Recipe - My Malaysian Laksa-style Soup (for the Soul).

Everyone has their own way of making this wonderful soup. 

This is mine.

I love the aromatics, the colours and the textures in my version of it.

See what you think - lets compare Laksas [she said]... 

my lovely Laksa

Vegetable variations you can use include: fine green beans, broccoli, mangetout, beansprouts, leaf spinach, bok choi (Chinese cabbage), cucumber, you could also add some firm tofu pieces and garnish with deep fried shallots, finely sliced red peppers and/or lime wedges. p.s. I do not recommend adding onions or shallots to the broth - for me they spoil the delicate flavours.

Serves 4 (heartily) but is best eaten the same day.

Gather

150g rice noodles (usually about 3 'nests')

2-3 tbsp sesame oil

1 heaped tbsp Vegan Thai red curry paste (*warning - Laksa paste often contains shrimp)

1 red chilli - cut in half, deseeded and finely sliced

200g assorted mushrooms - thinly sliced (shiitake are traditional but I'm not so keen on these so I tend to use white, chestnut and forestiere, for example)

400ml can coconut milk

600ml water (you can fill the coconut milk can with water 1 and a half times)

1 aubergine - sliced into 1cm thick rounds

150g baby sweetcorn - cut in half or thirds on a diagonal slant

2 pak choi - leaves separated and halved if large (leave small ones whole)

freshly ground black pepper to taste

salt to taste (I use about half a teaspoon - which seems a lot, but does bring the flavours alive)

garnish - small bunch of fresh coriander leaves (no stalks) - finely chopped

Create

1.  Put your grill on to warm and add 1 tbsp of sesame oil to a large pan on a medium heat.

2.  Add the curry paste and fresh chilli to the pan and stir to sizzle and release aromas.

3.  Next add the mushrooms and coat in the sauce. Then add the coconut milk and the water - bring to the boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer.

4.  Brush the aubergine rounds with the remaining sesame oil and place on a baking tray under the now warm grill for 5 minutes.

5.  Wash and slice the sweetcorn. Wash and slice the pak choi (pak choi can be a little dirty lower down the stems, so this is important.) Chop your coriander ready to use.

6.  Turn the aubergine slices over, add the sweetcorn to the soup pot and turn up the heat a little to simmer more vigorously. Put a full kettle on to boil.

7.  Add the pak choi leaves to the soup and pour enough boiling water over your rice noodles to cover them.

8.  Taste your soup for seasoning and add black pepper and salt to your preference.

9.  Your aubergine will have grilled on the other side for another 5 minutes now and should be golden - so remove it from the grill and chop each round into 4 pieces.

10.  Stir the rice noodles with a fork to separate and drain in a large sieve.

11.  Add the aubergine to the soup, add the noodles to the soup, give it all a good stir to combine and re-test for seasoning if you want to double check.

Enjoy!

Serve into hot bowls using tongs to make sure everybody gets a share of noodles and veg and then a ladle to top up with the coconut broth. Sprinkle with just a little of the coriander. Serve with a soup spoon and a fork!

Cooks tip: If you have the time and the inclination, you can make your own curry paste by blending this list of ingredients. [recipe by Yotam Otolengi]

100g peeled baby shallots
8 garlic cloves
25g peeled ginger, sliced
15g lemongrass (soft white stem only), sliced
2 tsp ground coriander
3 large dried red chillies
2 tbsp sambal oelek (or other savoury chilli paste) 

2 tbsp vegetable oil 

25 g fresh coriander(stalks and all)

Campaign Corner - keep badgering for our badgers.

I'd like to be able to start this page with words like 'on the back of all the publicity...' or 'following extensive media coverage of...' you'll no doubt be aware of the horrendous badger cull currently taking place in our countryside.

But sadly, owing to the usual government media restrictions, this issue hasn't had nearly enough media attention in my opinion and the government certainly hasn't listened to its electorate, or indeed the actual hard facts of the science. And so the senseless killing has begun.

If this is news to you, then I invite you to find out more from these links below and to then add your voice to the campaign against the cull.

