Recipe: Massaman vegan stew

Cold, grey and rainy winter days call for a dish with a little extra spice.

Roy Flemming, executive chef and co-owner of Gastown’s Tuc Craft Kitchen has just the thing to brighten up your day.

This Massaman stew is full of coulour, spice and flavour and is guaranteed to take your taste buds on a trip to Southeast Asia.

Ingredients

Part A

• 1/2 cup fresh ginger (peeled & minced)
• 4 dried guajillo chilies (stemmed and chopped) or 2 Thai red chilies
• 4 Tbsp. lemongrass (minced finely)
• 1/2 cup canola oil

Part B

• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 medium onion, diced (1⁄2″)
• 1 stalk celery, diced (1⁄2″)
• 1 carrot, diced (1⁄2″)
• 2 Tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp. ground coriander
• 1 Tbsp. ground turmeric
• 2 tsp. ground cardamom 2t all spice
• 2 tsp. ground clove
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 star anise pods

Part C

• 1 yam/sweet potato (or 1 of each cut into 3⁄4″pieces)
• 1 rutabaga (cut into 3⁄4″ pieces)
• 8 cup water or vegetable stock
• 1⁄2 cup coconut milk
• 1⁄2 cup sultana raisins
• 3 Tbsp. kosher salt (as preferred)

Method

1. Combine ‘Part A’ ingredients (ginger, chilies, lemongrass and canola oil) in a blender or robo coupe and puree until smooth (about 4 to 5 minutes).
2. Add blended mixture to a stock pot and allow to cook for 5 minutes on medium high heat.
3. Then add ‘Part B’ ingredients to the pot and toast spices with the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Next, add ‘PART C’ ingredients and simmer until vegetables are tender (approximately 35 to 40 minutes).
5. Cool to 70°F within two hours and 40°F within four hours.
6. Serve stew with a generous sprig of cilantro on a bed of Jasmine/Basmati rice or as we do at Tuc Craft Kitchen on steamed BC Nugget potatoes.