Quinoa Cakes with Red Curry Veggie Sauce for Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras time in New Orleans! We are headed toward Deep Gras when everything is closed for business except Food, Music and Parades. Our city is now descended upon by revelers from far and wide, burgeoning fuller by the minute. Costumes are the new dress code. As the human equivalent of a hairless cat thanks to cancer, this year I’m wearing wigs with a whole new gratitude.

All of the food must be delicious. This is a great dinner, easy to pack up and bring to a parade potluck!

Quinoa Cakes with Red Curry Veggie Sauce

Note, this is a terrific recipe to use up leftover refrigerator bits of vegetables. You can add tofu to the sauce, a nice protein boost. Be sure to drain the tofu well, so it doesn’t water down your lovely coconut curry. It’s fine to use regular garlic if you can’t find the fermented variety.

Quinoa cakes

1 cup of red quinoa (cook in 2 cups of H20, bring to boil, simmer covered for 15 minutes, cool.)

1 one cup bread crumbs

1/8 cup whole wheat flour

1 clove fermented garlic, squished

2 eggs

Sauce:

1 shallot

3 cloves fermented garlic

1/4 cup fish sauce

2 14 oz cans coconut cream

1 cubed zucchini

1 portobello mushroom, also cubed

(or any fresh veggies totaling 3 cups)

1 roasted red pepper, chopped

1/3 cup cilantro chopped

1/2 cup fresh spinach chopped

1 fresh lime

1-2 tablespoons of red curry paste (I’m sure you could use green curry if you like that better!)

Quinoa Cakes:

Bring two cups of H20 to a boil and add 1 cup of red or white quinoa. Simmer for 15 minutes, drain and cool with the lid on, then cool.

Add 1cup bread crumbs, ⅛ cup flour and 1 clove fermented garlic, chopped.

Stir in 2 whole eggs.

Sauce:

Saute 1 or 2 sliced shallots, add 3 cloves fermented garlic, chopped.

Add 1/4 cup fish sauce, two 14-ounce cans coconut cream, and 3 cups of assorted chopped veggies. (This could be zucchini, mushrooms, red pepper, cauliflower, carrots or whatever else is handy and fresh.)

Allow this to open simmer until the veggies are barely tender crisp and add 1 cup of chopped spinach, ½ cup chopped cilantro and 1-2 tablespoons of red or green curry paste, depending on how spicy you like it.

Leave to simmer and begin grilling the quinoa cakes in another sauté pan, in EVOO. I cooked these in 2 inch patties, a heaping tablespoon of of the quinoa mixture, that I scooped and flattened into the skillet. Saute golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. As each cake finishes, put them on a parchment paper covered plate to drain.

Always taste to finish your dish! In this dish, I often add a teaspoon of rice vinegar for acidity or a bit of honey for sweetness. Remember, we are always balancing the final flavor, by thinking of the five culinary tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami. There is no shortcut to skill in this area of cooking, just be brave and adjust the final taste of your dishes.

The final finish for this dish always includes an extra sprinkle of cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.

It is a lovely standalone main dish, so delicious, or can be a side dish to grilled chicken or fish.

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