Month: August 2020

Baking/

Black Sesame Swirl Pound Cake

Slices of black sesame swirl pound cake stacked on top of each other on marble and wooden cutting boards with a light green background

Getting all my posts back up and edited yesterday I thought it was time for a celebration. And what better way to celebrate than with some cake?

Toni Tipton-Martin’s Jubilee

Since I’m a pretty shit baker, I’ve always wanted to learn to just make a basic cake. When I saw the recipe for pound cake in Toni Tipton-Martin’s Jubilee, I knew this was The One.

The cover of Jubilee by Toni Tipton-Martin

Toni Tipton-Martin has spent her career shedding light on the history of African-American cuisine and cooks. In Jubilee she brings together their stories and recipes for a compelling and hunger inducing read.

The book really does feel like a true celebration and is highly recommended reading for anyone who wants to understand more about the history of North American food.

Black sesame fiends and snack exchanges

I’ve been doing snack exchanges with Yone, who lives in Taiwan, for a while now. One of the things she’s sent me is black sesame paste. On my request, because I love black sesame and wanted to use it for baking.

And use it for baking I did.

A mess, some stress and then perfection

One of the things that intrigued me about Toni’s recipe is that you start the cake in a cold oven.

Turns out, if you add a fuck tonne of sesame paste to a recipe it’s not going to cook the same. During its time in the oven my black sesame swirl cake was looking a tad hopeless for a while, but I left it in until it was solid, which is a lot longer than Toni’s recipe, and in the end I cut into the most perfect moist and fluffy cake I’ve ever had.

So if you’re going to tackle this, have faith. It’s going to turn out alright.

Slices of black sesame swirl pound cake stacked on top of each other on marble and wooden cutting boards with a light green background

Black sesame swirl pound cake

Dorothy Porker
This recipe combines Toni Tipton-Martin's beautiful pound cake recipe from Jubilee with a black sesame swirl all the way from Taiwan.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 15 mins
Or 2 hrs 15 mins
Course Birthdays, Dessert
Cuisine African American, American
Servings 10

Equipment

  • Tube pan - 10"/ 25 cm
  • Small bowl
  • Big bowl
  • Stand or hand mixer
  • Spatula
  • Oven
  • Metal spoon
  • Wire rack

Ingredients
  

  • butter for the pan
  • 5 c - 380 gr all purpose flour plus extra dor dusting the pan
  • 1/2 t - 5 gr baking powder
  • pinch salt omit if using salted butter
  • 1 t - 5 ml vanilla extract
  • 8 oz - 230 gr butter room temperature
  • 1/2 c - 95 gr shortening
  • 5 c - 615 gr sugar
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 c - 250 ml whole milk
  • 4 oz - 125 gr black sesame paste loosened if caked together and drained from oil

Instructions
 

  • NOTE: do not preheat the oven. We will start heating the oven once the cake is in. This is different but I found it really works. Patience permitting.
  • Coat a 10" - 25 cm tube pan with butter and dust lightly with flour. I like to fridge mine while I make the batter so it really makes a strong coating.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together 5 c - 380 gr of all purpose flour with 1/2 t - 5 gr of baking powder and a pinch of salt.
  • Cream 8 oz - 230 gr of room temperature butter on medium speed in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer for 2-3 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula every so often as you go along.
  • Add 1/2 c - 95 gr of shortening and beat for another 2 minutes.
  • Now set your mixer to low and slowly beat in 3 c - 615 gr of sugar in three portions and then beat for an additional 5 minutes on medium until the batter is light and fluffy.
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add 5 eggs one by one. Until all the eggs have been fully incorporated and you're left with a light batter.
  • Now set your mixer to medium and add 1/3 of the flour mixture, incorporate, add 1/2 c - 125 ml of milk, incorporate, add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, incorporate, add 1/2 c - 125 ml of milk, incorporate and finally incorporate the final 1/3 of the flour mixture until the batter is just smooth.
  • Rinse out your smaller bowl and dry and move roughly half of your batter to this bowl.
  • Beat 4 oz - 125 gr of black sesame paste into the remaining batter on medium for 2 minutes or so until well incorporated. You can add more black sesame paste to taste if you like.
  • Lightly fold the plain batter back into the black sesame batter, 2 to 4 folds max, to get a little marbling going on.
  • Pour the cake batter into the pan and place in the middle rack of a cold oven.
  • Set the oven to 325掳 F/ 160掳 C and bake until the top is golden and a tooth pick comes out clean. Toni Tipton-Martin's recipe (without the sesame paste) should take around 1 hour and 15 minutes, where as my cake took about 2 hours and 15 minutes with the sesame paste incorporated.
  • Leave the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out on a wire rack to cool completely. Maybe cut yourself a slice cause it's really nice when it's still warm too.