And although you may be thinking it's too late because the cull has already started, then my message to you is that it's NEVER too late. As you'll see below we still need to make our opinions heard (as they affect future plans for this wildlife species,and others) and help those brave people willing to risk everything in the field delaying shootings, gathering evidence and rescuing injured badgers. It's gruelling, harrowing work and they need our support.

These are just some of the things that I've done to lend my support - they are quick, easy and could make all the difference.

BE the change. Thank you.

First, catch up on some background information:

keep up with latest badger news

http://allanimalrights.org/News-813-Badger-Cull-Latest-News

undecided about whether to help?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z6omoYH6Ks&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Petitions and campaigns to sign:

Brian Mays UK petition (the UKs largest online petition, ever...)

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/38257

Avaaz

http://avaaz.org/en/petition/Stop_the_badger_slaughter_and_save_British_wildlife/?twi

IFAW

http://www.ifaw.org/united-kingdom/get-involved/stop-badger-culls#.Uh-jOqi0x3A.twitter

call on Owen Patterson to be removed from his post of Environment Secretary - as all he seems to want to do is decimate our wildlife...

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/47727

Contribute financially if you're able to:

the general fund helping people in the field carry out vital work

http://www.gofundme.com/43vl24

purchase equipment for the people on the ground from this Amazon wishlist

http://www.amazon.co.uk/registry/wishlist/9LDN9HPOF3UR

support the Animal Welfare Enforcement Agency (who say they will be active on the ground)

 http://awea.org.uk/getactive/donate/

Sing along while you're doing all this! 

download the badger support song

https://itunes.apple.com/album/Save-the-badger-badger-badger/id649387057

Get involved with organisations and work on the ground if you're able to:

join the next badger patrol - info here

https://twitter.com/2Vexed/status/373154048616452096 

phone the stopthecull activists to offer your support and see how else you can help

Gloucester Office 01386 761455
Gloucester Field Phone 07891639803

Social media activity:

join in tweetstorms and raise awareness using hashtags such as

#badgercull

#savethebadger

#stopthecull

#sabthecull

#stopthebadegrcull

#theslaughterhasbegun

#savethebadger

#supportoursabs

 

and use these hashtags to search for badger conversations and those other campaigners you want to follow

**Share this page with friends, family, followers and as many people as you can!**

Additional info and courses of action:

sign and send this form direct to your MP expressing your outrage at this unjustified killing

http://e-activist.com/ea-campaign/action.handleViewInBrowser.do?&templateId=22684

more info / contacts here

http://www.badger-killers.com/who/

LAST BUT NOT LEAST:

Make the strongest stand that you can and consider going vegan. It's easier than you think, and you'll be joining a growing number of 1000's of conscientious and compassionate people in the UK. In doing this you will send a clear message that taking life unnecessarily is wrong. Badgers are just one example of life that's being killed in order to temporarily (so say) protect another species that is subsequently abused 24/7 and then killed - all for the sake of products that humans don't need. Products that are, in fact, bad for us. 

It's an insane circle of injustice and death - but you can play a part in stopping it.

Please contact me if you'd like to talk about this.

Anything that I've missed? PLEASE let me know asap and I 'll update this page.

Paws for thought:- 'Alone in Veganville?'

There are days when, even though I have the support of my husband, I feel alone at sea, without a friend in the world and that no-one understands me. People don't understand the vegan lifestyle I'm living and the reasons why I'm living it. They don't understand the pain and scars that viewing/reading endless welfare stories have left on me...

Of course this totally disappears the minute I get back online and either tweet or read my email and the shared philosophy, warmth and love comes flooding in and lifts my soul (that is true 'veggie soup for the soul', for sure!)

Vegans do attract vegans, as one of my online friends said recently, and, for the most part, they are a great crowd - full of fun and sharing and solidarity. It's no exaggeration for me to say that these folk (none of whom I've ever met, yet, face to face) keep me going some days, giving me a ray of hope that people, and the world, can change for the better.

And if I thought there was a God, I'd thank her for them...

