Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Tags:

• Fried Rice
• Curry
• Vegan
• Tofu
• Kala Namak
• Cabbage
• Vegan Egg

Curry Fried Rice Recipes Notes

This is a simple curry fried rice recipe that is like the one my mum made growing up. (minus the egg)
Once your rice is cooked and cooled this meal comes together in no time. I chose to use brown rice for it's health benefits instead of white rice. If you haven't tried brown rice, you definitely should. Sometimes I want white rice, but most of the time I opt for brown, it has a nutty flavour that I am a big fan of. I think technically white rice might be "more ideal" for fried rice as far as texture goes. You do want the rice to be dry before adding it to the pan and brown rice tends to have a bit more moisture...but I'm choosing the health benefits over any improvement in texture from using white rice. 

I included tofu not only for the added protein, but because it simulates the egg that would typically be stirred into a non vegan fried rice dish. The texture is convincing and it's YUM. I also use Kala Namak, a black sulpheric salt that gives the dish an eggy taste, I have linked the exact product I buy below. While I can totally understand tofu isn't everyone's thing, I do think in this recipe it's accessible for even non tofu fans. Tofu takes on the flavour of whatever you put with it and because it's broken into such small pieces I don't think it's so recognizable compared to just searing off a chunk of it and taking a big ol bite. So if you fall into the "I hate tofu" category -  give this a whirl, you might just surprise yourself. 

​Ingredients:

• Olive Oil as needed
•  1 1/2 cups brown rice, cooked and cooled

•  1 block firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1/4 inch slices
•  1 onion, small dice
•  2 celery stalks, small dice
•  1 whole head garlic, chopped
•  1 inch piece ginger, minced
•  2 cups shredded cabbage or slaw mix
•  2 tbsp soy sauce
•  1 tbsp curry powder 
•  3/4 - 1 cup raisins
• 2 tbsp maple syrup (or more to taste)
•  green onions to garnish
•  chopped cilantro to garnish (or chopped and stirred in - optional)
• grated carrot (I don't always add it, but my mum always does! Probably 1 carrot grated would do it)
• Kala Namak (optional, a black sulpher based salt that tastes like egg, if you have it sub some of the regular salt, to taste. A little goes a long way I find)

Method:

1.  Heat a few drizzles of olive oil in a wok. Sautee onion, celery, garlic & ginger until softened.        Season with salt and pepper.
2. Transfer the onion mixture into a bowl so you can sear the tofu. Heat a bit more olive oil in the   wok, and place tofu pieces in an even layer. Just brown on each side, you'll have to rearrange   a bit as the pieces in the middle will brown first. 
3. Once browned, add onion mixture back into the wok, add in the slaw mix & curry powder. Break up the tofu into small pieces with your spatula. Continue cooking everything until slaw is mostly cooked through (I like it to have a bit of texture) You will want to hit the pan with a bit of water to help the process along. Just a bit at a time as needed. You want it to be all evaporated for the next step. 
4. Add in a bit more oil and add in your cooked rice. Stir around to fry the rice for a few minutes. 
5. Add in soy sauce, maple syrup & raisins to heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings. 
6. You could add in some fresh chopped cilantro or grated carrot towards the end too if you wish!
7.  Garnish with chopped green onion and a wedge of lime. 

I set out to make a vegan bolognese to eat up with some cooked cabbage I had an abundance of. (I've always loved eating bolognese on cooked green cabbage instead of spaghetti...just like deconstructed cabbage rolls and feels a bit lighter if you aren't in the mood for pasta)

Anyway, I think I nailed this recipe. Like... cracked the vegan meat sauce code. Sure I haven't eaten anyone else's vegan bolognese, but after eating this I'm not sure why I would. This is going to be the recipe I use every single time! I'm kind of excited about it... if that's not yet evident. 

