Mains 3

Shiitake & Tofu Patties

Like all mushrooms, Shiitake is a living organism—rootless, leafless, and without flowers or seeds. Yet, within the fungal kingdom, Shiitake reigns as exotic royalty.

A staple in Chinese cuisine, Shiitake is prized for its rich, smoky depth; today, it graces dishes worldwide. But beyond its bold flavour, this remarkable mushroom has been celebrated in China for over 6,000 years as a symbol of longevity and vitality.

Modern science confirms its ancient reverence: Japanese and Swedish studies reveal that regular Shiitake consumption aids in cholesterol reduction. Packed with iron—an essential nutrient for vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike—shiitake also delivers a powerhouse of vitamins (B2, B5, B6, and D2) and minerals (magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, copper, and zinc), along with protein and dietary fibre.

One golden rule? Their delicate texture and nutrients are best preserved by never overcooking.

3 cups of crushed, firm tofu

3 tablespoons besan flour

½ cup pine nuts

1 cup finely chopped shiitake mushrooms

½ cup apple purée

2 tablespoons grated red onion

1 dessert spoon grated ginger

2 tablespoons grated carrot

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Cornflour for coating patties

olive oil for frying (better still, truffle-impregnated olive oil)

Blend tofu with apple purée, besan flour and soy sauce until smooth. Stir in all other ingredients except cornflour and oil. Fashion mix into golf ball-sized rounds, or if used as a burger, make a large round and flatten it. Carefully coat in cornflour.

Heat oil and fry balls or patties till golden on both sides.

Serve hot with Sweet Chilli Sauce and steamed spinach, olive oil, lemon juice, and pine nuts.

Spiced Potato Pancakes- Indian inspired.

½ cup of black lentils, split mung beans or brown lentils

1 cup of short-grained white rice

10 medium-sized potatoes

4 tablespoons grated coconut

1 ½ dessertspoons grated fresh ginger

1 dessertspoon of powdered cumin

1 dessertspoon of mustard seeds

1 dessertspoon of turmeric

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh coriander leaves

1 teaspoon coconut sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 fresh chillies chopped small

refined coconut oil- refined because it has no coconut flavour.

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, cover it liberally with water, and soak it overnight. Soak the lentils or beans overnight in a liberal amount of water. Rinse the rice and lentils separately, then blend them with enough water to make thick, smooth batters. Combine both batters with one finely chopped chilli, sugar, and salt. Beat thoroughly, cover the bowl with plastic food wrap, and leave overnight.

Make the Pancakes:

Lightly oil a non-stick frypan. While heating, beat the batter, adding a little water if it isn't a pouring consistency. When the oil is hot, ladle in enough batter to form a round, thin, bread-and-butter-plate-sized pancake. Pouring and shaping the batter must be done quickly, spreading it with the back of a spoon from the centre out. Turn the pancake. It should be golden brown on both sides and still soft. Pile the cooked pancakes on a plate to keep them moist, and continue making pancakes until all the batter is used.

Boil the potatoes till soft and cool. Remove the skins and mash them. Combine the remaining chilli with a bit of water, the coconut and ginger using a coffee grinder to make a paste. Separately, in a small saucepan over low heat, stir-fry the mustard seeds and cumin with a bit of oil until the mixture splutters. Toss in the turmeric, add this to the chilli, coconut, and chilli paste, then combine that with the potatoes and finely chopped coriander. Stir over low heat for five minutes. Put a small portion in the centre of a pancake and fold it over to form a round.

Using a big, non-stick frypan, lightly fry your pancakes in refined coconut oil until golden.

Serve hot with coconut chutney, coriander and tomato Salad.

Spinach Pie, called Spanakopita, is possibly Australia's most famous Greek-inspired dish.

1 cup of raw cashews

1 cup fresh dill, chopped fine

3/4 cup fresh mint, chopped fine

2 bulbs of fresh garlic (do not add more garlic as the predominant flavour must be spinach.

Water.

1 cup chopped spring onions (scallions)

2 packets of frozen spinach

1 cup refined coconut oil

1 tsp each of salt and cracked black pepper

Filo pastry about 12 sheets.

Nigella seeds to garnish

Make the flavoursome base.

Soak the cashews in boiling water for at least two hours or overnight. Drain and rinse the cashews, and transfer them to a blender. Add dill, mint and garlic. Blend slowly, adding water to make a smooth, thick paste. Put aside.

Prepare the spinach:

In three tablespoons of coconut oil, sauté chopped spring onions on low heat until soft, being careful not to burn them. Add the spinach and stir to combine. Keep stirring for about ten minutes until the spinach is lightly cooked. Now stir in the cashew cream. Remove from heat and set aside.

