Delightful vegetarian options for a Christmas spread

Dec 25, 2024 Features / Columnists, News

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By Anasa Williams

Kaieteur News- Last year, for my Christmas edition paper I shared that my fully vegetarian Christmas spread which included the cherished Guyanese food staple; rice. However, this year whether you are counting your calories or want to eat clean like me, I may have the perfect options for you, I’ll be sharing delicious Christmas recipe minus rice.

For those who missed last year’s edition I am vegetarian, an ovo vegetarian to be exact. I can eat eggs but you know the Guyanese saying ‘too much ah one ting good fuh nothing’ so, even though I do eat eggs now, it’s in monitored amounts.

A Guyanese Christmas is all about food, drinks, family and a nice time. The start of the show is usually pepperpot at breakfast which many persons call the national dish of Guyana. Being a land of six ethnicities everyone plays a part in the Christmas feast.

Pepperpot is a dish created by the indigenous peoples also known as the Amerindians. It entails meat or fish that is boiled in a sauce made from boiling the juice of the bitter cassava until it thickens called casareep.

Added to this are wiri wiri peppers, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, fresh or dried fine leaf thyme and other fresh aromatics. This is a dish that requires at least an hour of prep and several hours of cooking.

However since I am part of the meat free zone over here, I have resorted to substitutes. Since discovering vegetarian pepperpot my days of nut butter and bread or buttered toast at the breakfast table have been over. This year I have been experimenting quite a lot and I have improved my recipe.

The veggies include corn on the cob, carrots, sweet potatoes and lots of mushrooms. Specifically wood ear, shitake and king oyster, they don’t just absorb the flavours well but they also mimic the texture and pull of meat perfectly.

A hot cup of milo with almond or oat milk as I am lactose intolerant, hot steaming homemade bread and my veggie pepperpot makes for the most comforting hearty Christmas breakfast. The fun part this pepperpot can be reheated for days on end and never lose its flavor. It’s indeed a vegetarian gift that keeps on giving.

 Lunch

Lunch is the biggest meal of the and takes the most prep, but since I am doing it rice-less this year I have decided to replace the prominent carbohydrate in Guyanese diet with ‘riced’ broccoli and cauliflower.

Broccoli is green and cauliflower is white for those who may get confused and they are both the unopened flower heads of plants in the brassica family, which is where cabbage belongs to.

All of the tiny little buds are actually unopened flower buds and when sliced off the bear a similar resemblance to rice. The amazing thing is the absorb flavors the same way and add a wonderful healthy twist to a mean.

This year it will be a ‘riced’ cauliflower and broccoli fried rice, grilled tofu with a spicy honey BBQ sauce to replace chicken but still add protein, a Christmas special sorrel drink and for desert a strawberry cheese.

I know these may sound complicated but looking at the recipes you can see how simple these are. So try them out and invite the family to don’t be late and grab a plate. See you next year!!!

Veggie Pepperpot

1 cup cassareep
Mushrooms
2 cinnamon sticks

Orange peel
About 4 cloves garlic
4 wiri wiri peppers

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt or vegan stock cubes
8-12 cups water

Few sprigs of thyme (about 3/4 tablespoon of crushed fine leaf from Guyana

Sprinkles of Black pepper
6-8 cloves garlic (optional)
2 small onions
2 spring onions
2 Table spoons of coconut oil or whatever you prefer

Process
• Heat the oil in a large/deep pot
• Saute all the onions, garlic,
• Then add all the other ingredients, leaving the water till last. B
• Bring to a boil till the provisions are soft and edible.

Note 2: Check the consistency, which should be thick, not like molasses but not runny. Check the colour, it should be deep and dark. Taste should be hot, sweet, bitter, savoury, spicy (cinnamon, cloves, orange peel should be strongly hinted) all at the same time! So not too much of either. The smell should be distinctive especially of the festive spices. If you know the meat version, your aim is to mimic this.

• remove the cinnamon sticks, orange peels and if you used the big sprigs of thyme (instead of shredding) remove these too.

Cauliflower fried rice

1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets (or 4 cups riced cauliflower)

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas

1/2 cup carrots, cubed

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger, (or 1/8 tsp ground ginger)

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp green onions, chopped

 

Chop head of cauliflower into florets and place in food processor. Pulse until it starts to resemble rice and set aside. You can also use store-bought fresh or frozen cauliflower rice.

Heat a large wok or skillet over medium heat and drizzle in sesame oil. Add chopped onion, peas and carrots and sauté until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Meanwhile in a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, fresh ginger and red pepper flakes. Set aside until ready to use.

Stir in cauliflower “rice” and pour the soy sauce over top, mixing well. Cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, until cauliflower is soft and tender.

Stir in cauliflower rice and pour the sauce over top, mixing everything well. Cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, until the cauliflower is soft and tender. Top with green onions and serve!

 

For The Tofu

• 1 Block(15oz.) Extra firm tofu, drained and pressed*
• 1/2 Cup Cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons Garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons Baking soda
• Pinch of Salt and pepper
• 1/3 Cup Water
• 1 Tablespoon Rice wine/ apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon chili/ hot peper paste

For The Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons chili/hot pepper paste
• 3 Tablespoons Agave/ maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon Soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Rice wine vinegar
• 12 Cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Sesame seeds
• 1/2 Cup Vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Water

Instructions

After you have drained and pressed the tofu, cut the tofu into cubes, or break it into chunks. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, garlic powder, baking soda, salt and pepper.

Add the water, rice wine/apple cider vinegar and pepper paste to the bowl and whisk until fully combined.

Put the tofu into the bowl and toss to coat. Set aside and let the tofu sit in the coating for about 10 minutes or more, while you make the sauce.

Now, make the sauce, in a medium sized mixing bowl, add the pepper paste ,agave, soy sauce, rice wine/apple cider vinegar, garlic, sesame seeds and broth. Whisk to fully combine. Set aside.

Now, heat about 1/2 an inch of vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet on medium high. Once it is hot and small bubbles are forming in the oil, add about half the tofu at a time to the skillet. Fry, reducing heat as needed, making sure you don’t burn it. Fry the pieces of tofu for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until the are golden brown and crispy.

Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel. Repeat with all the tofu.

Now, heat the sauce in a small sauce pan on medium. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water for the sauce until there are no lumps of cornstarch left. Pour that into the sauce. Whisk to combine and simmer for another minute or until the sauce has thickened.

Add the tofu to a large bowl and pour the sauce on top. Toss to coat.

Serve immediately with rice if desired.

 

Sorrel

Sorrel blossoms (dried or fresh)

Spices-cinnamon, star anise

Whole ClovesDemerara Sugar

Dried Orange Peel

 

Boil Spices

Add cinnamon sticks and whole cloves to a large stock pot on medium heat, then bring up to temperature. While the pot is coming up to temperature it will warm up the spices for a better flavor pay off.

Add Other Ingredients

Then add, water, orange peel, and dried sorrel blossoms to the pot, increase the heat to high and bring to a rolling boil. Allow the mixture to boil for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

Sweeten and Set Overnight

When the mixture is completely cool, add the sugar and mix until the sugar completely dissolves. Then let sit overnight or for at least 8 hours. Then strain with a fine mesh strainer or a strainer lined with muslin.

Serve

Serve chilled or over ice.

Storage

Store the sorrel drink in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 3 days.

(Delightful vegetarian options for a Christmas spread)

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• Christmas, instructions., recipe, rice, vegetarian

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