This was one of those last-minute dinner scrambles. It worked out pretty well though! We didn't have any tempeh on hand, but there was a bunch of Beyond Meat in the freezer, so I just made it with that and left out the water called for. I also decided to bake the meatballs rather than trying to brown them in a pan. I alway find browning meatballs in a pan super annoying. Using the oven is much easier. And it also allows for the sauce to be started on the stovetop while the meatballs are still cooking in the oven. That said, either method will work, so use whichever you prefer.

Vegetarian Swedish Meatballs

Slightly adapted from Rabbit & Wolves

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 400g Beyond Meat
• 1-2 eggs
• 1/2 c. breadcrumbs
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. allspice berries, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• drizzle of oil, for cooking

Sauce

• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 c. vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. dijon (or Roman) mustard
• 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). If you have a convection/fan oven, use the convection mode at a slightly lower temperature: 190°C (375°F).
2. Combine Beyond Meat, egg(s), breadcrumbs, panko, parsley, garlic powder, nutmeg, allspice, and pepper and mix thoroughly.
3. Drizzle a baking sheet with oil. (Line with parchemnt paper or a silicone mate first if you like.)
4. Form the "meat" mixture into balls and place them on the baking sheet. Roll the balls around a little to coat them in oil.
5. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for ~10 minutes. Or 190°C (375°F) for convection/fanbake.
6. Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat.
7. Add the flour, mix, and cook to make a roux.
8. Pour in the broth, soy sauce, coconut milk, mustard, and vinegar and whisk to combine.
9. Simmer until sauce has thickened.
10. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. Add meatballs to sauce and stir to coat.
12. Serve over starch of your choice: rice, potatoes, or noodles.

Variations

Tempeh Version

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 225g tempeh
• 1-2 eggs
• 1/2 c. breadcrumbs
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. allspice berries, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• drizzle of oil, for cooking

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until relatively uniform.

Proceed with recipe as above. Sauce is the same.

Vegan Version

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 400g Beyond Meat
• 1-2 flax eggs
• 1/2 c. breadcrumbs (make sure they're vegan)
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs (also check for vegan-ness)
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. allspice berries, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• drizzle of oil, for cooking

Sauce

• 1/4 c. vegan butter
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 c. vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. dijon (or Roman) mustard
• 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper, to taste

7 Baharat (Syrian 7-Spice Blend)

This simple spice blend requires no toasting, just grinding, so it comes together very quickly.

7 Baharat

Our Syria, p.244

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp ground cardamom
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• ½ tbsp ground cloves
• ½ tbsp ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Combine all spices and store in an airtight container.

I made this mallum to go with a Sri Lankan curry a while ago. I forget exactly which curry now as I waited too long to write up the recipes, but the mallum deserves to be remembered. It was a bit spicy, a bit salty, and a bit sour and absolutely delicious! I quite liked the coconut in it as well. I would definitely make it again.

Cabbage Mallum

From Sri Lankan Flavours by Channa Dassanayaka

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1-3 salted chilies, broken
• 1/2 onion, sliced thin
• 3 c. thinly sliced cabbage (or other vegetable of your choice¹)
• 1 c. chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro)
• 1/4 c. unsweetened dried shredded coconut
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. mustard seeds, ground
• 1 fresh green Thai chili, sliced
• juice of 1/2 a lime

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add broken salted chilies and cook until they lose their colour (2-3 minutes).
3. Add onion, cabbage, parsley, coconut, salt, mustard, and fresh chili and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and add lime juice.

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¹ Most non-salad type greens will work. Dassanayaka suggests red cabbage, napa cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, or Swiss chard/silverbeet. I suspect beet greens, kale, or mustard greens would also work quite well. ^Back

Apparently salted chilies are an indespensible Sri Lankan kitchen staple. They're especially useful for adding a flavour boost to vegetarian dishes, but can be broken up and stirred into other curries as well.

Salted Chilies

Slightly adapted from Sri Lankan Flavours by Channa Dassanayaka

Ingredients

• 10-15 dried red Thai, arbol, or cayenne chilies
• 500mL boiling water¹
• 1/4 c. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Dissolve the salt in the water.
2. Add the chilies and allow them to soak for at least an hour before using.

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¹ The original recipe did not specify that the water be boiling, but I found that the salt did not dissolve well in cold (or even tepid) water. In the future I'd dissolve the salt in boiling water to make the brine and go from there. ^Back

Chicken Biriyani (Sri Lankan)

I'm always a sucker for a good biriyani and, let me tell you, this one was amazing! Honestly, the rice alone was a delight and already incredible. The chicken curry, onion mixture, and boiled eggs just made it even more over-the-top delicious.

One small note: Do not do as I did and make this in a 6-cup casserole dish. It's not nearly big enough! Next time I'd make this in a 9"x13" (23x33cm) lasagne pan or something of similar volume.

Chicken Biriyani

Slightly adapted from Sri Lankan Flavours by Channa Dassanayaka

Ingredients

Chicken Curry

• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 2 green cardamom pods
• 1 Indian bay leaf
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 tsp. ginger paste
• 2 tsp. garlic paste
• 500g skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2cm cubes
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. roasted curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika, hot paprika, or chili powder (according to your taste)
• 1 c. chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 c. plain yogurt
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Onion Mixture

• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 onion, halved and sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 10-12 fresh curry leaves

Assembly

• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 tsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. rosewater (optional)
• 1 recipe yellow rice
• 4 large eggs, hard-boiled and halved
• fresh cilantro (optional), to garnish

Directions

Note: Before you launch into the other steps, boil your eggs and prepare the yellow rice as directed and set it aside until you're ready to start assembling the biriyani.

