May 27, 2007: Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

this recipe at here.

May 28, 2007: Laksa

taro paratha - I've been a fan of the flaky, pastry-like paratha since I offset encountered it, but the subtle sweetness of a taro 1 is novel to me as well as simply perfect for a kokosnoot milk curry similar this.

Laksa

1/2 loving cup beans, cutting into curt lengths
1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds
3 dried ruby chillis
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
1 inch length ginger, peeled as well as minced
1 inch length galangal, peeled as well as minced
1 stem lemongrass, the white inner stem, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tomatoes, peeled as well as chopped
1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon dark pepper
1 loving cup potatoes, cutting into cubes
3/4 loving cup carrot, cutting into circles
1 loving cup vege stock
175g dried rice vermicelli noodles
3/8 loving cup tamarind puree
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1 teaspoon salt
200g fried tofu, cutting into cubes
2 cups kokosnoot milk
To garnish (optional): beansprouts, cucumber cutting into matchsticks, lime wedges, sambal oelek (chilli paste)

Steam the beans for 10 minutes as well as drain (or not, if you lot similar them crunchy - I belike won't bother side past times side time).

Roast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds as well as chillis inwards a small-scale saucepan over low-medium estrus for close v minutes. Use a spice grinder or mortar as well as pestle to grind them to a powder.

Heat the fossil oil inwards a rattling large saucepan, as well as thus add together the ginger as well as galangal, stir-frying for a few minutes. Add the lemongrass as well as kid for a farther minute. Smells pretty good, huh? Unfortunately dinner's nonetheless a fair means off. Add the garlic, laissez passer on it unopen to other minute, as well as thus pour inwards the tomato plant mush. Cook the tomatoes for 5-10 minutes thus that they interruption downward a bit.

Add the roasted spice powder, curry powder, dark pepper, potato, carrot as well as vege stock. Cover as well as convey to the boil, as well as thus plough the estrus downward as well as simmer for 5-10 to a greater extent than minutes, until the veges are at your preferred tenderness.

Cover the noodles amongst boiling H2O as well as allow them sit down until tender. Drain.

Add the tamarind puree to the curry, as well as thus the beans, sugar, salt, tofu as well as kokosnoot milk. Bring it all to the boil 1 time to a greater extent than as well as thus accept it off the heat. Time to serve up! Put a scoop-full of noodles inwards each bowl, as well as thus ladle the curry over. Garnish as well as enjoy.

May 27-28, 2007: Baked Passionfruit Cheesecake

yo-yos down, I made certain at that topographic point was fourth dimension for a trip to the Queen Vic Markets on sun morning time for the fresh stuff. It was good worth it, though if I made this over again I'd in all likelihood double the lime juice for fifty-fifty to a greater extent than tang. Otherwise it's but what you'd desire as well as await from a baked cheesecake: a buttery biscuit base of operations as well as dense, shine as well as rich cake. H5N1 lilliputian goes a long way, as well as a lot would brand a filling but real naughty dinner (oops, did I tell that out loud or but intend it?).

This cake needs a flake of prep earlier you lot actually instruct cooking as well as I solely got ane out of 3 right. If you're going to give this a go, brand sure:
1. You arrive a 24-hour interval early. It sets good inwards the refrigerator as well as is easier to serve when it's firm.
2. You've got a roasting dish bigger than your cheesecake tin. This babe gets a H2O lavatory every bit it bakes.
3. You accept the cream cheese out of the refrigerator an sixty minutes early on to soften. I musical rhythm out likewise lilliputian piece it was mutual frigidness as well as didn't instruct it quite shine enough. Once the batter was done I ended upwards straining it to instruct the clumps out. It turned out fine, but it's certain a nuisance to practise (thanks to birthday man child for patiently pouring piece I strained).

The recipe makes 8-10 serves as well as far from tiring of it, Michael gave me an excited thank-you every black the leftovers came out for the remainder of the week. Even so, it'll live on a piece earlier I allow myself some other week-long cheesecake binge.

Baked passionfruit cheesecake

600g cream cheese
150g digestive biscuits
50g butter
9 passionfruit
125g castor sugar
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
200mL double cream
juice of 1/2 a lime (use a whole lime if you lot like)

Take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator an sixty minutes early on to soften.

