Vegan Southern Indian Curry Fishless Stew

This was a recipe inspired by one of my favorite Food Network "old" folk: Jamie Oliver. No, he is not a vegan. He is, however, in my humble opinion quite "down with it" when it comes to shaking up the spice racks and moving flavors into your mouth like a fast train. I own a copy of Jamie's Dinners. This dish is a riff on his Southern Indian Rice and Seafood Soup dish. I took out the fish (obviously) and replaced it with Match Meats Crab Croquettes (I made to top the stew with). Very easy and straightforward. Very good smells entered the home in creating this dish. In the photo you can also see a piece of my Babycakes corn bread--quite tasty, very moist.

Vegan Southern Indian Curry Fishless Stew

*For the stew

3 tablespoons sunflower oil

2 tablespoons mustard seed

5 curry leaves

1 teaspoon cumin seed

2 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon tumeric

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning

2 inch piece of fresh ginger chopped

1 can coconut milk

Spike seasoning or S & P to taste

1 cup veggie stock

2 cups water

1 cup basmati rice

1 onion chopped

5 garlic cloves minced

2 tablespoons lemon flavored extra virgin olive oil

Heat oil in soup pot with the seasonings on medium heat. Wait about three minutes for the fragrance to hit you in the face. Now, add the chopped onion, ginger and garlic, saute for about five minutes. Don't let this burn. Keep the heat on medium. Add the stock, coconut milk and rice. Cover and let come to a boil. Then, lower heat and let simmer covered for about 35-40 minutes--just look at that rice to check for doneness. This soup will thicken up and the flavors get better the longer you let it all meld together. Drizzle olive oil over it when you are about ready to serve. I'd say all told it takes about an hour to get to the "done" stage. But worth it.

Match Meats Crab Croquettes

1 package of Match Crab, thawed and placed in a medium bowl

2 green onions chopped

1/2 green pepper chopped

1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning

Spike seasoning or S & P to taste

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dried parsley

3 tablespoons sunflower oil

Mix all ingredients well in a medium bowl. Put a little olive oil on your hands to shape Match Crab into about 2" croquettes. Warm the oil in a medium sauce pan. Cook croquettes about 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Flip and let cook on the other side--check for browning. Place on paper towel lined plate while you work in batches.

Drizzle Sauce

2 tablespoons vegan mayo

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons hot sauce

1 tablespoon horseradish

Mix well and drizzle over the stew!