Libraries Rock

The family went to one of our local libraries today. We came away with a small pile of children’s books, which the girls began to read as soon as we arrived home. I could count the number of times I have visited a library in my adult life on one hand, and I do not really understand why. I suppose I enjoy the physical act of purchasing; being the first one to open the book and smell the newness; knowing that the experience will be stored in my own collection, probably never to be touched again. Not things one can experience with library books.

And yet I read quite a bit. With a multitude of other forms of entertainment all vying for my precious free time, I still manage to squeeze in a book here and there, and always seem to have at least one book in reserve, waiting for its turn. For our daughters, it is a different story.

Most evenings we read a book to them before they go to bed, which works out to over 150 books year. Even with buying second hand books, and borrowing from my work, we are forced to reread books quite a few times. The girls need new stories to enjoy. And that is where the library comes into the story, so to speak. I cannot fathom why we have not used this source of literature before now. I do know that we shall be making many more visits in the future.

Steamed Aubergine With Chili Sauce

Continuing with my current interest in tasty side-dishes, my next experiment took me to the realm of the aubergine. I like aubergines a lot, though I am not so keen on the amount of oil used to soften them. I found a decent looking recipe on the website withaglass, which used steaming as an alternative method to frying. I was also curious about Chinese black vinegar, which I had neither used or seen previously.

This recipe is definitely one I shall use again. There is a subtlety to the taste that the chili oil and vinegar lend to the dish that sets it apart from anything else I have tasted.

Ingredients (serves two):

1 medium aubergine

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang, easily found in Asian shops)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon chili oil preferably containing flakes; I used my home made Taberu Rayu, but I think any chili oil with the addition of chili flakes will do

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Cut the aubergine in two. If you have a separate steamer, the author advises to steam the aubergine for 5-10 minutes over a high flame. Cut the aubergine into bite-sized pieces and serve either hot or cold with the chili sauce aside (as a dip) or pour the sauce directly over it (this is the way I preferred it).

Korean Mung Bean Sprout Salad (Nokdu Namal)

I have been making quite a lot of food recently. More specifically, searching for interesting recipes and trying to emulate them (I believe the term is “cooking”). Easter has come and gone, which gave us a delightful four days’ holiday, and much of that time Jo or I spent preparing for the traditional Easter lunch and testing out new and tasty (or sometimes not so) recipes.

One thing that strikes me when I attempt something new, is the amount of time it takes to create something that is, more often than I would wish, not really worth the effort. I am not saying that they become a failure, or disliked, but they do not add anything new to something I could do without the effort of reading/obeying the recipes.

So I am starting to look at simpler recipes, ones that I normally overlook, to spice them up a bit. And so, my first venture into less time-consuming cooking began yesterday with Korean Mung Bean Sprout Salad. The ingredients did not really offer any surprises, and the end result was pretty much how I had expected it to be. The main ingredient, sprouted mung beans, is something that we do eat on occasion, though it was exactly what I wanted: an easy, tasty, quick side dish that would lift a simple main dish.

Preparation: 15 minutes
Ingredients (serves two):

150 g/about 5 oz mung bean sprouts
1 teaspoon soy sauce (or more if you use low-sodium soy sauce)
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 small clove garlic
(salt)
ground pepper
1 green onion
toasted sesame seeds

Blanch the mung bean sprouts in boiling water for a minute. Quickly drain and, if you wish to serve the salad very cold, rinse it with very cold water. Drain once more.

Crush the garlic and chop it finely. Mix it with the soy sauce, the vinegar, the sesame oil, the ground pepper and the salt (if you need it).

Put the sprouts in a big bowl and combine with the dressing. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped green onion.

This salad can be served very cold or at room temperature.

When I were a lad, we ate rocks

I turned vegan when I was around seventeen, which is now some twenty-six years ago. During that time I have been witness to the comings and goings of different foodstuffs, from pork pies, to quorn (originally thought to be vegan when it first came out), to the relatively new addition of tzay. One thing that has not changed over the years is the availability of fast food. Not that we eat it a great deal, but it is a bit limiting when we go to town and desire something to keep us going.

We are currently in the middle of a trail period here in Stockholm. Two of the biggest chain newsagents (for want of a better word), Pressbyrån and 7-Eleven are, at selective outlets, offering vegan hot dogs to those inclined.

Yesterday, the ladies of the house went to Pressbyrån and tried one sort. Both Freya and Zelda ate a whole hot dog each, something which does not happen so often at home. And today the whole family went to 7-Eleven and purchased a different kind. Freya managed two this time.

Although it will not be such a regular occurrence, it was nice to be able to be “normal”. The main reason for the visits is to support the introduction of vegan food in newsagents. Whether it continues to be so depends, of course, on sales.

Vegan food has definitely changed. For the better.

Hotel Life

One of the benefits of Jo’s work is that she can get discounts on hotel stays. We have not been so good at exploiting this, though yesterday was an exception. Yesterday, the whole family stayed at the Clarion Hotel Sign.

A normal booking costs about 1500 crowns, though we paid a far more respectable 200. As if this were not good enough, we think we may have got an upgrade, living in a very cool triangular shaped room, which made it more luxurious.

Needless to say, the children loved it, exploring every nook and cranny, taking baths, using the hairdryer and showing a sudden thirst when they saw the minibar. They aslo enjoyed a trip to the fabulous restaurant, Kyoko, where we indulged in home made tofu and vegan meatballs.

This morning we talked about a visit to another Clarion hotel. I (we) cannot wait.