Tag: Asian

by Veggie Sutra

Chinese-style Mushroom Tofu Stir Fry

A rare occurrence happening so quickly in succession!  More Chinese cooking by V this weekend after the excellent Broccoli Tofu Stir Fry he made couple of weeks back.  And this time I made sure I set up my camera tripod properly and took my time to get properly focused photos.  It helped that the winds were not as bad this time.   Judge for yourselves, here you go:

 

 

The pictures turned out well, but the dish turned out even better!   V just nails Chinese cooking, and as I have mentioned before it is because he does not overcook the vegetables.   Also our wok makes Chinese cooking a breeze (you cannot not use a wok with acidic ingredients like vinegar and tomatoes, though)!

However, our favorite Chinese food is something that we don’t have to slave over.  Veggie Garden in the South Bay is our go-to Chinese Vegetarian place from where we regularly do takeaway.  V always gets the Kung Pao Tofu and I always get the broccoli in garlic sauce, with some brown rice on the side.  The owner knows our order so well now, that she always throws in the extra peanuts for V, even before he asks for it.  She knows that V likes it extra spicy and that I like it very basic. And of course we share with each other.  If that isn’t comfort food, what is?  Everyone needs a go-to takeaway place!

 

 

V says the trifecta of Chinese cooking is the three Gs – green onions, garlic, and ginger.  I do not fully agree with that, because sometimes you just need one of these 3 ingredients to shine. But when he used the trifecta in today’s dish, it certainly was delectable.

Recipe for Mushroom Tofu Stir Fry

Inspired by a recipe in Bon Appetit

Serves 4 as a main dish with rice

[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:

  • 1 tub (~14 oz) extra firm organic tofu
  • About 1 lb mushrooms (button, shiitake, woodear, oyster), washed and chopped in to bite sized pieces
  • 6 stalks of green onions (scallions), washed, root trimmed and discarded, then white and green parts separately cut in to 1 inch pieces
  • 1 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
  • 6 cloves ginger, peeled and minced
  • Vegetable oil for pan frying
  • 4 Tbsp corn starch
  • For the sauce:
    • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
    • 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
    • 3 Tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
    • 1 Tbsp sesame oil
  • Salt and crushed black pepper to taste

Method:

  • Squeeze extra water out of the tofu:  Place the tofu on a plate.  Place another plate on top and weigh it down with something heavy for 30 mins to an hour until the water is squeezed out.
  • While the tofu is being pressed, make the sauce: Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce and keep aside
  • Remove the tofu that has been squeezed of water and cut it in to bite-sized cubes.  Dredge the cubed tofu in about 4 Tbsp of corn starch and a pinch of salt.
  • Heat a pan and add some vegetable oil.   Pan fry the tofu until browned on all sides.  Remove and set aside on a plate
  • Heat some more oil in the pan and add the white part of the green onions (scallions) and garlic and stir until fragrant on medium heat
  • Add the chopped mushrooms and ginger and stir until the mushrooms are cooked, about 10-15 mins on medium heat
  • Add the sauce, stir and then add green part of the green onions and switch off the heat
  • Remove in to a serving platter and serve with white rice

With the chewy mushrooms and crispy tofu and the freshness of the green onions, this dish was certainly a hit!

by Veggie Sutra

Chinese-style Broccoli Tofu Stir Fry with Sesame Seeds

Every once in a while, V enters the kitchen to make his sought-after (by me!) Chinese stir fry.  He does such a good job of it, that I generally do not attempt to make this dish.   Today was no exception, he made an amazing stir fry with crispy tofu and broccoli.

But I messed up the photos!  It has been a very warm and sunny winter with nary a cloud or a drop of rain and so I have not had any issues taking photos in the backyard.  However today turned out to be a cold and windy day, my favorite chopsticks and napkin kept flying off and I lost patience and took really out-of-focus pictures.  I feel very bad about that.  One of the pics even has the chopsticks mixed up which I guess is okay and maybe a fun thing to do once in a while!

