Homemade Tomato Paste: Quick and Easy To Make Sauce/Dip

I have been wanting to make a tomato paste at home with spaghetti in mind

but never been able to do so for various reasons. 

One, I don't have a regular use for it (referring to tomato paste). 

Two, I am no longer fond of it (not the spaghetti per se, but the processed pasta).

Three, neither does my husband (doesn't like both at all).

But I saw a facebook post of Vegan Afritada, a dish made of potato, garbanzo beans, and bell pepper with TVP and seasoned with tomato paste, garlic, etc. That propelled the "trying things out" in me. And so finally, for the first time in my life, I made my own version of tomato paste.

It really turned out delicious. In fact, a much sumptuous than the regular tomato paste that I have tasted before.
Even B (my husband) says, "It's not bad at all" and "Yeah, quite good".
And when asked if it can be made again.
"Yes", he said. And that is the cue because he generally says "not bad at all, but cannot be made again and again". Yet this one, among a few, made it across his line of "can be made again".
(Just a tip, my husband will rather eat raw food than cooked ones. Unfortunately, there isn't enough variety of fruits and vegetables than can be eaten raw here in our area, so, we made a deal to manage what raw items we can get with 1 meal-cooking a day).

Plus!
(Referring now to the tomato paste)

It's homemade so it's preservative-free!

And you really know what's in it.

~Picture 1: 

pureed tomato, black pepper powder, 

garlic, palm sugar, olive oil~

So, here's the recipe. It's so simple, quick and easy to make
that there's no need to make it bulk.
 (Now I realized)
Just make it whenever there is a need for it.

Ingredients:

• 6 tomatoes, ripe and red
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper powder
• 1 small cube palm sugar
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• a pinch of salt

Instruction:

• Wash tomatoes properly. Make a cross slit at the bottom and boil to soften them. The tomatoes are ready once their skin starts to peel off. Keep them cool. 
• Once cooled, keep them in a blender and make a puree. You can do this in batches and make sure that everything is well-churned.
• Once the puree is done, pour into a deep pan. Add a little water to the blender to remove the remaining traces of tomato puree.
• Add crushed and minced garlic, palm sugar, black pepper powder, a pinch of salt and olive oil (see picture 1).
• Bring to a boil. Simmer till it slowly becomes drier. You can cover and stir occasionally.
• Once desired consistency is achieved, check the taste. Adjust if necessary. 
• Turn off the stove and let it cool. The tomato paste is ready!

NOTES:

~Some people boil the tomatoes and then peel and discard the skin. I prefer to leave it on.

~I tried churning the tomatoes immediately once (meaning, I didn't boil them) and I couldn't make out any difference. The main reason I boil them is that our blender is not a heavy-duty one. So if your blender/mixer's performance is excellent, you might as well try this method.

~Others strain or sieve the puree and only the juice is used for the making of paste, but my version includes the pulp.
~Instead of crushing and mincing the garlic, you can churn the cloves along with the tomatoes.

~I have not tried making much of it for later use because there is no need to do so. The next time that I will be using a tomato paste will be 15-20 days later, or even 1 month.

Bitter-Gourd: Not So Bitter Anymore

Bitter-gourd, as the name suggests, tastes bitter, hence, gained countless "unlikes" among people. Many avoid this vegetable exactly because of that bitterness. Many even suggest to pour salt on it, squeeze, and discard the juice. This, obviously, removes the most nutrients that it contains so, for me,  there's no point in eating it. 

On the other hand, some say to not mix or stir it often while cooking. 

I tried this one but failed. Still bitter!
Though there was one time when it didn't taste that bitter. A different variety?
Maybe! I have not had it in a long time.
How about adding sugar?
No way!

I really tried a few ways to cook bitter gourd and it always ended in the 'unwanted' list -a list of vegetables that you will only have for their nutritional value.

In Philippines, adding eggs or bagoong/uyap/alamang (krill, it is, I think) to sliced bitter-gourd is the most common way of cooking it along with garlic, onion, and tomatoes.
I liked it, then.
Will still like it.
But, since I decided to leave the hens and fishes alone, knowing the hens will certainly not like me taking her eggs and the fishes to be out of water,
I got determined to find a non-violent way of cooking bitter-gourd.

So,
I tried grilling/roasting it. Then, vinegar and salt were sprinkled on it.

Quite fine!

I also tried the usual garlic-onion, tomato combination but sauteed in coconut oil with turmeric and pepper powder. 

Quite okay! I did this method quite a few times.

But, this method has to change. It's not really so memorable that you would want to have it again and again!

Until one day when I finally followed my husband's long-standing suggestion. And I guess I nailed the best way to cook it. Well, not that I have hunted down the entire internet archives in search for the best bitter-gourd recipe! Lol!

Adding grated coconuts to it!

So, I tried it...finally!

The results?

Well, never in my entire bitter-gourd dish making did I expect to have nailed the best way to make it!

It was outstanding!

I really enjoyed my lunch with bitter-gourd for the first time!

