We enjoyed this dish with a side of lightly steamed broccoli and carrots, which were a nice sweet side with the flavorful stew. Before settling with my version I was happy to find Nupur’s lovely and thorough blog post about khichdi, and closely read through quite a few kitchari recipes. Heikki loved this dish and commented that kids would probably enjoy it as well – before he even knew that it’s often the first solid food introduced to children in India!

This is what I used (serves 3-4):

• 2 dl brown basmati rice, soaked for 2 hours (unsoaked cooks longer)
• 1 and 1/2 dl green  mung beans, soaked overnight
• 1 or 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons each: ground coriander and cumin
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• pinch of asafoetida
• 6-8 dl water, and maybe more as needed
• sea salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons of vegan margarine
• 1 tablespoon of tamarind paste or lemon juice

I first heated the oil and fried the mustard seeds until they started to pop. Then I added the chopped ginger and fried it for a few seconds, followed with fennel, coriander, cumin and asafoetida, which I fried just until fragrant, being careful not to burn. Now, I added the rice and the beans along with about 6 dl of hot water and the turmeric, brought to boil, then lowered the heat and let the stew simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes. I added a little bit of water as needed, but not too much – I didn’t want this to be a soupy stew.

When the rice was soft, I removed the pot from heat, and added in the margarine, tamarind paste, and salt to taste. I stirred the stew briskly with a ladle for a few minutes to mash some of the beans and make it a bit creamier, and then it was ready to be served.

I just used whatever veggies there were to be found in our fridge, and luckily the red bell pepper and edamame beans went really well together both in texture and flavor. Ginger juice can be easily extracted by first grating some fresh ginger and then squeezing it so that the juices ooze out. The amount in this recipe is an estimate since I didn’t measure, but I used what I got from a small piece of ginger.

This is what I had (for 1 large lunch portion):

• 1 bundle or 50 g soba (Japanese buckwheat) noodles
• 2 dl frozen edamame (fresh soy beans)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 10 Roman lettuce leaves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon shiro miso
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger juice

First I cooked some water and poured it over the frozen edamame to defreeze them. Then I heated a large pot of water until boiling, added the noodles and the drained edamame, and cooked for 6 minutes. Meanwhile, I chopped the veggies and placed them in a bowl, and mixed together the sauce ingredients (miso through ginger). When the noodles and beans were cooked, I drained them and rinsed under cold water, drained again, and added to the bowl. I dressed with the sauce and tossed everything together, and my 15-minute-lunch was ready to be served.

A bundle of soba noodles.

After googling, reading and watching through a plethora of kimchi recipes, I settled on the one that looked most promising, and adapted it to my liking. Not only it proved to be really easy to make, but supremely delicious too! I am already planning my next batch of pickled vegetables. Even though making kimchi is easy, it does require some planning ahead. During the first day, there are two separate stages of preparing, and a six hour wait between them. After that, it takes three or four days of fermentation before the kimchi is ready.

This is what I used:

• 650 g chinese cabbage
• plenty of salt
• 1 beet, grated
• 2 red onions, chopped
• 2 – 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• slice of ginger, about 1 cm thick, crushed
• 2 teaspoons hot chili powder (or to taste)
• 4 teaspoons sugar

When making the kimchi, I mostly followed the instructions from the Pyongyang metro kimchi recipe.

I began by rinsing and chopping the cabbage, resulting with pieces of cabbage about 5 cm in diameter. I made layers from the cabbage in a plastic bag, sprinkling salt liberally between each layer. At this stage, it’s important to ensure that the cabbage is thoroughly salted, so next I poured some salt over my hands and rubbed the pieces of cabbage between my hands. I added some more salt, and repeated until I’d gone through all of the cabbage. Then I squeezed the pieces of cabbage between my hands to extract as much water out of them as possible. I did this over the plastic bag, so that all the extracted water was collected in the bag. I tied up the bag, and let it sit for 6 hours.

At this point, the original recipe said rinse the cabbage “if necessary”, and remove the extra water, but since my cabbage wasn’t that watery, I decided not to remove any water. Moreover, I didn’t rinse the cabbage, since I hadn’t used that much salt. Most of the saltiness disappears in the fermentation process anyway. Now I put the cabbage in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid, and added the rest of the ingredients. I put on my kitchen gloves, and started squeezing the ingredients in my fists. I continued squeezing the cabbage mix for a couple of minutes.

