Recently in Vegetarian Category

A while ago, I had to improvise a quick side dish to accompany grilled salmon. The result was this Italian-style dish, which takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and turned out to be extremely tasty and fruity. This recipe is a side dish for 2-4, depending on the size of the main dish and whether you have other side dishes as well.

The taste depends very much on the tomatoes, which is why you should use aromatic cherry tomatoes rather than regular ones.

• 1 tbsp good olive oil
• 1 smallish onion, finely chopped
• ½ yellow bell pepper, deseeded and cut in small (¼") pieces
• 1-2 dried chilies, crushed
• 300g (10oz) cherry tomatoes, San Marzano or similar, halved or quartered depending on size
• salt
• pepper
• 8-10 basil leaves, cut in stripes
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and fry at moderate heat until slightly yellowish. Add the crushed chilies and chopped bell peppers, stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Stir carefully so that the tomatoes. The tomatoes don't need to be fried, they just need to be heated up, and they shouldn't fall apart. 1-2 minutes should be enough. The skin should not wrinkle and not come off.

Turn off the heat, add the basil leaves and lemon juice. Stir carefully. Let stand for 1-2 minutes, then serve.

Everybody has their own ratatouille recipe, it seems. Here is mine, which is a French-Greek crossover, as it combines the classic French ingredients with a Greek preparation method. The result is a bit more tomato-heavier and fruitier than the classic ratatouille. It's extremely tasty, though. Serves 3-4.

• 2 large eggplants
• 2 medium-sized courgettes
• 1-2 red bell peppers, depending on the size
• 2 cans of tomatoes with juice
• 1 large onion, chopped
• ½ cup (125ml) French or Greek olive oil
• 1 bouquet garni (a few twigs of parsley and thyme, and a bay leaf bound together)
• salt
• pepper

Cut the eggplants and courgettes into small (1/4"-½") cubes, remove the seeds from the bell peppers and cut them into similar-sized bits. Put the tomatoes and their juice into a blender and whizz until smooth.

In a large pot, bring the oil to medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until transparent.

Add the eggplant cubes and stir well. They will very likely absorb most of the olive oil. That's okay. Add the courgettes and bell peppers and stir for another minute or so.

Add the tomato sauce from the blender, season with salt and pepper. Stir. Add the bouquet garni and make sure it is well immersed in the sauce. Bring to boil.

Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the bouquet garni, then serve as a main or side dish.

Pretty much a standard veggie curry. Aloo is potato and gobi is cauliflower, so you get an idea what it's like. Serves 3.

• 1 large cauliflower
• 3 potatoes
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small piece fresh ginger, chopped
• 1 can peeled tomatoes
• 3-4 fresh green chilies, chopped
• 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
• 1 large bunch green coriander, stalks and leaves chopped separately
• 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
• salt

Quarter the cauliflower, remove the trunk, then cut or pluck into smaller pieces. Peel the potatoes and cut into small pieces.

Put the tomatoes and their juice into a blender, whizz briefly until semi-smooth.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok, then add the cumin and chopped onions and fry until yellowish-golden, but not brown. Add the ginger, chilies and coriander stalks, stir well and fry for another minute. Add the turmeric powder and stir well. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Reduce heat, then add the cauliflower and potatoes. Add salt and stir well.

Cover and let simmer over low heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring ocasionally, until the potatoes are done and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Turn off the heat, add the chopped coriander leaves and garam masala; stir carefully, then cover and let stand for at least 5 minutes. Serve with rice and/or chapatis.

I've come a step closer to finding out why so few Greek restaurants in Vienna have eggplant salad on the menu, and why, if they do, it's usually not cheap: Three eggplants and 80 minutes' work don't even fill a small tupperware container. However, the result is so yummy that you may want to give it a try. Here's the recipe:

• 3 eggplants
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• a few parsley sprigs
• salt
• ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp good Greek olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 50 g feta cheese

Preheat oven to 180°C/360°F. Pierce the eggplants several times with a fork and place in oven. Bake for approx. one hour until the eggplants are all soft and the skin is slightly burned.

Cut the eggplants in half and scrape the pulp from the skin using a large spoon, then chop the pulp into very small pieces. Place in a bowl, add garlic, finely chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

Add one tablespoon of olive oil at a time, keep stirring. Add vinegar to taste. The salad should have a texture that is about half way between smooth and chunky. You may want to use a blender to get the texture right.