Speaking of chopsticks, V and I love collecting different kinds of chopsticks from China, Korea, Japan and other places.  The Korean ones are the most sustainable as they are stainless steel, and come paired with a long spoon.  However V is  not a big fan of using the flattish stainless steel chopsticks, while I actually like it.  I also like the Japanese ones, pictured here, as they are lacquered and have very pretty designs.

 

 

Recipe for Chinese-style Broccoli Tofu Stir Fry with Sesame Seeds

[Printable Recipe]

Serves 4 as a main dish with white rice

Ingredients:

  • 1 tub (~14oz) extra-firm organic tofu
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 4 Tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1 small onion, cut length-wise
  • 4 Tbsp corn starch
  • 1 lb broccoli florets cut in to bite-sized pieces
  • For the sauce:
    • 1/4th cup organic tamari or soy sauce
    • 4 Tbsp water
    • 4 Tbsp rice vinegar
    • 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
    • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
    • 2 Tbsp grated ginger
    • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced fine
    • 2 Tbsp corn starch
  • Vegetable oil for pan frying
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Squeeze extra water out of the tofu:  Place the tofu on a plate.  Place another plate on top and weigh it down with something heavy for 30 mins to an hour until the water is squeezed out.
  • While the tofu is being pressed, make the sauce: Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce and keep aside
  • Heat a wok or pan and dry toast the sesame seeds until golden brown on medium to low heat, taking care not to burn it.   Remove and set aside
  • Coat the pan with a little oil and roast the cashews until golden.  Remove and set aside
  • Remove the tofu that has been squeezed of water and cut it in to bite-sized cubes.  Dredge the cubed tofu in about 4 Tbsp of corn starch and a pinch of salt.
  • Add a little more oil to the pan and on low to medium heat, pan fry the tofu until golden brown on all sides.  Remove and set aside
  • Add the broccoli to the pan and stir on medium heat until the broccoli is bright green for about 10-15 mins
  • Add the sauce to the pan and when it starts bubbling, add the onion, tofu, sesame seeds and cashew nuts and switch off the heat and remove to a serving dish
  • Serve warm with white rice

 

 

I have never made tofu the way V made it today by dredging it in corn starch, but it turned out really crispy.  The broccoli was fresh and crunchy and flavorful, and the cashew added a bit of sweetness to the dish.   All in all, a perfect comfort meal for a lazy Sunday lunch!   We didn’t even have any leftovers for me to attempt another photo session!

by Veggie Sutra

Daikon radish salad with lemongrass tofu

 

Who knew radishes were part of the brassica family?!   I certainly did not, until I read about it in the Brassicas book that V bought.  It falls in the category of root brassicas along with turnips, rutabagas and horseradish.   Out of all of them, radishes are my favorite.   There comes a season in the farmer’s market when radishes of all varieties show up – rainbow radishes, black radishes, table radishes and other colorful ones. Daikon radishes, however, seem to be available pretty much year round in Northern California.   These long white radishes with a mild flavor are used prolifically in Asian and Indian cooking.

 

 

Daikon radishes in Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese cooking are a favorite for pickling.  In fact, the inspiration for the recipe in this post came from a Banh Mi salad we had last weekend at Veggie Grill, a local vegan restaurant.  (I know Banh mi sans the bread doesn’t make any sense as Banh Mi means bread, but I guess some poetic license was used in the naming!)

In India, the Daikon radishes are more pungent and a lot smaller than the ones we get here in Northern California.  Some sources call these small pungent ones “White Icicles” instead of “Daikon”.  In any case, these long white radishes, known as mooli in Hindi and mullangi in Tamil are prepared in different ways.   They are boiled in lentil soups and stews, stuffed in to bread to make filling mooli parathas (stuffed flatbreads) and are sometimes eaten raw with a squeeze of lemon and a dash of salt and pepper.   Oh the satisfying bite of eating them raw!   The leaves of Daikon radish are equally flavorful and are added to lentil soups.

