Tag: snack

Pantry Gold

There are snacks, and then there are situations. Poha chivda can qualify as both. It can be methodically planned out, or like my rendition, borne of random cravings and the leftover dregs of a waning pantry. The eating experience is much the same, starting innocently with just a handful, enough to tide you over until the next meal. Five minutes later, half the jar is gone and you’re left wondering why you didn’t double the batch.

What Is Poha Chivda?

Poha chivda is a crunchy, savory Indian snack mix built on a foundation of crispy, toasted flattened rice, AKA poha. From this humble beginning, it’s all about layering in flavors with whole spices, fragrant curry leaves, nuts or seeds, and just enough heat to get your attention. Like the best recipes, it’s barely a recipe at all. There are no hard and fast rules for poha chivda, right down to the actual amounts. When in doubt, measure with your heart.

This version stays true to the core concept but plays with the fine details. Instead of the usual peanuts or cashews, I use pepitas. They toast up beautifully and add a subtle nuttiness without overpowering the mix. Shredded coconut accentuates those nutty notes while adding a subtle sweetness, balancing the earthy, citrusy aroma of fresh curry leaves. Turmeric, always and obviously, is essential. It turns everything the kind of contagious yellow that makes your fingers glow a little; a small price to pay for edible gold.

There’s No Wrong Way To Enjoy

Such small components may make it seem like anything but finger food, but I can assure you, there’s no shame in eating it by the handful. You can go in with spoons if you’d rather be more dainty, and there are many other ways to enjoy it as well:

  • Sprinkled over salads or grain bowls.
  • As a crunchy topping for creamy soups or dal.
  • On avocado toast.

It’s pantry cooking at its best: quick, adaptable, and deeply satisfying. And, like most good snacks, it barely lasts long enough to cool.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)15 Comments

Treat Yourself

You deserve a treat. How do I know? Well, you’re alive, aren’t you? You’re surviving in spite of it all, persisting in the face of obstacles both big and small. We’re all going through something and for that, we’ve earned a little reward. Just a bit more kindness to soften the harsh edges of life would go a long way, so here’s my suggestion for how to start.

A Treat For All Tastes

The concept behind these sprinkle-encrusted morsels is far from original. In fact, they’re inspired by my original recipe found in Real Food, Really Fast, but simplified for an already overly complicated world. This new rendition uses only 4 main ingredients; 6 if you count salt and vanilla, which feel like a given, if you ask me. Now the recipe can boast being:

  • Oil-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Refined sugar-free
  • No-bake
  • And as always, dairy-free, eggless, and vegan

Plus, I’ve removed the protein powder to make it more accessible. Almonds and cashews already have plenty of protein as is, thank you very much.

Substitutions to Sweeten the Pot

Consider this the most basic flavor, with infinite options to spin off of. A few of my favorites include:

  • Cookie dough: Swap the sprinkles for chocolate chips.
  • Peanut butter cookie: Swap the cashew butter for chunky peanut butter and the sprinkles for chopped, roasted peanuts.
  • Mint chocolate chip: Add 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon peppermint extract, and swap the sprinkles for mini chocolate chips.
  • Chocolate-covered cherry: Add 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder and swap the sprinkles for dried cherries. Drizzle with melted chocolate to put it over the top!

Treat Yourself

It’s not just a cheeky saying; treat yourself, early and often. Treat yourself like you mean it. Treat yourself because you got out of bed today. Treat yourself because you’re alive. A little bit of sweetness in a bitter world goes a long way.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)3 Comments

Edible Art and Delicious DIY: Vegan Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts

There’s something irresistible about the understated beauty of a bowl of ice cream. That soft lull of sweetness, the whisper of vanilla or the flirtation of fruit across your tongue, and the cool satisfaction that takes a bite out of summer’s heat. Now, thankfully, the vegan world has caught up with conventionally dairy-based cravings.

From tropical coconut compositions to delicate oat milk blends, plant-based frozen desserts are more than just substitutes; they’re symphonies of flavor in their own rights. It’s a great time to enjoy the fruits of the vegan ice cream industry, which is innovating artisanal flavors like Texas sheet cake, passionfruit and lemon, and cold brew coconut using almond, coconut, soy, and oat milk as their luscious foundations.

