March | 2012 | Kitchen Shaman

Once in a great while, I come across food that doesn’t just speak to my mouth, or just hums for me, it sings in my soul. On the quest for great quality vegan food that holds the flavors I’m looking for, I have been disappointed. Yes, there is great food out there, and the partner and I frequent the places where we can eat without too much hassle. Me; no corn, no peanuts, Her; no gluten, no dairy (in case we are in vegetarian places). But they’ve all seemed to miss one or two notes.

Along came 24 Carrots, in Chandler, Arizona. I got excited when I heard about them, but life kept getting in the way. It is a bit of a trek from our house. I knew I wanted to try it, and I keep an eye on the social media, and the specials were starting to make me drool. We were able to visit the other day, and found a relaxing, yet vibrant atmosphere, coupled with a knowledgeable counter person, and good smells.

Nestled between a Subway, and a Caribbean house, 24 Carrots is a strip mall slice of vegan heaven. The juice bar is prominent, and there are small dining tables up front. In coffee house tradition, there is a lounge area with couches, and comfy chairs, and a large flat screen t.v. on the quote board. There is a small library, and you can read while waiting for food, unless you want to take advantage of the wi-fi on your mobile device.

There is so much to choose from. They have an extensive menu with a variety of vegan cuisines represented. I was interested in their specials, and the veggie burger. I’ve been disappointed so far with most of the grain burgers I come across. It was Taco Tuesday, with Soyrizo Tacos on the special board, so the partner ordered two of those. I went for the Roasted Tomato Burger. We decided on the Raw Jalapeno Popper appetizer. After having a nice chat with Marcus, the counter guy, we ordered juices and food, and sat and waited.

The wait was a little long, and that could have been for several different reasons, but once the food came, we were not disappointed. The Raw Jalapeno Poppers looked exquisite. Almond cheese stuffed into baby bell peppers, laid out on a bed of mixed greens, with what looked like a bit of cilantro pesto. Then there was the Soyrizo Tacos. Soyrizo smothered with avocado puree, purple cabbage, onions and mushrooms, all wrapped up in a warm corn tortilla. An optional side of chips with a pineapple salsa fresca completed the plate. Then came the Roasted Tomato Burger, the ever present LTO, an oat bran bun, served with a refreshing mixed green salad with not only sunflower seeds, but pumpkin seeds as well. I love pepitas!

Eye to stomach is what I’ve been taught as a chef, and 24 Carrots applied the rule. I wanted to eat everything as they set the plates down. But first, pictures! Can’t forget the pictures. Then we dug in. I’ve found my home for vegan Sonoran flavors. This is what I’ve been looking for. One other place came close to pleasing my chili/lime/cilantro craving palate, and that was Native Foods Cafe in Southern CA. Glad to know the flavors exist closer to home. The first bite into the Popper caused a bit of ecstasy in my mouth. A burst of flavors, and my mouth was singing. Then I tried the burger. Satisfying, and it did not squish or fall apart. It was warmed all the way through, and the basil aioli came through all the way. The salad was dressed perfectly, not too much, not too little. And I ate it all. We took a couple of the poppers home, and as I was writing the first draft of this review, I had to go eat one, I got so hungry just remembering how good they were.

The report on the Tacos were excellent. I could only take a little bite due to the corn tortillas. I tried the salsa, and it was very pleasing. We had fresh juices to wash everything down with, Apple-Ginger, and Ginger lemonade. When I tried the ginger lemonade my mouth puckered. Thanks, I’ll stick to apple-ginger. But the partner really enjoyed it.

We will definitely return to explore the rest of the menu, enjoy the specials of the day (posted daily on their Facebook page– great use of social media by a vegan restaurant), the decor, and the fresh atmosphere at 24 Carrots. I hope you do too, if you are in the area. Support independent, and support local.

As you know, I’ve been cooking for a while, quite a long while. My standard everyday knives have been Forschners (now under Vitorinox). They are getting up there in age. Since I moved into the land of fine dining, that means fine knife work, and that means new knives. I have secretly coveted Japanese knives, and though not trained in their usage, nor mentored by a chef who gave me permission to purchase them, I stepped out and bought new knives last week.

Japanese.

Ohishi.

Beautiful.

I bought the knives before researching. There’s a great little shop in town called the Phoenix Knife House, owned and operated by chefs. They carry some extraordinary and beautiful knives. I like to support independently owned and operated businesses. And most of my co-workers have visited them at some point since they opened.

I discussed my budget with the owner, and he proceeded to lay out about five different brands and let me handle and fondle the knives. In the meantime he reconditioned my worn and abused Forschners. I finally chose a brand, and after a telephone call to my budget advisor, purchased two Ohishi Japanese blades, a petty utility knife, and a santuko knife. I also bought a ceramic steel to keep them sharp.

I dropped the cash, and set about the rest of my day. While driving around I realized I was having a paranoid and averse reaction to purchasing these knives. What was it? I felt like I did not deserve them. Really, I’m a fraud, not a real chef. All these thoughts flamed through my brain as I bought rice and drove all the way back home. During my shower the next day, I stumbled upon a core reason: in traditional Japanese chef culture, women are excluded. They cook at home and tend the rice fields, but they do not cook on a larger, grander scale, in restaurants. This information is blazoned some where deep inside me. So not only do I think I don’t deserve the knives, I do not have a right to them, being both female and non-Japanese.

I am a quality chef. I have proven myself, quite a few times over. I’ve earned good knives. I work in an environment where they are necessary. I have a right to these knives and I do know how to use them.

The blades I chose are made in the village Seki, at the base of Mt. Fuji. They are a 17 fold Damascus steel blade. The pattern design is called suminagashi, and is designed like ink flow on paper. It actually shows the folds of steel in the blade. The dimples in the knives are called Tsuchime, and are hand-hammered. I chose the knives for both balance and design. Of course, I ran home, used the knives, let them bleed me before taking them to work, then I researched them. The attraction to the pattern makes sense, being a writer, artist, and chef.

And now, I am hopelessly hooked on Japanese blades. I’m looking forward to the purchase of the next two knives. I now understand why a chef will drop more money than rent on a set of these high performance blades.

I do not recommend them for the home cook. There are other, less expensive brands that will hold up to that kind of work. As a chef, these are really nice blades to use. They have great balance and weight, and perform under the rigors of fine dining prep work.

I’ve made peace with my initial reaction of being not worthy. My workload has been cut in half, and my hands are much more sure working with these blades. I certainly deserve them, and am a worthy enough chef to use them. Any fear I had has fled and gone. Now, I slice and dice, confidant of the blade in my hand. Plus, they look really cool.

The Santuko knife is also known as an Asian Chef knife, thought to have developed from the Japanese rectangular vegetable knife. The blade is thinner then a chef’s knife, and shorter. The design of the blade helps to keep food from sticking to the blade. It is designed for mincing, chopping, slicing and dicing. I’ve used mine for a variety of tasks, finely chopped shallots, julienned carrots, and slicing bread.

Kitchen Shaman

Yummy, Hummy & Healthy

Monthly Archives: March 2012

A Bit of Vegan Heaven; 24 Carrots

New Year, New Knives