 

 

 

Yes, the world is going to hell in a hand basket due to human related activities of over polluting, over-harvesting of natural resources and utter disregard for science (I am referring to our grand gesture of withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord), but I am glad we have radishes in our hand basket.   And that’s all I will say on that topic!

This salad is inspired by Vietnamese flavors, and includes pickled radishes and carrots (called do chua) and baked lemongrass tofu.  It needs a bit of prep work for both these ingredients, but is otherwise quite simple to assemble.   I got the pickling recipe from White on Rice couple, whose recipes are always fail-proof.   The lemongrass tofu is my own concoction.

I could not resist using all the spring herbs in our garden, but one could go a little lighter on herbs, I guess.  Or not.  I always go a little crazy with herbs in springtime when copious amounts of basil and mint are ready to be harvested in the garden.  The lemongrass also is from a pot in the garden.   Lemongrass is pretty easy to grow, and unless you have a huge space, it is better to plant it in a pot as it will take over the garden like mint.

 

 

Recipe for Daikon Radish Salad with Lemongrass Tofu

[Printable recipe]

Makes 4 large lunch-sized servings

 Ingredients:

For the pickled radishes and carrots (Make at least 3 days ahead):

  • 2 cups water (slightly warm to dissolve the salt and sugar)
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1.5 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 1 medium sized daikon radish (about 0.5 pounds), scrubbed, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
  • 2 small carrots (about 0.5 pounds), scrubbed, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
For Baked Lemongrass tofu (marinate overnight or at least a few hours before baking):
  • 1 tub of tofu (14 oz)
  • 2 stalks of lemongrass, tough outer layers and top stem removed and tender inside green part near the root minced
  • 6 Tbsp avocado oil or some mild vegetable/nut oil
  • 6 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp red chili flakes
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
For the salad:
  • Spring green mix, about 4 large handfuls, washed and dried
  • 1 long English cucumber, peeled and sliced into rounds
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, washed, de-seeded and minced (omit if you don’t want the heat)
  • 1 avocado, cubed
  • few sprigs of cilantro, washed well and chopped fine
  • 1/4 cup mint leaves, washed and julienned
  • 1/4 cup basil leaves, washed and julienned
  • few sprigs of spring onion, chopped in to small rings (optional)
  • 1/4 cup toasted almond slivers for garnish (optional)
Method:

 

  • Prepare the pickled radishes and carrots:
    • Mix the water, vinegar, salt and sugar well
    • Pour over the sliced radishes and carrots
    • Close tightly with a lid and refrigerate for at least 3 days
    • When ready to use, strain the liquid and throw it away

 

 

  • Prepare the baked lemongrass tofu:
    • Drain the water and place the tofu on a deep plate or bowl.  Place another plate over the tofu and weigh it down for at least an hour until the water is squeezed out of the tofu.  Then cut the tofu in to slabs.
    • Place the tofu slabs if possible in 1 or 2 layers in a shallow container with a lid
    • Whisk together the oil, vinegar, chili flakes, garlic, lemongrass, salt and sugar thoroughly
    • Pour over the tofu
    • Close tightly and refrigerate overnight
    • To bake the tofu:  Preheat the oven to 400F
    • Remove the tofu from the container and save the marinade.  You will use the marinade as a dressing
    • Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil and place the tofu in a single layer on the foil
    • Bake for 10 – 15 minutes, flipping the tofu once mid way, until slightly golden on both sides
    • Cool and cut the baked tofu in to bite-sized pieces
  • Save the marinade for dressing:
    • Strain the minced lemon grass, garlic and chili flakes from the tofu marinade. (Press with the back of a spoon to release all flavors)
    • Add more oil and vinegar if needed
    • Taste and adjust salt and add a pinch of black pepper and whisk
  • Assemble the salad:
    • Toss together the spring green mix, pickled radishes and carrots, baked lemon grass tofu, sliced cucumber, jalapeno peppers, avocado and chopped herbs with the dressing
    • Garnish with toasted almond slivers while serving

As we sat outdoors on this beautiful spring day to enjoy our lunch salad, hummingbirds and bees buzzed around, presumably enjoying their own lunch.  This has indeed been a lovely spring with tons of flowers due to the generous winter rains.    After lunch, I sat outside here dreaming up more radish recipes to make in the days to come.

