormandize with A-dizzle and K-bobo here for the Best Recipe Blog category.

Thanks for all your support over the years and I hope you enjoy perusing my blog and trying my recipes!

Vegan Condensed Milk

There are some things that you just give up on when you start cooking vegan. Condensed milk is one of them. There are no easily available ready made vegan condensed milks that I'm aware of, although I'm sure you can find such a thing on the internet. Honestly though, the lack of condensed milk in my life never bothered me, as generally I find it too sickly sweet and I'm always dubious of highly processed foods.

But when I started researching recipes for Costa Rican desserts, as part of this month's world food challenge, I found condensed milk cropping up a lot! So many of the desserts that I was finding called for condensed milk that I decided I'd better get my act together and make some. So, this recipe is not part of Costa Rica month, but if it wasn't for this challenge then I never would have made it!

Making sweetened condensed milk is very easy. In this recipe I use coconut cream as the base and sweeten it with liquid palm sugar. It's delicious, but if you don't like coconut then I should warn you that it does taste coconut-y. In fact, if you're a vegan who doesn't like coconut then life must be tough! Because so many beautiful dairy substitutes are made from coconut - like coconut whipped cream and coconut butter, which is used to make fabulous easy vegan fudge. Not to mention the fact that coconut oil is great to use in things like vegan cheesecakes to make it set to the right consistency.

If you really can't stand coconut though, I'm sure you could experiment with using soy or another non dairy milk. The advantage of using coconut cream is that it's already slightly thick, so you have a bit of a head start. If you used a different kind of milk, you would probably have to cook it down for longer to make it as thick. I'm sure you could also substitute the sweetener if you wanted to, and use agave nectar or maple syrup. Again, this may affect the cooking time and I haven't done it so I can't advise you.

Ingredients
3 cans coconut cream
3/4 cup liquid palm sugar (180ml)

To Make
1. Shake the cans of coconut cream and then pour into a saucepan. I advise using one that is a bit bigger than you think you'll need, as this will make it harder for it to boil over.
2. Add the palm sugar and place saucepan over a medium heat to bring to the boil.
3. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat so that it is boiling/simmering gently. Don't cover with a lid, as you want the milk to evaporate away.
4. Simmer for about an hour, checking and stirring regularly to prevent it boiling over. Different brands of coconut cream have different amounts of water in them, so you may have to boil for longer to get it thick. The liquid should have reduced by about 1/3 by the time it's ready.
5. Allow to cool slightly and then pour into jars and store the the refrigerator until ready to use.

Makes 3-4 cups condensed milk.
Should keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Now what to do with it? Keep your eyes on the blog this month for several Costa Rican desserts using this home made condensed milk!

Resbaladera (Costa Rican Barley and Rice Drink)

Hello February how are you doing? I'm well, but a little cold - so could you warm things up a bit? Don't forget that it's still summer!

February means one important thing on this blog - and it's not lots of heart shaped/red/pink desserts for Valentines Day. It means the return of my World Food Challenge! Did you miss it? I had a much needed month off in January which left me excited at the prospect of returning to it and learning about lots more dishes from countries all over the world.

February's featured country was suggested by 'a fish' - now I don't normally have fish making suggestions to me, but if that fish reads my blog then I'm happy to oblige! This little fish suggested that I feature cuisine from Costa Rica! Great suggestion, thank you! I'm so happy to get my teeth stuck into a Central American country and I think you're going to enjoy going on this Costa Rican journey with me!

Shall we begin?

What do you know about Costa Rica? I didn't know much, as it's a long way from where I live! Costa Rica is Spanish for 'Rich Coast', although it's official name is the Republic of Costa Rica. It is bordered by Nicaragua to the North and by Panama to the South East, it's also rich with diverse and gorgeous flora and fauna - like this spectacular tree frog:

It also has a delicious, fresh and healthy national cuisine. Lots of beans, corn and rice (sounds familiar!), plenty of fish (maybe that's why a fish suggested it?) and everything wrapped up in corn tortillas. They've also got a great selection of drinks -from refrescos naturales made of blended fresh fruits (yum, yes please!) to refreshing rum cocktails to this delicious resbaladera. Similar to a Mexican horchata, this drink is essentially home made rice and barley milk flavoured with cinnamon and nutmeg and sweetened to taste.

