Cooking for the Mood You Are In

Hope you are all enjoying the change in season. It feels like we skipped spring where I live and moved straight into summer. I am sure the spring weather is going to arrive though. It’s just hot right now. And I have a hot theme. Are any of you on Facebook™ and do you follow the Healthy Vegan Food with Veet page? We are having theme weeks over there and last week’s theme was a request for #moodfood. It was a good one. We covered vulnerable, content, grumpy, discombobulated, sensual and grateful. What do you like to cook when you are feeling any of those moods?

It is a great self inquiry of what foods you reach for depending on your mood and which foods satisfy you more depending on your mood. For example when I am feeling angry I can easily grab for foods that I know do a disservice to my body like processed vegan cheese or packets of crisps. However when I really tune in and go and make myself a big salad as soon as I see the lettuce my grumps subside.

It is actually a great inquiry to do with children to see if they can work out any of their patterns around which foods they grab for and which foods actually make them feel good.

And now I continue writing this blog a few days later and the weather has changed and it is cold and I feel a little melancholy as I really miss being in India and wonder when I will get there again. Then I think that it is often Indian food that makes me feel really satisfied and actually it is seventeen blog posts ago that I last posted an Indian recipe. So here I share with you a true dish of comfort food originating in the north of India but following Vegan Richa’s lead on fusion Indian I have added some coconut cream. And served it with a dhal soup.

This is truly a celebration recipe so make it for your loved ones and celebrate whatever mood you may find yourself in. I am celebrating this recipe too as it is the first time in the twenty years I have been cooking Indian food that I have been game enough to make up my own spice blend. Normally I follow the guide of many different fabulous Indian chefs but this time I just went for it and followed my intuition and wisdom and I feel I have created an absolute winner. My melancholy turned to full on content and satisfaction.

Enjoy this recipe everyone.

Biriyan Mullumbi

Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice

¼ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp salt

2 tbsp pistachios or cashews

1 tbsp currants

Big sprig coriander

1½ cups finely diced carrot

½ cup finely diced red capsicum

1 cup peas

1½ cups finely shredded kale

½ cup mushrooms diced small

1 can coconut cream

2 tbsp lemon juice

Mullumbi Spice Mix Ingredients

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp nigella seeds

1 tsp arjwain seeds

½ tsp cardamom powder

½ tsp cinnamon powder

¼ tsp turmeric powder or 1 tsp freshly grated turmeric

6 pepper corns

½ tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp grated ginger

1 large garlic clove minced

1 tsp salt

Method

In a saucepan place the rice, turmeric, salt and two cups of water. Bring the rice to the boil then simmer for 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit.
Meanwhile place the Mullumbi spice mix in a wok and fry on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Then transfer to a blender twith the lemon juice and ¼ cup water and blend until smoothish.
Add this back to the wok and throw in all of the veg except the mushrooms and add ½ cup water. Cook for 8 mins and then add the mushrooms for a further 3 mins or until all veg is cooked (but not overcooked). Add the coconut cream and simmer for a couple of minutes.
Toast the nuts until a little brown.
Layer half of the curry in a baking dish then top with half of the rice, then the rest of the curry then the rest of the rice. Sprinkle on the nuts and raisins and place in a 180°C for 10 minutes or until warmed through. Serve with the coriander garnish.

# If you make this recipe please share on facebook or instagram to #veetsvegancookingschool

After announcing last week that the cooking courses will run again next year I have had quite a few enquiries. There are still places left in all courses and it is exciting to be starting them up again. So do consider thinking ahead and booking in so as not to miss out.

Private Cooking Classes

Book into a private cooking class; come on your own, with a beloved, with a family member or with some friends.

Three Day Vegan Cooking Courses

The Three Day Cooking Course will recommence in 2021, I can’t wait.

Vegan Chef Training

The Vegan Chef Training will go ahead from April to June 2021.

The hall and guest facilitators are booked and we are going ahead. There are presently only 4 places left for the full Vegan Chef Training. This training is for professional and home use.

And wait for it .....

Also had an exciting week last week as I did some of the rehearsals for the online course that will be launched in November.

Online Course

In mid November there will be an online course called:

'Cooking at Home With Veet'

Be the first to hear about it and sign up to the Upcoming Courses Newsletter

Make sure you are signed up to the Upcoming Courses newsletter page as that’s the first place I will announce the course and there will be a considerable discount offered via that announcement.

The course will have over 8 hours of video. It will be packed with so many gems and tips and showing you how easy it is to make really delicious wholesome vegan food. I can’t wait to cook with you all out there. It is different to the face to face courses so you can opt to do both the online and the face to face course.

To be sharing this all with you from my kitchen to yours is much more than I could have ever dreamed of.

Have a great week everyone.

With gratitude Veet

Categories:Mains

Tags:rice carrots capsicum pistachios Coconut Cream