When the cheese is ready, preheat the oven to 170 deg C. Line a springform tin dismiss amongst foil as well as brand certain it's a thorough undertaking - I used 2 pieces. Crush the biscuits - I set them, 4 at a time, betwixt 2 layers of baking newspaper as well as smooshed them amongst a rolling pin. Transfer the crushed biscuits to a pocket-size mixing bowl. Melt the butter inwards a pocket-size saucepan, as well as hence stir it into the biscuits. (Don't worry if the mix looks a lilliputian dry.) Pour the base of operations mixture into the cake tin dismiss as well as gently press it evenly across the bottom of the tin dismiss amongst the dorsum of a spoon.

Scoop 6 of the passionfruits into a nutrient processor as well as accept 'em for a spin. Strain out the seeds. Hopefully you'll direct keep virtually 100mL of passionfruit juice remaining. Put the cream cheese into a large mixing bowl as well as musical rhythm out it until smooth. (Do it properly, otherwise you'll terminate upwards amongst lumpy bits inwards the batter. And direct keep to strain the goop afterward similar I did.) Next musical rhythm out inwards the sugar, as well as hence the eggs as well as yolks ane at a time. Get rid of the electrical beater as well as foremost hand-stirring, adding the cream, the lime as well as passionfruit juices. Stir until solely but combined.

Pour the cheesecake batter into the cake tin dismiss as well as house it inwards a larger roasting pan. Boil a kettle-full of H2O as well as pour it into the roasting pan, hence that it goes half-way upwards the springform tin. Carry it carefully to the oven as well as bake it for virtually an sixty minutes until it's laid as well as has browned a lilliputian but about the edges. Nigella says it should notwithstanding direct keep "a hint of wobble".

Cool the cake out on the bench for a while, as well as hence refrigerate overnight earlier unmoulding. Scoop the remaining passionfruit over the pinnacle to garnish.

May 31, 2007: Leftover Makeover - Spiced Chickpea Pastries

spiced chickpeas as well as stir-fried sweetcorn. On Th nighttime I stretched them it to approximately other meal, using the chickpeas equally a filling for pastry parcels as well as serving the sweetcorn on the side, along amongst approximately wilted babe spinach leaves. This leftover makeover is prepared most equally ofttimes equally the master copy dish!

June 1, 2007: Rathdowne St Nutrient Store

another breakfast out on Rathdowne St, but this Fri morn was the concluding repast that Michael in addition to I would move sharing for a bit. It was also Michael's concluding direct chances to bask a expert repast for almost ii days, in addition to to bask a expert repast from a carte he could read for almost ii weeks. In a dyad of hours, he'd move commencement his journeying to Budapest for a most-expenses-paid conference in addition to a few extra days of exploration (lucky kid). As good equally rating a dyad of recent comments on our blog, the Rathdowne St Food Store has long been praised by the punters in addition to it was close fourth dimension nosotros gave it a go. On a weekday morn at that spot was no problem getting a tabular array inside.

The carte is substantial, amongst an array of egg-based dishes including build-your-own; porridge, muesli in addition to fruit for the virtuous; toast, muffins in addition to pastries for the small-scale of appetite; in addition to hotcakes for the incorrigible sweeth tooth. Michael picked out 1 of his all-time favourites, eggs florentine ($13.50). He genuinely didn't transcend much comment on them but did complete earlier I was a quarter of the means through my meal, thence swiped to a greater extent than or less of my toast to mop upwards the traces of hollandaise from his plate. Guess they were OK, then. (Michael, experience complimentary to post service comment on them instead!)

What amongst my egg aversion, I decided to cook my ain hearty in addition to savoury breakfast, requesting mushrooms on toast amongst avocado in addition to hash browns ( $15). By the fourth dimension it reached the tabular array my avocado had morphed into spinach, but I took it equally a sign that hash browns were process plenty for me this morning. This plate was fifty-fifty heartier than I anticipated - inward item the toast was super thick cutting in addition to lightly grainy. Awesome. The mushrooms in addition to spinach were barely seasoned, depending exclusively on their ain vege merits. They for sure measured up. But I was most impressed yesteryear the hashbrowns: compact; steaming, soft but textured centres spiked amongst dark pepper; crunchy but non greasy crusts. Avo-what? I didn't immature adult woman it - fifty-fifty amongst unsolicited assistance from Michael, I only made it through 3 quarters of what I was served.

Brekky at the Rathdowne St Food Store is a tad pricier than what I'm accustomed to, but I mean value nosotros got pretty expert value for our money. If I wasn't inclined to provide for the breakfasts, I'd withal come upwards crawling dorsum to displace a pear in addition to chocolate muffin, or to discovery out if whatever of those pies inward the display illustration are vego.

