Food from the Hunger Games - 'Lamb' and Plum Stew with Wild Mushroom Rice

Happy Hunger Games!

Ok, confession time. I am in my 30’s and should not be mildly obsessed with the Hunger Games books, but I am. I like reading the books, debating with my friend who Katniss should be in love with, and of course, Effie Trinket’s hair and makeup – love! Because I am a nerd and a foodie, I could not help but notice what a huge theme food and cooking were in the books. But, if you are a vegan, Hunger Games can be tough to read.

Let me break in and tell you a little about me. I identify with aspects of Katniss. I grew up in a very poor, very rural area. And yes, hunting in the area happened to keep the family fed. There were also gardens, fishing, and neighbors helping neighbors. 

But, for those of us who are now living a vegan lifestyle, it’s hard to read about killing animals for any reason. I am not going to get into the ethics of all that right now. Let me just say that the food in Hunger Games is meat heavy. For those of you who may not know, how meat heavy?

Type ‘Hunger Games food’ into a search engine and you will get lots of hits, many of which are from Paleo websites. This food is not hard to take there because, well, tons of meat and such. As the Capitol learns compassion at the end of the series, we can make compassionate versions of these recipes so you can have your Hunger Games parties, and eat the food, too.

Below is my take on the fabled ‘Lamb and Plum Stew’. This is Katniss’s favorite food in the capitol and is what her coach Haymitch uses to reward her for she and Peeta’s first ‘real’ kiss. This stew is a food star of the first book, so of course, I had to recreate it.

Instead of lamb, I used ‘not beef’ seitan strips. I got mine from Trader Joes. The rest were my artistic choices. So cook up a batch of stew and eat a warm bowl before heading out to watch the newest Hunger Games movie, or curl up with a bowl of stew on a cold winter’s night while you reread the books.  Enjoy!

‘Lamb’ and Plum Stew

Makes 4 servings

1 package of ‘beef’ seitan, 8 oz

2 teaspoons of good quality olive oil

1 small red onion

4 carrots, greens and roots removed. I used one of 4 different colors.

1 cup of dried plums AKA prunes, organic, no sugar added

3 cloves of garlic

4 bay leaves, fresh

1 tablespoon of rosemary leaves

4 cups of vegetable broth

Pepper to taste  

2 cups of wild mushroom stock

1 cup of basmati rice

To make the rice – Boil the two cups of stock in a small pot and add the rice. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the rice is done which will be 20-40 minutes, depending on the type. For my basmati rice, it was about 30 minutes exactly.  

To make the stew – In a heavy soup pot, heat the two teaspoons of oil over medium high until it runs freely around the pot. Add the seitan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the seitan starts to brown. If it sticks, add a few small splashes of water, and keep browning the seitan.

Cut the carrots into ‘coins’ or rounds. Dice the onion. Slice the garlic, and measure the prunes.  

Once the seitan is browned, add the onions and carrots. Cook about 5 minutes, to soften the onions and carrots. Add the garlic, and cook an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the broth, bay leaves, and pepper. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove lid. Add the rosemary. Cook an additional 5-10 minutes, until the carrots reach your desired level of tenderness.

Serve over the rice, and happy Hunger Games!