So, without further adieu, here's to
the Bitter-Gourd: Not So Bitter Anymore recipe!

What are needed?

1. Bitter-gourd, fresh, 3 medium size, washed, cut into halves and thin pieces

2. Garlic, 3 heads, peeled, crushed or/and chopped into small pieces (keep aside for 20 minutes before using to activate the enzyme in it for maximum health benefits)

3. Onions, 2 medium size, cut into long thin pieces

4. Tomatoes, 3 medium size, chopped into small cubes

5. Coconut, fresh, 1/2, grated (I chopped into small pieces then grated/blended using a chutney jar. You can use less of it, too. Just check how you like it)

6. Coconut oil, 2-3 tbsp. (other vegetable oil is also fine)

7. Salt to taste

8. Lemon juice

9. Mustard seeds, 1 tsp. (can be made without this, but I made mine with it)

How to do it?

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds to crackle. 

2. Add in onions and salt. Mix till translucent. Add garlic and saute' till garlic gives a nice aromatic smell.

3. Add in tomatoes and cook till they get mashed. Add more oil if necessary. Wait till oil separates from the mixture, which is very important.

~see to it that the tomatoes are mashed enough you
get to see oil separates from the mixture~

4. Add bitter-gourd. Mix well and cook till soft. Do not cover. Also check the saltiness.

5. Add grated coconut, mix, and cook for about 5-10 minutes (litle scorching on the sides is yummy).

6. Turn off stove and sprinkle lemon juice. Mix well and serve.

Notes:
~Do not use ginger-garlic paste. It seems that they make the mixture a little wettish.

~I had it with cumin-turmeric brown rice and 1 piece of papad. It was divine!
~The next time we had it, we dropped the rice and eaten it with papad only. Delicious!

~Have it while still hot.

~I have never tried it with roti, chapati, or paratha. You can try! I will certainly try once and see if it's a good combination.

~I am now looking forward to having bitter-gourd using this recipe from now on.
~Bitter-gourd is Ampalaya in Tagalog language, Paliya in Cebuano language, and Karela in Hindi language

Do try it at home and this might just become one of your favorites -the unlikable that became the likable!

Cheers!

Stuffed Capsicum: A Filling That Gives You A Nice Feeling

There are only a few recipes that involve capsicum in my menu and stuffed capsicum was never there in the list although I know there is such thing exists and quite famous, that too. I remember one time, a long time ago when we ordered "Capsicum Nadjakat" at a hotel named "Rock Garden" in Mysore. It was quite good as far as I can remember. That was the first and last though. I didn't even have the interest to make a similar one at home later on. 

Until three days back when we purchased a kilo of capsicum because it was a local produce and very fresh. They really look so grabby, a sight that makes you smile! Well, it did to me!

So finally I decided to try stuffed capsicum. With 2 to 3 recipe write-ups and videos, I was able to put things together -adding and subtracting- and make my version of it.

The results? 

Delicious! 

Doesn't it look like one?

The stuffing is so tasty that if it wasn't for the number of capsicum that we have, I would have served it as it is. But stuffed capsicum recipe it was so the filling has to be stuffed in, right? So I went on for the recipe and I was glad I did. It turned out to be sumptuous, nevertheless.

So, let's head on to how I have done it.

WHAT ARE NEEDED? (Make sure to wash properly all ingredients that needed washing)

1. Onions, 3 medium-size, finely chopped
2. Garlic, 2 heads, finely chopped
3. Tomatoes, 2 large-size, finely chopped
4. Potatoes, 2 medium-size, boiled and finely cubed
5. Tofu, 200 or 400 gram, optional (I used tofu in this one mainly because we had 1 box left but others use paneer)
6. Green chili, 1 small piece, finely chopped
7. Turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp.
8. Coriander powder, 1 tsp.
9. Mango powder, 1/2 tsp.
10. Tomato sauce or ketchup, 1 tbsp. (optional)
11. Red chili powder, 1/2 tsp. (optional, only if you prefer it spicier)
12. Salt to taste
13. Oil for sauteing
14. Capsicum, in any color, medium size

HOW IT IS DONE! 

THE FILLING/STUFFING

1. Heat oil in a pan big enough to accommodate the rest of the ingredients.
2. Add in onions and salt, followed by garlic and green chili, then when garlic looks cooked, add in tomatoes. Mix well and saute' for 5 minutes or until tomatoes' raw smell disappears.
3. Add boiled potatoes and tofu. Mix slowly. Some of the tofu cubes will crumble into pieces but that's okay. Saute' for 5 minutes, mixing once in a while to avoid scorching.
4. One by one, add in the rest of the masala or spices. Cook for 3 minutes. Check the taste.
5. Turn off the stove and let the mixture cool down.

~tasty filling~

In the meantime.....

Wash all capsicum. Check which ones have a flatter bottom. Flatter bottom can sit on the plate well and can be cut half-way horizontally so both sides can be filled with the stuffing or you can just cut it like the one on the picture below (left corner-most).