Chicken Curry

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Bruise the cardamom pods and add them to the pan along with the bay leaf, onion, cloves, garlic, ginger, and chicken.
3. Cook for ~5 minutes.
4. Add turmeric, curry powder, paprika (or chili powder), and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes and mix well.
6. Add salt and pepper and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt and cilantro.

Onion Mixutre

1. Melt butter over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cinnamon stick and cook for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add curry leaves and cook for another minute or so.

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Add the water, oil, and rosewater (if using) to your baking dish.
3. Spread ~1/3 of the rice into the bottom of the dish.
4. Spread ~1/2 the curry on top of the rice.
5. Spread another 1/3 of the rice over the curry.
6. Now add ~1/2 the onion mixture on top of the rice.
7. Spread the remaining curry over the onions.
8. Top with the remaining rice.
9. Use a chopstick or the handle of a spoon to make a few holes down to the bottom of your biriyani so that steam can escape during baking.
10. Cover the dish. If you do not have an oven-safe lid for it, you may cover it with aluminum foil instead.
11. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes.
12. Remove from oven and garnish with remaining onion mixture, halved eggs, and cilantro.

Qatayef (Syrian Stuffed Pancakes)

I was going to make cookies today, but then I saw this stuffed pancake recipe and adjusted my plans!

Qatayef

Slightly adapted from Our Syria by Itab Azzam and Dina Mousawi

Ingredients

• 200g all-purpose flour¹
• 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 c. warm water
• 1 c. chopped walnuts
• 3-4 Tbsp. sugar syrup², divided
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 c. ricotta
• 1 Tbsp. pistachios, chopped
• oil for frying

Directions

1. Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and baking powder and mix well.
2. Whisk in the warm water. Make sure it's warm enough to activate the yeast but not so hot that it kills it.
3. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
4. After 30 minutes, whisk the batter again to deflate it.
5. Heat a pan or griddle over medium heat.
6. Add a little butter to the pan if it needs to be greased.
7. Pour ~1/4 c. of batter into the pan.
8. The batter will bubble as it cooks. Once it stops bubbling and looks dry on top, it's done. DO NOT FLIP IT OVER! Simply remove it from the pan and allow it to cool.
9. Repeat cooking steps with remaining batter. DO NOT STACK THE PANCAKES! They must be placed in a single layer or they will stick together.
10. While the pancakes are cooling, combine the walnuts, 1 Tbsp. of the syrup, cinnamon, and ricotta.
11. Place a spoonful of filling on each pancake and fold them over to form well-stuffed semi-cricles. Press the edges firmly to seal. If you're having trouble getting a good seal, use some of the remaining syrup to glue them shut.
12. Pour oil into a wok or pot to a depth of at least 3cm and heat it over medium-high heat.
13. Deep-fry the stuffed pancakes (in batches) until they're golden brown and slightly crisp on all sides.
14. Allow to drain on a wire rack (or paper towels) for a few minutes.
15. Transfer to a plate and drizzle with the remaining syrup.
16. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and serve!

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¹ I was running low on all-purpose flour, so I used ~100g of whole wheat flour + 100g of all-purpose. I was very happy with how this worked out. ^Back
2 Make the syrup by combining equal parts sugar and water. Add a touch of lemon juice as well if you like. Boil until slightly thickened. (It should be about the consistency of maple syrup.) Set aside to cool. ^Back

Yellow Rice (Sri Lankan)

This makes absolutely amazing rice! It's pretty and yellow (even if you make it with brown rice the turmeric does a nice job of colouring it). It's full of delicious toasted cashews and raisins. It's infused with the aroma of wonderfully flavourful spices. And it includes a generous quantity of ghee. What's not to like?!

Yellow Rice

Slightly adapted from Sri Lankan Flavours by Channa Dassanayaka

Ingredients

• 2 c. long-grain brown rice
• 2 c. water
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 whole cloves
• 3 green cardamom pods, crushed
• 6-7 fresh curry leaves
• 1 (7-8cm) cinnamon stick
• 6 black peppercorns
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 50g raw cashews
• 50g sultanas
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. plain yogurt (optional)

Directions

1. Combine rice, water, turmeric, salt, cloves, cardamom, curry leaves, cinnamon stick, and peppercorns in the InstantPot and give it a brief stir to make sure everything is well-mixed.
2. Seal InstantPot and set to pressure cook on "high" for 18 minutes and allow for a 10-minute natural release.
3. Meanwhile, heat ghee over medium heat.
4. Add cashews and sultanas and toast until cashews are golden-brown and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside until rice is ready.
5. Once rice is cooked (including 10-minute natural release), release any remaining pressure, remove the lid, and fluff the rice.
6. Stir in the cashews and sultanas.
7. If desired, stir in the cilantro and yogurt as well.

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 2 c. long-grain brown rice
• 2 c. water
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 whole cloves
• 3 green cardamom pods, crushed
• 6-7 fresh curry leaves
• 1 (7-8cm) cinnamon stick
• 6 black peppercorns
• 2 vegan butter
• 50g raw cashews
• 50g sultanas
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. plain coconut yogurt (optional)