Tag Archives: vegetarian

My beloved Beni Imo- Mashed

beni imo vanillaBeni imo may be my most favorite thing about living on Okinawa. Seriously, I love this ‘tater! It’s like a sweet potato, but has lovely vanilla notes. AND IT’S PURPLE! It’s really exciting to cut into one of these beauties. The color is just so intense and somehow unexpected every time.

Last thanksgiving, I turned these into a sweet potato soufflé, which is tradition in my family. I also got a little daring and made a side dish with beni imo, Okinawan brown sugar and pineapple bits. I’ve made a Thai-inspired beni imo soup. You can use it anyway that you would use a sweet potato. They occasionally find their way into a curry, but I really like to let the color shine alone, like in this recipe. Continue reading →

Yuugao- Okinawan Bottle Gourd Curry

yuugao curry

yuugao curry

I was inspired this week to try some new Okinawan summer veggies. I saw this huge green vegetable, with a sticker price of around $1.75, and decided that I must learn to like this, based on the price alone. I stood there in the middle of the market, entering kana into my Japanese translation app to discover that yuugao is bottle gourd! Then I Google what the heck a bottle gourd is good for. Apparently, they make delightful liquid vessels once they’re dried. Also, people eat them. I’m off to a good start! Continue reading →

Okinawa summer salad with ponzu-sesame dressing

okinawa summer saladWell, it’s blazing hot here on Okinawa. Pair the heat with the high humidity and it’s like a non-stop sauna. Wahhh! My husband is REALLY enjoying this weather, but it’s making me a lot bit cranky. I’ve been looking for ways to keep cool and keep my pitta nature under control. Ding ding ding! Cooling, refreshing salad!

I went to the local farmers market and came back with a bunch of summer veggies that I wanted to experiment with. You’ll probably be seeing some of these in upcoming posts. I’ll be using Okinawa varieties of produce, but I’ll list substitutions next to the ingredients in case you don’t have access to the same produce. I’ve also included picture of these ingredients and the label in case you are in Japan. Continue reading →

Mint Chutney

 

  • 2 cups mint leaves
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves
  • 1 small piece ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup milk kefir or yogurt
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • Salt to taste

Blend all ingredients into a paste, except the kefir/yogurt and salt. Pour the paste into a serving bowl then mix kefir/yogurt and salt. This will keep for 1 week in a glass container in the fridge. If you’d like this chutney to be a bit thicker, you can strain the kefir or yogurt for a few hours to drain the whey a bit.

Chickpea Curry with Coconut-Cilantro Chutney

chickpea coconut cilantro curryThis is one of the first dishes I made when I returned from India. And I made it nearly every other day for two weeks. Yum! I learned to make a variation of this chutney while in Kerala, but had to make some substitutions based on what I could find here when I got home. I also made it friendly for people with pitta constitutions (like me!). Continue reading →