Rocket & Roses Spicy Bitter Gourd Stir Fry (vegan & gluten-free)

Rocket & Roses Kitchen Play List:

Jose Carerras ~ La Donna E Mobile (Rigoletto)
Nickelback ~ Someday
Mozart: Piano Concerto#21 in C
Black Stone Cherry ~ Peace Pipe
Beulah ~ Mary
Ray Charles ~ If I Give You My Love
Erasure ~ Sometimes
Queen ~ Seven Seas Of Rhye
Hunter Valentine ~ The Great Canadian Love Song
Count Basie ~ April In Paris
Melissa Etheridge ~ Come To My Window
Dixie Chicks ~ The Long Way Around
Nickelback ~ Flat On The Floor
Cat Power ~ Love And Communication

It would be a slight understatement to say that Bitter Gourd is an acquired taste. The clue really is in the name, eh? But it is a taste that I am determined to love because of the many health benefits of this fugly vegetable. I was very excited to find a stash whilst visiting the chinese warehouse in the city recently. They were much larger than I'd expected so only purchased one this time but in future I will stock up. The preparation of the gourd is very simple as you wash it well and then slice in half and remove the seeds and membrane. In my researching I read many differing ways to cook it. Some advise boiling it first, some salt it like aubergine and others soak it. This time I prepped my gourd and then left it coated in Himalayan salts whilst I prepped the other veggies for this dish. After a good rinse and press I then heated a little rapeseed/canola oil in my wok and got busy with the stir fry. 

My first tasting of the gourd was a little shocking as it was an assault on my taste buds. And I couldn't really say if it was a good or bad experience. It was just very different to any other veggies I have eaten. After doing more research into it I think I would try the boiling prep next time. The salting doesn't take much of the natural bitterness away. I was grateful for the spicy sauce that I had decided to make to drizzle over the stir fry. As a whole, this stir fry is crammed with great textures from the veggies to the aducki beans and the heat from the slightly sweet spicy sauce is a welcome kick. 

I am looking forward to testing out more ideas I have for cooking Gourd. It's a challenging veggie but a worthwhile one...

Rocket & Roses Spicy Bitter Gourd Stir Fry (vegan & gluten-free)

Rocket & Roses Spicy Bitter Gourd Stir Fry  Serves 4
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen)

1/2 tsp rapeseed/canola oil
1 med/lg bitter gourd, prepped, sliced into half moons, salted  then rinsed and dried off
6 large runner beans, thinly stripped
4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced into 3-4" strips
2 large red bell peppers, prepped and stripped
1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced
8oz cooked aducki beans

2 dsp prepared extra hot chilli sauce 
1 dsp mirin
1/2 dsp agave syrup

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Set to one side. 

Heat a wok with the oil until smokey. Toss in salted and rinsed bitter gourd along with the spring onions, bell peppers, chilli and runner beans. Saute to coat with the oil and then place a lid on the wok for 4 minutes. Remove the lid and give the wok a good shake. Add the aducki beans and stir in and then drizzle over the spicy sauce and cook until the runner beans are tender. Approx 2 minutes longer. 

Serve immediately...

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are looking forward to your weekend...and if you have any cooking suggestions re gourd please leave me a message.

~Red~ 

NB: This is my creation. I have no problem with you using it or sharing it. I simply ask that you link back to this post and give credit where it's due. Many thanks...~R~
 

 

Vegan Bento: Tofu & Three-colour Pepper Stir Fry with Instant Cabbage & Cucumber Pickles (vegan & gluten-free)

Rocket & Roses Kitchen Play List:

VAST ~ I Can't Say No
Carole King ~ Crying In The Rain
Don Williams ~ You've Got A Friend
Alannah Myles ~ Lies And Rumours
Puccini: Gianni Schicchi - Oh Mio Babbino Caro
Joan Jett ~ The Only Good Thing
Soundgarden ~ Zero Chance
Audioslave ~ Gasoline
Stevie Ray Vaughan ~ Life By The Drop
Beth Hart ~ State Of Mind
Thunder ~ Have Mercy
Shakira ~ Underneath Your Clothes
Gin Wigmore ~ Happy Ever After
Foxes ~ Let Go For Tonight

Vegan Bento: Tofu & Three-colour Pepper Stir Fry adapted from The Just Bento Cookbook/Itoh

Oh...Bento! I recently became aware of all things Bento and I am now a devotee. I have my lovely fresh green Bento box (picture above) and I went for a two layered version. I have cute little flower silicone holders to stash pickles and the like in. I feel its only fair to warn you...it can take over your life. There is a whole Bento accessories industry out there.