At this stage, you can cover and refrigerate your spinach filling for up to two days before using it. Your filling should be thick. If it is too wet, add some Japanese breadcrumbs.

When ready to bake, carefully lay out your filo pastry sheets, keeping an almost dry, damp cloth to cover the filo while you work to stop it from drying out.

When using a pastry brush, use a plastic brush rather than a bristle type. First, the bristles are from slaughtered animals, and second, they fall out.

Taking two sheets of filo at a time, lay the first two sheets over the casserole dish, letting the sides hang loose over the edge. Brush coconut oil liberally on the top sheet. Please take the following two sheets and gently lay them on top. Do not press down because air is needed between the sheets for a delicious eating crunch. Brush the top with oil and add another two filo sheets. Now, you should take scissors and cut the edges of the stacked sheets, leaving only the original two sheets lining the side of the casserole dish. Put aside the scraps of pastry. Add half the spinach filling, distributing it evenly over the base. Scatter the filo scraps over this, and cover them with the remaining spinach filling.

Take two sheets of filo at a time, gather them lightly in the palm of your hand and then spread them over the top. Sprinkle oil over the filo, and repeat with another three sheets, sprinkling the last sheet generously with oil. Measure the circumference of the baking dish. Now, cut the remaining filo sheet to be a bit larger than the dish and lay it on top. Brush oil on top. Using a blunt knife, gently ease the excess pastry between the side of the dish and the filling, and oil between the casserole sides and the pie. Using a sharp knife, score the fillo sheets carefully, cutting through the top layers and being careful not to go deeper. Scatter Nigella seeds all over.

Bake at 350°F (200°C) for 45 minutes until a beautiful golden brown. Allow the pie to rest for about 15 minutes before serving. Wrap in aluminium foil to reheat in a 350° (200°C) oven for about 15 minutes. Do not microwave, or you'll get soggy spinach pie!

Tofu Kitsune

Japanese legend relates that finely sliced, deep-fried Tofu was the favourite food of Kitsune, the foxes who grew up to nine tails. Kitsune were considered intelligent beings with magical abilities that increased as the foxes aged. Stories tell of ancient people eating and making offerings of fried Tofu before calling on the help of a Kitsune who would assume human form and deliver a message of love and courage to a wife or lover when the man was in battle or travelling.

1/2 medium cauliflower, lightly steamed

1 cup of canned, sliced water chestnuts

2 cups finely sliced firm tofu

2 cups unsalted cashews

2 large brown onions, peeled & finely chopped

2 cups prepared vegan mayonnaise

1 cup red wine

1/2 cup water

4 tablespoons coconut cream

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons curry powder

salt and ground black pepper to taste

4 Bay leaves

apricot jam (no lumps)

2 dessert spoons of lemon juice

2 fine slices of lemon

1 dessert spoon of tomato purée

Edible flowers and baby spinach or rocket leaves for garnish

Cook onions in oil until transparent. Add curry powder and fry gently for 30 seconds. Add water, wine, juice, purée, lemon slices, bay leaves, jam, stir well, cover, and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, remove Bay leaves, and push ingredients through a sieve. Add this mix to the cold mayonnaise until it reaches the desired flavour. Add coconut cream, cover it, and set aside.

Separate the cauliflower into florets, drain the liquid off the chestnuts, toss them and the cauliflower together, then gently add tofu and nuts. Fold in the sauce, being careful not to pulverise the solids.

Serve cold with rice salad garnished with baby spinach leaves and edible flowers.

Tofu Scrambled

This is a great light supper, breakfast, or dressed up with a salad, a satisfying meal.

300g silken tofu

150g firm tofu

I tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

½ teaspoon sweet paprika

A big pinch of turmeric

2 tablespoons unhulled tahini

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

½ cup oat milk or ¼ cup of any plant milk and ¼ cup vegan cream

refined coconut oil for frying

cracked black pepper to taste

salt to taste

Form a thick pillow of kitchen paper on your benchtop. Place your tofu on the pillow, then cover it with plastic food wrap. Put a tray on top of that, holding heavyweights such as cans or plates. Leave for twenty minutes.

Blend until smooth the onion, garlic powder, paprika, turmeric, tahini, nutritional yeast, a small amount of pepper and salt, and milk or plant milk and cream.

Crumble the pressed tofu into rough chunks in dessert and tablespoon sizes.

Heat a little oil in a non-stick frypan over medium heat. Add your tofu, stirring occasionally, until golden and not too brown.

Add your sauce. Gently coat the tofu by folding the sauce into the broken tofu pieces. Cook until the tofu mix reaches your desired consistency.

Serve with toast alone or with avocado, sautéed mushrooms, tomatoes or herbs.

Salads

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