by : Reiko Asian Food, Main Dish, Potatoes/Squash, Soup/Stew

Red Curry with Roasted Sweet Potatoes; with my favorite curry paste

Thai red curry has always been one of our favorite dishes.

I like it for many reasons, including that it looks like a dish I spent a whole day in the kitchen preparing because of its complex flavor.

But the truth is it’s one of the easiest dishes to make!

And here is my secret.

This curry paste is great.

There are many brands that sell curry paste in Bangkok, but it’s my favorite because 1) it’s plant-based, 2) the ingredients are very good, 3) no preservatives, 4) it’s made in Thailand, and 5) most importantly it’s delicious.

The first ingredient listed is lemongrass!

Oh, I forgot to mention it’s gluten free as well.

The only problem is that it’s hard to find.

We found it at Lotus’s for the first time, but we don’t see it there anymore.

We now get it from an online store because we cannot find it at any grocery stores.

I usually cook vegetables first, add water, and cook the vegetables, and then add the paste and coconut milk.

I tend to like my curry a bit sweeter, so I add a little sugar, but other than that I don’t need to do anything.

The paste is really flavorful.

This time I added sweet potatoes I roasted separately.

This orange-colored sweet potatoes I get from Happy Grocers are so good when roaseted.

It was finished off with basil and a lime

A squeeze of fresh lime juice brightens up the flavors and cuts through the richness.

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by : Reiko Asian Food, Potatoes/Squash, Soup/Stew, Tofu

Satsuma Massaman Curry
さつまマッサマンカレー

I got a request from my hubby for Massaman curry.

Massaman curry is originally from Southern Thailand, and it’s known for being rich and mildly spicy.

He made it easy for me by getting the paste.

But first I needed to go grocery shopping.

One of the things I wanted to add was Japanese Satsuma sweet potato.

It’s nice that I can buy a cooked one at the store nearby, which quickens the cooking process.

The curry was packed with firm tofu, onions, asparagus, carrot, young corn, along with Satsuma potato.

I did add some sugar and salt, but the curry paste was very good.

My husband and I both checked, and it’s not only plant-based but also made of good whole-food ingredients, no preservatives.

https://siam.recipes/products/massaman-curry-paste-70g

We’ll definitely make it again.

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by : Reiko Mushrooms, Potatoes/Squash, Tofu

2023 Thanksgiving
２０２３年感謝祭

This year I have to cook in a new kitchen, where space and the access to the appliances are rather limited.

So I decided to keep the menu simple.

Although the dishes did not require too complicated steps, that doesn’t mean I compromised on taste.

I mostly stuck with the traditional ingredients/dishes but wanted to add some fun flavors.

This was today’s main dish.

Tofu steak with Nira garlic chive “stuffing”.

I’m not a huge mashed potato fan, but my husband is.

So I make it at least once a year, usually for Thanksgiving.

This is garlicky mashed potatoes with Mikan tangerine Shichimi seven spices.

A friend of mine got me this “Mikan Shichimi” spices from Japan.

It’s a great mixture of refreshing and sweet citrus and spiciness.

The label design is lovely, too.

King oyster mushroom gravy.

It was made with garlic, king oyster mushrooms, flour, water, vegetable bouillon, salt, pepper, sugar, nutritional yeast, soy milk, soy sauce, Italian herbs.

This was probably the best gravy I’ve ever made!

Sauteed haricot verts with garlic.

Simple and tasty.

I like that Aldi sells these fancy (skinny) green beans.

Roasted Kabocha squash with cumin cilantro salad.

I was going to make a “hot” dish with the Kabocha, but I thought it would be nice to have something on the lighter side with extra vegetables.

This year I made cranberry sauce myself.

My original plan was to buy canned cranberry sauce, but I did not care for the ingredients of the one I found at a store.

At the same store I saw this bag of fresh cranberries, and it was so cheap, which made the decision easy for me.

Cranberry sauce is so easy to make!

Who knew?!

I added some fresh grated ginger, and I absolutely loved the final result.

Why do I always cook AND eat too much for Thanksgiving???

Cardamom apple upside down cake.

