It's not actually a spice. It's a dish. Threw together and loved how it came out, so I thought I'd share. To be fair, I was half-thinking of sharing before I knew how it would come out. I don't just go about taking random photos of chopped onions. Do you?
Anyway.
As I mentioned, it's a slap-up sort of situation, so really under "What you'll need" the best answer would be "what you have in the fridge" or "whatever you feel in the mood for".
What I used
- one zucchini;
- about 180-200g white mushrooms;
- 1/4 red onion;
- garlic to taste;
- olive oil and/or butter;
- tomato sauce;
- coconut milk;
- parmesan, chili sauce, sweet chili powder, sour cream - optionals, to taste.
What I did
... was extremely easy. I just chopped everything, then heated up a small mixture of olive oil and butter in a non-stick pan for 3-4 minutes, until it was cooked but not burned. Low-medium fire.
Next, I added the zucchini and mushrooms, salted them, and covered them. You don't necessarily have to, they cook just as well without, but personally I like the steam it creates and that it lets them sit in their own juices, so to speak, for a few. I let that go for about 7-10 minutes. Maybe more, maybe less, slightly higher fire. I was cooking something else in the meanwhile so I didn't keep too close an eye on the clock. But you'll generally know - mushrooms cook pretty quickly, and when the zucchini has turned a little darker and softened, you'll know it's time to move to the next bit.
Now, the next bit. I added some tomato sauce and coconut milk, again using my own eyes as measure. Generally, you can use only a little to give it a taste, or a lot if you want it to be extra saucy.
I let simmer for another few (5?) minutes or so. As the dish neared completion, I supplemented it with a little more coconut milk, grated parmesan, sweet chili powder and a little bit of chili sauce to give it some extra kick. Feeling a little spicy, and as it turned out, it was not the wrong choice at all, as it really complemented the natural sweetness of the veggies, tomato, and coconut mix.
These are all add-ons for flavor that you can use or skip depending on availability and/or personal taste. I also splashed a couple of spoonfuls of shredded coconut, and finally, when serving, I added a dollop of sour cream.
Again, this can easily be a vegan dish if you skip the sour cream and parmesan. It came out extremely tasty, though watch it with the chili - too much and it will overpower the other flavors. You know your own mouth better than I do. I should hope.
It didn't take more than 20-ish minutes to cook and yielded two servings, which was perfect (as a side). It was fun enough to cook/play around with the ingredients. So you know, might wanna give it a try. :)
