Spiced Chickpea, Butternut Squash and Yoghurt Salad

I'm visiting Aotearoa New Zealand at the moment. One of the nicest things is getting to cook for my family again. Last weekend, I puzzled over what to make out of chickpeas and silken tofu. I remembered eating some Dahi Puri that were filled with chickpea curry, vegan yoghurt and a generous amount of spices and chutney.

This chickpea salad is that memory realised in the available ingredients. It's chickpeas and butternut squash smothered in creamy vegan sour cream, with a hint of cumin and chili. The vegan sour cream from Gormandize makes a great stand-in for plain yoghurt. I've never been able to find a vegan yoghurt that isn't sweet. Do they exist?

 

 Spiced Chickpea, Butternut Squash and Yoghurt Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

710 g butternut squash (900 ml chopped)

1/4 red onion

a handful of parsley (optional)

2 400 g cans of chickpeas (750 ml drained)

1 recipe vegan sour cream

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp chili powder

Method

1. Chop the butternut squash into 3x3 cm squares. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 200 C for 40 minutes, or until tender.

2. Finely chop the onion and parsley. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Make the sour cream. Gently combine all ingredients except the parsley and add salt to taste. Sprinkle the parsley on top.

New Zealand Sweetcorn Fritters

Fritters have been popular in New Zealand for some time. Their fame was probably helped by their inclusion in the "Edmonds Cookery Book", New Zealand's most popular cook book. The book was originally published in 1908 to market baking powder, hence the slogan "sure to rise" that still stands on the cover.

You can sometimes buy seafood fritters at fish and chips shops, but corn fritters are normally made at home. They can easily be dressed up or down. I remember my dad cooking corn fritters made with creamed corn for me and my sisters a lot when I was a child. I've also eaten them on a date.

If you want fancier fritters, use fresh corn and chilli and throw some minced herbs into the batter.

New Zealand Sweetcorn Fritters

Makes 18 fritters
Serves 2 as a meal or 6 as a snack

Ingredients

1/4 onion
660 g canned corn (ca. 900 ml)
300 ml flour
1 tsp baking powder
350 ml soy milk
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp salt

Method

1. Chop the onion finely. Drain and rinse the corn. Combine all ingredients. Heat an oiled pan over medium heat.

2. Spoon in a few fritters. Cook until browned, turn and brown the second side. Drain on paper towels. Cook remaining fritters, adding oil between batches as needed. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

New Zealand Beer Battered 'Fish' Burgers & Tartar Sauce

This is a vegan version of the kind of burger you find in a New Zealand fish and chip shop: Crunchy battered 'fish', fresh vegetables and creamy tartar sauce.

New Zealand Beer Battered 'Fish' Burgers & Tartar Sauce

Makes 4 burgers and 150 ml tartar sauce

Tartar Sauce Ingredients

150 ml vegan mayonnaise, ready-made or made according to this recipe with silken tofu
2 tbsp minced onion
2 tbsp minced pickle
1 tbsp minced capers

Burger Ingredients

250 ml flour
250 ml beer
1 tsp salt
a dash of pepper
450 g tofu
120 ml vegetable oil
4 burger buns
red onion (optional)
tomato
lettuce
tomato sauce

Method

1. First, make the tartar sauce: mix all the ingredients and set aside.

2. Heat the oil over medium heat. Mix flour, beer, salt and pepper until smooth. Pat the tofu dry with paper towels. Cut the block into four slabs of tofu.

3. Make sure your oil is good and hot. If it's still not hot, give it some more time to heat. Dip two of the tofu slabs in batter, shake off excess batter and place them in the oil. Cook until golden on both sides. Drain on paper towels and salt. Scoop out any bits of batter still in the pan. Fry the other two slabs.

4. Wash the lettuce and cut the tomato and onion into slices. Cut the burger buns in half and toast the cut sides briefly in a pan.

5. Stack the burger with tofu, tomato, tartar and tomato sauces, a few rings of red onion, and lettuce.

New Zealand Roasted Vegetable Salad

This is my conception of the kind of salad you're likely to find in the cabinet of a New Zealand cafe - solid, satisfying and easy to throw together. It's a good option when you're tired and want dinner without a fuss.

New Zealand Roasted Vegetable Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 capsicum
2 zucchini
2 carrots
olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 tsp cumin
a pinch of pepper
1/8 tsp chili flakes
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cans kidney beans (about 750 ml drained)

Method

1. Chop the capsicum, zucchini and carrots roughly. Toss with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and roast at 200 C for 50 minutes or until soft.

2. Mince the garlic and add to a large bowl with the cumin, pepper, chili flakes, cider vinegar and olive oil. Beat with a fork until emulsified.

3. Drain and rinse the beans and add to the bowl. Add the vegetables and mix well. Enjoy!