I used a combination of beyond meat burger & sausage. If you haven't tried or heard of this product I'd be surprised. It's all over the place, fast food joints, grocery stores, and even at food supplier shows I've gone to through my work. It's a game changer. I don't eat products like this everyday. It's just not my normal, but the fact that I can buy these products and make something that I believe would fool any omnivore into thinking they were eating a legit meat sauce? Well, that's kind of the whole point of these things. We can have the flavour.... we can have that same taste experience that we all crave, with less cruelty. I believe this is the direction the world (albeit slowly) is going, we will continue to see advancements and new products that will change the way we look at our food, and challenge the  entire concept and need of mass animal agriculture. The next 10 - 15 years will be fascinating. 

Ok veganism rant done, back to the recipe. I added some lentils to this sauce. They kind of helped thicken it up and gave me the consistency I was after. I added a bit of smoked paprika when I was tasting and thinking it was missing...something. Good choice. My other do not leave out of this recipe suggestions...are the toasty garlic panko crumbs to garnish on top, and a little sprinkle of chile flakes. I really really think that bit of added heat rounded it all out. The only thing I DIDN'T add to this sauce that would make it even better, is some red wine. The liquore stores just shut down in PEI for how long I don't know due to Covid 19. I have 4 bottles of wine and there is no way I'm cooking with any of it ha! They are tucked away for emergency wine consumption. 

I used a bit of my "5 minute sundried tomato sauce" in this recipe. I keep it in my fridge to add flavour to all sorts of things. You could probably get away with leaving it out but it really is a great condiment. I'll link to the recipe below.

Ingredients: 

•  1 cup panko crumbs
•  3 tbsp good fruity olive oil
•  1-2 cloves minced garlic​

Method:

1.  In a non stick pan add all ingredients. 
2.  Over medium heat stir it all around for 3 - 5 minutes until golden. 
3.  Store in a Tupperware container in the fridge. 

​

Yield: 4 - 6 sandwiches (depending on size of bun)

I had a lot of fun making this sandwich! Roasted Portobello Mushrooms shredded and mixed with sautéed onions and a smoky homemade BBQ sauce. All piled on a toasty bun with a simple kale cabbage slaw. The BBQ sauce recipe is one I've been tweaking and using for years in restaurant kitchens, it's a crowd pleaser. 

If you have a grill or smoker at home, I would definitely use that instead of an oven to give your mushrooms some extra smoke flavour. I live in an apartment and have neither of those things, but I do have something called a smoke gun. Kind of a fancy kitchen gadget that most home cooks probably wouldn't have. Don't worry though, this was still delicious without any added wood smoke. The BBQ sauce has smoked paprika and liquid smoke to fill that void. 

The only other thing I would say about this sandwich, is make sure you make it saucy! I'll warn you though, it was very messy to eat. I personally don't mind that, especially when I'm eating alone. I'll lick my plate clean. A fork and knife wouldn't go astray though. Lastly, treat yourself to some kettle chips! Something about crunchy salty potato chips beside a sandwich like this - it's perfection. Oh and pour a pint of your favourite brew to have with too! It's the middle of March, so still cold and wintery out there in PEI, but this kind of food has me thinking about warmer days, and the type of fun food to cook up and enjoy on a sunny summer evening. 

BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 cups ketchup
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup yellow mustard
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup steak sauce
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp chile powder
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cracked pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp liquid smoke

Method:

1. ​Combine all ingredients in a large pot. 
2. Whisk together and bring to a simmer for a few minutes
3. Remove from heat, cool and store in the fridge. 

 

​​Portobello Mushrooms + Onions

Ingredients:

• 8 whole Portobello mushrooms (black gills scraped out & stems removed if large and set aside)
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced + 4 cloves minced garlic. 

