Creative and intuitive cooking is something very close to our hearts in the Ambrosia Cafe. We have already written a post on the topic, and will again encourage you all to take some inspiration and gather your courage to play around with food, and having fun while you cook!
The last week has been busy, and full of the unexpected for all of us in the crew. For myself, I am struggling with a heavy workload in my daily job, and when I go to bed at night my head doesn’t stop spinning, before I just crash completely into sleep. Honestly, even cooking feels like an excessive and tiresome task. But luckily, we all have our go-to recipes, that is almost impossible to mess up, and that requires very little active work. So today, I thought it would be nice to share one of my favorites in this department, Thai Inspired Red Curry!
From "An Ode to Creative and Intuitive Cooking":
To me, the act of cooking has a healing effect in itself. When I am overwhelmed by the hurdles of life, and feeling under the weather or unstable, making time for a creative moment of cooking has such a soothing effect. Focusing on the vibrant colors of the food, the smell of the different spices, the heat of the pan making my face a little sweaty... It is like the everyday life steps away for a little moment, and all that matters are the produce I have to work with. It is a wonderful form of meditation.
What is so wonderful about this dish, is that you can make it with some very basic stable ingredients, that most adventurous cooks usually have around. You can simply use what veggies you have at hand, as long as you have the basics of coconut milk and red curry paste. Heck, you can even use green or yellow curry, if that is what you got. Pair it up with rice or noodles, and if you haven’t got that, enjoy it as a soup as it is. The options are really endless, and it is a perfect dish to experiment with, to get exactly the flavors you would like.
Cooking time: 10 - 30 minutes
Serves: 3 - 4 for dinner
~ The ingredients I used today ~
6 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
½ Red Chili, finely chopped
A good chunk of fresh Ginger
1 big tbsp Red curry
1 big tbsp Smooth peanut butter
2 handfuls Champignon, in quarters
300gr frozen Wok mix
300gr frozen Long green beans
2 cans of Coconut milk
200gr Tofu, cubed
Sunflower oil
Soy Sauce
Lemon juice
Rice
~ How to do it ~
If you are using rice or noodles, prepare them according to the instruction given on the pack. Heat up some oil in a pan, and fry up the tofu on medium/high heat until firm and a little crispy. While rice/noodles and tofu get ready, you can get going with the curry!
Start off by heating up the oil in a large casserole and toss in your chili, ginger and garlic. Let it sizzle for a minute or two. Add in the red curry, peanut butter and soy sauce, and let it sizzle for a couple of more minutes, until you have a thick kind of “sauce” going on in there.
Add in the mushrooms and let them fry together with the sauce until they are a bit cooked, but still firm. When the mushrooms feel ready, add in all the frozen vegetables and let it all fry on medium – high heat for around five minutes with a little bit of stirring every now and then. When the vegetables are defrosted but still crunchy, pour in the coconut milk, and let it simmer on low/medium heat for at least 5 – 10 minutes for the flavors to blend. Sprinkle with lemon juice and adjust after your own taste buds.
Now, as mentioned, this can be varied again and again, with new ingredients every time! Pretty much any vegetable goes, frozen or fresh. The most important thing is that they get cooked a little, but still has a little bit of crunch and bite to them. The peanut butter gives it a bit of a deeper and creamier sauce, but is technically no necessity. Sometimes I use a lot of fresh herbs and spring onions. Especially Thai basil and Kaffir Lime Leaves are really awesome in this! If you want it like a thinner soup, just add in some vegetable stock together with the coconut milk. Switch out the lemon juice with lime for a fresher experience. I think you catch my drift.. play around, have fun, and find your own special variety that fits you perfectly!
When you're ready with a nice bowl of curry, cuddle up with a thick blanket and take a deep breath, before you dig in a simple and delicious meal.
We are 'Ambrosia ~ vegan food and herbal healing.'
A small group of passionate beings with a burning desire to both share and gain more wisdom about nature, our bodies, and how they connect.
With our traveling vegan cafe, we are looking to accomplish many things, you can read more about our vision in our introduction post.
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