Resbaladera

Ingredients
1 cup long grain rice
1 cup barley
2 cinnamon sticks
10 cups water, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground nutmeg
4-5 cups unsweetened rice milk

To Make
1. Place the rice, barley and cinnamon sticks in a large saucepan and cover with 4 cups water. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer and cover.
2. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add more water if needed to prevent sticking to the bottom. Once the rice and barley are cooked turn off the heat and stir though the sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and another 3 cups cold water.
3. Remove the cinnamon sticks and blend in batches.
4. Pass the blended liquid through a strainer into a large bowl, using a spoon to press down and squeeze as much liquid out as possible. You'll end up with a bowl of thick liquid and the mushy solids that you couldn't strain any more liquid out of (put these aside in a container and eat them for breakfast as porridge, seriously, it's so delicious!)
5. Stir the remaining water and the rice milk through the liquid that you strained out of the barley and rice. If you like you can thin it out a bit more with some more water, it's up to you.

Makes somewhere between 2 and 3 litres (I didn't measure it, sorry!)

NOTES:
~ The leftover pulp from the rice and barley makes really delicious porridge. Store it in a container and then heat up a bit to eat for breakfast with some rice/almond/soy milk.

This month I'm featuring lots of delicious food from Costa Rica.

Check out my other recipe posts:

Orange & Passion Fruit Pudding (Atol de Naranja)

Paprika de Papa (Paprika Fried Potatoes)

Chayote con Maiz (Chokoes and Corn)

Home Made Salsa Lizano 

Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding)

Gallo Pinto (Beans and Rice)

Hearts of Palm Salad with Lime Coriander Dressing

Mushroom Ceviche

9 Vegan Southern USA Recipes to round out 2012!

All of 2012 I've featured a different country each month, except the month I was travelling in Sri Lanka. All the countries were requested by readers. We've had Croatia, Chad, Bosnia, Iran, Scotland, Cambodia, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, Indonesia and finally, in December I featured Southern American recipes.

I posted seven delicious recipes in December inspired by the Southern states of the USA. But with all my Xmas cooking and other posts, I unfortunately didn't get the time to make and share all the things that I would have liked - so I ended up posting a couple more in January. I took a month off the featured countries this month, as I fancied having a break. Infact, this blog has been a bit quieter than usual in January while I take some time to cool off (figuratively and literally - as it's been super hot here!).

Starting tomorrow - the 1st February - I'll be back on the World Food Challenge for another year. Tomorrow we'll start delving into the delights of Costa Rican cuisine! I'm very excited and I've been busy consulting people who know more about it than I do to devise a delicious array of veganised Costa Rican dishes.

But first - here is the recap of the Southern USA posts I've had over the last two months. AND two very important questions which I've love your feedback on, if you have a moment to spare.

1) Which of the 11 countries have you enjoyed the most in 2012?
2) What dish do you think looks the best from the Southern USA?

~Savoury~

Chilli Pone

This is a dish that I had never heard of until a reader suggested that I try it for USA month. I'm so glad they did because it was wonderful and I'll definitely be making it again! It's an American "chili" style casserole - the chili is made from bulghur instead of mince meat - with delicious light and crispy cornbread baked on top. As soon as I ate it I wondered why I hadn't always been putting cornbread on my casseroles! Possiibly my favourite dish of the month (though, that is a tough call and I may change my mind later...) Check out the recipe here. 

Succotash

Remember that cartoon character that used to say "Sufferin' Succotash!" (I think it was Sylvester?) Well, I can't imagine how succotash could cause suffering to anybody! At first glance I thought it looked a bit plain and boring - it's just a big pot full of beans, corn and tomatoes. But I gave it a go and goodness was it good! It's lightly but perfectly spiced, and a good reminder that vegetables are simply delicious just the way they were made and stand up perfectly as the main event of a meal! The succotash was a huge hit with my dinner guests. Check out the recipe here.

