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Raw Vegan Saag (Creamed Curry Saag Spinach) from Ani Phyo's New Raw Food Asia Book. |
I am a big fan of Ani Phyo. Her dishes are usually not overly complicated and she isn't an OCD raw foodist. She eats fats, mushrooms, and yes, even the forbidden cashews!! And in her latest book, Raw Food Asia, she recreates favorites in a raw food form. This book has dishes from China, India, Korea, Vietnam, Japan. and MORE! I was delighted to find Saag in there!! I love raw spinach dishes because the spinach remains bright green. It doesn't get all of it's color cooked out of it! If you are totally lazy, like me, you can buy prewashed spinach and that makes it even easier. I buy one pound for about 6 dollars, so I don't think it is even much more expensive than the loose leaf. I have weighed bunches of greens before, and it takes at least 2 usually, to get to a pound.
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| Ani Phyo's Raw Food Asia |
Cashews, Garlic, Cumin Coriander, Lemon Juice.
This book has wonderful photographs as well, like her first one! I know people missed the photos in her "Raw Food Essentials"
book (I love that book!). Photos from all of the Asian countries. She also puts symbols by each recipe, so you know what tools you need without reading the whole recipe. The Saag has a picture of a food processor and a knife. Tools pretty much everyone has. The book even has Bul-go-gi, Raw Tamarind Sauce, and Bi-bim-bop. Of course she talks about a lot more than food in these chapters as well. There are even a few recipes for Non Toxic cleaners!
book (I love that book!). Photos from all of the Asian countries. She also puts symbols by each recipe, so you know what tools you need without reading the whole recipe. The Saag has a picture of a food processor and a knife. Tools pretty much everyone has. The book even has Bul-go-gi, Raw Tamarind Sauce, and Bi-bim-bop. Of course she talks about a lot more than food in these chapters as well. There are even a few recipes for Non Toxic cleaners!
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| And the Mighty Food Processor! You make a paste from the Cashews, Onion, Ginger, & Coconut Oil first. |
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| You add your spinach. |
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| And seriously, you are done. Who says raw food has to be Woody Allen Complicated? A few easy steps, no neurotic bullshit. And you have Raw Vegan Saag. Oh, it's delicious too!! It is RICH though!! |
I am such a book geek that I pre-order them as soon as there is a link!! And this one looks awesome!! The only pitfall for me, is that I still haven't learned a VERY safe way to open coconuts and she has several recipes that use coconut wrappers (pretty normal for raw food books). But most of the recipes are pretty easy and looks like I will be making lots of Kimchi, Namuls, and Asian goodies this summer.
A clip of an interview with Ani Phyo.
Wow fantastic saag, fabulous..
ReplyDeleteThat does look really good, I am in love with indian food, esp saag... However, I have noticed there are two kinds of raw foodies (in general), one that eats pure raw fruit and vegetables, and one that uses mostly cashews and avocados and fats like that to replace "regular" food. I always prefered the fat raw foods, until i started gaining weight, feeling sluggish, and always sick to my stomach. i did some research and found out about these two (generalized) types of raw food groups , so now im leary to try too much cashew/walnut/avocado raw food things. They are delicious indeed but dont go too well with my body :( Have you noticed these things as well?
ReplyDelete@Priya. Yes, it is fantastic!
ReplyDelete@Michele. Yeah, I am on the line about fats & how much is good. Kind of back to the not using any oils, like olive oil and just getting fats from food. But yes, ONE of the reasons I am not "all raw" is that I do tend to eat too much fat but so far I don't know that I put on weight. Mostly what affects my weight is "The Pill" and then I pick up about 7-10 pounds. I don't know which is worse, having children (I would be the most overprotective mother EVER), or constantly being heavier because of hormones? I think I might try a similar recipe with just a few nuts though. I wonder with all the fiber though, whether you poop some of that fat out?? The Slow Cooker Saag from Anupy's Book is awesome as well. I don't think that had fat in it.
I love Ani, but I've got to say her last book (essentials) has been a big let down for me! I don't know what it is, but recipe after recipe, something always seems off! However, I love her and I reallllly love Asian food, so I might just have to give this book a try :)
ReplyDelete@Callie. You'll have to tell us which recipes didn't work out for you! I didn't make a ton from the other book. But I did love some of the simple noodle recipes and the bread recipes. I guess when one doesn't "work" out, then I just think it's not to my taste or something, unless it's WAY too salty or something. I have Matt Amsden's Rawvolution book and some of the recipes are great, but others have so much tamari/nama shoyu that they are totally inedible!! I like Ani's "pancake" recipe from "Raw Food Essentials" better than the one in her first book though. I don't like that Raw Food Essentials doesn't have the photos though.....and I do wish that the new book had more photos of food & not just her legs :) But the "Asia" book is worth the money, for sure. Good photos, lots of recipes from all over Asia, so interesting in that aspect as well. I just don't like that I STILL don't know how to open a damn coconut easily!
ReplyDeletehello!
ReplyDeletecan you please explain "she isn't an OCD raw foodist. She eats fats, mushrooms, and yes, even the forbidden cashews!! "
What is a OCD raw foodist?
Some don't eat mushrooms or cashews?
Thanks!