Method:

1. ​Preheat oven to 425 F (if you have a bbq or grill to give these some smoke flavour do that instead!)
2. Place mushrooms stem side up and roast for about 35 minutes, flipping them over after 25. The idea is to dry them out, no oil necessary. 
3. While mushrooms are in the oven, sauté onions in veg oil until softened completely. Adding in 4 cloves of minced garlic part way through. Place in a bowl big enough to mix in mushrooms later.
4. Remove from the oven, let cool a bit, then use two forks to pull them apart into rough strands. It wasn't the easiest task, slightly tedious but it get's the job done. I wanted a more shredded texture so stuck with the process even though slicing would be easier. 
5. Mix pulled mushrooms with the onions. If you have any mushroom stems set aside just pull them apart and add them into the bowl. 
6. When you are ready to make your sandwiches, simply combine mushroom onion mixture with BBQ sauce and a splash of water in a pan. You want these to be SAUCY. I let it heat up and reduce but the final consistency is a bit looser than if I just tossed the BBQ sauce with mushrooms and didn't add water. 
7. To assemble just toast buns in the oven, top with saucy mushrooms and slaw. 

Slaw
For this I just bought a bag of pre made kale crunch slaw, then mixed in some shredded cabbage. I also think some julienned apple would be nice tossed in here too. I used about 1/2 cup of slaw on my sandwich, but the buns were big so you might use more or less depending on size of your sandwich. 

I whipped up a very simple dressing, just whisk together the following ingredients. Taste and you can add another splash or so of vinegar/sugar to balance it out perfectly if needed. It should taste zippy but the BBQ sauce is sweet enough that it doesn't need lots of sugar. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup vegan mayo
• 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar
• salt and pepper

** The 2nd time I made these I used my smoke gun to add smoke to the cooked mushrooms and onions. A super fun kitchen gadget if you are so inclined. It just burns mini wood chips, I used hickory. 

I will never look for another Lemon Cake recipe again. It is moist, lemony & one of the best cakes I've made vegan or otherwise. I love the sugared lemon peel as a garnish. It's super simple but really adds to the finished cake.

I adapted this from a recipe by Nora Cooks. I  used a different method in order to get a 6 inch  cake with 3 layers (method below). It requires an extra few steps but it is simple. If you can't be bothered with all of that, just use 2 x 8 inch cake rounds and call it a day. I like the 3 layer cake because it looks impressive. You will need one 6 inch high sided spring form cake pan and a sheet of acetate paper (available at craft, baking or office supply stores)

**This recipe calls for Aquafaba. It's an ingredient you might not be familiar with unless you do a lot of vegan baking. Don't let it stop you from trying this cake because it's so easy. Just open a can of chickpeas, strain and reserve the liquid. (the liquid is called Aquafaba!) It whips up just like egg whites, and is also the base of many vegan mayo recipes. I will usually just whip up a batch of hummus with the chickpeas. 

Ingredients:

Lemon Cake 

• 1/2 cup vegan butter (room temp) (I use earth balance)
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• zest from 1 lemon
• 2 tsp lemon extract
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup oat milk
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup whipped aquafaba (see method below for details)
• 2 3/4 cup AP flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp baking powder

Lemon Buttercream

• 1 cup vegan butter (room temp)
• 4 cups icing sugar
• 3 T lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla

Sugared Lemon

• 2 lemons
• a couple tablespoons of white sugar

Method:
Lemon Cake

1. Mix oat milk with apple cider vinegar in small bowl & let sit.
2. Cream together vegan butter and sugar in a large bowl 
3. Mix in lemon zest, lemon extract & vanilla
4. Mix in Oat milk & cider vinegar mixture
5. Mix in 1/2 cup of whipped aquafaba (just use a hand mixer to whip the strained liquid from can of chickpeas until it looks like whipped egg whites. Measure 1/2 cup and discard the rest.  You could always make meringues as a fun garnish for the cake to use up the rest)
6. Add flour, baking powder & salt to the bowl. Mix until just combined. 
7.  Line a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with parchement paper. Brush with vegetable oil. Pour batter in and bake at 350F for about 30 minutes. 

