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| Only Orlais would come up with this. |
From The World of Thedas, Volume 2:
"Some credit the Left Hand of the Divine for starting the Orlesian obsession with nugs as pets. In her travels, Sister Leliana came across a nug, which she adopted and brought home to Val Royeaux. The fad quickly caught on. I've been told that this strange little creature - hairless, wrinkled, and pink, with its beady eyes and oversized ears - makes a wonderful companion animal. Children especially adore them. And they adore the nug-nug, a dish put together to resemble a nug peaking its head out of a burrow. I prefer beef, but use any meat that you have on hand, even actual nug meat, if you must. After all, as the dwarves will tell you, they are edible and very delicious. Just make sure you haven't inadvertently hunted and killed some poor lady's pet."
Thankfully for Leliana's adorable, squeaking friends, we will not be featuring flesh of any kind. And we will be bringing the display up to a new level that can only shame Orlais' efforts in the realm of food art.
Today we are going to enjoy The Nug King!
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| It's not an exact resemblance but just as majestic. |
For those iconic and amazing ears I used one of the true "meats" of nature: beans! When cooked thoroughly and mixed with the right ingredients, beans can create the flavor and simulate the texture of animal flesh but without any of the carnage. They truly are a gift from the Maker.
This Nug King recipe is inspired by the Nug-Nug but those ears are more closely based off a vegan sausage recipe I found by chance while sifting through Pinterest. The link to that full recipe by Taste with Your Eyes can be found in the sources section below.
Normally I take time to show you a step-by-step process but this was such a long and involved ordeal, I decided to take a different approach. I chose to feature some of my best images and write detailed directions. There is also a lot to catch up on, like the recent Dragon 4ge Day events and some plans for this little ol' Skyhold kitchen mage. If you want the recipe right way, scroll down.
I was honored to participate in Ghil Dirthalen's all-day Dragon 2 stream, hosting my first live event and mukbang. I and the food I made (my take on World of Thedas' Llomerry Red), were well received. So much so, I have decided to give live mukbangs a try on my own in the coming New Year.
For folks who are unaware of what a mukbang is, allow me to explain (because I needed it explained to me at first, too). According to Wikipedia, a mukbang "is a live online audiovisual broadcast in which a host eats large amounts of foods while interacting with their audience." What the word itself means, again from Wikipedia, "[t]he word mukbang is a portmanteau of the Korean words for "eating" (먹는; meokneun) and "broadcast" (방송; bangsong)."
On January 2 at noon PT (Pacific Time), I will host my first live eating show on YouTube. I'll eat a big meal and talk about Dragon Age. And by all the breath of the Maker, do I have a lot to say about Dragon Age. Much of what I want to orate about is the intersectionality between a myriad real life and in game topics, some mundane and some more exciting and contentious. I have a few starting topics I am writing talking points for so without anything firmly planned, I can't say what topic I will begin with. I also won't say what I'll be eating just yet but I will give you a hint: it will be slightly tortuous and nothing like the amazing and elegant Nug King I constructed this holiday season. If the show goes well, I may make it a routine thing as a companion media piece to this blog.
I am taking this on in between a lot of personal development. If you follow me on Instagram, you may know I was hospitalized at the end of September. At the end of October, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis is a neurological disorder that effects the immune system. There are a number of treatments available, but no cure. The last few months have been life-changing and challenging. I have learned a lot about myself through the early stages of this journey; I have a greater sense now of what I want to do and who I want to be than before. (And if you follow my personal account on Twitter, you may have noticed I have been a bit salty lately as a result of this learning process.) Today I took my first dose of medicine, an injection with some very unpleasant side effects. But it is what it is. I can't let setbacks set me back. I have found a lot of pride and joy in the routine of my new life and a renewed sense of purpose through a deep, new appreciation for life and the things in it that enrich my mind and spirit, from my family, to my career, to Dragon Age. A little pain isn't going to get me down.
When I was in the hospital, unable to lift or move my arm and leg, I thought of my Inquisitor and the challenges she faced after losing her arm. I thought of my Warden after the Joining and the side effects she had to learn to endure. And I decided acceptance, moving forward with my new circumstances instead of fighting against them, was the only way to live. I have the courage of my Warden, the resolve of my Inquisitor, and the humor of my Hawke to learn to live my new life. This blog, the Dragon Age games, and the great community I have come to know have helped keep me going and I am excited to continue to move ever forward.
This year overall has been tremendously eventful with a great amount of ups and downs. And my unique blog is something I am grateful for amidst of the carefully ordered chaos that is my life. It has been a great source of motivation and creativity for me. And I am grateful for you, dear reader. Whether you discovered this blog today or have been reading since my first entry, whether you're here for the recipes or the party banter about Dragon Age, I am grateful for you. And I am excited to offer you more in the coming year.
Now, let us continue to the recipe to carefully turn this...
In this THIS!
The Nug King
Prep Time: A day and a half.
Cook Time: approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour, spread out over a day and a half.
Serving Size: 7-8
Ingredients:
Vegan Sausages:
1 mounding c. dry white beans or 1 can of cooked white beans
1 c. vegetable stock
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp vegetable or canola
1/4 c. nutritional yeast
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1/4 c. vital wheat gluten
1 Tbsp ground mustard
1 tsp mesquite
1 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp sea salt
Nug Body:
4 beefsteak tomatoes
4 celery leaves of two different sizes
1 black olive, sliced
2 c. brown rice
Equipment:
Streamer
Hand blender or stand blender
Aluminum foil
3 wooden skewers
1 box of toothpicks
1 large platter
Directions:
Start by setting up a steamer that can fit 7 to 8 sausages. Then cut 7 to 8 squares of aluminum foil, each 7 inches in diameter.
