Vegetable Ceviche with Tiger Milk

Traditionally, ceviche is a citrusy mixture of chiles and fresh fish. At a riverfront café in Santiago, I spotted “Vegetable Ceviche” on the menu and my mouth watered with curiosity. A mound of perfectly poached vegetables was presented in a crystal dish, and before I could identify all its contents, my server poured a gorgeous green sauce over the top. I’ve never had a dish so refreshing, and although it’s quite different from classic seafood ceviche, this vegetarian alternative made it to the top of my list of favorite dishes I had in Chile.

Tiger milk is typically a sauce made from lime juice and white fish, but my vegetarian version features a spicy coconut milk mixture instead.

It can be a bit tedious chopping all the vegetables, but I find the task to be quite therapeutic. Like that café in Santiago, I serve this showstopper in clear glass dishes as an appetizer or salad course. You can prepare everything the day before, storing the vegetables separate from the coconut tiger milk in the refrigerator. The toasted chulpe (dried corn) and quinoa garnishes add a nice crunch to this dish and shouldn’t be left out. Be sure to toast a little extra for snacking later. 

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Ingredients

Serves 4

Vegetable Ceviche:

• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

• 1/2 red onion, sliced very thinly into half moon shapes

• 1 can artichokes, drained and chopped

• 1 avocado, chopped

• 3/4 cup corn kernels, steamed or blanched

• 3/4 cup broad beans (can use edamame beans)

• 12 cherry tomatoes, quartered

• 1 red potato, cut into 1/2” cubes, boiled in

• salted water

• 1/2 sweet potato, cut into 1/2” cubes, boiled in salted water

• 1/4 cup dried Peruvian corn, toasted in a dry pan

• handful of sprouts or micro-greens

• 1/4 cup quinoa, toasted in a dry pan

Tiger Milk:

• 1/2 cup coconut milk (not light)

• one green onion

• 1 teaspoon ginger, chopped

• 1 garlic clove, chopped

• 6 sprigs of cilantro, including stems

• juice of 2 limes

• 1 celery stalk

• 1/2 teaspoon jalapeno, chopped

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Process

Ceviche:

Combine all ingredients except sprouts and quinoa in a large bowl and spoon into individual short glass bowls or cocktail glasses. Pour over enough tiger milk to cover one third of the vegetables. Garnish with sprouts and toasted quinoa

Tiger Milk:

Blend all Tiger Milk ingredients in a blender until smooth. Taste for more salt.