Notes

This cakes keeps for around 1 week in an airtight container.
Keyword american cakes, black sesame, cake, pound cake

Zoek je dit recept in het Nederlands? Ga dan naar VetteSletten.nl voor zwarte sesam marmer cake.

Asian/

Vegan Cauliflower Tikka Masala

A close up of a white plate with blue trim with a portion of vegan cauliflower tika massala covered in some yoghurt and coriander on top. There are two bamboo handles sticking out of the food and a bowl of rice is in the background

NOTE: This is an older recipe, of which I cannot retrace when I originally posted it before聽the hack of my old domain name. Unfortunately this also means I can鈥檛 retrace where I originally found the inspiration for the recipe.聽

I’ve been overdoing it on the tofu so I decided for my final few days of Veganuary to switch to some veggie focused dishes.

I found this cauliflower tikka on Pinterest. It’s incredibly good and simple to prepare. I’ve adjusted it a little bit from the original recipe to allow for freezing.

What do I eat with vegan cauliflower tikka massala?

I like having mine with loads of extra coriander and some plain white rice, and maybe a dollop of (non-dairy) yoghurt. Though I won’t hold it against you if you have this with a nice and easy store-bought naan instead.

A close up of a white plate with blue trim with a portion of vegan cauliflower tika massala covered in some yoghurt and coriander on top. There are two bamboo handles sticking out of the food and a bowl of rice is in the background

Vegan cauliflower tikka masala

Dorothy Porker
Super easy, delicious and vegan cauliflower tikka masala.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main course
Cuisine Indian, Vegan
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Large skillet or frying pan with a lid
  • Blender

Ingredients
  

  • 1 T - 15 ml sunflower oil
  • 1/2 t - 2 gr mustard seeds
  • 1 onion diced
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2" - 7mm ginger peeled and finely grated
  • 1/2 jalapeno finely chopped, seeds removed for less heat
  • 3 tomatoes quartered
  • 1 red bell pepper stem and seeds removed, finely sliced
  • 3/4 c - 180 ml full-fat coconut milk
  • 1/2 c - 20 gr fresh cilantro +extra for garnish
  • 3/4 t - 3 gr garam masala
  • 1/2 t - 2 gr ground coriander
  • 1/4 t - 1 gr ground turmeric
  • 1/2 t - 2 gr ground cinnamon
  • 1 cauliflower cut into small florets
  • yogurt if using dairy-free, go for unsweetened - optional for serving
  • coriander optional for serving

Instructions
 

  • Once you have all your elements ready to cook, heat the sunflower oil in a large skillet before adding 1/2 t - 2 gr of mustard seeds. They should start sizzling as they hit the oil.
  • Let sizzle for 30 seconds or so before adding 1 diced onion, 6 minced cloves of garlic, 1/2" - 7 mm of grated ginger and 1/2 a diced jalapeno and turning down the heat to medium. Allow to cook gently, stirring occasionally to avoid browning, until the onions are soft.
  • Once the onion is soft, add the mixture to a blender with 3 quartered tomatoes, 1 finely sliced bell pepper, 3/4 c - 180 ml of coconut milk, 1/2 c - 20 gr fresh cilantro and the remaining spices and blend on high. I have to push my mixture down every once in a while to get everything well blended into a thick sauce.
  • This is where you can decide to freeze part of the sauce or just make all of it. It serves about 4 people, so I continue on with about one quarter of the sauce and 1/4 head of cauliflower.
  • To finish, move the sauce back to the skillet and bring to a boil. Leave to simmer, covered with a lid, for 10-15 minutes. Now add the cauliflower florets, and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Until the cauliflower is cooked and the sauce has reduced a little.
  • Serve with yogurt, coriander, naan, rice or whatever else tickles your fancy.