Japanese cuisine has been very much on my mind since our trip down to London in November. And as I research everything I cook, thoroughly, I have spent many hours reading about Japanese culture and traditions. I have become fascinated and was able to purchase two cookbooks that have inspired me and thrilled me...the first was Kansha ~ Celebrating Japan's Vegan and Vegetarian Cuisine by Elizabeth Andou. I spent a full day resting as I read this most interesting cookbook from cover to cover. It was a blissful day and hope to bring you posts based around it very soon. 

The second cookbook was The Just Bento Cookbook by Mikiko Itoh. It's not a vegan or veggie cookbook but it does have a few veggie recipes and many that can be easily veganised...today is an example of that. Itoh's recipe calls for chicken to be used so I simply used some seasoned tofu pieces I had in my fridge. I also adapted the recipe further by using a scant amount of rapeseed oil, less salt and swapping out soy sauce for Braggs liquid animos. 

Itoh's cookbook is very easy to read, easier to use and a beautifully laid out and photographed book. I sat with my page markers (cookbook addict...hey..it's a process..leave me be! lol) and read through every suggestion she makes. She explains Bento in easy terms and leaves you feeling that it is so easy and achieveable even if you are pushed for time. Quite simply...I loved this cookbook and given the amount of page markers I stuck on its pages...I'll be using it often. 

Today's Bento is made up of two layers...the first I call the crunchy level with beautiful fresh veggies and freshly made pickles. The second layer is the serious layer. 

The stir-fry is very easy to make and I served mine with cooled brown rice with a lettuce divider. The stir-fry has great flavours although next time I will use slightly less Braggs. I use little salt in my cooking so I found it just a little too salty. But the tofu pieces worked fantastically with the fresh peppers. The spring onions and ginger settle into the back ground giving the stir-fry a savoury support. Itoh suggests serving the stir-fry with white rice as is the traditional accompaniment but I used brown rice. I don't enjoy white rice that much so for me it will always be brown rice. I enjoyed this recipe so much that I am looking forward to having it again...soon. 

The crunchy layer was made up by some blanched broccoli pieces and they were very enjoyable but next time I shall steam briefly. Again..it's just my preference. I went with Itoh's suggestion of cherry tomatoes and I also added some tulip radishes. And also a small bowl of raw almonds for snacking upon later. The Instant Pickles were very easy to make and the hardest work is squeezing out the liquid before potting them up. Itoh's recipe calls for one large cabbage leaf but I chose to use a savoy cabbage and used 8 small leaves. I wanted to have pickles left for the next few days and as I am a beginner at making my own pickles, I wanted to spread out the salt a little further. It worked and I really enjoyed my little pot of pickles. The veggies were tender and were sharp but not shockingly so. I can embrace the pickle tradition if this is a good example of them.

When I sat down to eat my lunch today I wasn't prepared for how much I was going to enjoy cold stir-fry and rice. I knew I would enjoy the crunchy layer of my Bento lunch and I did very much. But the two combined made for a very enjoyable and satisfying lunch. I have indeed been bitten by the Bento bug....thank you Mikiko Itoh for the inspirational cookbook.

