vegan

I was thinking about something to make for this months Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free event hosted by Gluten A Go Go, the theme is finger food and I thought I’ll make some rice paper rolls. My idea is not highly imaginative, but these rice papers rolls have been a life saver for me; spring rolls are one of my all time favorite foods and I went through some major agony when I found out that I could not have them anymore.

I discovered rice paper some years after going gluten-free and I didn’t actually know that I can bake them or fry them; I just ate them as summer rolls. After some time I tried baking them and they were almost like spring rolls, crispy, but maybe too chewy, this makes them a bit different than spring rolls. They are anyway good enough for me when I want to indulge myself with something crisp and salty.

You can of course use any filling you desire, but my choice is some salty and hot fried cabbage. I ate these kinds of spring rolls for the first time several years ago when I was 16, if I remember correctly, and never forgot about them, I still crave them occasionally. Those fantastic and perfect spring rolls I got the pleasure to taste were made by a Chinese couple; they travel around Finland during the summer and serve food at different summer events. I haven’t been able to do the exact kind of cabbage I tried back then, but I’ve managed to make something almost like it, the biggest flavors in this are garlic and salt. I still regret not asking them what they used in those spring rolls.

Spicy cabbage filling

-3 cups diced white cabbage

-5 scallions

-4 minced garlic cloves

-1 tbls grated ginger

-1 red long chilli, I used the seeds too

-1 tbls rice vinegar

-2 tbls gluten-free soy sauce, I use tamari

-salt according to taste

-1 tbls sugar or syrup of some kind, I use honey or ketchup

-a dash of black pepper

-peanut oil, or some other kind of oil

Heat a pan on medium heat and add the oil and then the cabbage. Fry them until the cabbage has become soft and somewhat see through. Put the cabbage aside and add all of those spices - garlic, chilli, ginger, tamari and ketchup (or sugar) to the oil, move them around a bit in the hot oil and then add the cabbage, salt, black pepper and vinegar. Fry them for a small while and then add the diced scallions.

Taste to make sure you like it, add some spices if necessary.

I have found two different kinds of rice papers.

Start by taking a big bowl and fill it with warm water, then you’ll also need a damp towel and a dry towel.

Dip the rice paper into the warm water so that it turns see through and soft.

Take it out and place on top of a damp towel. Put some of the filling into it like this.

Then turn both of the sides like this.

Turn the lower part like this.

Keep on rolling upwards until you have this.

These can be eaten like this, but I usually brush them with some oil and bake them in the oven for a small while until they are crisp. It is much easier to bake these than to deep-fry them.

Usually I’ll have two kinds of sauces for these; the other one is just store bought sweet chili sauce and the other one is made by mixing hoisin sauce, peanut butter, minced garlic and water. Just mix everything together in a saucepan on medium heat until you have a sauce, taste it and add some more hoisin sauce, peanut butter or garlic according to taste.

Popularity: 55% [?]

I’ve been meaning to post this recipe for a while now, but somehow I never got to it, before now that is. This dish has been a favorite at our house for some time now and we haven’t got tired of it yet - it’s that good.

We make this at least once a week, sometimes several times a week. I’m a bit boring that way; when I like a food for example I tend to eat it quite often until I get tired of it (tahini is my chosen food at the moment) and don’t want to have anymore. It’s the same with music and other things in my life, I usually listen to the same song on repeat until I get tired of it and I watch the same movies too many times; I’ve also been reading the same books my whole life, I read The Lord of the Rings for example every year and I still love it.

The main spice here is galangal, but ginger is fine too as a replace for galangal. Cardamom is an absolute must in this recipe; it gives this dish a lot of depth.

Coconut milk tofu with cardamom

Serves 4 or 2 hungry people

-400 grams deep fried tofu (or regular tofu, deep-fried just tastes better, or you can use pork, or chicken, if you’re not a vegetarian, or soy-intolerant)

-2 small red bell peppers, or 1 large

-2 medium sized onions (yellow or red)

-1-2 tbls grated galangal (or ginger) I always use two tablespoons, but use one if you want to make a milder version

-1/2-2 red long chillies with their seeds removed and chopped, use just half a chilli if you want a milder version

- 1 can of coconut milk

-1/2-1 tsp coriander

-1/2 -1 tsp curry powder

-1 tsp cardamom, add 1/2 tsp after tasting if needed

-3 tbls gluten-free soy sauce, I use tamari

-1 tbls palm sugar (or maple syrup)

- 1 cinnamon stick, or 1 tsp cinnamon

-1/4 cup roasted peanuts

-oil for frying if you are not using deep-fried tofu

Chop the vegetables, grate the galangal and chop the chilli.

Fry the chicken, pork or regular tofu in some hot oil in a wok or a pan. Add the coconut milk and let it boil with the tofu for 10-15 minutes, add the spices and the vegetables, let everything boil for another 10 minutes, add the peanuts, mix and serve the food with some jasmine rice.

Popularity: 5% [?]