Notes

The prepped sauce keeps for up to 3 months in the freezer. Simply defrost and pick up the recipe from step 5.聽
Keyword easy vegan, indian recipe, vegan

Zoek je dit recept in het Nederlands? Ga dan naar Vette Sletten voor makkelijke vegan tika massala.

Sides/

Vegan Roast Vegetable Risotto

An overhead shot of vegan roast vegetable risotto surrounded by its ingredients

NOTE: This is an older recipe, of which I cannot retrace when I originally posted it before聽the hack of my old domain name. Unfortunately this also means I can’t retrace where I originally found the inspiration for the recipe.聽

As Veganuary draws to a close it’s gotten really fucking cold here and there is nothing more comforting than a good risotto on a cold winter’s day.

The secret is to stir motherf*cker

I know a lot of people don’t ‘believe’ in risotto without cheese or butter, but the creaminess of a good risotto comes from the starch in the rice, not from the cheese. So as long as you add enough other sources of umami and stir your ass off a creamy vegan risotto is totally achievable. This roast vegetable risotto is just one example of that.

What do I have with vegan roast vegetable risotto?

I have mine like this, with nothing else. If you have a bigger appetite a nice piece of bread and/ or a light green salad should do you nicely.

A close up of a white enamel bowl with blue trim filled with vegan roast vegetable risotto, surrounded by sun dried tomatoes, red onion and some cloves of garlic in the back

Vegan Roast Vegetable Risotto

Dorothy Porker
This risotto loaded with roast vegetables and made with tomato will leave you begging for more.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main course
Cuisine Italian, Vegan
Servings 2

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Roasting tray
  • Parchment
  • Measuring cup
  • Saucepan
  • Wooden spoon
  • Ladle

Ingredients
  

For the roast vegetables

  • 1 T - 15 ml olive oil
  • 11 oz - 300 gr cherry tomatoes
  • 2 red peppers roughly chopped
  • 1 large courgette cut length-ways and then sliced
  • pinch salt
  • pinch pepper

For the risotto

  • 1 c - 250 ml passata
  • 1 c - 250 ml vegetable stock
  • 1 T - 15 ml balsamic vinegar
  • 1 T - 15 ml olive oil
  • 4 shallots finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 8 oz - 225 gr arborio rice
  • 6 聽sun-dried tomatoes chopped into small chunks
  • fresh basil leaves to taste

Instructions
 

First roast the vegetables

  • Preheated an oven at 360掳 F/ 180掳 C.
  • Spread 11 oz - 300 gr of cherry tomatoes, 2 roughly chopped red peppers and 1 courgette halved and cut into slices in an even layer on some parchment paper on a baking tray, drizzled with olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper.
  • Roast for 30 minutes until soft.

Now make the risotto

  • Mix together 1 c - 250 ml of passata and stock with 1 T - 15 ml of balsamic vinegar in a large measuring cup.
  • Now to start your risotto, heat the remainder of the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan on a medium-low heat. Add the 4 finely chopped shallots and cloves of garlic and stir until they have become translucent.
  • Add 11 oz - 225 gr of arborio rice, and keep stirring continuously from here on out. Stirring releases the starches in the rice and is the absolute key to a good creamy risotto.
  • Once your rice is coated in olive oil and has started to go translucent, this should take 5 minutes or so, start adding your passata - stock mixture, one ladle at a time. You should not add more liquid until the previous ladle has been fully absorbed into the rice.
  • After 20 minutes or so, your rice should be soft and all the liquids should have been. You can now add 6 chopped sun-dried tomatoes and the pre-roast veg. Stir everything in gently so the vegetables hold together a little bit. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
  • Serve with fresh basil and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Notes

Once cooled down, reheated risotto is not very nice unless you roll it into balls, coat it in breadcrumbs and deep-fry it.聽
Keyword easy vegan, Italian food, risotto, vegan

Zoek je dit recept in het Nederlands? Ga dan naar Vette Sletten voor vegan geroosterde groenten risotto.

