This is the September edition of the Queer Kitchen Series we had a special guest culinary teacher, Emmett, who selected a Vegetarian Coconut Curry with an easy yet delicious Hummas recipe.

The recipe below does not includes meat, however, we created a second pot of this delicious meal without the meat for all our vegetarian friends.

The estimated cost of this recipe is $25

All ingredients for our session were purchased from local vendors at the Outdoor Farmers Market which takes place downtown London at Covent Garden Market.

Recipe prepared by: Emmett Grenier

Tofu Coconut Curry Recipe Ingredients List:

For Tofu

• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 1/4 cup plant based milk
• 3 tablespoons cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup panko
• 100g extra firm tofu

For Sauce

• ½ onion
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ tbsp curry powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 300ml vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp coconut cream

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°C / 356°F fan-assisted.
• On a small plate combine the flour with generous pinches of salt and pepper.
• Transfer the milk to a bowl. Add cornmeal, coconut and panko to a separate bowl.
• Drain the tofu and press it gently to remove any excess moisture.
• Slice the tofu into half a cm thick slices, then coat all over in the flour mixture, then dunk fully in the milk and finally cover in panko mix.
• Heat a little oil in a frying pan on a medium heat and once hot add the tofu slices and fry for 2-3 mins on each side, until crispy.
• Then transfer the tofu slices to a baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, roughly chop the onion and slice the carrots into 0.5cm (1/5 inch) thick rings, then and add both to the frying pan you used earlier (add an extra splash of olive oil to the pan if needed) and fry for 7 minutes on a medium heat.
• Peel and dice the garlic, then add it to the frying pan and fry for 2 minutes.
• Add the curry powder, garam masala and plain flour to the pan, and fry for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
• Pour in the vegetable stock, bring the sauce to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the carrots are soft.  
• Cook the rice
• Stir 2 tbsp of coconut cream into the sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper to taste. Then transfer the sauce to a blender and blend until smooth.
  • If the sauce is too thick, add a little more water until it's smooth and runny.
• To serve, place a portion of rice into each bowl then pour in half the sauce for each portion and top with a few slices of the tofu.
• To finish, slice the green onion thinly and sprinkle over each serving.

Hummus Ingredients List:

• 5.6 ounces or 160 grams raw chickpeas or 14.1 ounces or 400 grams cooked chickpeas
• The juice of half a lemon
• 1 tablespoon tahini or sesame seeds
• 1 clove of garlic
• ½ teaspoon salt (optional)
• ½ teaspoon cumin 
• Extra virgin olive oil (optional)
• 1 tablespoon paprika (optional). 

Method

• You can use canned chickpeas or you can cook them in boiling water for one or two hours or until they’re soft. You should soak the chickpeas overnight, and the longer you let it soak before cooking, the quicker they will cook.
• Place all the ingredients (except oil and paprika) in a blender and blend until smooth.
• Add paprika and olive oil and serve.

Emmett Grenier is passionate about vegan cuisine. He’s been working in restaurants, in one form or another, for most of his life. At the age of 15, he started out helping washing dishes at a chain restaurant and soon realized the excitement of working in a busy kitchen would be the ideal work environment for him. He later worked his way up through the ranks of various restaurants, and he eventually went on to run numerous kitchens, from brick and mortar to a local food truck.