Address: 617 Rathdowne St, Carlton North
Ph: 9347 4064
Price: veg breakfasts $5-20

Baby Cauliflower

While shopping for my showtime solo dinner, I constitute simply the matter for a unmarried serving: a babe cauliflower. Oh, too the fork's for scale - I wasn't genuinely going to dig inward forthwith away! My cauli wasn't to a greater extent than than 12 centimetres inward diameter, too genuinely stretched to 3 bowls of stir-fry.

June 3, 2007: Vegie Roast

SoBLAT for dinner. On both counts I was forced to compromise, but agreeably so: first, the flick sold out but I got a improve topographic point to a afterwards session. In the meantime I fix most my grocery shopping, exclusively realising piece inwards the refrigerated department that my local Safeway doesn't truly sell soy bacon. Damn. On an impulse I grabbed this box of Vegie Roast, approximately other inwards the extensive attain of Sanitarium mistaken heart products.

My medium-low expectations sank much, much farther when I pulled this production out of the box. I had something that looked similar a scary sausage too when unwrapped, smelled similar a scary sausage (or worse, similar pet food). Then at that topographic point was a sachet of orangish pulverisation that looked similar the cheese pulverisation on Doritos too smelled similar toothpaste. (Guess that's the "mint too rosemary"...)

I persevered amongst the instructions, lightly spraying the roast amongst crude too rolling it inwards the powdered glaze. Then it was into the oven for most xx minutes.

Out come upwards something that looked a lot to a greater extent than appetising! I cutting a few slices too made myself a roast "chicken" sandwich, amongst babe spinach leaves too super-thick Lycopersicon esculentum slices. It was pretty convincing. Not inwards a Jamie-Oliver-roast-chicken-
with-preserved-lemons-and-
rosemary-stuffed-up-its-whatsit way, to a greater extent than similar a Red Rooster skinless chicken roll.

The Vegie Roast far exceeded my expectations, but after eating 4 of these sandwiches throughout the calendar week I dubiousness I'll hold upwards craving this mock heart for a long, long time.

June 3, 2007: Kokosnoot Chai Breakfast Cake

this recipe for kokosnoot chai breakfast cake - non exclusively did it audio tasty but it appeared to endure relatively healthy, every bit cakes go, as well as I was curious to run into how breakfasty a cake could get. (Hopefully to a greater extent than than my previous sense of post-party late-next-morning breakfast cake.)

I wishing I had read the recipe the nighttime earlier - I mightiness bring made my loving cup of chai as well as thus as well as sped upward the whole process. This footstep excepted, it's a pretty quick as well as straightforward cake batter to ready - as well as best of all, it's vegan! The number is real moist, alongside a thick, chewy crust. It's sweet, sure, but it does bring a wholesome sense of savour alongside all those wholegrains as well as fruit. Rather than repeating it for breakfast I'm gradually getting through this cake every bit a low-guilt afternoon snack, simply the matter to savor alongside a loving cup of tea as well as and thus ability on through to dinner. Unfortunately I used also much almond nitty-gritty as well as it reeks of amaretto, thus the spices as well as chai are completely lost. But I bring enjoyed this cake plenty that I'll campaign it in i lawsuit again (without the almond essence).

Tales from the Veggie Kitchen, as well as at that spot it is credited to Fat Free Vegan)

June 8, 2007: Nila Junction

Update, 31/12/2014: Nila Junction has closed, every bit has its former city branch. There's a Nila restaurant at in 1 trial trading inward Coburg that may endure a related enterprise.

Beth is nonetheless theme on crutches in addition to volition endure for some fourth dimension yet, in addition to inward the terminal few weeks at abode she has buy the farm a regular at the closest eatery to her home, Nila Junction. The get upwards of Beth's 'local' was unknown to me until solely minutes before nosotros arrived in addition to I was really pleased to endure visiting Nila - Tracy in addition to Johanna had both already recommended it to me (and Johanna has reviewed the Nila City eatery here). Nila Junction has the expect of a kebab store or similar takeaway - all tiles in addition to lino, formica tables without cloths in addition to a big shiny hot box. The solely affair to laid it apart was the TV inward the corner, blaring Bollywood hits. Even every bit they bounced boisterously off the polish surfaces, our ain boisterous conversation was easily heard roughly the tabular array - I simply felt compelled to bob my shoulders to the musical rhythm out occasionally.

Nila's bill of fare is extensive but quite dissimilar to what I ordinarily encounter at Indian restaurants (you tin give notice encounter it for yourself breakfast cake before inward the week, I was actually keen to sample a dinner doughnut... adjacent time, Cindy.)

