Vegetarian Fusion Stew

a little middle eastern, a little african, a touch of greek and asian, all around yummy! this is earthy and dark and rich but very easy. i suppose you could use stew beef but you'd need to add more water to allow it to cook longer and soften. next time i might add a bit of nutmeg. you could easily add zucchini or eggplant to this too

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 5 cups

Ingredients

• 1  onion, roughly chopped
• 4  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
•  scant 2 cups hot water
• 1  cup  dried shiitake mushroom
• 1  vegetarian beef stock cube
• 1⁄4 cup red wine
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 225  g vegetarian beef strips (1 pkg, about 1.5 cups chopped)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon curry powder (mine has a fairly heavy cinnamon note)
• 1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1  teaspoon oregano
• 3  tablespoons honey (or brown sugar if you're vegan)
•  salt, to taste
• 1⁄2 cup low-fat cheddar cheese (good parmesan could also work) (optional)
• 4  pieces  naan bread

Directions

1. soak the shitakes in the hot water for 15 min or long enough to soften. in the mean time chop the onions and garlic and start sautéing in olive oil.
2. when the mushrooms are soft enough to handle, roughly chop, discarding the tough stems but saving the water.
3. add the mushrooms, all the soaking water, and all other ingredients besides the bread and cheese to the pan, bring to a boil and simmer on med-low for 30-45 min or until thickened to thick stew consistency.
4. stir in the cheese, cut up and warm the bread.
5. serve with naan bread to spoon the stew over and the rest of the wine to drink. would go well with a light salad on the side.