But that pint you eyed in the freezer section, the one with lavender swirls and a $9 price tag? It might break more than your traditional flavoring conventions. Boutique vegan ice creams are dreamy, yes, but they’re also pricey little indulgences, often costing 50% more than their dairy-laden cousins. Those prices add up fast for anyone indulging regularly or trying to serve a larger plant-based household. Luckily, there’s a better way to get your frosty fix.

Knowing how to make your own vegan ice cream is not only empowering, but it can also be downright transformative. Taking a DIY approach allows for full control over ingredients, flavors, and dietary preferences. Whether you’re avoiding soy, nuts, added sugars, or oils, homemade vegan ice cream is customizable to the core. All it takes is a bit of planning, patience, curiosity, and maybe an appliance to make the process go more smoothly. I’ve covered quite a bit of ground in my previous two ice cream cookbooks and scores of bonus recipes, but I’m still churning with inspiration and motivation to share more.

Tools Of The Trade

Let’s talk equipment. While you can technically make vegan ice cream without any specialty gear, certain tools can take your frozen desserts from basic to next level.

If you’re ready to commit, the kitchen appliances on QVC feature the Ninja Creami Deluxe as a favorite among dessert enthusiasts with thousands of positive reviews. This machine doesn’t churn in real time like a traditional ice cream maker. Instead, it blends and reprocesses a frozen base using its “Creamify” technology until it’s velvety-smooth, perfect for low-fat vegan mixtures that might otherwise turn icy. It’s also great for making sorbets, smoothies, and even protein-rich frozen treats.

Another solid option is a KitchenAid stand mixer with an ice cream bowl attachment. It’s ideal for batch making and can handle thicker mixtures like cashew-based ice creams or churned coconut blends. If you already have this tool, acquiring the additional ice cream component can be an economical and exciting upgrade.

Don’t worry if you’re not investing in a machine. Although these are more labor-intensive, classic loaf pans, blenders, and food processors can work wonders. You’ll just need to manually stir your mixture every 30 to 45 minutes during freezing to break up crystals and mimic churning. A silicone spatula and deep mixing bowls also go a long way in keeping prep clean and efficient.

Vegan Ice Cream Ingredients: Flavor, Consistency, and Cost

One of the best parts of making vegan ice cream is the opportunity to experiment with ingredients. To master the art of making your own blend, you need to understand how each component affects the final product.

Start with the base. Full-fat coconut milk is the classic: a rich, emulsified dream that scoops like velvet. But like all divas, it comes with drama: a strong taste, and lately, a steeper price thanks to global shortages. However, it has a strong flavor and, more recently, a rising price tag. Bloomberg reported a sharp spike in coconut product prices due to global shortages caused by poor weather, affecting the cost of canned coconut cream. For budget-conscious DIYers, this may push you toward alternatives like oat milk, almond milk, or cashew cream. Each plant milk has tradeoffs. Almond milk is light but can turn icy. Cashew blends are creamier but require pre-soaking and blending. Oat milk is smooth and affordable, but may need additional fat (like avocado or tahini) for scoopable results.

Sweeteners can elevate or anchor your flavor. Maple syrup lends depth. Agave brings clean sweetness. Medjool dates and ripe bananas offer body and that old-soul warmth you sometimes want in a scoop.

Want a silky finish? Stir in a spoonful of arrowroot starch, tapioca starch, or xanthan gum to ward off iciness, prevent crystallization, and keep mixtures silky. Even a teaspoon or two can make a big difference.

Here’s a quick cost-saving trick: Use frozen fruit. Not only do they reduce the need for ice, but they also make the entire dessert cheaper and faster to prepare. Frozen strawberries, mangoes, bananas, or cherries work beautifully in everything from sorbets to nut-based creams.

Tips and Tricks for Flawless Frozen Results

Making vegan ice cream at home isn’t hard, but it does have a learning curve. Without eggs or traditional cream, the right texture can be tricky to nail down. But with a few smart hacks, you can get smooth, flavorful results every time.

