Increase in home working and home cooking inspires new Matta’s initiative
With working from home a reality for millions in the UK at the moment, Matta’s have launched a delivery box scheme containing some of their favourite recipes by well known foodies in vegan circles.
Co-owner and brainchild behind the idea Dalip Matta maintained that with footfall reduced in town of late, the scheme was a great opportunity to explore untapped markets.
“We do get asked a lot about recipes for a variety of diverse cuisines especially healthy ones and we’re currently testing the market to see how popular they are by putting together delivery boxes containing some of our favourites and their ingredients.”
The Bold Street-based grocery store that began trading in the city centre in 1984 has evolved over the years with its most recent addition in terms of a broader range of new stock focused on organic and vegan products. This is all whilst maintaining a mind-boggling variety of non-organic and non-vegan food, drink, cosmetic and household products to choose from.
“We’ve become a go-to store in the city for a new generation of foodies and lifestyle shoppers yet we’ve managed to retain our more traditional customers because much of what we offer remains unique to Liverpool under one roof.
“And regardless, both sets of audiences are similar in that they love home cooking and it’s why we hope the delivery scheme will be appealing for those who can’t get to town at the moment for whatever reason.”
Matta’s recipe box enquiries:
WhatsApp 07365 385 485
Our current recipe delivery boxes…
Please note. Given the nature of the ingredients, particularly the range of unique spices included in the delivery box, they lend to being able to be used for many further meals. Please bear this in mind when considering the price and hence value of the delivery box.
All boxes are based upon servings for a minimum of 2 but may serve 3/4 subject to appetite!
1, Thai basil chilli tofu dish
Delivery box price £14.89
🌱Ingredients:
– 14oz firm tofu, pressed & cut into cubes
– 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
– 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
– 1 tablespoon chopped red jalapeno/red chili
– 1/2 cup packed Thai basil
– oil for cooking, salt to taste
– rice for servings
🌱Sauce: 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari, 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce, 1 teaspoon maple syrup or coconut sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, 3/4 cup of water/veggie broth.
1. Mix together all sauce ingredients and set aside.
2. In a heated non-stick pan with about 3 teaspoons of oil, pan-fry tofu cubes until lightly brown on all sides by flipping occasionally, then season with a pinch of salt. Transfer tofu to a bowl until ready to use.
3. Using the same pan, add another teaspoon of oil, sauté ginger, then garlic until fragrant & add in chopped red jalapeno.
3. Add in the tofu, sauce then basil & toss them quickly using a spatula until all tofu is coated with sauce. Season accordingly if needed. Serve warm
2, Creamy GF pasta with chickpeas £18.82 deduct £1.45 if not GF
Recipe
125g pasta of choice
1/2 medium onion, chopped
150g mushrooms, chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 can coconut milk
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp cornflour
1/4 cup green peas
Large handful spinach
Cook the pasta according to instructions on packaging. Add the onion and mushrooms to a non-stick frying pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the mushrooms soften. Then, add the tomato pasta and stir for a minute to coat. Add the chickpeas together with the coconut milk, paprika, curry powder, tamari and nutritional yeast. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, then at the last minute add the pasta together with the cornflour, green peas and spinach to allow the sauce to thicken and the spinach to wilt. Serve immediately.
3, Tom Yum soup with zucchini noodles £18.16
Ingredients:
~ 1 zucchini, spiralized
~ 2 cups veggie stock/broth
~ 2 stalks lemongrass (white part), pounded
~ 3 slices galangal
~ 2 lime leaves
~ onion slices (as preferred)
~ 2 Thai chilis, chopped
~ 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
~ 1/2 – 1 tablespoon Tom Yum/red chili paste
~ 1/2 cup tomatoes, halved
~ 1/2 cup mushrooms, halved
~ 4oz pan-fried firm tofu
~ salt to taste, lime juice, coconut milk, chopped cilantro
In a 2-quart pot, bring the veggie stock to boil, then add in lemongrass, galangal, onion slices, chilis & lime leaves. Place lid over, turn heat to low & let simmer for 10 mins until aromatic. Season with tom yum/chili paste, ‘fish’ sauce, coconut sugar & salt (add lime juice for a tangier soup).
Add in tomatoes, mushrooms, tofu & continue to cook for another 2mins until mushrooms are fully cooked through over low-med heat. Finally, add in the desired coconut milk (I used 1/4 cup) & turn off the heat.
To serve, place zucchini noodles in a bowl & ladle warm soup over. If you prefer fully cooked zucchini noodles, add them in soup & cook for 30 secs before serving.
4, PLANTAIN PIZZA £20.28
(We added green peppers, vegan mozzarella, tomatoes, black olives and yeast flakes.
INGREDIENTS
3 plantains (the greener, the better)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup of water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 tablespoons coconut flour
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare a large baking sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper.
Peel, chop, and pan-fry the plantains in coconut oil over medium/high heat for 5-6 minutes, or until golden and softened.
Add the cooked plantains to a food processor or high-speed blender and pulse until broken down into crumbs.
Add water and olive oil and pulse again until a wet dough forms.
Add coconut flour, spices, and salt and pulse again until combined.
Press dough out evenly onto pizza pan. (Wet your hands if it starts to stick.) Crust should be about ¼ inch in thickness.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned and crisp. Add toppings of choice, then bake again for 8-10 minutes more.
5, Aubergine and new potato curry ❤️🙏🏽 £14.84
Ingredients:
2 medium aubergines cut into cubes. 10 new potatoes cut in half. Fresh ginger 1 1/2 inches cut fine. 1 large red onion cut fine. 3 fresh medium tomatoes chopped small. Some cooking oil. 2 teaspoons of pink salt. 1 level teaspoon of turmeric. 1 teaspoon of garam masala. 1 teaspoon of chilli powder. 1 teaspoon of jeera powder. 1 teaspoon of special blend curry powder. Fenugreek leaves, one large spoon. 2 teaspoons of daniah powder
Method:
Fry the red chopped up onion in cooking oil until light brown then add your chopped up ginger.
Fry for two minutes then add tomatoes and cook down until soft then add all the spices.
Add the new potatoes and half a cup of water then mix altogether on a medium heat.
Cover the pan with a lid until the spuds are soft making sure you have water for a bit of gravy and then add your aubergines to the spuds.
Keep the heat on medium and check that the spuds and aubergines are cooked. If required, add a bit more water to the pan and leave to cook with a lid on.
Lastly add coriander to finish.
6, Chickpea, Spinach & Tomato Curry £13.57
1 Tablespoon of oil
1 pint sliced cherry tomatoes
3 tsp chili powder
5 tsp curry powder
3.5 tsp cumin
2 tsp onion powder
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained
3/4 cup cooked corn
1 can coconut milk
1.5 cups packed spinach
Cilantro and red chili flakes for garnish
Over medium heat, heat oil. Once hot, add tomatoes and spices, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add remaining ingredients except the spinach and garnish. Stir to combine and cook at a low simmer for about 10 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally. Cook longer for a deeper flavor, but you don’t need to. Add spinach and cover, cook until spinach wilts, about 3 min. garnish.