I spent the Central Asian holiday 'Nauryz' with my dear friends Slava and Vika this year, who happen to be currently based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. They greeted me with a literal feast on my first of three days in town. We started by eating tofu cutlets, which they served with chopped radishes, lettuce, soba noodles, and spicy Korean pepper sauce.  They got the idea for the cutlets from a Japanese restaurant in Bishkek and created them at home; the side dishes were already a sort of Korean fusion as their own inspiration. I decided to try the cutlets myself upon returning home. They were easy to make, quick to cook, and taste absolutely delicious! Here's my version:



Tofu cutlets (serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 small block of tofu, preferably the silken or soft kind
1/2 a carrot and 1/2 a small zucchini, grated finely
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated finely
1/4 cup celery, chopped finely 
2 tablespoons each of chickpea flour and regular wholewheat flour 
Fresh herbs to taste - dill, cilantro, parsley 
Spices to taste - I used black pepper, salt, coriander, red pepper and a pinch of asafetida
1 teaspoon ground chia seeds mixed with 3 teaspoons hot water; let sit for 2-3 minutes to gel (this acts as a vegan way to bind ingredients!)

Method: 
Just mix all the ingredients in a bowl until the tofu is well blended with everything else, then form small cutlets with your hands. Fry in olive oil for about 2-3 minutes on each side. For people averse to deep fried dishes, you could probably cook these in the oven as well. That will be my next experiment.

I served the cutlets with sliced tomatoes and shredded spinach. They'd go very well next to soba noodles or rice too.  Use your favorite sauce as a side. Enjoy! 

Thank you to Vika and Slava for the inspiration! 

Healthy and Easy Vegan 'Pie'
Здоровый и легкий в приготовлении веганский пирог

We have started experimenting with more and more easy vegan recipes and this one is a hit!  All you need is a few ingredients and you're set.  Here they are:

3 potatoes, sliced thinly (by hand through a grater)
1/2 a head of cauliflower, sliced thinly
1/2 can of green or black olives, chopped finely
1/2 cup of chopped pumpkin (we buy already cut from Green Bazaar) 
2 large ripe tomatoes 
Your favorite fresh herbs - basil, dill, cilantro, mint
Salt, pepper, olive oil

Directions:

Brush the bottom of a pie pan with olive oil.  Coat the potatoes very lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper, and make them the bottom layer of your pie.  Next, add the cauliflower, olives and pumpkin.  Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of olive oil over this section of the pie.  Finally, in a blender, mix together the tomatoes with some of your favorite herbs, salt and pepper.  Coat the pie with the tomato layer.  Cook for at least 30 minutes on 180 C (350 F).  Once out of the over, add more fresh herbs to the top - your pie will look like a pizza!  This dish is perfect for a weekend brunch. Enjoy! 

Здоровый и легкий в приготовлении веганский пирог!

Мы начали экспериментировать с более и более простыми веганскими 
рецептами и этот рецепт стал хитом! Все, что Вам необходимо - это 
небольшой набор ингредиентов и можно начинать. Вот они:

3 картофелины, тонко порезанные (вручную, с помощью терки)
1⁄2 качана цветной капусты, тоже тонко порезанной
1⁄2 консервных банки черных или зеленых оливок, порезанных на кусочки
1⁄2 порезанной тыквы, можно взять готовую на Зеленом Базаре (Алматы)
2 больших созревших помидора
Ваши любимые свежие травы - базилик, укроп, кинза и мята
Соль, перец, оливковое масло.

Процесс:

Смажьте дно емкости для запекания пирога оливковым маслом. Смажьте 
тонким слоем масла порезанный картофель, добавьте туда соли и перца и 
выложите на дно посуды. Затем, добавьте цветную капусту, оливки и тыкву. 
Сверху побрызгайте оливковым маслом над новым слоем. Не больше 1 
столовой ложки. Последнии слой, в блендере смешайте вместе помидоры 
и травы, соль и перец. Запекайте как минимум 30 минут при температуре 
180 градусов по Цельсию. Как только достанете из духовки, добавьте 
больше трав сверху. Вам пирок будет выглядеть как пицца. Такое блюдо 
замечательно подойдет к бранчам на выходных. Приятного аппетита!

While this looks like quite a few ingredients, it's actually a very easy dish to make. The key is to follow the steps involved. Feel free to experiment and add other vegetables as well. That said, this combination is a good hit!  