Vegan Mushroom and Bean Jambalaya

Jambalaya is a new favourite of ours now! This jambalaya is special. It's jam packed full of flavour and you don't miss meat in it at all - why would you when you've got juicy field mushrooms, two types of beans and tasty vegetarian sausages all through it? This dish can be made with white or brown rice and tastes just as good with either! Check out the recipe here.

Vegan "Fried Chicken" and Waffles

This is the kind of dish I never thought I would cook! But it was very enthusiastically requested by several readers when I asked about dishes from Southern USA - so I obliged. Fried chicken on waffles is apparently a Southern American classic, and I do relish a challenge. It sure was a challenge! Once I had decided on a method to cook some tofu in the same batter and spices of Southern Fried Chicken - I then had to get my hands on a waffle maker and make up some vegan waffles. Well, mission was accomplished and it tasted great! Good news is, now I own a waffle maker - so look out for more waffle recipes coming your way! Check out the recipe here. 

~Sweet~

Peach Bourbon Cobbler

Cobbler is a gift from American to the rest of the world. There was no way I was going to feature USA without making a cobbler! Peach seems to be the classic cobbler fruit in the USA, so I stuck traditional but with a twist of bourbon to give it an even more American feel! Check out the recipe here.

Pecan Pie with Whipped Pumpkin Cream

Pecan pie was up very high on my list of things to make for December. I decided to make a slightly adult version though - using thick luscious blackstrap molasses in the place of sweeter thing like maple syrup. The result is a pecan pie which is much less sweet than usual and has the slightly adult taste of molasses. It is perfect accompanied by the spiced pumpkin whipped cream, which offsets the richness of the molasses. Combining pecans and pumpkin makes it a perfect autumn dish (or "fall" as the yanks would say), but you can enjoy this one any time of year. Check out the recipe here.

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Candied Sweet Potatoes - also called Candied Sweets or Candied Yams - seemed like a bit of an odd dessert to me! But this world food challenge is all about trying new things so I went ahead and made them anyway. They're very easy to cook and make for a unique and cost effective dessert. Definitely worth a try, although I can't see these catching on much in Australia! Check out the recipe here.

~Beverages~

Mint Julep

I'm always keen for an excuse to try out a new cocktail, so I was excited to find several cocktails when I started to research the cuisine of the Southern USA states. The easiest one was a Mint Julep, apparently popular particularly in Kentucky, where they use spearmint. It was very refreshing served over lots of ice, perfect for a hot summer day! Check out the recipe here.

~Sauces~

Home Made Smoky BBQ Sauce

Last but not least - home made BBQ sauce anyone? You won't believe how easy it is to make your own delicious BBQ sauce, free of chemicals, preservatives, artificial flavours or artificial colours. Perfect for a summer BBQ or as a marinade for just about anything. Get this stuff on your burger! Check out the recipe here.

That's all folks!

Are you ready to start 2013 with a Costa Rican bang? Well, keep your eyes on this blog and I hope ya'll like rice and beans and corn. Sleep tight and I'll see you tomorrow in Central America!

Home Made Smoky BBQ Sauce

I made this sticky, sweet and smoky BBQ sauce as part of my American food month, although, to be honest, I'm not really sure where BBQ sauce originates from! A quick glance at wikipedia sheds no light, as it states that "the precise origin of barbecue sauce is unclear". I think that USA BBQ sauce and Aussie BBQ sauce are pretty similar, the difference lies in the way they are used. In Australia, we tend to use BBQ sauce as a condiment - it's added to foods (particularly ones that have just come off a barbie) after they are cooked. In the Americas, it's used more as a marinade or a cooking sauce.

Whichever way you use your BBQ sauce, you'll never buy it again one you have tried this delicious and easy home made version. It whips up in about a minute and tastes great on burgers! Why make your own? Because this BBQ sauce doesn't contain preservatives or chemical additives. It doesn't contain anything that has numbers in it's name either. No artificial colourings or flavourings.