The kickoff to instruct inward was my plate of pakora ($1.95). Fresh-from-the-frier slices of battered... zucchini, I think. The kickoff curry off the ranks is Tracy's pumpkin puli kolambu ($5.50), the spiciest dish of the nighttime but also tangy alongside tamarind in addition to really tasty.

We ordered 3 dosai plates: ii of the masala dosai ($4.95), therefore a cheese dosai ($5.95). The lentil pancake was crunchy, chewy in addition to tender inward simply the correct proportions, alongside the masala ones filled alongside warm spiced pototoes, turmeric yellowish alongside dark mustard seed polka dots. The cheese 1 was simply that, filled alongside stretchy, tasty, melty cheeeeeese. The moderately spicy rasam cutting through it similar a charm. The curry is the Malaysian option, masak lemak sayur campur ($5.50), alongside tofu, mixed veg in addition to kokosnoot milk. Pleasant, but lost inward the crowd of fun dishes this evening.

The 3rd curry is a chickpea masala ($5.50), in addition to really tasty it was. Just a bowl of this in addition to some breadstuff or rice, in addition to I'd endure a really happy luncher on whatsoever twenty-four hours of the week. Tracy in addition to Beth both ordered cups of teh tarah ($1.50): hot, frothy in addition to condensed milk-sweet tea. I had a punt on the crazy pinkish concoction on the right, a flavoured rose milk ($3). It was indeed sweetness in addition to rosy, alongside the fragrance in addition to coloring reminding Beth of musk sticks. It was to a greater extent than intensely flavoured in addition to less glutinous than a lassi, but would produce the same cooling chore against a challenging curry.

There were a span of roti to soak upwards the curries, both plainly ($1.50) in addition to potato-stuffed ($3.95). The roti were excellent, pipage hot in addition to deliciously flaky. As this gaggle of girls began to boring downwardly (only alongside the eating, mind; the conversation hadn't lost momentum), Beth's friend Merrick arrived in addition to galantly mopped upwards our leftovers alongside ii fresh roti. With a novel somebody to endure intermittently distracted past times in addition to from, nosotros hung roughly for most some other hr in addition to past times therefore I was ready for what I wanted: dessert. Merrick cheerfully backed upwards my proposition in addition to Tracy in addition to Mich later folded without a discussion of coaxing from me. Merrick generously shared a roti pisang, stuffed alongside banana ($3.50). If you've e'er been a fan of the banana sandwich, you lot ask to attempt a banana pastry sandwich. Yummo.

Tracy ventured into the unknown alongside the roti tisu ($3.50), "handkerchief sparse crispy corn shaped breadstuff topped alongside condensed milk". Wow. As big every bit a hat, the shape successfully kept the breadstuff sail crisp, fifty-fifty every bit it dripped inward sweet, sweetness milk. Several of us took bully pleasance inward helping Tracy complete this. Mich in addition to I each ordered gulab jamun ($1.50): to endure honest it's non the best 1 I've had, in addition to the syrup was all carbohydrate in addition to no spice at all, non fifty-fifty a whiff of rose water. But I would get got left mildly dissatisfied if I didn't at to the lowest degree attempt it.

Nila Junction certain ain't the Taj Mahal but I'd much rather hang out hither for a span of hours alongside friends or simply to grab a inexpensive lunch. While non the fanciest Indian nutrient on the block it is astounding value for coin in addition to there's aught similar a Bollywood filmclip to brighten my twenty-four hours in addition to instruct my caput bobbing.

Edit 04/07/2010: Nila Junction is no to a greater extent than but there's some other inexpensive in addition to cheerful Indian cafe inward its place.

Address: 702 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
Ph: 9383 4888
Price: veg nutrient $1.50-$10
Website: www.nila.net.au

June 9, 2007: Browns Bakery

20/12/2012: The Carlton branch of Browns seems to convey unopen down. Looks similar Baker's Delight won the battle.

I did approximately grocery shopping inward the early on afternoon on Sabbatum together with picked upwards this vegetarian sticky ($5.20) from Browns Bakery on my agency home. While I could convey had it microwaved there, I elected to bask it inward the comfort of my ain couch afterwards xv minutes inward the oven. The pastry is generous together with comforting: a fleck flaky, a fleck buttery, but non at all greasy. The filling is dominated past times murphy but equally you lot tin encounter below, equally good includes a diversity of other veges. The flavor is mild amongst a hint of pepper. After a duad of examination bites I elected to add together sauce, though it would endure nearly equally enjoyable without it. While this was easily $5.20's worth of satisfaction on a wintertime afternoon it's possible that it's available elsewhere for less. I couldn't assistance noticing that Browns' corn, cheese together with asparagus pie looked identical to the ones I occasionally purchase from a University of Melbourne foodspot for $1-2 less.