All done! I tasted it a bit, and it was already really yummy, a bit salty perhaps. I closed the lid, and put the kimchi box into our coolest cupboard for 3 days. I think I read from one of the recipes, that the place to keep the kimchi should be under 20 degrees Celsius.

After three days, the kimchi was ready! I kept it in the fridge now, so that it wouldn’t go extra sour too quickly. We ate it as a side a couple of times, and I had it over rye bread a few times. We also made kimchi fried rice, which was really great! I followed this recipe pretty closely, except I substituted the meat for tofu, and omitted the eggs, of course. Oh, and I used 2 or 3 times more tamari than the recipe calls for, adding more of it in the end, tasting until the balance was right.

Kimchi fried rice with some steamed bok choy

This is the first time I’ve used olive oil in sweet baked goods, and will definitely be doing that more often from now on. The taste wasn’t overpowering by any means, there was just a hint of the olive goodness hiding somewhere amongst all the apples. I really liked how the top (or, eventually, the bottom) of the cake came out a little crunchy, which is a nice contrast with the moist cakey insides and the fruity topping. The photo is a bit yellowish because of the progressing lack of light in Helsinki, but I guess it’s best to get used to that…

The Cake Batter:

• 1 dl olive oil
• 2 and 1/2 dl sugar
• 2 dl plain soy yoghurt
• 1 dl wheat flour
• 2 and 1/2 dl whole wheat flour
• 3/4 dl coarsely ground almonds
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 dl grated apples

Topping:

• 5 small apples, sliced
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

Before starting with the batter, I set the oven to 175 degrees Celsius, grated the apples, and greased a round glass baking dish with a little margarine.

I started with the topping. I sliced 5 small apples, placed them in a mixing bowl, and stirred in the sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Then I poured the slices in the baking dish and arranged them so that they covered the bottom and the sides of the pan.

To make the batter, I first whisked together the olive oil, sugar, and soy yogurt until the mixture was smooth. Then I mixed the dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a separate bowl, and added them to the liquids. I whisked the batter until there were no large lumps and then stirred in the grated apple. Now, I poured the batter in the baking dish over the apples.

Then I baked the cake on the lowest rack of our oven for 55 minutes, until it was well browned, and came off the sides of the baking dish. After baking, I let the cake cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, and then inverted the cake on a surface covered with baking parchment. We enjoyed the first slices with some vanilla ice cream, but I think that this cake is just as delicious on its own.

I think that chopped cilantro leaves would be a nice compliment to this curry as well, we just didn’t have any on hand at the time of making.

Here’s what I used (serves 4):

• 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into smaller florets
• 2 onions, finely cubed
• 6 small potatoes, cubed
• 3 dl cooked chick peas
• 1 dl green peas
• 4 dl coconut milk (one can)
• 1 tomato, finely cubed
• 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon (muscovado) sugar
• a 3 cm long piece of a ginger root
• 6 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil

The Spices:

• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• a pinch of asafoetida powder
• 2 teaspoons dried red chili, crushed
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala powder
• (1/2-1 teaspoon hot chili powder)

First I chopped up all the veggies and pulsed the garlic and the ginger in our mini food processor into a coarse paste. My ingredients made about 3 tablespoons of ginger-garlic paste.

Then I fried the cumin, mustard, and fennel seeds in the peanut oil on high heat until they started to pop, and added a pinch of asafoetida, lowering the heat to medium. Right after asafoetida I stirred in the ginger-garlic paste, the crushed chili, the coriander, and the turmeric powder, and fried for a few seconds more. Now, I added the onions to the pan, and fried them until they were a little soft, for a few minutes.

I poured the potatoes and the cauliflower florets in the frying pan, and stirred to coat with the spice mixture. Then I added the green peas and the chick peas in the pan, stirred again, poured in the coconut milk, and added the salt and the sugar. Now I let the curry simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the potatoes had softened.

Before serving, I stirred in the lemon juice, chili powder, and Garam Masala, and then served the curry over basmati rice, sprinkled with the cubed tomato.

Our spelt flour is quite coarse, about the coarseness of regular whole wheat flour we can buy from the store. I don’t think light spelt flour is even available in Finland, but I kind of like the crumb that comes from this flour – it makes a nice, slightly dense, and very satisfying morning muffin.