Home Made BBQ Sauce

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
1 heaped tsp dijon mustard
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp tomato paste
4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp blackstrap molasses
2 tbsp agave nectar (can substitute maple syrup if you can't find agave, just has a slightly different taste)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp smoky paprika (add more if you like is super smoky)
1/4 tsp hot paprika (you can adjust this to taste, add more if you want hot BBQ sauce)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
2 tbsp arrowroot powder

To Make
1. Grab a small bowl and a whisk (you could also just use a spoon). Add the ingredients in the order that they are listed, mixing well after each addition.
2. When you get to the arrowroot, sprinkle it gradually over the top and whisk through. Don't add it all at once or you'll end up with lumps.
3. Pour into a jar (or a squeeze bottle for easy use) and it's done!

NOTE: as this BBQ sauce has no preservatives, you'll want to keep it in the fridge. It should last quite a long time in the fridge though - I've had mine in their for about a month now an it's still fine.

Check out my other Southern USA recipe posts:

Mint Julep

Peach and Bourbon Cobbler

Vegan Chili Pone (Chili Cornbread Casserole)

Succotash

Pecan & Molasses Pie with Spiced Pumpkin Whipped Cream

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Mushroom and Bean Jambalaya

Vegan "Fried Chicken" and Waffles

Lentil and Sweet Potato Hummus

I rarely ever make the same dip twice. There are so many wonderful opportunities for delicious combinations! Making dip is easy, quick and a nice safe place to experiment if you're creative but not sure about your flavour combining abilities! It's also lovely to share communal food with friends. Bringing a home made dip when you visit a friend is cheaper than bringing bought food, more fun and shows that you thought they were worth a bit of effort (even if it was just a little bit!)

Dip can also be a great way to use up ingredients if you don't know what to do with them! Got a quarter of a cauliflower languishing in the fridge? Dip it. A ridiculously small amount of lentils left in the bottom of a packet after you made something else? Dip it. A tin of beans at the back of your cupboard? Dip it. A spice which you have no idea what to do with? Find a vegetable that fits it's flavour profile and DIP IT!

If that isn't enough - here are something else awesome about dips. You can use leftover dips to smear on your burgers, sandwiches or wraps. You can use this leftover dip to add thickness and flavour to a vegetable soup or a lentil soup. You could even mix it up with some fresh herbs and olive oil and make a salad dressing out of it. Endless possibilities!

How do you use up leftover dips when you entertain?

Lentil and Sweet Potato Hummus

Ingredients

1/2 cup red lentils

2 carrots

1 medium sweet potato

1 cup vegetable stock

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tbsp tahini

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp lemon juice

Sumac, to sprinkle on top

To Make

1. Dice the carrot. Peel and roughly chop the sweet potato.

2. Place the lentils, carrot and sweet potato in a small saucepan. Add the cumin and vegetable stock and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Simmer, covered for 20-30 minutes, or until the vegetables and lentils are all well cooked. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Combine the lentils and vegetables (including any cooking water remaining), tahini, soy sauce and lemon juice in a food processor and process until smooth consistency. 

4. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle liberally with sumac.

Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Happy Australia Day! Are you celebrating anywhere this year?

Vegan Mango and Passionfruit Strudel

There are a lot of desserts on my "work out how to make it vegan" list. I try and limit how often I make desserts though, so often the list doesn't get looked at for a long time. The monthly Sweet Adventures Blog Hop usually makes me get out my list and give one of them a go, although I'm not sure if that is always a good thing. This week I'm starting a new weights and exercise routine, along with a bit of an increase in protein intake and a definite decrease in dessert. This, obviously, is not a good start! Oh well. Wish me luck for the next 12 weeks of not making stuff like this!

Strudel was one of the things on my list. I haven't eaten strudel for years! It wasn't hard to veganise the creamy filling. The secret, as with many vegan creamy things, is nuts. Soaked nuts can substitute almost any creamy thing you can imagine, and it works beautifully here. The fruits I normally associate with strudel are apple, apricot, peach and cherries. However, since the summer weather is in full swing here (it's been hot!) I thought I'd give it a summer tropical twist by using mango and passion fruit. The results were delectable!

