So Angela’s coming home. She eats like a horse after work… maybe I should boil a pot full of oats. Damn. No oats. OK. Time to get creative.
I do have a heap of pre-cooked pasta in the fridge. And a few blocks of tofu! And tomato, broccoli and olives! Yes sir. Vegan Pasta salad coming up.
This recipe was inspired by the famous pasta salad from Gopal’s on Swanston St, Melbourne (139 or thereabouts, not far from Bourke). The original recipe probably comes from the infamous Kurma (Cooking With Kurma
This pasta salad does involve a little frying for the diced vegetables and tofu, but as it is not a hot dish the oil can be rinsed off the fried stuff with a little hot water and a siv. This leaves the end product crisp but non-oily.
The original recipe includes eggplant, but as I refuse to organise my life around what I want to eat, I’m going with what’s in the fridge. Today this happens to be (luckily) some shitake mushrooms (hope she didn’t have plans for them…) that have already been sitting in water for about three days or so.
Cooking (15 mins) (if you’re not taking photos)
So, here’s the tofu, diced broccoli stem, and diced mushrooms as they prepare to head off the the laundry to get fried (we live in a studio apartment and find the oil ends up lining our lungs if we fry in here).
Fry in sunflower or another vegetable oil, small amounts (depending on how much oil you want to use) in turns. Use the hottest temperature available (have the lid handy in case the oil catches on fire - and if this happens slide on the lid and turn off the heat).
Once the food is well browned, I rake it up and over the side of the pan/wok into a bowl. This way much of the oil slides back into the wok (or pan)
Mmmm. They look much better now that they’ve been friend. First time I’ve ever shallow friend rehydrated shitake mushrooms! It went well.
Here are the non-cooked elements of this salad: olives, tomato and trusty old “Italian Herbs” (take your pick). When using dried herbs to add to a non-cooked dish, I like to soak them for a while in a little water so they’re not so sharp. Be generous with the tomato.
Mix everything in together, and add a few splashes of soy sauce (gives the salad a nice dark tone) and vinegar. Pack into a takeaway container and deliver to your wife at work (eat some first) or be lazy, call her, and tell her you’ll have it ready when she comes home.
Enjoy your vegan pasta salad!
The dish was great and i ate it all in one go. I love it.