If using dry white beans, prepare in a pressure cooker or if using canned beans, drain and rinse thoroughly. Add beans to a large bowl and blend with a hand blender or add to a standing blender and blend, then return to bowl. Add vegetable stock, olive oil, nutritional yeast, minced garlic, and soy sauce to beans and mix well.
Next, add ground mustard, mesquite, dried oregano, dried parsley, and sea salt; mix well and then fold into bean mixture until evenly distributed.
Add the vital wheat gluten last and knead by hand until the mixture forms into a dough. Remove the ball of dough from the bowl and gently knead by hand on a clean surface for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Gently pull apart a piece, about a handful or slight more, and roll it into a sausage-like shape. Place on a square of aluminum foil diagonally. Fold the corners of the foil over ends of the wheat-bean sausage dough and wrap very tightly. Repeat until all prepared foil squares are filled.
Placed wrapped wheat-bean sausages in the steamer for 40 minutes, turning them over at half time. Remove from steamer promptly and place on counter. Allow to cool to room temperature, then place in refrigerator overnight. Cook rice according to packaging and allow to cool slightly before storing in refrigerator overnight.
Remove sausages from refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature. Turn oven to warm and heat the remaining tablespoon of vegetable or canola in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. Skip the oil if you are using a nonstick pan and have faith in its abilities. Unroll the sausages from the foil and place in skillet, browning the outside. Brown one ot two at a time in skillet. Turn gently and frequently for even texture and to cook thoroughly, about 6 to 10 minutes for each sausage.
Once all sausages are evenly browned and heated through, add as many as you can fit into the skillet and place in a warm oven. If your sausages cannot fit, have a second over-safe dish prepared in your warmed oven to hold the remaining sausages.
Reheat rice in a microwave. To keep it from drying out, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to it before reheating. While rice is reheating, blanch the tomatoes.
To blanch tomatoes, rinse them gently and remove any stickers. Fill a large bowl with cold water, set aside. Fill a large, heavy bottomed pot with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, use a pair of tongs to gently place all four tomatoes into the pot. Allow them to boil for 3 to 4 minutes, remove promptly. (And this is the part where I messed up, so you can do what I did and your tomatoes may turn out just fine or you can keep reading for the proper blanching technique - I forgot about the cold water step and placed my tomatoes on a cutting board for about 5 minutes. I was able to peel them easily and they held up when I used them to sculpt the nug body.) Place immediately in the cold water, one at a time, for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Use tongs to remove tomatoes from the cold water promptly and set on a clean surface. Once all tomatoes have cooled, peel the skins and discard.
Spoon reheated rice out onto a large platter. Then cut one of the blanched tomatoes in half (use a serrated or bread knife if you have one). Set aside.
Remove the sausages from the oven and place on a large platter. Take one of the sausages and, using the dull end, push a skewer almost through it, leave about an inch of space. Repeat with one more sausage. Set aside.
Take the third skewer and break it in half. Place two of the blanched tomatoes closely together on the bed of rice. Push one of the skewer halves through both tomatoes to hold them in place, this is the Nug's body. Take the remaining whole blanched tomato and place in on top of one of one of the tomatoes, this is the Nug's head. Push the remaining skewer half down through both. If your top tomato is not firmly secure, add toothpicks to reinforce it in place. Take one of the tomato halves and place it on the front side of the tomato on top, secure it firmly with as many toothpicks as you need, this is the Nug's snout.
Take the sausages on skewers and insert them through the top of the top tomato at a slight angle away from each other.
Slice the olive and, using toothpicks, add two slices to the Nug's head as its eyes. Add the celery leaves, two small leaves in front and two larger leaves in the back for feet.
Smile and breathe a sigh of relief fore you have just found the Nug King. Serve and enjoy immediately.
Serve remaining sausages on a platter or however you like. They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Do not freeze. You can enjoy them sliced or place in a bun with your favorite condiments. Any reaming rice will last about a week. And leftover blanched tomatoes should be enjoyed within two days.
From my Skyhold to yours, have a happy holiday season and a happy New Year! May your feasts be plentiful and your mana reserves full.
Like what you are reading? Great! Come back for a new entry on the third Thursday of each month. And have a look at my previous entries for other recipes and Dragon Age-related trivia and oddities!
Have any friendly suggestions or cool ideas? Want me to veganize your favorite recipe? Please feel free to comment below. You can also email me at foodsofthedas@gmail.com, message me at AGSamuels on Reddit, or tweet me at @FoodsofThedas on Twitter. You can also follow me on Instagram, @gourmetveganthedas. And subscribe to my YouTube channel for my new live mukbang series.
If you try out any of my recipes, please share a picture on social media and use the hashtag (#)gourmetveganthedas.
Walk always in the Maker's light.
Have any friendly suggestions or cool ideas? Want me to veganize your favorite recipe? Please feel free to comment below. You can also email me at foodsofthedas@gmail.com, message me at AGSamuels on Reddit, or tweet me at @FoodsofThedas on Twitter. You can also follow me on Instagram, @gourmetveganthedas. And subscribe to my YouTube channel for my new live mukbang series.
If you try out any of my recipes, please share a picture on social media and use the hashtag (#)gourmetveganthedas.
Walk always in the Maker's light.
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Sources:
Sources:
World of Thedas Volume 2: https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Age-World-Thedas-2/dp/1616555017
Taste with Your Eyes: https://www.tastewiththeeyes.com/
Taste with Your Eyes, The Vegan Gut Buster: https://www.tastewiththeeyes.com/2013/01/the-vegan-gutbuster/
Dragon 4ge Day: http://www.dragon4geday.com/
@ImaSithDuh
@GhilDirthalen
@CaptainSavvy
@Andrastini
@DrunkDalish
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