Tofu & Three-colour Pepper Stir-fry

Tofu & Three-colour Pepper Stir Fry          Serves 1
(Recipe adapted from The Just Bento Cookbook/Itoh)

1 tsp rapeseed/canola oil
3 tbsp roughly chopped spring onions
2 tsp peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
1/3 of each red, green and yellow bell pepper
 - de-seeded and chopped into 1/2" pieces
salt, for sprinkling 
2 oz seasoned tofu pieces cut into 1/2" pieces
black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp Braggs liquid animos
lettuce leaves as dividers

Heat the oil in a wok/skillet and add the spring onion and ginger, stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until the oil is fragrant. Turn the heat up to the highest setting and add the peppers to the pan. Stir-fry with a spatula or long chop sticks. Sprinkle with some salt - this drives out the moisture from the vegetables and makes them cook more quickly. (Reds notes - I omitted this step) Continue to stir-fry for 4-5 minutes or until the peppers are cooked. 

Push the vegetables to the side of the pan and add the tofu to the exposed bottom. Leave for a couple of minutes and then stir into the vegetables. Cook for a further two minutes. Then stir in the Braggs and season generously with freshly cracked black pepper. 

Turn the stir-fry out onto a cold plate to cool quickly. When cooled, using a lettuce leaf as a divider, pack into your Bento box. 

Instant Cabbage & Cucumber Pickles

 
Instant Cabbage & Cucumber Pickles    Serves 3-4
(Recipe adapted from The Just Bento Cookbook/Itoh)

8 small savoy cabbage leaves
2" piece of cucumber, sliced into thin rounds
1/2 tsp sea salt (I used Himalayan)
large squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Cut the tough vein out of the centre of the cabbage leaves, and slice into strips. Sprinkle the cabbage and cucumber with the sea salt and massage the veggies until they begin to go limp. Let rest for at least 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice 

Squeeze out any excess moisture before packing into your Bento box. (Reds notes: I took Itoh's advice and used a silicone divider to set my pickles into. So much easier) The pickles can be eaten straight away or stored in your fridge for 3-4 days. 

The crunchy Bento layer ~ Instant pickles, blanched broccoli spears, fresh vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, radish tulips and raw almonds.

  
Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by folks and I hope your week gets off to a good start...

~Red~

NB: These recipes are not my creation. They adapted from The Just Bento Cookbook by Mikiko Itoh. The original recipes are her hard work and creation and I take no credit for them whatsoever. I do send out thanks for such an inspirational cookbook. ~R~
  

Caleb's Spring Vegetable Stir-Fry with Lemon Ginger Sauce (vegan & gluten free)

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Tchaikovsky ~ Francessa De Rimini 

Well as the saying goes...what goes up...must come down! And that I certainly did...I lost Wednesday and Thursday this week to the pain. I make no excuses for it because when it gets that bad I have no other option but to simply exist. Today is a little better and I am hopeful it will keep going that way. This morning I was able to make a hastily thrown together savoury pancake, packed with courgette and broccoli, for my breakfast. And through sheer bloody mindedness I made today's posting recipe for my evening meal. Thankfully Caleb's recipe is very quick to make and before my internal batteries died again I had a pan of beautifully cooked spring vegetables in a divine smelling sauce. 

I found this recipe by chance when checking out a Pin posted recipe from Caleb's website twopeasandtheirpod.com I really enjoyed my visit to the website and when this recipe popped up I knew I had to print it off for testing out. For the original recipe with photo instructions simply click here...

This sauce recipe spoke to me because it wasn't laden with vinegars which I am trying to avoid. And I was intrigued by the cooking method. As I only had a few pencil thin asparagus at hand I added some beautiful green beans to help bulk it out. And the only other adaption was that I used Braggs Liquid Animos instead of Tamari or Soy Sauce. The making of this zesty and interesting dish was very simple. The hardest part for me was juicing a bag of very stubborn lemons...6 lemons to make 4 tbsps of fresh juice! lol. From prepping my sauce and veggies to completed cooking time took me all of 15 minutes. I know that I am a speedy chopper but believe me..today I am not! As the sauce thickened in my wok my veggies were cooked to a perfect tender-crisp texture. I had a sample test serving once it was cooked and I will be enjoying some more tonight with my trusty brown rice. I really enjoyed the crisp spring veggies in their lemon fresh but slightly savoury sauce. What a great recipe...thanks to all at twopeasandtheirpod.com.