For the dessert I deviated from the traditional choice and went against a pie this year.

I served it with vanilla coconut yogurt.

I was extremely happy with how the whole meal turned out.

It was a bit of challenge not only cooking and baking in a kitchen I’m not too familiar with but also taking photos in a different setting, but it all worked out fine.

Hope your meal was delicious and your day was wonderful as well.

A few day ago I saw this in front of the Union Depot building in St. Paul.

I was surprised to see them putting lights on the tree before Thanksgiving, but I’m okay with that.

I just love this time of the year when things are becoming festive around the city.

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by : Reiko Pizza/Flatbread, Potatoes/Squash, Vegan Cheese

Potato Onion Chutney Black Pepper Flatbread
ジャガイモと玉ねぎチャツネと黒胡椒のピザ

We had this for lunch, but this will be great for snack with a glass of white wine.

I don’t really drink anymore myself, so that would be an idea for someone else though.

I liked this onion chutney, a gift from our neighbor, so much that I decided to use this for our flatbread, too.

Loved the combination of the onion chutney, potatoes, and black pepper.

And homemade plant-based cheese.

It’s the best.

This one was tofu-based.

It was a quick concoction.

To tofu I added salt, garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, and a little sugar.

Itadakimasu – Thank you for the meal.

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by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Bread, Mushrooms, Potatoes/Squash, Soup/Stew

Grilled Matsutake
焼き松茸

Matsutake is considered a delicacy in Japan.

It’s something that is enjoyed only during the fall season, and yes people spend big bucks for it.

I was lucky because a friend gave them to me as a gift.

And she even gave me Sudachi as well.

Sudachi is a citrus fruit that typically accompanies Matsutake.

I simply grilled the Matsutake.

When the ingredient is tasty, you don’t want to do too much to it.

This one plate meal consisted of grilled matsutake, herb chickpea salad, cranberry-pecan Kabocha salad, mushroom soup, and toasted Boule.

Kabocha, homemade vegan mayo, salt, pepper, maple syrup, dry cranberries, pecan nuts.

Chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, yellow pepper, cumin, mint, basil, olive oil, white vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper.

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by : Reiko Potatoes/Squash, Soup/Stew

Cauliflower Potato Thyme Stew with a Secret Ingredient
カリフラワーじゃがタイム煮込み、秘密材料入り

This is a dish I made as part of my Sunday meal prep.

That’s when I try to make several vegetable and protein dishes for the week with whatever I have in the fridge.

As a result, they usually end up with a no-name dish.

And it’s also often the time when a really great dish is created.

This dish is one of them.

It’s a rather long story.

But in the morning, I made this for breakfast.

A few days ago I finally bought Marmite which I had been wanting to try for a long time.

When I first tasted it, I didn’t think it was for me.

I don’t know what I expected, but it tasted totally unexpected.

But I didn’t want to give up on it too quickly, and asked people if they knew a good way to use it.

Someone sent me a recipe where you roast potatoes with Marmite.

I didn’t have any potatoes at hand, but I had dried hash browns, and I decided to use Marmite for it,

It turned out…

Hmmm, how can I put it…

Interesting?

It wasn’t bad, but it was not great either.

Since I didn’t think either I or my husband would eat the leftover, I decided to use it to create a different dish.

That’s how this stew was born!

I just threw things in, but it turned out super tasty!!

Marmite definitely gave depth and richness in the flavor.

I will leave a note here for future reference for myself…

Cauliflower Potato Thyme Stew: olive oil, garlic, ginger, cauliflower, water, Marmite hash browns, soy milk, curry powder, cumin, cinnamon, sugar, salt, pepper, thyme

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by : Reiko Fruit, Pizza/Flatbread, Potatoes/Squash

Apple Kabocha Pizza with Cashew Yogurt and Pecan Nuts
林檎かぼちゃピザ、カシューヨーグルトとピーカンナッツのせ

Walking to the local farmers market is something we do in the morning on most Saturdays.

I love this little routine we have.

But you can tell things are quickly changing, with less leafy vegetables and more root vegetables…

This means we only have a few weeks left before they close until next spring.