For starters, prep matters. Pre-chill your mixture in the fridge for a few hours before freezing. This allows flavors to develop and reduces freeze time. Pre-freezing your container also helps your ice cream set faster and smoother. If you’re going no-churn, stir your mixture every 30 minutes for the first two to three hours. This helps prevent overt ice crystal formation by recreating the motion of an ice cream maker to improve creaminess.

Another tip is to use pre-prepared ingredients where you can. For instance, using ready-whipped coconut cream from So Delicious starts with a stable base that ensures a light and fluffy consistency without the need for further agitation. As such, your time in the kitchen can be drastically cut down, as well as the time you’d typically have to wait before you can dig in.

Mix-ins like chocolate chips, cookie dough bites, or nuts should be added once your base starts to firm up. Otherwise, they’ll all sink to the bottom instead of being evenly distributed throughout your finished pint. If you’re making a swirl, like peanut butter or fruit jam, drop it in at the halfway point and use a skewer to create ribbons.

Flavoring is where you can really get creative. Beyond the usual vanilla or chocolate, try combinations like:

  • Cardamom rose pistachio
  • Espresso hazelnut fudge
  • Coconut lime basil
  • Ube black sesame swirl

No matter what you add, don’t forget: freezer time matters. Most homemade vegan ice creams are best consumed within 2–5 days. After that, they can get icy or lose flavor. Keep your batch covered with parchment paper or plastic wrap directly on the surface, then sealed in an airtight container to protect the texture and taste.

Final Scoop: Why DIY Is Worth It

Vegan ice cream no longer needs to be a luxury item. By learning to make it at home, you’re saving money and investing in flavor freedom, dietary flexibility, and kitchen creativity. With the right tools, ingredients, and a few smart shortcuts, you can churn out desserts that rival any pint in the freezer aisle.

Whether you’re experimenting with bold flavors, sticking to whole-food ingredients, or just trying to cool down in the summer heat, homemade vegan ice cream is a rewarding and delicious project that anyone can enjoy. Go ahead, grab a spoon. Your next best dessert might be waiting in your blender.

Hannah (BitterSweet)12 Comments

Can I Prik Your Brain?

“Try to guess the secret ingredient. The seeds kind of give it away.”

Squinting hard into bowl of rapidly diminishing dip, as if staring more intensely would reveal a hidden message, I racked my brain. I could taste chilies, of course, which the seeds could be attributed to, but isn’t that too obvious? There was an undercurrent of garlic beneath the heat, a blast of sour lime, the salty, umami flavor of fermented soy… But what’s the base?

What is Nam Prik?

Nam prik is more than a mere condiment in Thai cuisine. Traditionally built on a foundation of fermented shrimp paste, it’s an appetizer, sauce, sandwich spread, and party starter all in one. Powerfully flavorful with an intense balance of sweet, sour, spicy, and salty tastes, it’s heady stuff that you won’t soon forget. Reimagined by my good friend and talented chef Philip Gelb, I struggled to pick apart the fully melded components.

Not-So-Secret Ingredient

At the risk of jeopardizing my foodie cred, I admitted defeat. “Eggplant,” he professed, with a conspiratorial grin. Raw eggplant, no less. Green Thai eggplant, unlike the Italian, Chinese, or Japanese varieties, can be eaten raw. Crunchy when simply sliced, it transforms into a soft and yielding paste, ready to soak in all the aromatic seasonings you can throw at it.

We Got The Funk

Nam Prik Gapi (or Kapi) made with the classic shrimp composition can be a bit polarizing. Some say its an acquired taste, like stinky tofu or other similarly pungent fermented foods. For the vegan version, fermented Chinese bean curd (furu) brings the funk in a mild-mannered way, more tangy than twisted. Doenjang and miso paste work together to add an earthy, salty depth, amplifying the umami throughout.