Asian/

Kimchijeon – Kimchi Pancakes

A stack of easy vegan kimchi pancakes on a stack of small black plates floating in space

NOTE: This is an older recipe, of which I cannot retrace when I originally posted it before聽the hack of my old domain name.

The cover of Lucky Peach presents 101 Easy Asian Recipes

I made my first batch of vegan kimchi during Veganuary and it was about to both hit its prime and go off on me at the same time. So I had to eat a bunch of kimchi. The horror!

A close up of some easy vegan kimchi pancakes

It took me a while to find a good kimchijeon聽recipe, for some reason all the ones I found online turned out soggy and weird. But then I remember I have Lucky Peach presents 101 Easy Asian Recipes on my bookshelf and lo and behold, of course the best recipe for kimchi pancakes was in there.

They’re super easy and vegan.

I eat my kimchijeon for lunch or dinner, with some rice or on their own. They also make a great snack.

A stack of easy vegan kimchi pancakes on a stack of small black plates floating in space

Easy vegan kimchijeon (kimchi pancakes)

Dorothy Porker
This kimchijeon (kimchi pancake) recipe from Lucky Peach's presents 101 Easy Asian Recipes is super quick and easy and can be made with either homemade or store-bought kimchi.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main course, Party snack, Side dish, Snack
Cuisine Asian, Korean, Vegan
Servings 2 pancakes

Equipment

  • Bowl
  • Whisk
  • Skillet or frying pan
  • Spatula

Ingredients
  

  • 1 c - 150 gr kimchi
  • 1/2 c - 125 ml kimchi juice see instructions
  • 1/4 c - 35 gr all purpose flour
  • 1/4 c - 35 gr rice flour
  • 1/2 t - 2 gr salt
  • 1 spring onion whites and greens coarsely chopped
  • 2 T - 30 ml neutral oil for frying, I use sunflower

Dipping sauce

  • 1 T - 15 ml soy sauce
  • 1 T - 15 ml rice wine vinegar
  • 1 T - 15 ml water
  • dash sesame oil

Instructions
 

  • Squeeze 1 c - 150 gr of kimchi over a bowl to release as much liquid as possible. You'll need about 1/2 c - 125 ml cup's worth of liquid. You can add water if you don't have enough juice. Since my kimchi was about to go off I just used additional liquid from the container.
  • Once you've squeezed the life out of it, roughly chop the kimchi.
  • Now whisk together the kimchi juice, 1/4 c - 35 gr of all purpose and rice flour and 1/2 t - 2 gr of salt.
  • Let stand for 5 minutes until thickened before folding in the kimchi and spring onions. Leave for 5 minutes more, so the batter becomes more cohesive.
  • Finally, heat 1 T of neutral oil in a decently sized skillet on a medium-high heat. Dump in half the batter and spread around and flatten your pancake with a spatula as soon as it hits the pan. You want to create a thin and even round layer.
  • Pan fry until the bottom has gone brown and crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Flip and fry for an additional 2-3 minutes, until the batter has set and the bottom has gone brown and crisp as well.
  • Re-grease the pan for a second pancake and repeat.
  • Cut into wedges and serve with a simple dipping sauce made with 1 T of soy sauce, rice vinegar and water each and a few dots of sesame oil.

Notes

Fried kimchi pancakes will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated in some neutral oil in a frying pan to get those crispy edges back.
Keyword easy vegan, kimchi, kimchijeon, korean, pancakes

Zoek je dit recept in het Nederlands? Ga dan naar vettesletten.nl voor supermakkelijke vegan kimchi pannekoeken.

