Monthly Archives: June 2012

Curried Tempeh Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Mango Chutney

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This is more an idea than a recipe. Once you learn how to marinate and cook the curried tempeh, you can vary this grilled cheese sandwich however you like.  If you are in hurry, see the shortcut method in the recipe below. Serve with a salad and my Indian spiced potato chips, and this is an easy, tasty meal any time of the day!

You can marinate and saute the tempeh for extra flavor like on the left. Or if you are in a rush, just toss the tempeh in soy sauce and curry powder and make the sandwich like the picture on the right.

I like to marinate the tempeh in soy sauce and curry powder, so that the tempeh soaks up some of the flavors. I used Frontier Indian curry powder. It contains turmeric, coriander, cumin, lemon peel, black pepper, lemon powder, cardamom, cinnamon, garlic and cayenne. Its mild, the lemon peel gives it a fresh pop, and it works well for the curried tempeh.

Remember, curry powders vary vastly in taste depending on the brand. So use my recipe as a guideline. Make a single grilled cheese sandwich, taste it, and adjust the curry powder accordingly.

A weight on top of the grilled cheese (panini style)- like a garden brick or cast iron skillet covered with foil – will ensure even cooking, and melt the cheese quickly. Use medium heat and a weight on top of the sandwich and you will have perfectly golden grilled cheeses every time! 

Love grilled cheese and paninis? Check out my friend Kathy’s fun panini blog!

Curried Tempeh Grilled Cheese with Mango Chutney Recipe

Makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients
For curried tempeh
Half an 8 oz package of tempeh
¼-½ teaspoon curry powder*
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon oil

For the sandwich
4 slices of sourdough bread
1 tablespoon or to taste sweet mango chutney. Substitute with apricot preserves
4 slices of provolone or mozzarella cheese
Handful of fresh arugula or baby spinach leaves or kale leaves, torn
1 teaspoon butter
*curry powders vary greatly in their poteny and spiciness. So I really cant give you an exact amount.

Method
For the curried tempeh
1.Slice the tempeh lengthwise into ¼ inch thin pieces. You will need 6-8 slices, about 4 oz
2.Whisk together the curry powder, soy sauce and water in a bowl. Add tempeh to the bowl and gently toss so the marinade is coated well on the tempeh.
3.Cover and marinate the tempeh in the fridge for 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
4. Heat oil in a medium skillet and add the marinated tempeh. Also add any remaining marinating liquid. Cook on medium heat, flipping the tempeh occasionally, till all the liquid has boiled away and the tempeh is brown on both sides.
Now proceed with making the grilled cheese.

Shortcut curried tempeh: If you are in a hurry, skip the marinating and cooking of the tempeh. Leave out the water and oil. Simply toss tempeh in soy sauce and curry powder and continue with the recipe below.

For the grilled cheese
1.Use a small cast iron skillet or a garden brick as the weight for the grilled cheese. Cover the cast iron skillet or bricks with aluminum foil
2. Take 2 slices of bread and slather about 1/2 teaspoon (or more) mango chutney on both the bread slices
3. Place one slice of cheese on top of the mango chutney. Top it with 3-4 slices of curried tempeh and 6-8 leaves of arugula or baby spinach or kale
4. Cover with another slice of cheese, and the other slice of bread, chutney side down
5. Heat ¼ teaspoon butter in a non stick skillet on medium heat. Place the sandwich on the skillet
6. Put the foil covered weight (cast iron skillet or brick) on top of the sandwich. Make sure it is balanced sitting on the sandwich. Let the sandwich with the weight on top cook on medium heat  till the bottom side is golden, about 2 minutes
7. Then remove the grilled cheese sandwich using a wide spatula, add 1/4th teaspoon more butter to the pan. Flip the sandwich over and cook the other side, with the weight on top, till it is golden.

Serve immediately with a salad and Indian spiced potato chips.

Hot and Sweet Marmalade Glazed Tofu

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On a busy weeknight, this is my go to dish. Its quick and easy to make if you have pressed tofu lying around. I like to serve this hot and sweet marmalade glazed tofu with some steamed broccoli and brown rice for a complete meal.

