Curry calamity, averted

Tonight I looked at everything in the fridge I wanted to use up -- partial can of diced tomatoes, same of chickpeas, half a head of cauliflower -- and came up with a curry dish. Included coconut milk (yum!) and actual flaked coconut (unsweetened), along with the usual curry spice blend (homemade) and a lot of grated fresh ginger. Salt and cayenne added. Peas rinsed and ready, cilantro chopped.

Then, uh-oh. No basmati rice in the house. Amazing oversight on my part, because I almost never run out of such staples. Plenty of brown rice and arborio, but nothing that cooks up as fast as basmati. What to do?

In the pantry, I found a package of green tea soba from Trader Joe's. Never tried it before and my review is -- pretty good. I'm more used to the taste and texture of buckwhat soba. This version includes wheat and buckwheat flours, but the predominant flavor is actually green tea when you taste the noodles on their own. And the flavor of green tea is so subtle it got lot under the spicy curried veggies. (They were sturdy and made a great holder for the sauce, so no complaints on that score.)

So next time I'll try the green tea soba with the subtle flavors of Japan, in miso soup for instance, or with a light soy/peanut sauce. Hmmm... that sounds pretty good. I think I have my inspiration for one of my weekend meals. Maybe with Pressed Tofu with Savory Seasonings from my latest cookbook.

I also have a bag of fresh fava beans in the fridge, and can't wait to do some Provencal dish with those. I think I feel a cooking binge coming on. All will be revealed in due time...

Meanwhile, blessings and bon appetit!
vegetarian food cooking cauliflower curry soba