Ingredients
1 cup raw blanched almonds
1/4 cup agave nectar
3 tbsp maple syrup
Zest and juice of 1 lemon (tip: zest lemon before you juice it!)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
2 passionfruits
1/2 cup flaked or slivered almonds
1 mango, thinly sliced and skin removed
6 sheets filo pastry, thawed
1/2 cup vegan margarine (nuttelex), melted
Icing sugar, to dust

To Make
1. Soak the almonds over night, or for at least 4 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 170 degrees.
3. Place the drained soaked almonds, agave nectar, maple syrup, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract and water in a food processor. Process until completely smooth, scraping down the sides often. This may take a little while, depending on your food processor. Should take between 5 and 8 minutes to get it completely smooth.
4. Remove the pulp from the passion fruits and fold the pulp through the creamy almond mixture.
5. Slice the flesh off the mango (you can suck on the seed while you cook), remove the skin and slice.
6. Lay out two sheets of filo next to each other with the edges overlapping (see pictures).  Brush all over with melted margarine and layer another two sheets on top. Layer with melted margarine again and add the last two pieces of filo (so you should have three layers all together).
7. Layer the almond cream in middle of one of the sheets of pastry (once again, see the picture). Top with sliced mangos and slivered/flaked almonds. Fold the bottom and edges over onto the filling and gently flip the strudel over and "roll" it up right to the end. You'll probably want an extra pair of hands to help you with this, as it's a little bit delicate. But if you rip the pastry a bit it doesn't matter, you'll hide it when you roll it all up.

8. Brush the top with the remaining melted margarine. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden on top.
9. Remove from oven and allow to cool. You can serve it warm (let it sit for at least 15 minutes) or at room temperature (don't chill!), dust with icing sugar before serving.

Makes 1 strudel (serves about 6).

Vegan "Fried Chicken" and Waffles - A Southern USA Classic!

Despite the fact that Southern USA month was last month, I had a few loose ends to tie up so I'm carrying a couple of dishes through to this month. I know you'll look at this and think that it's weird, to be honest I'd agree. Fried chicken and waffles is not the kind of dish I'd normally go for. But when I featured USA, I asked some readers to suggest what they'd most like to see featured. Since the majority of my readers are American, I got quite a lot of suggestions. One of them came up often - Fried Chicken (Kentucky style) with waffles. Apparently this is a speciality of Southern USA and the enthusiasm to have this dish "veganised" was resounding. How can I say no to that?

It took me a while to get to this one, for a few reasons. Mainly because I had to get my hands on a waffle maker! To my great fortune a friend gave me one which she didn't want anymore, which mean't all I had to do know was to find the right mix of herbs for the batter.

I will confess that I'm not in the best position to replicate the exact flavour of true American Fried Chicken - chiefly because I've never eaten such a thing! Indeed, I've never even eaten the fast food franchise Kentucky Fried Chicken (although I've been told that even if I tried to replicate that flavour, I wouldn't be able to without getting my hands on some MSG). There are a lot of recipes on the internet, all of them use different herbs and spices, so I don't really know whether or not this tastes like 'authentic' Southern Fried Chicken. I'll look forward to some Americans trying the recipe and telling me what they think!

You can also make this recipe with seitan or with a commercial chicken substitute. I don't have any available that don't have egg in them, so I just used tofu.

Ingredients

The Fried Tofu

400g hard tofu, drained and squeezed gently to get as much liquid out as possible

3 cups soy milk

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying

Batter

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sweet paprika

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp vegetable stock powder

1 cup of the soy milk used to marinate the tofu

Seasoned Flour

1 cup flour

1 tsp vegetable stock powder

1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

2 tsp sweet paprika

1/4 tsp hot paprika (or chilli powder)

1 tsp celery seeds

1 tsp marjoram

1 tsp oregano

The Waffles

1 1/4 cups wholemeal flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 cup soy milk

2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil

To Make

1. Whisk the soy milk and apple cider vinegar together and set aside to thicken. Slice the tofu into eight equal pieces and submerge them in the soy milk. Marinate for 2-3 hours, or longer if you have the time (you can marinate overnight).