Dry mixture:

• 4 dl whole spelt flour
• 3/4 dl muscovado sugar (or other brown sugar)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
• 1 tablespoon potato starch
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet mixture:

• 1 dl plain, unsweetened soy yogurt
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 dl sweetened soy milk
• 1 dl cherry juice (from the cherry jar)
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

• 1 dl coarsely chopped (halved) cherries

First, I greased my muffin tin with a little vegan margarine, floured it with some spelt flour, and preheated the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

I mixed the dry ingredients in a small bowl, then mixed the wet ingredients in another bowl, and combined the two, being careful not to over-mix the batter. Then I folded in the cherry halves, and poured the batter in the 12 cups of my muffin tin, filling them about 3/4 full.

Now, I baked my muffins for about 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin came out clean, and the tops had browned somewhat.

This is the label of our cherry jar, bought from the Estonian grocery nearby.

The sauce isn’t exactly visible in this picture, but the recipe does make just enough for a stir-fry for two, or even for three if a milder flavor is desired.

The Peanut Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup (or brown sugar)
• 3 big cloves of garlic, grated
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
• 10 cm of a lemon grass stalk, finely minced
• 1 dl vegetable stock

I just whisk together all the ingredients and that’s it.

This time, our meal consisted of chili noodles, fried tofu, onion, cucumber, carrots, and new crop cabbage, all thinly sliced. First, we cooked the noodles, and then rinsed them in cold water to stop the cooking process. Then we fried the tofu until brown and crispy, and removed it from the pan. Then we added the onion, fried a few minutes, added the carrot, fried a minute, added the cabbage, fried a little more, and added the cucumber, and fried it too until heated through. Then we added the noodles, a small amount at a time, and the tofu last, frying until everything was hot again, and then mixed in the peanut sauce.

And this drink is really really good, especially when sweetened with agave syrup. Some believe that sugar isn’t good for a flu, but I don’t think a teaspoon or two of agave syrup ever hurt anyone. I have a feeling that this would be a great summer drink too, only chilled and served over ice.

My Tea Recipe:

• 1/2 l water
• 2 tablespoons ginger, chopped
• (1/2 teaspoon ginger, grated -optional)
• 1 teaspoon whole cardamom seeds (or a few crackled pods)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• juice of one orange
• (agave syrup to taste)

First I let the 2 tablespoons of chopped ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon simmer in the water for ten to fifteen minutes, then remove the pot from heat, and add the orange juice. I sometimes add the extra grated ginger and let the drink steep for 5 more minutes to get a fresh ginger bite as well. Then I filter it in a jug, and sweeten with some agave syrup.

I often double the recipe, and sometimes use the dried ginger root called sonti – it has an even more potent and fiery taste than the fresh root, but takes a little more effort to ground.

We made Nasi Lemak one Sunday afternoon – here’s what we used:

Nasi Lemak (two portions)

• 2 and 1/2 dl (1 cup) rice
• 2 and 1/2 dl coconut milk
• 2 and 1/2 dl water
• 1-2 tablespoons crushed ginger
• 1 bay leaf
• salt to taste
• sambal oelek to taste (or some other salty chili paste)

We made this in a rice cooker, which is super easy: We just put all the ingredients in our rice cooker except the sambal oelek, turned it on, and about half an hour later it was ready. We removed the bay leaf, and garnished it with sambal.

In case you don’t have a rice cooker, here are the instructions on how to make it in a regular cooking pot:

Put all the ingredients in a kettle except the sambal oelek. Don’t go overboard with the salt since you’re going to eat it with sambal, which is super salty! Bring to boil, and let it simmer until the rice has absorbed almost all the liquid – maybe 20 minutes or so. Turn the heat low, or with an electric stove, off, and let the rice steam for an additional 10 or 15 minutes. Keep the lid on the kettle all the time, except when checking if the liquid’s all absorbed, of course. Remove the bay leaf from the kettle, and serve. Garnish the rice with sambal oelek.

Possible variations:

• Use two cups of coconut milk instead of one cup water and one cup of coconut milk
• Instead of ginger, use one pandan leaf.

We had our Nasi Lemak (clockwise from bottom right) with stir-fried morning glory, vegan ikan bilis, cucumber, and soy strips marinated in dill and chili. The first three are traditional dishes to have with Nasi Lemak, the fourth isn’t, but all of them tasted great with it, we thought.

My marinade for 200 grams of tempeh:

• 5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 dl water
• 1 cm slice of a ginger root, finely grated
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon agave syrup (or other sweetener)

I cut the tempeh in small triangles, and marinated it for an hour in the refrigerator. Then I fried it in 2 tablespoons of canola oil until it was brown and crispy, which took about 6 minutes on each side.

In Finland, I have only found tempeh in the refrigerated section of Asian groceries – we buy ours at Aseanic Trading on Kolmas linja.