Cooking with Capsaicin: Westfall Stew
Posted on the 17th of December 2008 at 15:03 by Bodil
For some reason, this is my most popular recipe. Possibly, this is simply because I know too many World of Warcraft players.
Yes, I used to be one. I got into the US open beta by fabricating a zip code (90210, how hard is that?) , and was a hardcore 18-hours-a-day addict through three betas and a few weeks into the EU release. And that, fortunately, was the extent of my life-swallowing WoW addiction. I’ve stuck with the culture of the game, though, and my favourite part is when people try to recreate in-game cooking recipes, like the real-life Westfall Stew recipe.
My version is vegetarian, and thus obviates the hours of pointless grinding the original requires. Apart from that, it’s relatively faithful to the original recipe, which is based on a reasonably typical Mexican chili. In fact, without the Murloc eyes, this is more properly Mexican food than WoW food.
(And for the record, yes, of course I played Horde. On a PvP server. I spent fifteen levels in Stranglethorn Vale. On a PvP server. I’m not usually prejudiced, but after that, you’ll excuse me for thinking all Alliance players are human filth. Or night elf filth. Especially night elf filth.)
Vegetarian Westfall Stew
250-500 g tofu
4 soy sausages
2 small onions
2 bell peppers
2-3 champignons or similar mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
3 habañeros
2 cans chopped tomatoes
1 box of pre-made salsa (preferably containing tequila)
1 can chickpeas
1 can red beans
1 small can maize
10 cherry tomatoes (approx)
1 tsp whole cumin
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Start by dicing the tofu into 1-2cm³ pieces and frying them in a frying pan for one minute on each side, until the surface is crunchy, but not too crunchy. Set the tofu aside.
Put the garlic and the habañeros in a blender and mince into a fine paste. Don’t worry too much about the amount of habañeros–it’s going to be a large dish. On the other hand, don’t stick your nose into the blender and inhale, or anything equally silly. Remember, capsaicin is not a joke.
Chop the onions, mushrooms and bell peppers, and slice the soy sausages into 1cm slices.
Find a really large cooking pot. The dish can easily occupy three or four litres, so be prepared. Heat a decent amount of cooking oil, and when it’s ready, add the cumin and let it sizzle for a few seconds. Be careful, don’t let it burn.
Next, add the garlic/habañero paste, stir well, and let it fry for another few seconds. Add the onions, and sauté until they soften. Add the bell peppers and mushrooms, and sauté for about three minutes.
Pour in the canned tomatoes and salsa. There should be a fair amount of liquid in there now. Add the basil, oregano, black pepper, sugar and cocoa powder. Stir well, and taste. If the taste is a bit weak, or the sauce too thin, you can try adding a teaspoon or two of chili powder.
Add the tofu, beans and chickpeas, give it a good stir, and leave it to boil at medium heat for about ten minutes.
Add the maize and cherry tomatoes, stir, and leave it for a minute or two.
Congratulations, you are done. Serve with rice.