Once you have the desired texture, break the feta cheese into crumbs and stir it into the salad.

Serve cold.

John Keys recently linked to Pasta Shapes, but I can't help feeling that the page has a bit of an American slant -- some shapes are not what I expected them to be. Barilla, the famous Italian pasta manufacturer, has a great list of their own pasta shapes online (sadly, it's all one big Flash animation, so I can't link to it properly), and then there's the pasta glossary at About.com. Plus a complete whopper of a website, The World Directory of Pasta Shapes and Names (unfortunately, this seems to be under construction with many pictures and descriptions still missing).

But now, without further ado, here's my favourite pasta recipe, and a fairly simple one at that. Serves 4, I think.

• 500g Penne Rigate
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small or medium-sized onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 1 can peeled tomatoes
• 3 peperoncini or dried red chilies
• salt
• optional: 20g smoked bacon slices, chopped
• optional: finely grated parmesan cheese

Bring a pot of well-salted water plus one tablespoon olive oil to the boil, add pasta and cook until al dente (usually, you'll find cooking times on the pasta box).

Option: if you like your pasta with meat, roast the bacon in a pan, then cut into tiny cubes.

In a pot, heat one tablespoon olive oil (careful, not too hot, or it will become bitter!). Add the chopped onion and fry until transparent; then add the chopped clove garlicand fry until the onion is yellowish.

Put the peeled tomatoes, peperoncini, onion and garlic in a blender and whizz until smooth. Put the sauce back into the pot and let simmer for at least ten minutes. Salt to taste.

When the pasta is cooked, strain in a sieve, then add to the sauce. Add the bacon if you wish (I prefer my penne meatless). Stir well, mixing sauce and pasta.

Serve immediately. Penne all'arrabiata is usually NOT served with basil or oregano, but parmesan cheese is okay if you like it.

A very simple Greek recipe. Contains quite a lot of oil, but then it's all olive oil, which is full of polyunsaturates, so this is actually healthy (IMPORTANT: This only works with olive oil, do not use any other kind of oil, as it will taste utterly awful if you do!). Serves two to three, as usual.

• 1 large eggplant (about 300 grams), cut into small cubes
• 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup (~125ml) olive oil
• 250 grams pureed tomatoes or passata
• 1 cup rice
• 3 cups water
• salt
• ground black pepper

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and fry the onions until they have become transparent. Add the eggplant cubes and fry some more. Then add the pureed tomatoes, cover the pot and let cook for about 15 minutes over low heat, stirring from time to time.

Add the water, salt and pepper, stir well and bring to boil. Then, add the rice. Let simmer until the rice is ready and has soaked up almost all of the water, stirring from time to time. Serve with white or brown bread.

This dal recipe uses two kinds of lentils for that little extra edge. Can also be made with just one kind of dal, but that'll be without the extra edge then. Serves 4.

• 100g Toor dal (split yellow lentils)
• 100g Mung dal (split yelow mung lentils)
• 1 large pinch asafoetida
• ½ teaspoon hot chili powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, squeezed through a garlic press
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 3 fresh green chilies, finely chopped
• 1-2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons oil or ghee
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 2 dried red chilies
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 bunch green coriander leaves, finely chopped

Wash and drain the dals, then put in a pot with 1 litre water and bring to boil. Remove any froth with a slotted spoon.

Add asafoetida, chili powder, turmeric, ginger, garlic, shallots, green chilies and salt. Let simmer with the lid on for about 1 hour.

Heat the oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds and red chilies. When the seeds begin to pop, add the crushed curry leaves. Stir once, then pour immediately into the pot with the dals.

Add the coriander leaves, stir once, then serve immediately.

You are just ten minutes away from one of the most delicious ways of eating kidney beans. Serves 3-4, or a side dish for up to 8.

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5 whole dried red chilies
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 large pinch asafoetida
• 15 curry leaves
• ½ can tomatoes with juice, finely grated
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 fresh green chilies, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, squeezed through a garlic press
• 1" piece fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cans of kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Heat the oil in a wok, then add the whole dried red chilies, the mustard seeds, the cumin seeds and the asafoetida.

As soon as the seeds begin to pop, add the curry leaves and tomatoes. Stir well, then add turmeric, corainder, cumin, green chilies, garlic, ginger, sugar and salt. Bring to boil and let simmer for five minutes.

Add the beans, stir well and let simmer for a few more minutes. Serve with rice or bread.

