Food

A family favourite with a delicious plant-based twist

Lilly Higgins: In our house we often go through phases of eating mostly plants, and this dish has been on weekly rotation for a while

Tofu, mushroom and pea keema. Photograph: Lilly Higgins

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Lilly Higgins
Mon Aug 7 2023 - 05:00

One of my children is on a mission to eat more plant-based food and it has been great to see him do his research and help him to discover how to eat balanced meals. It is not a big deal or major shift for him. We often go through phases of eating mostly plants, but always include butter, cheese, yoghurt and kefir. My children have been used to eating different food for dinner each night since they were little and they all have favourites.

I’m not claiming they’re great for eating their fruit and vegetables, but they do try everything and have very interesting opinions on things regarding texture, taste and food pairings. I include them in making ferments and love the flavour combinations they come up with. All summer we have been making our own fermented sodas using a ginger bug from Terra Ignis (terraignis.ie).

Our favourite flavours so far have been blueberry and lime leaf, lemon grass and lemon peel (a great zero waste use for those leftover citrus peels), and a classic fiery ginger ale. Not only is it a fun project for them to do while on their school holidays, it’s also a really great probiotic drink. The bottles are really stacking up, so we have a well stocked bar of non-alcoholic options that are a great alternative to the usual sugary soft drinks.

Lamb or beef keema is a real family favourite, so I decided to create a tofu and mushroom based version. It works really well and has been on weekly rotation in my house for a while. Try the Irish brand Otofu, organic tofu made in West Cork. I’ve made this dish with regular tofu, but then spotted a recipe from Meera Sodha that uses smoked tofu for an even more umami flavour and it tastes amazing. So either will do, but use the smoked if you can get it. I finish this by stirring through a little butter for richness. Serve with rice or Sloppy Joe style in warmed bread rolls.

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Recipe: Tofu, mushroom and pea keema

Lilly’s Kitchen Tips:

  1. Frozen vegetables are sometimes better than fresh, peas especially. They are picked and frozen within hours preserving as much of the nutrients as possible.
  2. Use any leftover keema as a samosa filling. Encase in a triangle of layered filo pastry and bake till crispy.
  3. Puy lentils can also be used here as a hearty, valuable protein, in place of the tofu.
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