Sunday Feast № 5 | Burmese Vegetarian

As it goes in some sort of succession, it's time for warm vegetarian food as a center piece. The coconut rice is very rich - take note that it might be quite a few servings from what might look like a small volume - and the vegetable curry is a gentle tummy hugging soul warmer - that might disappear faster than intended. The latter is a great "left over" recipe from my days when I gave vegetarianism a go purely as a way to explore vegetables as a center piece of a meal rather than a side. It's an experiment that I would highly recommend to anyone, especially to those of you who will comeback to animal products. Vegetables will look like a serious contender that does not bore.      Recipes are from “Community Aid Abroad Vegetarian Cookbook”, with few of my alternatives.

Coconut Rice
4 cups coconut milk 2 cups uncooked rice 2 tsp oil 2 medium onions quartered ½ tsp tumeric 1 stick cinnamon 3 bay leaves salt	Wash rice well, drain, and put into a pan. Mix coconut milk into the rice along with oil, onions, spices and herbs. Cook on high heat. Cover and stir occasionally until there is little liquid left. Place in a baking dish and back in a preheated oven at ~350°F/~180°C for 10-15 min, to bring out the aroma.
Vegetable Curry
2 medium potatoes ¾ cup green beans ¾ cup cauliflower 1 medium eggplant ¾ cup okra 3 medium tomatoes slightly unripe 2 green chilies chopped and seeded handful cilantro/coriander leaves 2 tsp fried garlic chips 1½ cup onion finely chopped 1 tsp tumeric 1 tsp fresh ginger finely grated 1 tsp chili powder salt oil	Chop all vegetables into fairly small chunks. Sweat and drain the eggplant. Heat oil and fry onion, garlic, ginger, and chili powder for 8-10 min over medium heat. Add tomatoes, tumeric, and cilantro/coriander leaves, stir and cook for 3-5 min. Add potato, 1 cup of water, and cook for 10-12 min. Add green beans, sweated and drained eggplant, cauliflower, and chilies successively, then add ¾ cup of water. After simmering for 5 min, add okra. Salt to taste and cook for about 2 min more.
Serves 4-6.