Spring Vegetable Stir Fry with Lemon Ginger Sauce

Spring Vegetable Stir Fry with Lemon Ginger Sauce  Serves 4
(Recipe by twopeasandtheirpod.com)

For the Lemon Ginger Sauce:

1/2 cup low sodium veggie stock
2 tbsp tamari/soy/Braggs
2 tbsp water 
1 tsp sesame oil
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp cornstarch/flour

For the Stir Fry:

1 tbsp olive oil 
1 large bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 2" pieces
2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed
2 spring onions, cut into 2" pieces
1 large handful of green beans, trimmed, cut into 2" pieces
1 (8oz) can water chestnuts, drained
salt and black pepper to taste

rice or quinoa (Caleb's chosen accompaniment) 

First, make the Lemon Ginger Sauce. In a small bowl whisk together broth, tamari, water, sesame oil, lemon juice, ginger and garlic. Whisk in the cornflour/starch, making sure there are no lumps. 

In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil over a high heat. Add in the asparagus, peas, spring onions and water chestnuts. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and stir fry until the vegetables are tender, but still crisp, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. The sauce will thicken as the stir fry cools.

Serve the stir fry over quinoa or rice, if desired. You can also eat the stir fry plain. 

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Friday is a great one...

~Red~

NB: This is not my recipe and therefore I take no credit for it whatsoever. It is the hard work and creation of Caleb @ twopeasandtheirpod.com and his alone. I send thanks out for sharing such a great recipe. ~R~

 

Mixed Veggies with Cashews

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Luke Morley ~ El Gringo Retro Album

Now I like a good stir fry. I couldn't eat them everyday, much to Trustworthy's shock and horror. But I do enjoy them as long as the ingredients are fresh and the flavourings are perfect. Not fussy am I? lol So when in one of our local frozen food stores lately and I was busy cruising the veggies aisle...I found a packet of 'oriental stir fry' mix. It claimed to make a stir fry that was fresher than a fresh one. Hmmmmmm...it was 75p so we decided to buy one to try.

I had also found a recipe in my local supermarket magazine for Mixed Veggies with Cashews that I wanted to try out. So it seemed it was meant to be. So ML set too, throwing things into a wok for me. We added some kale strips and some cabbage strips to the frozen mix as I'm an addict for leaves in stir fries.

I had mine with brown rice and I have to say with exception to the baby mangetout (not the biggest fan be they baby or adult touts! lol) in the mix I absolutely loved this stir fry. I enjoyed the many veggies in all the differing textures and flavours and I especially love the wholesome toasted cashew nuts as I crunched through them. I was very happy.

I would happily have this frozen mix again and will pick up a couple of packets to go into the freezer for those...last minute meals..nights. I don't mind picking out the mangetout...I miss being able to toss them over to ML to munch on. They come under the title 'death food' now. I have to say though I would drastically decrease the amount of oil used as I found it just too oily...I would cut the amount instructed easily by half...if not more. But that is purely my personal preference.

NB: Have to say we are having dark old days here in England so getting good light to take photos has been challenging so please forgive the quality of the photos? Thanks ~R~

Mixed Veggies with Cashews

Mixed Veggies with Cashews Serves 4
1 pkt of frozen stir fry mix;
bean sprouts, baby corn, baby mangetout, onion, carrot,
water chestnuts, bamboo shoots
2 leaves of Kale, shredded
2 leaves of white cabbage, shredded
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 knob of ginger, finely sliced

100g cashew nuts
2 tbsp veggie oil

1 tsp sugar
1 tsp light soy sauce/tamari
1 tsp dry sherry
5 tbsp veggie stock
1 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 tsp water
dash of sesame oil, to taste

Heat a wok over a high heat...and then add 1 tbsp of the oil to it, lower the heat and add the cashews and toast for 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the wok and stir fry the garlic and ginger for 1 minute.

Add the veggies and stir fry for 3-8 minutes depending on personal preference (Crunch factor! lol)

Add the sugar, soy, sherry and stock, stir in the cornflour mixture and simmer for 1 minute to thicken. Return the cashews to the wok, and season to taste with the sesame oil. Transfer to a serving dish and serve.

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by...

~R~