Category: Vegan

Kumy’s Spicy Rustic Spaghetti Sauce

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Kumy first made this Spaghetti sauce in August of 2011 and he’s made variations ever since.  It’s a spicy, rustic sauce that’s delicious on pasta.

1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil
5 small tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper seeded, and cut into four pieces
pinch of Sage
1/4 tsp Rosemary
1/4 tsp Thyme
3/4 tsp Basil
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Parsley

Heat oil, and add garlic in. Saute garlic for a couple minutes and add the chopped tomatoes and all the rest of the spices. Cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Serve over pasta sauce with Parmesan cheese.

Kumy’s Hindu Aloo (Potatoes)

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This is a wonderful, tangy, spicy golden potato dish with fresh cilantro and jalapenos. Really quick and amazingly good – one of Kumy’s specialties.

Kumy’s auntie, Shirin Auntie was an especially good cook, and such a lovely person. So was her husband, Chotu Uncle, and I miss them. (Story about them below.)  She taught Kumy how to make this dish.

When I asked him about the name, he said Shirin Auntie grew up in Bombay and learned this vegan dish from  a Hindu neighbor.  Aloo means potato, and anyone who has had these potatoes says they are “Kamal!”  (Amazing!)

4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cubed in 1″ cubes (we like Yukon Gold)
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
fresh ginger, peeled with a spoon and sliced very thinly (about 1.5 tsp)
3/4 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1 jalapeno, sliced in half, seeds removed
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
2 lemons, juiced
4 jalapenos, held by stem, and cut twice from bottom
1 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Boil potatoes in salted water until they are soft. Drain and squeeze lemon juice over them. Heat oil in a frying pan, and add garlic, ginger and mustard seed, frying for 2 minutes. Add cumin seed, 1 sliced jalapeno, turmeric and salt and saute for just a few moments. Add the boiled potatoes and lemon juice and stir gently. You want to blend everything nicely without crushing the potatoes. Take the 4 jalapenos which have been partially cut and gently push them into the potatoes. Garnish with the cilantro. Serve with extra lemon juice.

Chotu Uncle and Shirin Auntie lived in a house with a beautiful garden – filled with beautiful plants in enormous sizes, and they loved cats and kept one as a pet, which was quite unusual. I always loved visiting them and seeing their garden.  

Later, they moved into a very nice apartment in the Royal Apartments.  One of my favorite memories was when they’d left the laundry room window open one day, and a mother bird began to build her nest just inside the window.  

They were so enchanted that they let her build the nest and raise her babies there – watching the progress with bated breathed, and tip-toeing in and out so as not to disturb them.  How could you not love someone like that?

Kumy’s Daal

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Of course Kumy is a wonderful cook, if he ever cooks. He has been known to add red pepper flakes, extra black pepper and garlic to just about anything, which guarantees that it will be delicious.

But this is a very traditional Pakistani dish – true everyday food. Daal means lentils and there are dryer versions and soupier versions. This one is soupier and should be served with rice.  If you really want to jazz it up, you can also use a good mango chutney as a condiment.

1 1/2 cans of diced tomatoes
6 whole dry red peppers (the long skinny kind)
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp salt

Heat oil in a large saucepan, and add dry red peppers, salt and tomatoes. Cook 10-15 minutes on low heat.

2 cups daal, rinsed and drained
1 tsp turmeric
10 cups of water

Add to pan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.

2 Tbsp oil
6 dry red peppers
3 smashed garlic cloves
2 tsp whole cumin seeds

Heat oil in a small frying pan. Add peppers, garlic and cumin seeds and saute quickly, about 1 or 2 minutes. (This is called a “Bagaar”.)

Pour the oil and spices over the daal and stir to blend it. Check seasonings and serve.

Oaxacan Rice & Beans

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Made this for the 2009 block party.  It’s a good dish for a picnic or outdoor gathering, because it’s good warm or at room temperature.

1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 4 oz. can diced green chillies
1 jalapeno, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil

Heat oil in a medium-sized pan. Saute veggies for 7-8 minutes or until carrots and onions are softened.

