KITCHEN TABLE

SO MUCH MORE TO BEING VEGETARIAN

Image credit: Bitter Melon Crisps from the book Pure Vegetarian by Lakshmi Wennakoski-Bielicki.

Lakshmi Wennakoski-Bielicki is the creator and photographer of the food blog Pure Vegetarian by Lakshmi. She offers vegetarian cooking classes and catering in Helsinki, Finland. Her book includes recipes for snacks, main meals, chutneys, desserts, etc., including how to make yoghurt and sambhar powder at home! These recipes are from her book, Pure Vegetarian, Roost Books, $30.

BITTER MELON CRISPS

500 ml thinly sliced bitter melon (karela)

1 tbsp ghee or oil

5 tbsp rice flour

2 tbsp corn flour

1½ tsp cayenne powder

¼ tsp turmeric (optional)

½ tsp sea salt

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Mix the bitter melon slices with ghee or oil in a bowl.

Whisk the flours, spices, and salt in a separate bowl.

Dip the slices, one by one into the flour, coat each slice evenly, and place the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes until the bitter melons are crisp and golden. If need be, turn once or twice while baking.

SAVOURY BUTTERMILK BROTH

For the buttermilk

1 lt cultured buttermilk, at room temperature

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp cayenne powder

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp sea salt, or to taste

For the spice-nut paste

1½ tsp coriander seeds

¼ seeds fenugreek seeds

6 tbsp fresh, finely grated coconut

20 cashewnuts

2-3 green chillies, seeded

Half cup hot water

For the tempering

1-2 tbsp ghee or oil

Half tsp black mustard seeds

½ tsp jeera

8-10 small fresh curry leaves, crushed

¼ tsp hing powder

Beat the buttermilk, turmeric, cayenne, sugar and salt in a bowl until the mixture is light and smooth. Set aside.

Dry roast the coriander and fenugreek seeds in a skillet or pan over a moderately low temperature until they turn a few shades darker and aromatic, about five to six minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and combine the dry-roasted ingredients with the coconut, cashewnuts, chillies, and water in an electric spice mill or mortar. Grind to a paste and add to the buttermilk.

Bring the whipped buttermilk to a boil in a heavy-bottomed pot over moderate heat, constantly stirring it with a wooden spatula. Then, reduce the heat to low. Keep stirring for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.

Heat the ghee or oil in a small sauté pan over moderate heat until it’s hot but not smoking. Add the mustard and jeera seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds pop, add the crushed curry leaves and hing. Then pour the spices into the buttermilk. Mix, cover, and let the flavours steep for five minutes before serving.

COCONUT RICE WITH SAFFRON

250 ml basmati rice

Half of 1 fresh coconut, divided

375 ml hot water

Pinch of saffron threads

1 tbsp hot water

Pinch of sugar

1 tsp sea salt

For the tempering:

1-2 tbsp ghee or oil

2-inch piece of cinnamon

4 whole green cardamom pods, lightly crushed

½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper

Pinch of hing

1 tbsp lemon juice

To serve

125 ml small currants

Sort, wash and drain the rice. Set aside.

Pure Vegetarian by Lakshmi Wennakoski-Bielicki is published by Roost Books, $30.

Remove the outer shell and the thin, brown skin of the coconut. Split the half coconut into 2 equal pieces; process one piece of the coconut and hot water in a blender until it becomes a white paste. Strain the milk and set it aside. Save the pulp for later use in cooking or baking.

Toast the saffron in a dry pan over moderate heat for about 30 seconds until it crumbles when you crush it with your fingers. Remove from heat and dissolve in a spoonful of hot water. Pour the saffron water into the coconut milk and add the sugar and salt, too.

Heat the ghee or oil in a pot over moderate heat. When it’s hot but not smoking, add the cinnamon and cardamom. Fry the spices for 30 seconds then add the black pepper and hing powder immediately followed by the rice. Sauté the ingredients for a couple of minutes until some of the grains become transparent and some of them turn red. Add the coco-nut milk. As soon as it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a minimum, cover the pot, and simmer the rice for 15 minutes without stirring.

Turn off the heat and pour the lemon juice over the rice. Cover it again and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before stirring.

Thinly slice the other piece of the coconut with a sharp knife. Toast the slices in the oven at 150° C until light reddish. Just before serving, fluff the rice with a fork and add the coconut slices and currants.