If you are not a tofu fan, but want to start incorporating some tofu in your meals, this is the perfect dish to start with. The glaze is sweet, spicy, and coats the tofu beautifully. I like to cut the tofu into small triangles (a method I learned from Vegan Yum Yum). The thinner you cut the tofu, the better results you will get with this recipe.

I originally posted this recipe a long time ago as sticky orange tofu thins. This continues to be one of my most popular posts, so I thought I should repost it, with updated photos. Checkout the old post to see what rubbish my photos were!

My original recipe requires you to slice the tofu as thinly as you can, that way you get to enjoy more of the orange glaze with every bit of tofu.

Hot and Sweet Marmalade Glazed Tofu Recipe

Inspired by this recipe from Vegan Yum Yum
Serves about 2

Ingredients
one 15 oz package of firm tofu, drained and pressed
A few drops of oil
For the glaze
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons orange marmalade. Substitute with brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon or to taste sriracha or any other hot chili sauce
1 tablespoon chopped mint or cilantro for garnish

Method

  1. Slice the tofu into small triangles. The thinner you slice the tofu the better
  2. Whisk together the marmalade, soy sauce, lemon juice and sriracha and set aside
  3. Heat a few drops of oil and large, flat non-stick skillet. Place the tofu slices on the pan in a single layer. Don’t over crown the pan, do this in batches if needed.
  4. Cook the tofu on medium heat, till it is browned on both sides. Gently press on the tofu using the back of a wide spatula to release any excess water, as the tofu cooks.
  5. When the tofu is browned, reduce heat to low and pour the glaze all over the tofu
  6. Let the glaze bubble and thicken, while stirring gently and flipping the tofu slices. This will happen quickly, so make sure you keep the heat on low to prevent the marmalade from burning. When the glaze has thickened and the tofu is well coated, about 1 minute, turn off the heat.
  7. Garnish with chopped mint or cilantro
  8. Serve with steamed broccoli and brown rice

Barley Khichdi Recipe

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When I want a quick, comforting meal with no fuss, I turn to this barley khichdi. A traditional Indian khichdi is made with rice, moong dal (yellow mung beans) and turmeric and is cooked to a risotto like consistency. I use barley instead of the rice to create a curried Indian barley khichdi. This vegetarian barley khichdi is tasty, easy to make and will please the whole family! Plus, you can easily cut out the ghee and use oil instead to make this khichdi vegan.

I recommend you use pearl barley in this recipe. Pearl barley cooks quicker than the non-pearled kind.  What’s the difference between pearl barley and hulled un-pearl barley? Hulled barley has its outer husk on, so it takes longer to cook. Pearl barley has its outer husk removed, therefore it cooks quicker. If you use hulled barley for this recipe keep in mind you will need to give it more time and water to cook.

Add a handful of frozen mixed vegetables or a little cubed carrot and some peas if you wish. Also use less dal, according to your preference.  This is a very forgiving recipe. If you have a pressure cooker, feel free to cook this in a pressure cooker.

Barley Khichdi Recipe

serves about 2

Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons butter or ghee
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
1/8 teaspoon asafetida, optional
1 green chili, slit. Optional
½ onion, minced
1 small tomato, chopped finely
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ cup pearled barley
¼ scant cup yellow moong dal. Substitute with masoor dal
A squeeze of lemon, optional
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Method
1. Heat ghee in a medium sauce pan. Add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add asafetida and green chili. Stir for 30 seconds.
2. Then add onions. Sautee on medium heat till the onions are soft (don’t let them brown).
3. Add the tomatoes, and cook till they are soft.
4. Add turmeric, barley and moon dal. Stir for a few seconds.
5. Add 3 cups of water and salt.
6. Bring the water to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, put a lid on the pan, and let it simmer till the barley is cooked. I like the barley to have a little bite to it, so I cook it for about 20 minutes.  If you want the barley to be softer, cook it longer. During cooking, if the khichdi dries up, add water as needed, 1/2 cup at a time.
7. Taste the khichdi and adjust salt if needed. Turn off heat, and add a squeeze of lemon, if using. (Taste the khichdi first before adding lemon juice. If the tomatoes are tart enough you may not need the lemon. This is by no means a lemony dish.)

Serve hot with garnished with cilantro and yogurt on the side.

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