1 cup rice, washed and drained
2 1/4 cups chicken broth (use veggie broth for a vegan version)
1 tsp salt
1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1″ diagonal slices (frozen is fine, too.)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained.

Add rice to the veggie mix and cook 3-4 minutes. Add salt and chicken stock, cover and reduce heat. Cook 15 minutes. Add in green beans and black beans, cover and cook another 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and blend gently.

Asian Cabbage Slaw

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Simple and delicious – great for a picnic.  Great side with grilled chicken.

2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp oil
2 tsp sugar
pinch salt

Mix in a large bowl

3-4 cups cabbage, sliced thin
1/2 cup grated carrots
1 cup cilantro, chopped
4 scallions, cut into 2″ pieces, and slivered into “matchsticks”
1/2 jalapeno, split, deseeded and minced

Dump all veggies into the bowl and toss well.

Caitlin’s Supreme Pesto

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Caitlin made this amazing Pesto tonight and since I’ve never made Pesto, I asked her to write down the recipe.  She said she makes it a lot and always tweaks the recipe based on what she has on hand.  The price of pine nuts has always scared me away from making Pesto, so I’m delighted that you can use any nuts!  This one was a doozy – thanks for sharing it!

1 handful of basil
1 handful of cilantro
4 cloves fresh garlic
1 cup mixed nuts – any nuts
1/2 to 1 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup parmesan
big pinch of salt
lots of freshly ground black pepper

Pour all in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until you get a consistency you like. Add more salt to taste.

Put on everything and enjoy!  (We had it on “Some Enchanted Crackers” from Trader Joe’s which has somehow morphed into “Magic Crackers.” They’re good and the Pesto is delish!)

Ali made a batch right after Caitlin to use up odds and ends in the fridge, and promised me his recipe, too. I’ll add his recipe here and you can try both.

Texas Caviar with Avocados

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We had this at our friend Dot and Johns’s New Year’s Eve party and I couldn’t stay away from it. It’s a wonderful appetizer, especially for me since I find appetizers challenging.

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup jalapenos, seeded and diced
1 cup Italian salad dressing
dash of cayenne pepper
2 avocados, diced

Mix all above and serve with scoopy corn chips.

Orange Couscous Salad

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Great for picnics, potlucks and block parties – this salad is delicious at room temperature, and it makes a lot.  I used to make this often for the 58th Street Block Party – which has been an annual event since the early 1940s!

Making this for the Fourth of July with one variation:  I’m sauteeing the onions in a little olive oil because neither Kumy or Maya like the flavor of raw onions.  It’s still a good flavor in the salad and then nobody has to pick bits out

2 cups boiling water
3/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cup couscous

Blend together in a large bowl, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.

1 can 16 oz. chickpeas, washed and drained
1-2 cups mandarin oranges

drained
1/2 cup diced red onions
1/2 cup golden raisins

Add to the couscous.

1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbs orange zest (grated orange peel – just the orange part)
1/8 cup orange juice (I add the juice of one whole orange)
1 Tbsp minced fresh chives
1 tsp salt

Blend in a little bowl and pour over the couscous mixture. Blend gently and refrigerate for an hour. Can be served cold or at room temperature and tastes even better the next day.

Tayebba Auntie’s Peas

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Kumy’s aunt, Tayebba Auntie is another amazing cook, and she taught me this recipe when we were living in Karachi. It’s zingy and delicious.

1 lb. English peas in shell, soaked for 15 minutes in cold water and then drained
2 Tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp whole cumin
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp crushed ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp)
1/8 cup water
juice of 1/2 lemon

Heat oil on medium heat in a frying pan, and saute cumin for a couple of minutes until lightly brown. Mix garlic, ginger, pepper, salt and water in a bowl, and add to frying pan. Cook for a minute and add the peas. Shake well, reduce heat and cover. Cook 15 – 20 minutes. Squeeze lemon juice over peas just before serving.