Iowa City Press-Citizen I choose to be a selective eater. My personal dietary choice is to be gluten- and sugar-free and I’m writing this to offer my thoughts and a couple of vegan recipes. As “selective eaters,” we are often considered “inconvenient guests.” It happens with family gatherings and […]
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Iowa City Press-Citizen
I choose to be a selective eater. My personal dietary choice is to be gluten- and sugar-free and I’m writing this to offer my thoughts and a couple of vegan recipes.
As “selective eaters,” we are often considered “inconvenient guests.” It happens with family gatherings and dinner with friends, as well as work-related events. I just want to say that while the food is important, it’s not nearly as important as the communion of family and friends. Don’t be afraid to cook out of your comfort zone, you won’t regret it!
I recently returned from an amazing trip to South Africa where my niece married a wonderful South African man. On the final night of wedding festivities, we were served bobotie, a meaty comfort food considered the national dish of South Africa. The fantastic mix of flavors, minced meat with fruit, curry and spice exploded in my mouth and I was fixated with making it vegan. My new nephew and Pinterest provided me with a great starting place, and I want to report that in my opinion, and in the opinions of my dinner guests, it does not need the meat. My recipe can be rich, savory, spicy, aromatic and zingy using lentils, tofu and spices. For more delicious recipes, check out Chef Marie Kacouchia’s new book “Vegan Africa.”
The recipe that follows is a compilation of existing recipes and my memory of the amazing flavors of solid South African home cooking. I served it with socca, a chickpea pancake from Nice, France.
Ingredient Note: I highly recommend using French lentils (lentil du Puy), but regular brown or green lentils will work. The dish definitely benefits from Mrs. Ball’s Hot Chutney. Both can be found on Amazon.
Vegan Bobotie (South African national dish)
Lentil filling
- 2 cups dried brown lentils, soak overnight (lentil du Puy are my favorite!)
- 2 slices of bread soaked in water
- 1 tablespoon oil of choice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (Annie’s Worcestershire is vegan; soy sauce also works)
- ½ cup water (if you do not soak lentils but cook them until tender, do not add 3 ½ cups water)
- ½ cup veggie stock
- 2 onions, finely diced
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 2 carrots, grated
Spices(measure out and stir together in small bowl so ready to add)
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- ½ tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. coriander
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme (1/2 tsp. dried)
- 2 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 tsp. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- ¼ - ½ cup Mrs. Ball’s fruit chutney (hot or regular, serve more on the side!)
- ½ lemon, juiced
- Salt and pepper to taste (I used 1 tsp. each)
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 1 tsp. brown sugar
Topping mixture
- 480g silken tofu (about 17 ounces or 1 ½ boxes)
- 1/3 cup plant milk
- 1/3 cup chickpea flour
- 1 tsp. turmeric
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 4-6 bay leaves for on top
Assembly
- Soak bread in water, squeeze out excess after 5 minutes.
- Add oil to deep pan medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger, carrots and spices. Sauté until everything is slightly browned, and onions are translucent.
- Add soaked bread and raisins, stir. Add lemon juice, chutney, water, stock, Worcestershire sauce and lentils. Bring everything to a boil and stir gently.
- Once boiling, turn down to simmer and cook until lentils are done and liquid has cooked away.
- Empty the pan mixture into a 9x13 pan and flatten the top with a spoon.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In blender, blend the milk, yeast, salt, chickpea flour, turmeric and tofu until it reaches a creamy consistency.
- Pour topping over the lentil mixture and top with bay leaves for extra flavor.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, the topping should be golden brown.
- Serve with yellow rice and more chutney.
Socca (Provençal Chickpea Flatbread)
Ingredients
- 1 cup garbanzo bean flour (aka chickpea flour)
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup water
- 3 ½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
- Extra olive oil for brushing
- Extra pepper for sprinkling
Instructions
- Whisk together garbanzo bean flour, salt and pepper. Pour in the water and continue to whisk until the batter is smooth. Add 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil and whisk to combine. Let sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes or up to several hours.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Heat a 12-inch heavy oven-proof frying pan (cast iron is great) and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook the onion until deeply caramelized (I added a small pinch of sugar to enhance the caramelization.) Add the chopped rosemary and cook for another minute. Spread this mixture evenly around the pan and remove from heat.
- Pour the chickpea batter over the onion mixture. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the socca is firm, the edges are set, and it is golden in color. Next, brush the socca with some additional olive oil and place under the broiler for another minute or two until well browned and just beginning to scorch in a few places.
- Cut into wedges and serve immediately while hot.
Melanie Von Spreecken learned to cook and enjoy international cuisine while living and working as a vocal music educator in international schools in Cairo, Dubai, and Myanmar. She continues to hone her culinary skills to the delight of her vegan friends. Send questions or comments to veganeasterniowa@gmail.com. Visit the Vegan Community of Eastern Iowa website at https://www.veganeasterniowa.org/ or join the group on Facebook or Meetup.