One of the things we got from the market was these Regent apples.

This particular vendor was so knowledgeable and friendly, and she helped us pick which to cheese.

We loved these apples.

They are crisp, sweet, juicy, and just super tasty!

The Kabocha is from Trader Joe’s.

I have bought Kabocha from the farmers market in the past, but some of them that they were labeled as “Kabocha” did not taste like actual Kabocha.

So unfortunately, now I only buy Kabocha from stores.

I cooked the pizza with Kabocha slices (quickly pre-cooked in the microwave) and apple slices first, and then, it was served with cashew yogurt, pecan nuts, maple syrup, and cinnamon.

This was delicious!!

There is something so special about fall foods.

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by : Reiko Mushrooms, Noodles/Pasta, Potatoes/Squash

Fettucine with Pumpkin Cream Sauce, Tempeh, Koji Tofu Cheese, and Farmers Market Mushrooms
パンプキンクリームパスタ、テンペ、豆腐チーズ、ファーマーズマーケットきのこ入り

This dish screams autumn, and I’m loving it.

In Japan we say that the autumn is the season for reading, exercising, art, and eating.

I don’t know much about the rest, but about eating, it makes sense.

In Japan there are certain foods that we associate with fall and cherish, such as Matsutake mushroom, chestnut, persimmon…

And pumpkin is one of them too!

The freshly cooked fettucine was served with creamy pumpkin sauce, sauteed tempeh, Koji tofu “cheese” (previous post), and mushrooms we got from the local farmers market.

These mushrooms were sold as “ugly mix”.

They are past prime but still perfectly edible, and they sell them for a reasonable price, which I think is a great idea because we can avoid waste.

Apparently, they are popular, and when we got to the market, there was only a little left, and we bought everything they had.

We were advised to eat them within the three days, but we cooked and ate them the same day, and they tasted great.

What’s your favorite thing to eat this season?

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by : Reiko Bread, Potatoes/Squash

Pumpkin Focaccia with Pecans and Thyme
ピーカンナッツとタイムのせパンプキンフォカッチャ

I feel that it’s officially okay to make things with pumpkin because it’s October!

I still try to stay away from too many sweets, but I was in a mood for baking, and bread-baking with pumpkin seemed to be the best thing to do.

I grew up with Kabocha, and it’s probably my favorite squash/pumpkin.

So Kabocha slices along with pecan nuts and thyme went on my pumpkin focaccia to dress it up.

This was a beautiful looking focaccia!

It screams autumn, doesn’t it?

I used this recipe. ↓

https://carolinagelen.substack.com/p/pumpkin-focaccia

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by : Reiko Breakfast, Potatoes/Squash, Vegan Egg, Vegan Meat

Classic Breakfast V-Plate
アメリカンVブレックファスト

This looks like one of the classic American breakfast plates, doesn’t it?

But this is of course a vegan version.

I used this seitan meat to make the bacon.

You can see how I made the “meat” here. ↓

https://sideb.culinarytribune.com/2022/02/15/east-meets-west-v-beef-and-broccoli-on-polenta-with-v-egg中伊vビーフとブロッコリポレンタ/

The vegan egg was also home-made.

White: https://sideb.culinarytribune.com/recipes-ive-tried-and-liked/

You don’t “fry” it, but its texture is pretty close to the real thing. I also like the taste.

Yolk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mANUZa8OAs

This yolk recipe is pretty cool, and I enjoy the process.

This yolk is very similar to the real thing, from the look to the texture.

(I don’t add the black salt ↓, because it makes the color dark. I sprinkle it right before eating instead.)

On this plate you can find vegan bacon, a vegan “fried egg”, Satsuma potatoes, sauteed onion and kale, and toasts.

I added a few more things to the list of the recipes I repeatedly use. ↓

https://sideb.culinarytribune.com/recipes-ive-tried-and-liked/

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*I also have an Instagram account. ↓　There I post some pictures and videos that you don’t see here at the blog. If you followed me there as well, I would love that! When you stop by, say “hi! I would love to hear from you. Thank you.

https://www.instagram.com/culinarytribune/

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