You need:

• 125g dried split yellow peas
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or ghee
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 8 curry leaves
• 4 dried red chilies, crushed
• 1 pinch asafoetida
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• ½ white cabbage, trunk removed, cut in stripes
• salt
• 1 bunch fresh green coriander leaves, chopped

Put the split peas into half a litre boiling water and cook for about 30 minutes until soft, then drain.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add mustard and cumin seeds and fry until they begin to pop, then addcurry leaves, chilies and peas and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring continuously.

Add asafoetida, turmeric and thecabbage. Stir well, then reduce heat to very low and let simmer with the lid on until the cabbage is soft (30-45 minutes). Stir occasionally, make sure nothing sticks to the pan. There should be no liquid left in the pan in the end.

Salt to taste and add coriander leaves before serving.

To serve 3-4, you need:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 medium-sized onions, chopped
• 4-6 potatoes, washed and cut in thick slices
• 1 teaspoon brown black mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 Hokkaido pumpkin, cut in bite-sized cubes (not peeled)
• ½ litre water
• 2 tablespoons concentrated tomato purée
• salt
• pepper

Heat the oil in a large wok or pot, then fry the onions until transparent. Add mustard seeds and caraway seeds and fry until the onion is golden.

Reduce heat to very low. Add paprika and pumpkin cubes, stir well. Immediately add water, tomato purée, salt and pepper, stirring continuously. Turn up heat and bring to boil.

Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Server with white bread.

A very quick, simple lentil dish. It's spicy, but the sugar and the whole shallots give it an unique sweetish taste.

• 250g red lentils (masoor dal)
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
• 1 large pinch asafoetida
• 10 curry leaves
• 2 cloves
• 4 dried red chilies, deseeded and crushed
• 500g shallots, peeled, but left whole
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon tamarind paste
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• salt

Rinse the lentils thoroughly and check for stones. Then put them in a pot with twice the amount of water and bring to boil. Remove any froth that forms with a slotted spoon. Boil until the lentils are very soft, but have not disintegrated (approx. 10 minutes). Drain excess water, if any is left.

In a second pot, heat the oil. Add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add the asafoetida, curry leaves, cloves and red chilies. Fry briefly for about one minute, then add the whole shallots. Fry them for several minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the sugar, tamarind, turmeric, salt and 1 cup of water. Let simmer until the shallots have become transparent, stirring occasionally. Most of the water should evaporate in the process (add some more water if necessary).

Add the cooked lentils. Stir well, adjust seasoning if necessary, then serve immediately with chapatis or rice.

This spicy, slightly sweetish Thai-style recipe makes use of the coriander root that's usually left over if you cook curries. You need small eggplants; if you can only get a large one, quarter it into four lengthy stripes. Thai basil is recommended. You can use normal basil if it is fresh, but the taste will be different. Serves 3-4.

• 4 small eggplants
• 250g tofu
• 4 fresh green chilies
• 4 cloves garlic, squeezed through a garlic press
• 4 pieces coriander root, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• several leaves fresh Thai basil

Heat a wok and roast the eggplants until brown on all sides, then remove from the wok and cut into slices. Drain the tofu and cut into 2 inch cubes.

Put chilies, garlic, coriander root, onion, sugar, lime juice and fish sauce into a blender and whizz until very smooth.

Heat oil in the wok until very hot, add the paste from the blender and fry over high heat for about one minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, add eggplant pieces, stir briefly, then cover and let cook for about three minutes.

Add the tofu and basil, stir briefly, then serve immediately.

A simple, very tasty bean dish. Best used as a side dish with some other curry, but pretty tasty on its own as well. Leftovers make a great sandwich filler.

• 1 ½ cups dried lobhia (black-eyed beans)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons concentrated tomato purée
• 3 tablespoons ghee or oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• salt
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon hot red chili powder (1/4 if you are timid)
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1-2 bunches fresh green coriander, chopped

Rinse and drain the beans, then put them in a pot, add about 1 ½ litres water so that they are well covered and let soak for about 4 hours.

Put on the stove, add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to boil. With a slotted spoon, remove any froth that forms on the top. Let simmer for about 30-40 minutes until the beans are soft. Don't overcook.

Put a sieve over a second pot. Pour the beans into the sieve so that the water is caught in the pot below. Put the beans and the pot with their water aside.

Squeeze the garlic cloves through a garlic press. Mix with 1-2 teaspoons salt so that you get a thick paste.

