Notes from the Darkside

Picked two new books to add to the rotation, I've also menu planned for the next three weeks while I await the start date for my new job. I'm waiting to see what my hours are like before I plan anything then.

The books I picked are Vegan Street Food: Foodie Travels from India to Indonesia by Jackie Kearney and Bake and Destroy: Good Food For Bad Vegans by Natalie Slater. Two very different books from each other.

Vegan Street Food

Jackie Kearney was a finalist on the UK Masterchef in 2011, I don't watch Australian Masterchef so what can I tell you about Masterchef? Basicially that it exists, that's the extent of my knowledge on it.

I picked this because a) this is the regions my favourite foods come from, b) I've always wanted to try more from this book, c) Jackie Kearney has a second book coming out later this year on world cuisine which I'm excited to see and d) when you talk comfort food for me this is it, foods inspired from Indian and South East Asian cuisine are what I want. My new job is in a brand new just been built building so there's been some stressors involved with the whole waiting to start and impending start processes.

The recipes I picked are things I've been trying to find a version of that I like, I struggle with Dals. Things I've seen on cooking shows, like the hoppers. Things I hoped to try while I was traveling and never got a chance to like the Banh Mi. Or things that involve a new cooking skill, like the steamed buns.
And with the curries, because I have eaten versions of them out and really want to have a go at recreating them at home.

• The Hungry Gecko's Dal Masala - Yellow Dal with Eggplant
• Green Jackfruit Vindaloo
• Banana & Date Lassi
• Wedding Hoppers - Fermented Coconut Pancakes
• Gaeng Keow Wan - Traditional Thai Green Curry
• Banh Mi Buddha - Vietnamese Stuffed Baguette with Gochujang Tofu, Roasted Mushroom Pate and Pickled Vegetables
• Nam Rom Kho To - Mushroom Claypot
• Buddha's Tapas - Hoisin Mock Duck & Chilli-Bean Tofu Lettuce Cups with Steamed Flower Buns
• Vegetarian Mee Rebus - Sweet Potato & Soy Bean Noodle Curry
• Hungry Gecko Jungle Curry - Country Vegetable Curry with Tempeh (This version is based on the Indonesian style rather than the Thai one, so might be slightly different to what I've had.)

Bake and Destroy

Quite a lot of vegan cook books are written by American authors, no matter how many American cook books I read I still find American food foreign exotic unusual different unfamiliar. Where Asian food feels familiar in a way as if I grew up eating it, American food is as alien to me as the cuisines of a European or Middle Eastern country.

Bake and Destroy certainly covers the quirky aspects of American food that I'm intrigued by, it also has fun little cartoon drawings through out the book which makes me love flicking through it. I delved a lot into the breakfast chapter, most days I have a smoothie for breakfast, I will admit to being a rabid convert these. I decided one day a week to have a breakfast that required a bit more time and effort, something a bit fancier than a glass of liquid.

A huge influence on my food is things I see on television or read in books, like that episode of Seinfeld about the muffins. And the struggle to get rid of the muffin stumps after they cut the tops off to sell by themselves. One day while strolling through the supermarket I saw they had muffin top tins, I bought the tin. I had no idea how I would make muffins in it at the time but knew I would eventually find a recipe. (I did courtesy of another American vegan cook book.)
Another food item that always peaked my interest was a story Bill Bryson wrote about going to the supermarket with his wife shortly after they moved back to America. He was talking about the odd food products he found in the supermarket and the ones that found the way into the trolley for him to try. The most memorable for me was a breakfast pizza. What? I mean I've eaten leftover pizza for breakfast...

• Orange Juice Granita
• Arnold Palmer Granita
• Double Soy Latte Granita (I no longer drink caffeinated coffee, so this will be decaf.)
• Breakfast Pizza (I suspect Bill Bryson's one didn't have scrambled tofu on it.)
• Candy Bar Smoothie
• Yeah, It's a Green Smoothie
• Whole Wheat Choco-Coconut Donuts
• You Don't Know Jack Hash
• Taco Lasagna
• Samosa Potpie
• Baked Potato Spring Rolls

And because I'm making soup to Feed the Freezer* with, I wanted something stashed in there to pull out and have with the soups.

• Stuffin' Muffins
• Crouching Cornbread, Hidden Broccoli 

*Feed the Freezer, I'm trying to build up a stash of meals that I can just pull out, reheat and eat on busy days. Soup is excellent for this as a single serving thaws/reheats super quick, essential when you come home late and are slightly feral.