Within my real life day to day circles of family and friends, David and I are the only vegans and I cannot imagine what it would be like to be either on my own or the only vegan in a household. We stand alone in a group of people who now (I suspect) think we've 'gone too far' (hell, they thought we were crazy when we went vegetarian!). I know for a fact that some of them have always thought I was a 'bit out there / quirky' and have found it probably mildly amusing, quaint, even eccentric, that we keep chickens, grow veg and have thoughts different to those touted in the Daily [brainwash] Mail. WOW - aren't we radical???!!!

But my point is this: despite gentle explanations of our way of thinking / living, despite feeding people delicious vegan foods and despite looking (if I say so myself) pictures of far better health now than we ever did, none of them have have adopted any of the ways of our new compassionate life.

Worse still, I feel that when I speak with them, although I'm bubbling evangelically inside with all I've learnt and how they too could benefit, I don't feel like I can tell them, because they will think I'm trying to 'convert' them or force them into a 'cult' or something...

Now you can't chose your family, obviously, so one might expect them not to be as receptive - but you tend to chose friends based on the fact that you have things in common and an empathy with them. That being the case, why is it then that they are all carrying on eating meat and using animal products despite my new persuasion? 

It baffles me. 

It upsets me.

In the early days, I used to send the odd round-robin email about animal campaigns I felt strongly about or health issue pieces etc and not once did anyone ever sign, or even reply to me for that matter.

When David and I tried to help his mum with a health issue that was being affected by her (poor) GP recommended diet (even sending her scientific research that more dairy would be bad for her rising cholesterol) we were derided for our efforts and his brother even called his email 'spam'!

It was hurtful beyond belief - because all we wanted to do, all we ever wanted to do, was help.

Similarly, when I sent some info on the benefits to heart attack victims of eating less meat to one of my oldest closest friends (because her very carnivorous partner had not long suffered a heart attack) she said she'd read it and then I never heard any more. I didn't follow it up because to me, this silence meant they didn't want to hear what I had to say. I feel like they will think its just more vegan 'propaganda'. But how can it be, if all I'm trying to do is good in the world and to help others? Help, that I may add, is based on scientific fact NOT on meat / dairy / media / government-driven propaganda.

And when our invite to the annual family xmas meal wasn't for the meal, but was simply for popping by for a cup of tea in the afternoon (everyone else went to the main meal) we felt excluded and like the proverbial lepers. And a 4 hour drive to have a cup of black tea with people you're starting to feel less 'related' to - wasn't our idea of a happy xmas day. We politely declined and retreated into our little vegan shells.

My experiences so far are starting to make me think that Veganism has had such an unbelievably bad press, that the people we know think we're complete loony radicals. Perhaps our friends and family are scared that we've changed so much that they won't be able to relate to us?

The irony is that I would say we are far BETTER people now than we ever were - we're not corporate cogs any more, we're more chilled and we live with more consideration to all animals, people and the planet and with more compassion for all of these things.

But the increasing feeling that I no longer have the same connection to people who really mattered to me in my previous 'meaty' life is quite a high price to pay.

I'm feeling alone in Veganville.

Saddest of all, the one person who would have remained my constant companion through all of this, is no longer with me. Sally, my best friend of 35 years died of a very aggressive breast cancer just over two years ago. Her illness, in part, sparked my change of lifestyle - because together we researched into the whys of how she got cancer and the hows of curing it, and we both came up with a vegan diet as being a potential cure. For her it was too late, but for me, their was still only one lifestyle decision to be made.

So I'm lost in the middle of the town and need to know: where do I go from here?

Well, I need to keep hearing Sally's chirpy curiosity-filled encouragement in my head. She'd say, 'don't take it too personally, focus on the positives Chantal...'

So I must remember to be grateful for a loving husband, who, as a man, naturally isn't going to understand me 90% of the time, but, who DOES get me where veganism is concerned! And I need, and want, to stay connected to all of the fantastic new people that I've met through the likes of social media - people, who, like me, are trying to change the world with a passion.

I also need to work on helping to change the perception that people have of veganism - demystifying it, answering questions clearly and calmly, educating. spreading the word in a positive and modern way, wherever and whenever I can.