Lemon Buttercream

1.  Mix icing sugar 1 cup at a time into vegan butter. 
2.  Mix in vanilla, and add lemon juice 1 tbsp at a time until icing is a spreadable consistency

Sugared Lemon

1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel strips from 2 lemons. (avoid the white pith)
2. Using a chefs knife, cut peels into thin julienne strips.
3. Place in a small bowl, and massage in a couple tablespoons of white sugar. Let sit for an hour  or so, the sugar will dissolve and the lemons will be slightly candied and ready to garnish the cake. 

The inspiration for this salad simply came from a bag of bean sprouts kicking around my fridge. I used them as garnish for one meal & needed to come up with a way to use the other 95%. My brain immediately went to some kind of Asian inspired slaw. Bean sprouts, red pepper, julienned carrot, scallion, water chestnuts, roasted peanuts, cilantro and a tasty dressing made with soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic & a little sugar. 

I definitely think this bright slaw would be perfect beside something crispy and fried. Fried tofu, crispy spring rolls, a batch of my Okara Cakes, or tempura. This recipe makes a big batch, (enough for a crowd) but regardless, leftovers are awesome and it gets better after hanging in the fridge awhile anyway...

This did require a bit of knife skills. I happen to love perfectly cut veggies and enjoy the process of julienning carrots etc. If you don't enjoy it or don't have the time, just pick up a bag of slaw mix at the store and call it a day. I wouldn't hesitate to mix up the type of veggies in this at all. Just needs to be crunchy & fresh. I made another version subbing approximate volume of veg in the recipe with red cabbage & carrot, and kept the rest the same. 

This dish, also known in Arabic as ful medames is a vegan stew of fava beans, cumin & other ingredients. My friend Tareq made this meal for me awhile back, a staple breakfast dish in Egypt. (where he's from) According to Wikipedia there is some evidence that Ful can be traced all the way back to ancient Egypt. (woah) There are variations to the recipe, but this is how he made it and what I wanted to recreate at home.  Fava beans simmered with onion, garlic, tomato & cumin then topped with a quick tahini sauce. Add a sprinkle of parsley and plenty of warm pita bread for scooping... it's delicious. I love simple food and now that I've made this a few times at home I know it will be something I revisit often. It's a nice change from a typical North American breakfast....or any meal of the day for that matter. I discovered a bit of spinach or baby kale wilted in at the end is a nice addition too. 

Fava Beans

Ingredients:

•  veg oil for sautéing 
•  1 large onion, chopped
•  6 cloves garlic, chopped
•  1.5 tsp cumin
•  2 cans fava beans (keep liquid)
•  1 tomato, small dice
•  1 tbsp tomato paste
•  couple glugs of olive oil
•  squeeze of lemon
•  salt to taste (a few good pinches)
•  cracked black pepper to taste

​Method

1.  Sautee onion & garlic in a bit of vegetable oil until softened
2.  Stir in cumin and tomato paste, cook for another minute or so
3.  Add diced tomato, and 2 cans of fava beans WITH their liquid
4.  Bring to a simmer and add olive oil, salt, pepper & lemon. 
5.  Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until desired consistency. I've had it when it's a bit on the thinner side and when it's reduced and thickened. It's good both ways. Either way use a masher and mash about half of the fava beans before serving. 
6.  Taste, adjust seasonings & serve with tahini sauce, chopped parsley & pita bread

Tahini Sauce

•  Tahini
•  Olive Oil
•  Water
•  Garlic
•  Lemon
•  Salt & Pepper

1. I never measure for the sauce. I just spoon maybe 1/2 cup of tahini into a bowl, whisk in a drizzle of olive oil and then whisk in just a little bit of water to thin it out. You could keep the tahini thick if that's your thing. You could spoon tahini from the jar onto your fava beans. I don't care. Just as long as there is tahini in the equation. 
2.  Add in a clove or 2 of minced garlic, a squeeze or 2 of lemon, pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as you wish.