Witchy Kitchen

Tag: video games

  • Hasty Trail Mix

    Hasty Trail Mix

    There are lots of foraged ingredients in the game you can use to create ability-enhancing dishes and elixirs and it’s so much fun to test combinations. I had an idea to make a trail mix, mostly because I was excited to see speed-enhancing fleet lotus seeds as an ingredient. Puffed lotus seeds, or fox nuts (I love that name), you can find in Indian groceries, and by toasting them and tossing them with spices or just sea salt you can make a tasty snack! I thought to make this trail mix even speedier with some speedy carrot; crunchy fried carrots is a fun technique I first experimented with to create a garnish for carrot fennel soup, and their sweetness really rounds out the flavors here. Toasted nuts complete the trail mix, and it’s perfect for you to throw in your pouch and take on an adventure.

    Hasty Trail Mix

    • vegetable oil for frying
    • 5 or 6 medium carrots, peeled and trimmed
    • 1/2 cup cashews
    • 1/2 cup peanuts
    • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
    • 2 cups puffed lotus seeds (phool makhana)
    • 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala (or a sprinkle of sea salt)

    Heat about a half inch of oil in a pan and line a plate with paper towels. Shave carrots into thin strips with the peeler and fry in batches, stirring gently until just turning golden; remove and drain on the plate.

    After carrot is done, pour all but about a teaspoon of the oil off the pan. Toast cashews, peanuts and pumpkin seeds until just starting to color, then remove to a bowl. Toast lotus seeds until golden, and add to the bowl as well.

    Toss nut and lotus seed mixture with chaat masala, and lastly add in the carrots and gently mix so they don’t crumble. Serve warm for movie night or room temperature for adventuring.

  • Orc Rock Mushroom Soup with Corn and Coconut Cream

    Better late than never for #BattleChefBuffet, Fandom Foodies theme of the (last) month, hosted by the awesome Victoria at Pixelated Provisions – that’s right it’s Battle Chef Brigade!

    I haven’t gotten a chance to play the Trinket Studio developed/Adult Swim published game yet, although the kids got a Switch for Christmas so we plan to in the near future – just as soon as our Zelda: Breath of the Wild obsession quells! However, the game looks delightful and innovative and full of intriguing dishes…and…oh, what’s this???

    Onion Chopping Ninja Chef has challenged me to a Quarry Cap cook off! Orc smash!! Weird orc horn!! Pew pew pew pew!!

    We both received pics of the dishes; she made Mina (the human’s) Quarry Cap dish, which you can find on her site – and full disclosure, it looks delicious and I fully plan on trying her recipe with the leftover wood ear mushrooms I have from my dish.

    Her choice to use wood ear mushrooms (or, as I got mine at the Korean market, they are labeled somewhat less charmingly as “black fungus”) was a smart choice to acheive the striking color of the dish, so I decided to use them in mine as well. My dish is Thrash (the orc’s) Quarry Cap soup. I regularly make a sherried cream of mushroom soup, Western style, but decided to try the same dish with a more Asian profile, and was happy with the kickass punch-you-in-the-mouth result!

    Orc Rock Mushroom Soup with Corn and Coconut Cream

    For the mushroom soup

    • x ounces dried wood ear mushrooms
    • 4 ounces fresh button mushrooms, sliced
    • 4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
    • Vegetable oil
    • 1 small bunch green onions, whites and greens divided, sliced
    • 3 garlic cloves, grated
    • 1 inch ginger, grated
    • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • 1/4 cup shaoxing wine (substitute dry sherry or white wine)
    • 4 cups vegetable broth
    • Salt to taste

    To rehydrate the wood ear mushrooms, pour a cup of boiling water over them and let them steep for at least 30 minutes.

    Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil in a wok, and stir fry mushrooms until they release their water and start to color. Add the whites of the green onions, garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Add white pepper and soy sauce and shoaxing wine and cook, stirring, until almost dry. Add vegetable broth.

    Drain and slice wood ear mushrooms (reserving some for garnish, optional), and add to the wok. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree in a blender and return to the hot pot to heat through. Check for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.

    For the corn and coconut cream

    • 1 can coconut milk
    • 2 ears white corn (reserve some kernels for garnish)
    • Pinch salt

    In a small sauce pan, heat coconut milk and add ears of corn. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove ears, slice of kernels and place in a blender with the coconut milk. Puree and return to the pot to heat through.

    To serve, pour soup into bowls and drizzle with a generous swirl of the coconut corn cream. Garnish with mushrooms, corn kernels, and reserved green onion.

    Check out #BattleChefBuffet or the Battle Chef linkup at Pixelated Provisions for everyone’s amazing dishes!