Simple Snake Gourd Soup with Celery

With apologies to Sharan, I cannot read a recipe and not mess with it. In this case, it was a bit embarrassing, for it spoils the simplicity of the recipe, but so be it. You have a choice as to how you make it.

So here goes my version:

1. lightly roast a tablespoon of Panchpuran in a stainless steel or titanium saucepan, or a wok.
2. Add a chopped onion, and 2-3 garlic cloves, and  pinch (1 tsp) of Tianjin vegetables.
3. Sautée with either a cup of veggie stock or water with one tsp Yondu, or Braggs Liquid Aminos
4. add in the diced snake gourd and thinly sliced celery.
5. Let it cook for a while, and then blend it with a stick blender, or use a food processor.
6. top it off with some pepper and maybe some parsley. 
7. Enjoy.

I still think my version does not really increase the time involved, You can have a delicious soup in 20-30 minutes counting everything from prep through serving.

Natto with GABA rice

 This week I have been making my favorite Natto breakfast with GABA brown rice, mixed 1/2 brown basmati and 1/2 black rice.

It is out of this world. 

Here are the ingredients on display:

It starts with mixing the natto with wasabi, mustard, and some Yondu.

And then you blend in the rice. Mix it all together really well.

At the end you can add some scallions and/or Chives, and optionally, this is an ideal place to introduce your flax. 3 tbsp should be about 30 grams, which is what you need daily.

A Simple Kala Chana Chaat...

Wow, what a lovely recipe, expanding on the repertoire.

 

Finding Chaat Masala was easy.

Not all of the Bangladeshi stores in my area carried the Amchur powder, but I found at least one who did. (Al Aqsa). I think I went to six stores before I found it.

Deconstructing Jackfruit

• The following is a pictorial on how I take a Jackfruit apart. After a lot of experimentation, I find this the most satisfying, and as always, practice makes perfect..
• Coat your knife with Coconut oil so you don't struggle with the sticky juice.
• I begin by cutting out the stem first with a circular cut, about 1" deep.
• Then I score the skin in a spiral fashion into one strip about 2-3" wide.
• And then I cut in between the flower pods, and under them, to get little sections, that I can then easily take apart.

• And I continue to take these sections apart. 

And I sort the flowers and the seeds separately.

And eventually, out of a 22 lb jackfruit, I harvested about 6.5 lbs of flowers, and 2 lbs of seeds. I cook the seeds, and then I peel them and refrigerate them to make dal with.

And the results are nothing to sneeze at 😅

Natto Breakfast 2.0

 

I had some interesting experiences with Natto, since I started having Natto breakfasts on occasion. In this neighborhood, the only source I have found for natto has been Chang-Li Supermarker, for they have a significant oriental clientele. So they are my go-to for oriental specialties from tofu, to seitan, to miso and, but of course, natto. I wrote about it here before.

At that time, they had mostly imported natto, obviously from Japan, since it is Japanese custom. I had some mishaps when the natto occasionally was bad out of the box, and the problem was they kept it refrigerated, but it should be kept frozen, and they changed the storage, but also, they added a new variety, Rhapsody natto, which is US made, and delicious. 

It is my favorite right now, so I have updated my recipe:

• 1/4 portion Rhapsody natto
• 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp Yondu fermented veggie broth
• 1/4 tsp Wasabi
• 1, 2, or three scallions, sliced fine.

The results are below in pictures:

And here is the Rhapsody website, with good nutritional information.

https://rhapsodynaturalfoods.com/natto-available-now-from-rhapsody/

One serving of natto (about 100g/3.5oz) contains:

• 22% RDV Dietary Fiber
• 22% RDV Calcium
• 22% RDV Vitamin C
• 48% RDV Iron
• 6% Vitamin B6
• 76% Manganese
• 29% Magnesium
• 21% Potassium
• 20% Zinc

And, as you can tell, I like a mixed rice. In this case I use a mixture of black rice and brown basmati.

More about Purslane

This is just an anecdote:

I love a potato salad with Purslane (Verdolaga in Spanish).

In Europe I knew a variant that we call postelein - see here: 

https://en.jardin-planet.com/17827588-postelein-cultivation-care-and-use

It seems to be rare today in my native Holland, and it is considered a 'forgotten' vegetable.

The version I find here mostly in Mexican or other Latino stores, is Verdolaga, or Purslane.

The version I find here has smaller, and thicker leaves and heavier stems. 

https://www.almanac.com/purslane-health-benefits-and-recipes

I posted here before my favorite recipe, with this style of Purslane/Verdolaga:

https://starlingaveplantbased.blogspot.com/2024/08/econo-wfpb-3-fingeling-potatoes-with.html

Celery Root Salad - Antillana Supermarket

 The whole multi-cultural experience reveals interesting things from time to time.

As a kid, I used to love a salad made from Celery root, but most supermarkets do not carry it. Once in a while, I could find it at the Green Market by Virginia Park (Parkchester Station), but it was hit or miss.

Now we have a new Antillana Supermarket at 2750 East Tremont Avenue. They carry celery root, and I made my favorite salad immediately.

The recipe is simple, you need to vary it with the size of the root, but here it is:

Celery root.

And here again, before I skinned it with a potato peeler.

On the left you see them skinned and quartered and above,
and above I julienne them to match stick size.

And finally the end result.

Here is the super simple recipe:

• one celery root, julienned to match stick size.
• juice of 1-2 lemons depending on size,
• about 2 tbsp honey per lemon
• about 2-3 tbsp of raisins per each lemon (soak in warm water first, till they are soft)

Mix it all together, let it marinate in the fridge for a day, it is always better the second day.

You can eat this on toast or a cracker. I love it on a Wasa cracker.

And now the mission is to find out what the Dominicans make with it. 😉