Those which have pointy 'butt' should be cut vertically.

When all capsicums are cut into halves, remove the insides (seeds) to make room for the filling. When done, fill each half as much as you can.

Preheat oven to 200-degree Celcius for 5 minutes. Place all stuffed capsicums on a baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes. 

Remove from oven and serve.

NOTES:

~ I haven't tried it yet but my guess is, excluding tofu will be delicious enough for this recipe.

~There were 10 halves and 1 whole stuffed capsicum in total, all for two people. One of them was very small and distorted because there was still filling left to be stuffed in and I ran out of the "perfect-shape-and-size" kind of capsicum but I had no choice. It turned out that this particular capsicum was the spicy kind. Nevertheless, it was good.

~They were served with mint chutney, though it can be eaten alone. But, if you prefer, you can have ketchup with it instead of mint chutney.

~There were 3 halves left and were eaten at dinner time without re-heating. They tasted better, for me.

Pick your choice though! Enjoy!

How to Make Cashew Milk

Cashew milk is my favorite of all milk (now I can say it considering I have tried 6 different kinds of milk including cow's milk, which, of course, is for calves! And I am excluding mother's milk because I really don't remember how it tastes anymore and I don't have a plan of having some as an adult...lol).

Anyway, cashew milk is the easiest and quickest to make...tastiest too, for me at least. You have to try it yourself to validate my claim.

We have been having cashew, almond, and soya bean milk coffee alternately since we have become vegans...and cashew milk is on the top list! Expenses-wise? Around similar to the commercial milk available in the market. We are currently paying Rs. 570 to 600 per kilo. A hundred or two more is nothing if it's for the mother cows and their calves. We really don't mind!

So here's how to make it.

1. Soak 50 or more cashews depending on how much milk you want for 6 or more hours, preferably in plain tap water or warm/boiled water, which is optional. I generally use 50 cashews for two people for three sessions and our coffee is much. Our mug is bigger than the usual cup. You can try a lesser quantity first to see the consistency yourself. 

50 soaked cashews ready to be churned and made into milk.
The cashew oil is what makes the water blurry.

2. Discard the water that was used for soaking. Using a mixer/blender, churn the soaked cashews with little water first, enough to break the cashews into little pieces for a full minute churn. Then slowly add more water. It's generally 1:5 ratio (estimation). A glass of cashews requires 5 glasses of water.

(I am using a six-blade liquidizer, the picture above though using a chutney jar (smallest jar), which I just tried out, gives a better result. It's done quickly, too. Just churn the soaked cashews twice without water, then slowly add a little bit of water in next 2 to 3 churning). 

3. For final churn, add the rest of the water keeping notice that there's no little chunk of cashews left hiding at the neck of the jar or at the jar lid. Blend for about a minute more.

4. No need to sieve or strain. For 50 cashews I generate around 500-650 ml. of milk. Afterward, I add a little more water during the making of our coffee. Check milk consistency!

Drink it fresh or keep for later use like coffee or baking. Cashew milk chocolate is also very tasty. Use a plain cocoa powder instead of the commercially available chocolate powder. Cocoa is always known to improve memory. Enjoy!

To make cashew milk coffee: 

Just heat cashew milk, stir quite often and as much as possible never boil to avoid curdling. Generally, this only happens when the milk is a few hours older and not kept in the fridge.
Remove from stove when it's about to boil
then add it to your coffee cup. Done!

Important tip: Use a little, just about a finger tip, cashew milk cream or whatever is left at the sides of a bowl you use for boiling and apply it to your face or hand for a smoother and softer skin. You can even have a spoon of cashew milk itself and apply it to whichever part of your skin. It really works!

Never apply something on your skin that you wouldn't dare 
putting into your mouth!

Notes:

~Too much dilute lacks taste! So make sure it's not too thin nor too thick. Experiment on your own!

~We don't have a refrigerator so the quantity I make is for one day use. If you have a fridge then you can make more and just store the milk in the fridge. Many say it could last for 3 days.

~We make coffee and chocolate drink out of cashew milk.

~We tried tea with it. I made a tea decoction and heated the milk (no extra water this time) at the same time. When decoction was ready, I mixed it with the milk. Sugar was added, too! The result was not that satisfying though not bad. What was not at all likable is when I made the tea decoction with the milk itself. Undrinkable!

~Any idea how to make a memorable cashew milk tea? Let me know!

I believe that if a child is introduced to this milk there is no way that he/she would even like the taste of cow's milk.

And contrary to what we were made to believe by milk industries and advertisers, animal milk is THE most unhealthy milk you could ever drink yourself or give to your children.

The purpose of milk, mother cow to her calf, and human mother to her baby is for growth. Cow's milk is never for humans and human milk is only for babies, not for adults. So just imagine if, after weaning, kids continue to drink cows' or other sources of animal milk (they are forced to, sometimes)!

Humans are the only species who steal another species' milk just for taste...a taste that poses danger and expensive consequences.