After hounding him for a few weeks, Phil graciously shared his recipe, possibly to get me off his case. Of this creation, he says, “This has recently become a favorite dish of mine. Ironic since I never would have tried it in the first place as the idea of a shrimp paste has no appeal to me. Since I have no memories of the taste of shrimp, I have no idea if this has any imitation characteristics. Nonetheless, the flavor of this dip is exceptional in and of itself. However, when I am on the other side of the planet in a stunningly beautiful vegan restaurant and my new friend picks that dish out of the menu, I am happy to try. A true umami bomb! Never thought about eating raw eggplant before but this recipe changes that attitude, completely. Dips like this are very common in Thailand, served as appetizers with raw, crunchy, fresh vegetables. I find fried tempeh to be the ideal texture and flavor to dip into this.”

As I finished off the last scoop of that addictive dip, the flavors of hot chilies, fermented bean curd, tangy lime, and earthy eggplant lingered on my tongue. It’s a marvel what can happen when you let fresh ingredients be your muse and simply trust in the process.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments

Add a Little Bit of Spice

Oh, I thought, staring vacantly at the occupied oven. Oh well.

Am I getting more careless in old age, or are product packages becoming more inscrutable? All I wanted was to use up the last of a bottle of tahini and conquer cookie cravings all in one fell swoop. Whether it was willful ignorance or distracted driving behind the stand mixer dials, I had failed to notice that this was harissa tahini, creamed into the already baking batter.

Unfazed, I waited for the timer to sound before retrieving the sheet pan as planned. What else was there to do? Yank the half-baked dough out of the oven and hastily toss it into the trash? As a person more likely to pull the same dough out of the trash, letting the effort go to waste was never an option.

Fortunately, my mistake turned out to be so minimal that you could call it an asset. Nutty, toasted, and subtly buttery, you’d never know anything untoward had occurred at first bite. Only after would you feel a very slight warmth, a growing but gentle burn, at the back of your throat. Balanced by the woodsy sweetness of maple syrup, it certainly won’t light your tongue on fire. In fact, it’s such a successful twist, I’d suggest adding a little bit of spice to standard tahini in case you have the opposite supply issue.

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Trash Talk

Sometimes you just feel like hot garbage. Other times, you feel like eating hot garbage.

Wait, stay with me here!

Good Garbage

Though I’ve long been an outspoken proponent of eating trash, salvaging scraps and otherwise wasted food, I’m talking about something else entirely here. “Garbage” is a term used more liberally in this case, as a flippant descriptor of such an unapologetically messy, overloaded pile of fried potatoes. Not every meal needs to be gorgeous to have instant appeal. It’s perfect for when comfort food cravings become increasingly urgent, overriding any concerns about sticky fingers or hot sauce stains.

My hot garbage fries were inspired by the silly little plastic trash can vessel, to be perfectly honest, but probably work even better on a plate. Every crispy plank of fluffy fried potato should be saturated with the mess on top; a creamy, spicy sauce, meatless steak, crunchy onions, and sliced jalapeños for a final fiery bite. The combination is so simple, so obvious, that it feels redundant to write out a full recipe… And yet, it does serve as a helpful reminder that yes, it is precisely that simple and obvious.

Make Your Own Mess

Use this blueprint to build your own French fry dumpster fire upon. A few quick and easy swaps include:

  • Vegan Steak: As a luxury item, this isn’t one I often have on hand either. Any beef-like plant-based protein works beautifully (or sloppily?) here, such as crumbled veggie burgers, chopped seitan, meatless grounds, or even old fashioned TVP chunks.
  • Yellow Onion: Some people don’t appreciate the raw edge of an uncooked onion, and while they’re wrong, that’s okay. Use sliced scallions or chives for the same allium essence, minus the harsh sinus stinging.
  • Cilantro: Similarly, some poor souls process the flavor of cilantro as being akin to soap. My condolences. Either omit it or try using fresh basil for a flavorful change of pace.
  • Jalapeños: If you want to really pump up the heat, opt for peppers that fall high on the Scoville scale, such as serranos, habaneros, or scotch bonnets. Proceed with caution!

Trash is Cash

Next time you’re having a trashy day, don’t fight it. Lean into the hot mess with an equally chaotic, disorderly, and satisfyingly sloppy pile of hot garbage fries. If it’s so bad that you need a good cry, you can always blame the hot peppers, too.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)5 Comments