Heat the ghee in the now empty first pot; add the onion and garlic paste and fry until golden. Reduce heat. Add the spices and fry for a few minutes more. Add the water from the beans and the tomato purée. Stir well. Bring to boil.

Add the beans and green coriander. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Put in a bowl and serve immediately.

This should really be Saag Paneer (or Palak Paneer), but I was too lazy to make paneer (Indian fresh cheese), so I simply used tofu instead. To serve 4, you need:

• 300g tofu, cut in cubes
• 500g frozen spinach (the cut & puréed variety, not the readymade one with cream in it)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 piece fresh ginger, grated
• 4 fresh green chilies, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons ghee or oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons yoghurt
• 1 cup (250ml) water

Thaw the spinach. Remove excess water. Heat briefly in a pot, until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Put garlic, ginger, chilies and onion in a blender and whizz until you have a smooth paste.

Heat the ghee in a wok, add the paste and fry for 5 minutes, then add salt, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, yoghurt and water and let simmer for another 5 minutes.

Add the spinach and tofu. If you weren't as lazy as I was and actually made paneer cheese, use it instead of the tofu to make Saag paneer. Bring to boil, then serve immediately with rice.

A spicy Indian-inspired eggplant dish. Can be used as a side-dish or on its own.

• 2 eggplants, cut in stripes
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon hot chili powder
• 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon dark mustard seeds
• 1 onion, chopped

Bring 1 litre water to boil, add garlic and eggplants and let simmer for about ten minutes.

In the meantime, mix coriander, salt, pepper, chili powder, ginger and lemon juice so that you get a spicy paste.

In a large pan, heat the ghee. Add the onion and mustard seeds. Fry until the oinion has become transparent. Add the drained eggplant. Stir-fry for five minutes.

Reduce heat, keep stir-frying the eggplant for another 10 minutes, adding a teaspoon of the spicy paste every minute or so. The eggplants are ready when all the liquid has evaporated.

This is one way to get rid of all the pumpkins they are selling you everywhere at this time of the year. A pretty tasty way, I might add.

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 3-5 fresh green chilies, chopped
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 4-5 potatoes, peeled and cut into smallish pieces
• 400g peeled tomatoes
• ½ Hokkaido pumpkin, washed, deseeded and cut into bite-sized cubes
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds
• 1 tablespoon methi (fenugreek) leaves
• salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2-3 bunches green coriander, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

In a wok or large pan, heat some vegetable oil and fry the cumin seeds and onion until transparent; then add the garlic, ginger and green chilies and fry until golden. Add 1 teaspoon coriander powder, cumin powder and turmeric. Fry for 3-5 minutes.

Add the potatoes and stir well. Whizz the tomatoes in a blender and add to the potatoes. Stir, then let simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the pumpkin cubes, paprika, cardamom, methi leaves and some water (if necessary). Salt to taste. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.

When both the potatoes and the pumpkin are soft to the bite, add 1 teaspoon coriander powder, the lemon juice, the green coriander and the garam masala. Stir well, turn off the heat, cover and let stand for a few minutes, then serve with rice and/or chapatis.

Note: Instead of 4-5 potatoes and half a Hokkaido pumpkin, you can also use no potatoes and one whole Hokkaido pumpkin.

Pumpkin caveat: The Hokkaido pumpkin is perfect because it's not too large, very tasty and does not need to be peeled before cooking. If you use a different kind of pumpkin, you may have to peel it and adjust cooking times.

A fairly straightforward lentil dish.

• 250g moong dhal (yellow lentils) or, alternatively, red lentils
• 1 small piece ginger, cut in longish stripes
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• 2-3 bunches green coriander, chopped
• 1 tablespoon ghee or vegetable oil
• salt
• optional: ½ teaspoon fennel seeds

Wash the lentils and put them in a pot with approx. ½ litre water; as soon as it starts to boil, add turmeric powder and ginger stripes. Let simmer for 30-40 minutes, adding water if necessary, until the lentils are competely soft and there is no extra water in the pot.

In a small frying pan, heat the ghee or oil; add onion and garlic and fry until light brown. Then add cumin seeds, coriander powder and chili powder (you can also add the fennel seeds at this point to reduce the danger of flatulence). Fry for 2-3 more minutes.

Pour the contents of the frying pan into the pot with the boiled lentils. Add the chopped green coriander, salt to taste, stir well, then serve.