And I have to remember that I wasn't always vegan. I used to be like my friends and family too and just as I've thrown 1000% effort into changing my personal world, I need to make more of an effort with all of my old friends too.

I must never give up. Perhaps through compassionate, gentle persistence then, some of them might understand, and see what I see.
Perhaps one day, some of them might even move into Veganville with me.

Chantal xx

If you can relate to my reflections then consider yourself as having a new friend :) Is this potential reaction from others stopping you from becoming vegan? How are you finding it as a new vegan? If you've been vegan for years - how have you coped and what's your advice?
Don't let me be lonely on this issue too - please get in touch if you'd like to!

Recipe: My Nan's Vegan Apple Pie

If you're of a ( ahem...) 'certain' age - like me, the chances are, when you were a child you did some cooking with your grandma ('Nan' in my case).

My nan was a feisty character, to say the least, but in the kitchen she was a warm, homely cook who showed endless patience as she taught me all of the basic cooking skills that her mother and grandmother had taught her.

These handed down life skills are invaluable and I feel so grateful to have had that kind of grounding. They meant that when I left home at 19 I had the confidence to avoid processed microwave foods, was able to wow new boyfriends with my domestic goddess prowess and I could hold some (quite) sophisticated dinner parties!

Of course food was different then. Times were simpler and you had 6 herbs and spices in your cupboard and recipes rarely called for anything more exotic than curry powder; oh, and you didn't need a degree in 'blumenthalogy'. Ah yes - there was A LOT to be said for it and actually I miss those days (sometimes).

These were meat-eating times though and many of nans recipes I can now no longer use - stuffed lambs hearts were a favourite, as money was tight - doubtless these are a Michelin delicacy now.. :(

First 3kg of apples from our tree & my little helper!

But I'm waffling - lets cut to the scrumpy... because Bramleys are dropping as I type :)

Here is Nan's recipe for apple pie. It's as simple as it is delicious and guess what? It uses Stork margarine - which, it turns out, is vegan.

Thanks nan - you were my cooking inspiration and I wish I could make this for you now.

Love you

Chantal xx

[Makes 4-8 portions - depending on how greedy you are! (I'd go with 4.)] 

You can make 8 small pies, 4 large individual pies or 1 family-size pie - the choice is yours!

Gather

Pastry

290g plain flour - (ideally organic) [+ extra to dust the work top]

160g Stork - from the fridge cut into cubes (block margarine only, as the tub version contains whey)

10g icing sugar - (I use Silver Spoon because it's grown in the UK from sugar beet and doesn't use animal ash in it's processing - so is vegan.)

Pinch of salt

100ml (approx) ice cold water

Filling

2 large bramley apples

white caster sugar - to taste

ground cinnamon - to taste

Glaze

20g stork - melted

2 tbsp granulated sugar

Create

NB It's said that to make good pastry you need cold hands. Given that I have warm little paws - I make my pastry in a food processor. Nan wouldn't have approved, but providing you don't blend it for an hour you can still get a great result I think.

1.  Add the flour, icing sugar and salt to a food processor. Switch on to blend and add the cubes of Stork through the top aperture. Blend until resembling fine breadcrumbs and then very gradually drizzle in the ice cold water until the dough clumps together and forms one large ball. Stop blending immediately.

2.  Remove the pastry dough, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for half an hour.

3.  Meanwhile get your pie dishe/s prepared. [I use a yorkshire pudding tin that makes 4 large individual pies.] by buttering them with a little Stork from the discarded Stork wrapper (as Nan used to do).

4.  Heat your oven to 200C  /  180C fan  /  GM 6  /  aga moderate/hot.

5.  After your pastry has rested for half an hour, lightly flour your work surface and roll it out to approx 3mm thick. Then cut it to fit the bottom of your pie tin/s and gently place in, making sure it's pushed down all the way around.

6.  Reform the pastry and re-roll (if necessary) and cut out shape/s ready to fit the top of your pie/s (err on cutting too large as you can always trim the excess).

7.  Then core, peel and slice your apples and quickly arrange the pieces on top of the pastry base.

8.  Bramleys are sharp, so sprinkle over some caster sugar and then dust liberally with ground cinnamon (I leave the quantities up to you, as every palate is different - I like a fairly sharp apple taste but with lots of cinnamon.)

my pastry could have been thinner here but I love pastry!