Ingredients:

1 zucchini
1 red pepper
1 cup pumpkin
1.5 cups chickpeas (soak overnight then boil for 90 minutes before using in the recipe)
3-4 medium sized tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1/2 cup of nuts - peanuts, almonds, cashews all work well (or any mix of them) 
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
Pinch of asafetida
Salt to taste
Squeeze of lemon juice

Directions:

Chop the zucchini, red pepper and pumpkin into small chunks. Heat the oil in a large pan, then add the asafetida, cumin and coriander. Sauté for 30 seconds.  then add ginger and sauté another 30 seconds.  Add the zucchini, red pepper, and pumpkin, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Next, add the tomato paste and sauté another 3 minutes. 

Finally, blend the tomatoes, sugar and nuts in a blender. If the consistency is very thick, add a bit of water. Pour into the pan.  Add chickpeas and salt.  Stir occasionally. Once the tomato sauce is boiling, reduce to a low heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.   Before serving, squeeze a bit of lemon juice.  Optionally add fresh herbs to garnish. Enjoy! 

Looking for a new and original dish to serve your dinner guests? Try making this delicious vegetable pie!  Ingredients as follows:

Dough:
3 cups flour
1 cup warm water mixed with kefir or yoghurt 
(1/2 water, 1/2 kefir)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Tablespoon vegetable oil

Mix the dough ingredients together and knead by hand; put the dough in a plastic bag and store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, knead again.  Split into two halves, roll out for the pie once your other ingredients are ready.

Filling:
1 cup wild rice, cooked 
1/2 cup favorite herbs - we used dill, basil and cilantro
3 tablespoons sour cream or yoghurt
2 cups chopped pumpkin
2 carrots, finely shredded
Salt, pepper to taste 
1 tablespoon olive oil 
Handful of pine nuts (optional) 

Method: 
To prepare the filling, cook the wild rice and mix in the fresh herbs and half of the sour cream or yoghurt.
In another pan, heat the olive oil and then sauté the carrots and pumpkin together, adding a bit of water if necessary.  Add a dash of salt and pepper, cover and let cook on a low heat for 15-20 minutes.

Set the filling ingredients in bowls to slightly cool. 

Now lightly brush your pie pan with olive oil. Roll out the dough and spread the first layer in your pie pan. Then, layer your pie ingredients as such:  1 layer of carrots/pumpkin, then the second layer of wild rice with herbs, and finally the third layer of carrots/pumpkin.  Top the inside of the pie ingredients with an optional thin layer of sour cream/yoghurt, and optional herbs or pine nuts. Roll out the second layer of dough and cover your pie, sealing the layers.  Brush the top of the pie lightly with olive oil.

Put your pie in the oven at 180 Celsius (350 F) for 40 minutes. Optionally, at 35 minutes put another teaspoon of olive oil or butter over the pie and let cook for 5 more minutes.  

Serve with tomato sauce or sour cream and enjoy! This makes an excellent 2nd dish for a dinner party.  

This recipe takes its inspiration from the Indian dish 'palak paneer' -  a rich and delicious cheese dish in a creamy spinach sauce.  Without sacrificing the flavor, we wanted to create a vegan version that could act as a healthy main dish.  And here you have it! Instead of cream, this dish uses soy milk, and instead of cheese, we use tofu.  Try it and let us know what you think!

Ingredients:

1 package " Ясо" tofu cut into small squares
1 pack soy milk (available in Almaty, as with tofu, from veggie.kz)
1 large bunch of spinach
1 bunch cilantro
1 medium sized squash, cut into small squares
Splash of lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

Spices and more:

1 tablespoon coconut flakes
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/3 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/3 teaspoon turmeric
Pinch of asafetida and cinnamon
Salt and pepper

Method:

Heat the oil, add cumin seeds, turmeric, pinch of asafetida and cinnamon. Fry the spices for 30 seconds, add tofu and squash.  Stir fry for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.  In the meantime, mix the spinach, cilantro and soy milk in a blender or Magic Bullet. If very thick, add a bit of water.  Pour the green spinach mixture over the tofu and squash, let cook for at least 15 minutes on low heat stirring occasionally.  Finally, once you turn off the heat, add the coconut flakes, soy sauce and lemon juice.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with rice.