Best used as a side dish to accompany another curry or Indian-style dish.

Tomato soup can be simple or sophisticated. This is a traditional Austrian recipe with a few extras that you might not expect.

• 1 1/4 litre veal stock (use veg broth for strictly vegetarian soup)
• ½ onion
• ½ carrot
• ½ parsley root
• 1/4 celery root
• 500g tomatoes
• 4 black pepper corns
• ½ bay leaf
• 50g butter
• 40g flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• juice of ½ lemon
• salt
• 40g cooked rice or 40g broken, cooked maccaroni

Chop the onion and cut the carrot, parsley root and celery root in thin slices. Heat some oil and fry them briefly; then add the crushed peppercorns, bay leaf and the washed, diced tomatoes. Let cook for a while until soft, then put everything in a blender and whizz thouroghly.

Melt the butter in the pot, then add the flour and fry briefly until light brown; then immediately add the mixture from the blender and the veal stock or veg broth. Stir well, then let simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Briefly before serving add salt, sugar, lemon juice and boiled rice or boiled maccaroni.

Came home from the cinema at 10pm and had a craving for food, so I decided to cook this, which is a fairly quick potato and spinach curry.

• 300g spinach
• 4-5 potatoes
• 1 large bunch green coriander, chopped
• 3-4 fresh green chilies
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 medium-sized onion
• 1 piece fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• salt

Finely chop onions, ginger and garlic cloves. Briefly boil the tomatoes, then skin them and cut them into small cubes. Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes.

Briefly boil the spinach, then put it, the coriander leaves and the chilies into a blender and whizz.

Heat the oil in a large pan or wok. Add chopped onions, ginger and garlic and fry until the onions are yellowish, but not brown. Add the tomato cubes and ground cumin. Fry for a few minutes, then add the spinach/coriander/chili purée, the salt and the potatoes. Stir well. Add a bit of water (no more than ½ cup), cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring from time to time.

It is vital that the curry is neither watery nor sticking to the bottom of the pan because there is not enough water in it. Remove the lid so that excess water can evaporate more easily, or add a bit of water if it looks like there's not enough water in it.

When the potatoes are soft to the bite and the consistency of the curry is just right, remove from the heat; add the garam masala, stir well, cover and let stand for about five minutes, then serve with chapaties or rice.

What I found in my refrigerator today:

• 1 leek, 4 weeks old, not too fresh
• 1 eggplant, about 5 weeks old, slightly wrinkled
• 250g mushrooms, about 4 weeks old, with brownish spots
• 500g tomatoes, about 2 weeks old, in comparatively good shape

Time to get rid of the stuff. I removed the driest bits from the leek and chopped the remainder into smallish bits, cut the eggplant into cubes, cleaned the mushrooms, removing the brownish spots and cutting them (the mushrooms, not the spots) into slices. I briefly boiled the tomatoes, skinned them and cut them into cubes, too.

To complete the recipe, I needed this:

• 1 smallish onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup (125ml) olive oil
• 1 pinch thyme
• 1 pinch coriander powder
• salt
• pepper

Heat the oil and fry the chopped onions and the chopped leek until the onion becomes transparent. Add the eggplant cubes. They will soak up most of the olive oil (add some more if necessary). Fry for a few minutes, then add the sliced mushrooms and fry some more until the mushrooms begin to shrink.

Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, coriander and thyme. As the eggplant loses water, a thick sauce should develop. Add a tiny bit of water if necessary.

Let simmer for at least 10-15 minutes. This should be a very thick sauce that must not, under no circumstances, be watery. Serve with rice and/or white bread.

You can also cook this with fresh ingredients.

Aloo is potato and matar are peas, so the main ingredients of this basic vegetarian curry should not be much of a mystery.

• 750g potatoes
• 2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons oil or ghee
• 2 medium-sized onions, cut into rings
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 cup (125ml) water
• 100g peas
• salt
• pepper

Peel the potatoes and cut them into smallish cubes. Heat a pan and add the mustard seeds. Heat until they begin to pop, then add ghee, onions, garlic and ginger and fry until the onions become transparent.

Add the potatoes, turmeric, chili powder, ground cumin and garam masala. Stir well over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. Then add water and let cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Most of the water should evaporate; take good care that nothing burns.

Add the peas; stir well. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Cover and let simmer for another 5 minutes. Take care that nothing burns at the bottom of the pot; add a tiny bit of water if necessary. When finished, the potatoes should be soft and all the liquid should be absorbed or evaporated.

