Book review
Bish bash bosh
By Henry Firth and Ian Theasby
Published by HQ. RRP$35
Known as the "vegan Jamie Olivers," the authors of Bish Bash Bosh have come up with a stylish book of 140 simple, tasty recipes that will please any vegan or anyone trying plant-based food for the first time.
If you just want to try a meal a week without meat, this book has all the know-how and inspiration you need.
Henry Firth and Ian Theasby come from digital marketing backgrounds and after becoming vegan, found that not only was there enough good vegan food around, but they also had to relearn how to cook.
So they posted their first video in 2016 and it had 3.5 million views within a week.
They shared the results of their search on plant-based lifestyle platforms with a resource that offered simple but delicious vegan recipes.
Neither are professionally trained chefs, but they’ve always been foodies and like to think of themselves as food-remixers, taking classic dishes that they enjoyed when they ate meat and dairy, and creating delicious vegan alternatives.
Their recipes are achievable and the ingredients are available at supermarkets.
Check out the recipes for a hearty, classic lasagna, an indulgent mini banoffee meringue, quick quesadillas and a tasty curry house jalfrezi, for a start.
Try these recipes.
CURRY HOUSE JALFREZI
The spicy and flavourful jalfrezi has now overtaken tikka masala as Britain’s favourite curry! This stock can be prepared in advance and frozen or kept in the fridge in an airtight container, so make a double batch to save time. Be sure to taste the curry as you go, to get the perfect balance, as spices can vary in intensity.
Serves 3–4
1 large aubergine
4 tbsp sunflower or olive oil
1 onion
1 red pepper
a small bunch of fresh coriander
5 green bird’s-eye chillies
12 cherry tomatoes
3 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
¼–2 tsp hot chilli powder
8 tbsp tomato purée
500g cooked basmati rice, or use
salt
For the stock
1 onion
5cm piece fresh ginger
5 garlic cloves
500ml + 1 tbsp water
½ fresh red chilli
3 cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp sunflower or olive oil
¼ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground fenugreek
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp paprika
Preheat grill to 200°C.
Trim the aubergine and cut it into 2cm chunks.Spread over the baking tray.
Sprinkle with 2 tbsp oil and a good pinch of salt. Toss to coat.
Grill for 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove when golden brown all over but not burnt.
Meanwhile, make the stock.
Peel and finely chop onion. Peel ginger by scraping off the skin with a spoon and grate. Peel and grate garlic.
Put ginger and garlic into a bowl and mix with 1 tbsp water to make a paste
Finely chop red chilli and tomatoes. Place a saucepan on medium heat and pour in the oil. Add onion and sauté for 5 mins. Add a tsp of the ginger and garlic paste.
Add all the remaining spices and half the water and stir.
Simmer for 10 minutes, until browned and reduced.
Pour in the rest of the water, stir and transfer to the liquidiser.
Blend to a smooth liquid.
Clean out the pan.
To make the curry, peel and thinly slice onion. cut pepper in half and remove stem and seeds, then thinly slice.
Pick the leaves from coriander, finely chop stems and roughly chop leaves.
Slice two chillies thinly and quarter the tomatoes.
Pour remaining oil into clean saucepan, place over a high heat.
Add onion, pepper and sliced chillies and fry for 3 mins, stirring regularly.
Stir in chopped coriander stems and remaining ginger and garlic paste.
Add the curry powder, garam masala, ¼ tsp hot chilli powder, tomato purée, grilled aubergines and stock.
Taste and add more salt, garam masala and chilli powder, if needed. Stir in the tomatoes. Simmer gently for 10 mins, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened
Transfer to a serving dish.
Garnish with sliced remaining chillies and chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with hot rice.
SUSHI CUPCAKES
This is a fun take on sushi!
This novel technique allows you to exercise your creativity and create food that’s tasty, healthy and Instagram-worthy. Tag us in your photos with #sushicupcakes. We put hoisin sauce in the middle of our cupcakes, but you can add whatever you like. Wasabi and ginger is a great traditional accompaniment.
Makes 12
400g sushi rice
30ml rice vinegar
25g caster sugar
½ tsp salt
12 nori sheets
6 tsp hoisin sauce
black sesame seeds for sprinkling
To serve: pickled ginger, soy sauce and wasabi (optional)
For the vegetable toppings
1 red pepper
1 carrot
¼ cucumber
1 small avocado
10 fresh chives
5 radishes
Dipping sauce
sriracha chilli sauce
egg-free mayonnaise
Grease a baking tray with flavourless oil (vegetable or sunflower oil)
Cook the sushi rice, according to instructions on the packet, ensuring that it is dry and sticky when cooked
Put a saucepan on medium heat.
Pour in rice vinegar, sugar and salt and heat until sugar has dissolved.
Let it cool to room temperature, then pour over the cooked rice, gently stirring until all the liquid is absorbed.
Spread rice on the greased baking tray and let cool to room temperature, when it should be dry but sticky.
Stack the nori sheets and lay a saucer on top.
Cut around it to make nori circles.
Cut a neat, straight slit from the centre of the circle to the outer edges.
Take one circle and fashion into a cone that is roughly 8cm wide at the base.
Wet your finger and lightly brush along the slit to stick it in place.
Put the cone into one of the holes of a 12-hole muffin tin.
Repeat to fill all the muffin holes.
Wet your hands and roll a golf ball-sized ball of rice.
Poke a hole in the centre and pour in ½ tsp hoisin sauce.
Pack more rice over the hole to seal in the sauce.
Smooth the outside and place in one of the nori muffin cases. Repeat to fill all cases.
Prepare toppiings.
Cut the pepper in half, remove stems and seeds, thinly slice.
Peel carrot and cut into matchsticks, thin rounds or ribbons.
Cut the cucumber in the same way.
Halve and carefully remove seed from avocado and slice finely.
Chop chives, trim and thinly slice radishes.
Make a quick dipping sauce by stirring sriracha into the egg-free mayonnaise to taste.
Decorate your sushi cupcakes with the prepared vegetables and sprinkle them with black sesame seeds.
Serve with soy sauce, wasabi, pickled ginger and dipping sauce on the side .