2. Combine all the ingredients for the batter in a bowl and set aside.

3. Combine the ingredients for the seasoned flour in a separate bowl and set aside.

4. Mix the dry ingredients for the waffles together in yet another bowl. Make a well in the middle and gently stir in the soy milk and oil. Heat up your waffle iron (be sure to spray with oil to prevent sticking) and make the waffles according to the instructions of your waffle maker. This batter should make 4 waffles, although this may vary slightly depending on the size of your waffle maker. Place the cooked waffles on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

5. Heat about a cup of peanut or vegetable oil in a fry pan (you can also use more oil and deep fry instead of shallow fry). Take a piece of tofu and dip it in the batter, coating liberally. Then coat in the seasoned flour and drop into the hot oil. Cook for a few minutes and then turn over to cook both sides (if you deep fry, you don't need to turn them over). Remove and drain on a piece of kitchen paper. Repeat with the remaining pieces of tofu.

6. Serve the fried tofu on or next to the waffles, with maple syrup to taste.

Serves 4.

I've entered this dish in the Vegan Virtual Linky Potluck.

Check out my other Southern USA recipe posts:

Mint Julep

Peach and Bourbon Cobbler

Vegan Chili Pone (Chili Cornbread Casserole)

Succotash

Pecan & Molasses Pie with Spiced Pumpkin Whipped Cream

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Mushroom and Bean Jambalaya

Home Made Smoky BBQ Sauce

Cambodian Cucumber & Vermicelli Salad

I've been looking forward to sharing this salad with you since June last year! I made it originally for Cambodian Food Month, but I was so anxious to eat it's deliciousness that I quickly snapped a quick photo without bothering with good light or good styling and then I gobbled it all up. Sooooo good!

But then - I had a look back at the photo and it was pretty dreadful. The bad light made the salad look very soggy and yellow, which is a far cry from the bright fresh and crunchy salad that it is! So when I got together with friends at the end of last year to celebrate by eating some of the dishes that we had enjoyed the most from the world food challenge, I wanted to make this salad because then I could get some better pictures and because honestly it was one of my favourites. Guess what I did the exact same thing again! Anxious to eat quickly = terrible photos! See what I mean?

Attempt 1 - June 2012

Attempt 2 - December 2012

So - I had to make it again (not so much of a chore - I was happy to eat this salad three times!). What do you think? A big improvement? Either way this is such a wonderful salad that I'll be making it again and again and again. So there will be plenty of other opportunities to get more photos - if I can hold myself back from eating it for long enough!

Cambodian Cucumber and Vermicelli Salad
1 x 250g packet rice vermicelli
3 lebanese cucumbers
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 tbsp soy sauce
1 red chilli, finely chopped (you can remove some of the placenta if you want it less hot)
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
2 shallots, chopped

To Make
1. Soak the rice vermicelli in cold water for 20 minutes. Drain and then soak in hot water (just tap hot water - not boiling water) for 10 minutes. Drain again and rinse in cold water. Set aside.
2. Thinly slice the lebanese cucumbers. To get these nice and thin and ribbon like I like to use a potato peeler  to do this, peeling strips off the cucumber on all four sides until you are just left with the squishy middle bit which it too soft to cut with the peeler, then I just finely slice the middle bits. If you prefer, you can just cut the cucumber as thinly as you can using a knife.
3. Combine the chopped garlic, soy sauce, chopped chilli, sugar, vinegar and sesame oil in a bowl.
4. Place the vermicelli in a big bowl and toss the shallots, peanuts, dressing and cucumber through it.
5. Top with more chopped peanuts and drizzle with extra sesame oil to taste. Eat immediately!

Serves 4 as a meal or 6-8 as a side dish.

Check out my other Cambodian recipe posts:

Hot and Sour Mushroom Soup

Kho Manor Nung To Hu (Pineapple and Tofu)

Cambodian Spiced Eggplant

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Parfait (Borbo Skor La-Pov)

Num Chet Chien (Banana Nuggets!)

Khmer Lemongrass Vegetable Curry

Nem To-hu Sap (Vegetarian Summer Rolls)

Tirk Salouk Swai (Mango Chilli Salsa)