Serve with rice.

I am currently suffering from some kind of wild garlic addiction. I just had excellent gnocchi (small Italian potato dumplings) with wild garlic sauce, and with that fresh wild garlic taste still in my mouth, I'm longing for a wild garlic sandwich...

Anyway, as for how to make the gnocchi, I'll entrust you to what Google has on the subject because I used - shame on me! - pre-cooked gnocchi from the local Italian discount supermarket since, frankly, unless you do something pretty awfully wrong or buy extra cheapo-cheapo stuff, all gnocchi pretty much taste the same. It's totally the sauce that matters, so without further ado, here's the sauce recipe (serves 4):

• 40g butter
• 40g wheat flour
• ½ litre chicken stock
• 1-2 handfuls fresh wild garlic leaves, finely chopped
• 1/8 litre cream (or more, according to taste)

Melt the butter in a pan, then stir in the flour and fry it until light brownish. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to boil, stirring well so that all the flour dissolves. As soon as the sauce thickens, add the wild garlic leaves. Stir well, then add the cream. Stir again, then mix with the cooked gnocchi and serve immediately.

This is a local recipe from the area where I grew up, from my mum's collection of recipes. Never mind fish fingers - I used to love these potato fingers when I was a kid (minus the sauerkraut, which I hated back then). It's totally unhealthy of course, but cheap, filling and yummy, as are most of the traditional farmers' recipes from this part of Austria. Serves 3-4.

• 500g potatoes
• 100g coarse wheat flour (type 480 - in Austria, we call it "griffig")
• 60g semolina
• 20g butter
• 1 egg
• salt

Cook the potatoes, then skin them. Put them in a large bowl with the butter, semolina, wheat flour, egg and salt. Mash the potatoes, then mix and knead everything until you have a smooth mass of potato dough.

Form the dough into thumb-sized, finger-shaped pieces. Heat oil in a frying pan, then fry (or deep-fry) the potato fingers until they are well browned on all sides. Serve with hot sauerkraut.

You need:

• 1 aubergine (eggplant)
• 80ml oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 piece ginger (about 4cm), chopped
• 2 medium-sized onions, chopped
• 2-3 green chillies, chopped
• 80ml chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons black pean paste
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 4 spring onions, cut in thin stripes

Slice the aubergine. Carefully heat some of the oil in a frying pan and slowly fry the aubergine slices over very low heat until brown. When all the slices have been fried, put them aside

Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add onions, garlic, chillies and ginger and cook for a few minutes until the onions are transparent. Then add the chicken stock (vegetarians use vegetable stock instead), black bean paste, soy sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce. Bring to boil and let simmer for 2 minutes. Then add the aubergine slices and let simmer for another 2 minutes. Finally, add the spring onions and serve.

Serve with rice.

Here is the recipe for something I improvised on the spot and to my total surprise I found that it tasted absolutely delicious. It's suitable as a side dish for 4, or as a main dish for 2.

• 1 white cabbage
• 1 2-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and chopped
• 3-5 dried red chillies, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, cut into thin slices
• ½ cup rice vinegar
• 1-2 tablespoons oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 1 piece of lemongrass
• salt

Remove the hard outer leaves and the trunk from the cabbage; then cut in quarters and remove the hard bits at the core. Cut into biggish stripes.

Remove the dry outer leaves of the lemongrass and then cut the white part into very thin slices. In a wok or large frying pan, heat the oil and fry the lemongrass, chilies, ginger, and garlic slices for a minute or two over medium heat. Add the spring onion and fry for a few minutes more until the onion becomes transparent, but not brown.

Add the cabbage, stir well for a few minutes, then add the soy sauce, rice vinegar and salt. Stir well, then cover with a lid.

After a short while, the cabbage should lose some water and boil in its own juice. With the lid on, let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then taste and add more soy sauce or salt as required. Serve with rice.

I served this as a side dish together with fried tofu and mushrooms, but found that it also works well as a main dish of its own. The amount of chillies can be varied according to taste, but a minimum of three is recommended. If you like a stronger garlic taste, put aside 2 of the cloves, squeeze them with a garlic press, and add the garlic paste to the cabbage together with the rice vinegar. Rice vinegar, by the way, is sweeter and not as sour as normal vinegar, so if you use normal vinegar, you may need to add some sugar and some water.