9.  Wet the rim of your pastry case with water and then place the pastry lid on top, pressing down all of the edges firmly to seal and trimming off any excess pastry to make it neat. 

10.  Brush the top of the pie with the melted Stork, sprinkle with the the granulated sugar and make 3 little slits in the top with a sharp knife. (NB if you have any pastry scraps left over you can cut these into leaf shapes etc to decorate the top of the pie - 'glue' them on with a little water.)

11.  Place your pie/s in the middle of the preheated oven and bake until pale golden brown - usually about 20-25 minutes (small pies) 30-40 minutes (medium pies) 35-45 minutes (large pies). Better still, unless cooking with an aga (where you cannot smell baking) check on your pie/s when that delicious apple pie smell starts to waft through the house.

Enjoy!

Leave your pie to cool slightly before you serve it. Then serve with lashings of warm custard (soya, naturally, NOT made with full fat milk and Birds custard powder - sorry Nan!)

Campaign Corner

It's been a bit hectic here at Secret Cottage this week - our lovely rescue dogs had to go in for dentistry surgery - their teeth hadn't been looked after by their previous owners and were in quite a bad way - poor things. But I'd still urge any of you to adopt rather than buy. The sense of satisfaction from giving an animal a better life is immense and reducing the need for unscrupulous breeders to even exist is also a fabulous thing to do.

So here is a short round up of what caught my eye and tugged at my heart strings and conscience this week. As always, thank you for your loving support.

Chantal xx

** URGENT save the Scottish Wildcat - it featured on TV again this week and, staggeringly, it could be extinct in just 2 years if something isn't done soon...

 http://www.thepetitionsite.com/356/348/002/save-the-scottish-wildcat/

#50 Million Missing Campaign - the shocking truth about female genocide in India- please find out more and follow the links here to raise awareness of this absolutely shocking info...

http://genderbytes.wordpress.com/about/

#Campaign for an animal abusers register- it's proven that abusers of any animals go on to commit more and more violent crimes - often to humans as well...

http://www.caar-uk.org/

#Alfies Law - patron Peter Egan, campaigning for tougher sentencing and restrictions on animal abusers as well as more education. This follows on from the links above and I can't stress how important these measures would be...

http://www.alfieslaw.co.uk/

buy a bandana for your dog to support the cause too :)

#Ban the electric dog collar. These can be lethal. I have also heard of some electric fencing being lethal too as dogs can get tangled in them and electrocuted. Other barrier methods in gardens and proper reward-based training are the way to deal with dog issues - not electric shocks that could kill them...

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/ban-the-electric-dog-collar.html

#Say NO to ivory - if you can't attend the protest marches on world elephant day on 4th Oct then please sign the petition instead. This is a no-brainer...

 http://www.iworry.org/#join-the-march-2

#Ban the horror of live animal exports. I shall feature this in more detail soon, as there is so much to 

know and say on the issue. For now, please know and understand that animals travel for days in horrific conditions often to meet the most violent of deaths in ritual killings / religious slaughter methods when they reach their destinations...

 http://www.banliveexport.com/take_action/kuwait-cruelty-continues/

#Greenpeace campaign for saving the Arctic - this is connected to every aim of veganism ...

http://www.savethearctic.org/

#Ban fur from sale in the UK... this follows the horrific news that it's 'making a come back' and it MUST be halted in its tracks...

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/53399

Conversations with a Vegan... milk...breast is best...but not inter-species...

I'm writing up real life 'Conversations with a Vegan'  to open up discussion on how best to talk about what it means to be vegan.
I'm doing this because I find there is a lot of misleading stereotyping and mis-information out there about veganism that is causing people to perceive it in a very negative way.
I know the positive aspects of it, and why I feel compelled to follow this way of life, and I just want to make sure that I'm explaining it in the best possible way that I can to non vegans. I want to educate, inform and break down those cultural barriers.

To those who have gone through all of this before me: I welcome your advice and input on how I might improve what I say.

