Food Writer Serving A Spoon Of Comfort - Feeding The Hungry Ghosts [Book Review] [Recipe]

Ellen Kanner - Feeding the Hungry Ghost.  A book that both surprised, comforted and delighted me.

Ellen's book was waiting for me, upon return from my latest trip,  atop my pile of unopened mail.   Sent to me by the New World Library.  i plunged into it with a hearty appetite for  culinary prose.  

Ellen writes a blog and is Huffington Post's Meatless Monday guru/writer/cook. I had no previous knowledge of Ellen so I had no preformed ideas or expectations.
 I was surprised at the manner in which it is written. Though the book is entitled, 'Life, Faith and What To Eat For Dinner', it is far from preachy.  More observational from a curious' perspective. It is a book of  vegan recipes, however, you could almost take away any reference (of which they were few in number), to the fact all recipes  are plant-based, and it would just be a wonderful, honest and tender memoir of life.  Ellen has a well developed sense of fun too, and is just a little bit naughty.  She drew me into her stories. I was rapt. She writes of her travels, family life, an early altercation with a rabbi.  She had me in stitches as she recalled attempts at mass seduction with her amorous cardamon & apple crumble.  It's an honest, book. Ellen’s not afraid to tell you where she trips up in life.  She seems to accept all she is, peculiarities (in her eyes) and all, with humour. 

Ellen shares her life and love through food. I wanted to be sitting alongside her at her kitchen table as she shared her tales.  I almost felt like I was!  To me, a book is good if it offers me something.  Knowledge. A whiff of escape.  It was, comforting to my jet lagged and befuddled mind.  The cover features a bowl of warming soup.  It sums up the contents for me; comforting, nourishing.

I didn’t want it to end.  Some parts resonated more than others. I will leave you to connect in the places where you may need.

The recipes are almost secondary.   I just wanted to feast on her stories.  But it is so clever in a way, as the stories stay with you long after the book has nestled into its new home on your shelf,  and I found myself returning to the book to see what other of Ellen's recipes I could try.

Containing culinary diverse recipes.  49 of them squeezed between the prose.  Some are exotic, influenced by her travels.  All are simple.    Even the novice cook would/could/should happily reconstruct Ellen's dishes in their own kitchen.  She lulls you into a cocoon of security and makes everything feel like the making of it would be a breeze.  She encourages you to bake, chop, shop, all in the company of others.

Think 'How to hack life via the life in your kitchen' type of paperback. 

Conclusion?   I LOVED IT!

The book was inspired by the Hong Kong Festival Of The Hungry Ghost, Yu Lan. A festival on the 15th night of the seventh month that legend tells is the night when the deceased come party with the living.  
This was the first recipe I chose to recreate.

recipe Republished from Culinate.com    From the book Feeding the Hungry Ghost by Ellen Kanner. This content is from the book Feeding the Hungry Ghost by Ellen Kanner. Copyright @ 2013 New World Library

Hungry Ghost Mood Modifier

Serves

2

Introduction

Shirataki are low-calorie, gluten-free noodles made from sweet potato, with an interesting chew. They require no cooking, come packed in water, and can have an off-putting smell when you open the bag. Don’t be afraid; just rinse them well. Find shirataki, along with rice vinegar and sesame oil, at most Asian markets and natural-food stores.

Ingredients

	2	tsp. canola or peanut oil
	1	garlic clove, minced
	1	thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
	2	scallions, chopped
	1	carrot, cut into matchsticks
	1	celery stalk, chopped
	1	red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
	1	cup shredded cabbage
	4	oz. firm tofu, cut into bite-size cubes
	2	Tbsp. soy sauce
	1	Tbsp. Asian rice vinegar
	1	tsp. agave nectar or honey
	1	tsp. sesame oil
	1	package (8 ounces) shirataki, rinsed well and drained

Steps

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and scallions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are fragrant and softened, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the carrot, celery, and red bell pepper. Cooking, stirring occasionally, until they become tender, 2 to 3 minutes more.
3. Add the cabbage and tofu. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent the vegetables and tofu from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cabbage wilts quickly, so this will take only 3 to 5 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, agave nectar, and sesame oil. Pour the mixture over the vegetables and tofu, and stir gently until evenly coated.
5. Add the shirataki and toss to combine. Cook, giving a gentle stir, until the sauce is mostly absorbed and the shirataki is heated through, a few minutes more.

Serve.  
So good.  Even better when eaten with exaggerated slurping noises.  Try it.  It's traditional in China to eat noisily!

I contacted Ellen, to ask her just one question. 

I wonder, with all your time filled with whisking up feasts for other people, what dish do you most like being served to you?

Ellen replied
Thank you for your delicious question.  I adore fresh greens, legumes and chilis in every combination and every cuisine, from Indian curries to soulful Mediterranean stews.  

If you want a weekly feed of Ellen, you can!  Here is the link to her Huffington Post column.