Sides/

J. Kenji-L贸pez Alt’s Vegan Kimchi

A small ceramic bowl, white with some splashes of brown, with some very bright kimchi and a bamboo handled fork sitting inside of it, on a mint green backdrop.

NOTE: This is an older recipe, of which I cannot retrace when I originally posted it before聽the hack of my old domain name.

I love Korean food but I’ve always been a bit scared of making kimchi. Luckily my brother sent me this recipe by J. Kenji L贸pez-Alt that is easy, vegan and you can eat it almost straight away or leave it to ferment.

What do I eat kimchi with?

I have kimchi as a side with rice and Korean fried chicken, in fried rice, on its own as a snack, in pancakes, on a grilled cheese sandwich or in mac and cheese. It also does really well on a burger with some cheddar cheese.

Kimchi spread out on a grey backdrpo

A small ceramic bowl, white with some splashes of brown, with some very bright kimchi and a bamboo handled fork sitting inside of it, on a mint green backdrop.

J. Kenji L贸pez-Alt's recipe for homemade vegan kimchi

Dorothy Porker
The easiest kimchi recipe there is, ready to eat within 2 days or ferment over a longer period of time. And it's vegan too!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 2 d 8 hrs
Course Side dish, Sides
Cuisine Korean

Equipment

  • Very large bowl
  • Food processor
  • Mason jar or other large glass container
  • Chopsticks

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large head Napa cored and roughly sliced
  • 1 small daikon thinly sliced or julienned if you're a pro
  • 8 spring onions greens roughly chopped, whites reserved
  • 2 T - 30 gr salt
  • 8 cloves garlic smashed and peeled
  • 1 1/2" piece of ginger peeled and grated
  • 1/2 c - 125 gr gochugaru coarse Korean chili powder, except no substitutes!
  • 2 T - 30 gr white miso paste red works as well
  • 1 T - 15 gr sugar
  • 1 c - 235 ml water

Instructions
 

Day 1

  • Place 1 cored and roughly sliced Napa cabbage in a large bowl with 1 thinly sliced small daikon and the roughly chopped greens of 8 onion greens and sprinkle with 2 T - 30 gr of salt.
  • Mix to get an even coating of the salt on all the leaves and leave to sit at room temperature for 1 or up to 12 hours to drain out the liquid. You should be left with about at least 1/4 or 1/2 c of liquid while the cabbage should be completely wilted.

Day 2

  • Mix together the whites of 8 spring onions with 8 smashed and peeled cloves of garlic, 1 1/2" inch of peeled and grated ginger, 1/2 c - 125 gr of gochugaru, 2 T - 30 gr of miso and 1 T - 15 gr of sugar in a food processor until you get a thick paste.
  • Mix together the cabbage and gochugaru paste. Rub each leaf individually so all the cabbage leaves are all thoroughly coated.
  • Add 1 c - 235 ml of water to the mixture and mix well before tasting. The liquid should be as salty as the sea, so add more salt if necessary (generally I've found this not to be the case).
  • Now, place your cabbage in a mason jar or other glass container with a good seal. Make sure you pack it together tightly and use a chopstick to release any air pockets at the end by pocking the air pocket with the chopstick, allowing liquid to fill its place.

You now have two options to eat this kimchi:

    Kimchi for impatient people

    • Move your kimchi to the fridge straight away and try it daily until it's reached the level of fermentation you enjoy (or until it's finished, basically). I tend to move it to the fridge straight away and just start eating, because I have no patience.

    Kimchi for patient people

    • Leave at room temperature for 24 hours before moving it to the fridge and leaving it there for a week before you dig in.
    • Either way this kimchi keeps for 1 month in the fridge.
    Keyword j kenji lopez alt, kimchi, korean

    Zoek je dit recept in het Nederlands? Ga dan naar VetteSletten.nl voor J. Kenji L贸pez-Alt’s vegan kimchi recept.