To those, who like me, are just starting out on this wonderful new life: then perhaps we can learn together?

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with any thoughts or questions.

Ch xx

Place: Thelcross Inn (traditional pub), Mid Devon - farming territory

Time: Lunch

Person: Bar staff / Waitresses

Situation: Looking at the specials board to see if there was anything suitable that Dave and I could eat for lunch - unusually the board had 4 meat options and 4 veggie options, one of which was 'vegetable tempura with sweet chilli sauce, salad and chips'.

first lady

second lady

me!

Hello - please could you tell me if the vegetable tempura is homemade and whether the batter is actually a tempura one or if it's a batter that contains milk and possibly eggs?

OK no problem I'll go and check with the chef.

Actually please could you also check what's in the risotto as well, as we don't eat any animal products at all - so no cream or cheese etc.

I think it has cheese but I'll check for you.

[first lady went off to the kitchens, second lady came over and started talking to me]

So don't you eat any animal products at all?

No - none, we're vegan

What, not even milk?

No - not milk. Milk is meant for calves - not humans.

But it's... mmm... [long pause] do you have children?

No.

Well, if you did, would you feed them your breast milk then?

Yes - because human breast milk is meant for human babies! [possible shock in my voice!] It's just that cows milk is meant for calves, not humans.

Oh - but... what about Holstein cows - they have too much milk for their calves so it's OK for us to drink the rest.

Well they have too much milk because we've bred them that way - but cows milk is the milk of another species - and when you think about it - we're not meant to drink that. It's not designed for humans.

I know that we're all brought up drinking milk - I was just as much as you. And I understand you live right in the middle of a farming community so it's the common view. But when I really started researching into it and then thinking about it I found that it's not as healthy as we've been told - I mean we hear all the time now to reduce our dairy intake don't we? But apart from that I just don't want to drink the milk of another species. And actually we don't need to - their are so many alternatives.

Mmm... yeah I never heard of that though.

It's quite unusual I know, but more and more people are starting to realise that it isn't perhaps good for us [and certainly not for the animals]. 
It's great that you guys here have considered vegetarian options for your menu. Humans are eating too much meat really too so it's really great that you have other options and I'll make sure I let people know that you do.

Thanks, Mmm no milk eh? [still looking incredulous at this revelation]... doesn't this whole thing make it difficult for you to eat though?

Well yes it can be challenging eating out sometimes - but look, perhaps without realising it, you have a vegan dish on your menu right there and it looks lovely! A lot of people want to help. Of course it's easy for me to eat and cook at home because there are so many great ingredients I can cook with - it's not limiting at all - quite the opposite.

Hmmm [went away pensive and carried on with her work]...

[other lady came back to confirm the tempura was suitable for vegans - but the risotto wasn't as it had parmesan in it - a whole conversation about parmesan not being veggie then ensued - which she took very well and she went back to the chef again to discuss it!]

This is a conversation that I could end up having a thousand times living in Devon and something I wish I had added I have highlighted in red - getting facts / concerns across about how we farm animals too would have been good.
But guaging the person I was talking to and the community I was in - it may not have been that easy to talk about that. Maybe next time I will have more courage and find the right words?

What was interesting was to see the reaction of someone to the suggestion that humans shouldn't be drinking the breast milk of another species. It's a simple, yet thought-provoking comment. It certainly was for me.
I related the fact that I was brought up drinking milk and thinking of it in the way she was,  so that I could show change is possible. I hope my experiences help others to question what they are commonly told as part of our cultural 'norm'. 

Chantal xx



If the comment box is not visible below please click on the title of this post and it will open up for you to comment. I welcome any and all constructive feedback and thoughts.   

@vegsoup4thesoul I think you handled the conversation really well. You planted a seed. You weren't rude. You were informative. Good on you!
— Ally (@madeofstars1) August 24, 2013

 

@madeofstars1 @vegsoup4thesoul You did very well.
— Vanilla Rose (@MsVanillaRose) August 24, 2013

@vegsoup4thesoul no it's hard really hard, cos milk is everywhere & peeps don't get it! :)
— JaneyL (@knittybunbun) August 23, 2013