June 9, 2007: Viscid Banana Pudding

girls' black out on Friday, I made Sabbatum to a greater extent than of a girl's black inwards alongside only about comfort nutrient together with Adski posted it inwards March, inwards anticipation of these pair of weeks that Michael would hold out away. As has been mentioned before, Michael harbours an extreme hate of bananas together with I could entirely actually savor a mucilaginous banana pudding to its fullest inwards his absence (and preferably inwards a single-serve loving cup land wrapped inwards a doona). While a recipe for honeycomb ice-cream is included inwards Adski's post, I decided to accept the to a greater extent than restrained garnish of a dollop of cream, leftover from the butterscotch sauce. Boy, am I glad I did! The cake has the fairly sweetness sense of savor you'd human face a banana to laissez passer but the butterscotch sauce: holy cow! The substantial layer inwards the bottom of my loving cup was similar thick, molten sugar. (Not surprising when y'all human face at its component subdivision ingredients, I guess.) I can't imagine the carbohydrate overload I would possess got subjected myself to if I'd added honeycomb to the mix. Since I was baking for one, I halved the recipe together with made iii cups of pudding to ration out during the week. You could tip these over onto a plate every bit Adski did for a pretty human face together with immediate access to the butterscotch sauce - yet I flora it to a greater extent than comforting to concur the loving cup inwards my mitt together with scoop conduct from there.

I won't reprint the recipe because non entirely does Adski possess got it, but he's too included only about instructive photos of the preparation. To endeavour it yourself, caput on over to Totally Addicted to Taste!

June 13, 2007: White Lotus Ii

Edit 11/11/2017: Sadly White Lotus is no longer inward business, but there's a Loving Hut here now.

After well-nigh iv days of subsisting on whatever's been inward the fridge, supplemented amongst a few fresh veges, I decided that I'd splurge on a takeaway earlier Michael returns home. Several times throughout Midweek I idea well-nigh what I should order. On a wintery eventide amongst "showers in addition to local hail" forecast, delivery seemed the smartest option. But delivery constrained me to pizza or Indian, neither of which I was specially interested in. What I truly wanted was some Chinese-style mock meat from the White Lotus vegetarian eating seat in addition to I was pretty certain they don't deliver. Phoning ahead in addition to picking upward presents a few to a greater extent than obstacles than it should: y'all see, I don't drive. No license, no car. I merely never got to a greater extent than or less to it. It would live on a long mutual frigidity walk, an extravagant cab ride, or a cumbersome tram trip. But every bit I walked habitation from function to clearing skies, I knew I wanted it that much. I phoned my fellowship in, in addition to the homo receiving it warned me that they were busy in addition to would quest 35-45 minutes to hit total my order. As it was I needed 35 minutes to larn there! The idea of some steaming 'duck' in addition to veges cocooned me from the mutual frigidity air in addition to I was inward the eating seat for less in addition to thus 10 minutes earlier I had my nutrient zipped upward inward an insulated pocketbook in addition to out the door. I almost skipped dorsum to the tramstop in addition to fidgeted all the agency home, knowing that the object of my wishing was hidden inward the pocketbook beside me. By this fourth dimension I was ravenous amongst hunger.

It was truly entirely a piffling over an hr betwixt my telephone fellowship in addition to arrival dorsum home. Strangely I had the self command to introduce my sweetness in addition to sour 'duck' ($14.50), mixed veges ($11.50) in addition to steamed rice ($1.50) on my mistaken White Lotus plate (purchased inward Footscray a few weeks ago) in addition to cause got a few photos. The rice in addition to mixed veges were null special, in addition to afterwards such a journeying it was inevitable that the battered "duck" wouldn't live on every bit hot in addition to crisp every bit it should be. The sweetness in addition to sour sauce, packed separately, was pleasantly tangy in addition to non the saccharide syrup that it thus oftentimes is. Hardly seems worth the trouble, does it? Yet the planning, the slightly inconvenient trip, the edifice hunger in addition to the anticipation were an unexpected joy inward themselves. And no lukewarm carrots could spoil that.

(You tin read well-nigh our previous take in to the White Lotus here.)

June 14, 2007: Choc-Chip Cookies

Kingaroy to munch on piece she camped as well as worked. This calendar week I bring been depending on Fiona's cute piddling machine, as well as I decided to supply it amongst a box of home-made choc-chip cookies to limited my appreciation.

June 1-15, 2007: Europe

home-cooked treats later ii weeks of eating out every meal.