Category: Recipe

There is something rather satisfying about cooking to the seasons, in line with the weather – hot or cold, or with your mood –  fresh and light or warm and comforting.

Stew and Dumplings summed up my mood the other night. The curtains were drawn, it was raining and I felt like eating something hearty and dough-like.

If you look carefully, some shop-brought dumpling mix is suitable for vegans (possibly from the Co-op if my memory serves me correctly). But I haven’t been able to pick up any recently – so I thought it was time to just make my own.

They are flavoured with shallot and herbs and cooked in a deep, rich, gravy-based sauce with carrot, courgette and potato. I challenge you not to feel all cosy inside after a portion of them for dinner!

Vegetable Stew with Herb and Shallot Dumplings
Serves 2
Preparation/cooking time 1 hour

Dumplings
1 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
250g/9 oz self-raising flour
125g/4½ oz vegan margarine
4 sage leaves, finely chopped
Small handful parsley, finely chopped
Salt & pepper

Stew
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small onion, chopped
2 courgettes, chopped into disks
1 carrot, chopped into disks
3 small potatoes, cubed
1 litre vegetable stock
4 tbsp vegetarian gravy granules
½ tsp yeast extract
2 bay leaves
Salt & pepper

1. To make the dumplings, begin by frying off the shallot in oil until soft. This will take a couple of minutes. 2. In a bowl, rub the margarine into the flour and add in the herbs and shallot. Season with salt & pepper. Taste a bit of raw dumpling to test the flavour.
3. Knead together with your hands so that all the fat combines with the flour and make 12 dumpling balls. Set them aside.
4. For the stew, fry the garlic and onion in oil until soft. Now add in your vegetables and continue to cook for a few minutes.
5. Transfer the vegetables to a large pot with a lid and pour the stock over the top of them. Mix in the gravy granules, yeast extract and bay leaves. Stir well.
7. Simmer the stew for 30 mins, before adding the dumplings and continuing to cook until they are swollen and tender.
8. Serve in deep wide bowls.

Image: Photo by Andretti Brown from Pexels

This is a fantastic recipe for quick, delicious, fresh bread in a hurry. It’s a favourite on retreats, toasted and spread with vegan margarine, avocado or nut butter. It is adapted from a Paul Hollywood recipe.

250g/9oz plain wholemeal flour
250g/9oz plain white flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
420ml/15fl oz plant milk
Juice of one lime or lemon
extra flour for dusting

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

1. In a large bowl, mix together the two types of flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
2. Add the milk and lime juice and mix until a sticky dough forms.
3. Lightly flour a work surface and tip the dough onto it.
4. Gently roll and fold the dough a couple of times to bring the mixture together. Do not knead.
5. Shape the dough into a ball. Flatten the ball gently with your hand. Score the dough with a deep cross dividing it into quarters. Dust the bread with flour.
6. Place onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake for 30 minutes at 200C/400F/Gas 6. The loaf should be golden-brown.
7. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy on the same day.

Over the last few years I have learned there is a lot more to making Dahl than a load of old lentils. Moving to Bristol 10 years ago really opened my eyes to this. Eating out at lots of decent Indian restaurants and buying fresh Dahl made in the kitchens of Asian supermarkets taught me a few lessons. At their simplest, Dahl recipes often involve little other than red lentils, onion, tinned tomatoes and curry powder. Some of these recipes are quite nice, but in my mind, rarely compare to an authentic Dahl served in a good Indian restaurant. These tend to be silky smooth, rich in flavour and very special.

Previously, the closest I’d come to perfecting a really good Dahl was from following a recipe in a Hare Krishna recipe book someone gave me for free on the street, called The Higher Taste, but even this has room for improvement.

So here is my Tarka Dahl recipe (meaning garlic Dahl), which is largely inspired by conversations I’ve had with people who have family or friends of Pakistani origin, who have shared some of their methods and secrets.

Key elements include; adequate soaking time, amount of garlic, chili and salt ratio and a golden rule not to stir too much.

Here I used Moong dahl (skinned and split mung beans), as they form a wonderful velvety texture when cooked. I served my Dahl with Quinoa; but it’s also delicious with brown or basmati rice or homemade chapati.

Helen’s Retreat Dahl
Serves 2
Preparation/cooking time 1 hour, 10 mins, plus soaking time

2 cups Moong dahl (or 1 cup red lentils, 1 cup yellow split peas)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped into large pieces
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 handfuls of spinach, washed

Spice mix (also known as the baghaar or chownk)
2 tbsp of vegetable or sunflower oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 – 1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp turmeric

1-2 cups of water to mix in at the end
Splash of lemon juice
Sprinkle of fresh or dried coriander to serve

1. Cover the Moong dahl with water and soak for at least an hour.
2. Rinse them through, place in a medium-sized saucepan and cover with fresh water.
3. Add the four garlic cloves, first half of onion and the teaspoon of cumin seeds.
4. Bring to the boil, then cover and turn down to simmer for an hour. Mix only very gently. The aim is to keep the dahl intact.
5. Towards the end of the hour, add the spinach to the mix, so it wilts in.
6. Heat the oil for the spice mix in a small frying pan. Soften the onion and garlic before adding the rest of the spices. Brown everything off in the oil, but do not have the heat too hot or allow to burn. It should be golden and aromatic.
7. Pour the spice mix into the Dahl and incorporate gently.
8. Add 1-2 cups of water at the end if needed, plus a splash of lemon juice, to create a Dahl of your desired consistency; either like a soup, or thicker to be scooped up in a chapati!
9. Serve with fresh or dried coriander sprinkled on the top, with a spoon of dairy-free yoghurt or chutney.

Picture taken for the Viva! Cookbook.