P.S.  I am submitting this recipe to Meat-free Mondays on Tinned Tomatoes!   As mentioned in the previous post, I totally believe in a “reducetarian” diet, where everyone attempts to reduce their intake of meat for our own health and the health of our planet.

by Veggie Sutra

Chinese-style Spicy Eggplant Basil Stir Fry

Earlier this year, V and I became proud owners of a cast-iron wok that we purchased at The Wok Shop in San Francisco.  We have treated it pretty well and hopefully it is developing a nice patina with all the quick stir fries we have made, as vegetarian Chinese food is one of V’s favorites.

Eggplant Basil Stir Fry

Our main guidebook for using and caring for the wok is The Breath of a Wok by Grace Young and Alan Richardson.  The title of the book is a metaphorical translation of wok hay, which is the indescribable essence and energy a well-cared-for wok imbues in to the food cooked in it as I had mentioned in an earlier post.  The book also has a lot of interesting ‘wok-lore’ and beautiful pictures of artists making woks and cooks using woks.

V is not a big fan of eggplant, mainly because he thinks it is always cooked with too much oil.  This is why I have been mostly giving away the Asian eggplant growing super-productively in our garden. This weekend however, when I harvested a bunch of eggplant and basil, I asked V to please make a stir fry. Predictably he declared he would not touch the eggplant but will make a stir fry with just the carrots and celery I had cubed to go with the eggplant!   So, I banished him from the kitchen and took over.

Basil & Chinese Eggplant in our garden

In the end, V thoroughly enjoyed the stir fry and declared that it was the best eggplant he had ever had! This is how I won him over – the trick to make sure the eggplant is not too oily is to steam it for about 5 minutes before stir frying it.  The idea came from a recipe for “Spicy Garlic Eggplant” in The Breath of a Wok.

Eggplant Basil Stir Fry

Recipe for Spicy Eggplant Basil Stir Fry
Adapted from a recipe for Spicy Garlic Eggplant in The Breath of a Wok by Grace Young and Alan Richardson
[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:

  • 5-6 medium Asian eggplants, cut into 2 inch long pieces
  • Sauce:
    • 1/4 cup soy sauce (check if it is gluten-free if you are allergic)
    • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
    • 2 Tbsp ‘Shao Hsing’ rice wine (you can find this in an ethnic Asian grocery store)
    • 1 tsp brown sugar
    • 1 tsp salt 
    • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 3-4 Tbsp vegetable oil or sesame oil
  • 5-6 large cloves garlic, minced fine 
  • 2 inch piece ginger, grated
  • 5-6 whole dried red chilies soaked in warm water for around 10 mins and drained
  • 2 medium carrots, cubed
  • 3-4 stems of celery, cubed 
  • 1 tub (12 oz) of extra firm tofu, drained thoroughly by pressing, and cubed
  • 1 huge bunch of basil, chopped
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil for drizzling (you can find this in an ethnic Asian grocery store)
Method:
  • Use a steamer and steam the cut eggplant for around 5 minutes
  • Mix together all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside
  • Heat the oil in a wok and add the garlic, ginger and soaked red chilies and fry for half a minute
  • Add the cubed carrots and celery and fry for a couple of minutes
  • Add the cubed tofu and steamed eggplant and fry for half a minute
  • Now stir the sauce in to the wok and cook for about a minute until the eggplant has soaked up the sauce
  • Switch off the heat and stir in the basil
  • When the basil has wilted, remove from wok in to serving platter and drizzle with sesame oil
  • Serve with steamed white rice
Eggplant Basil Stir Fry

The fact that V ended up enjoying the stir fry so much made me think of how different we are in the kitchen.   Even though he makes awesome stir fries (he is good at not cooking the vegetables too long), V would never have ‘adapted’ such a recipe.  V is so “by the book” that he drives me crazy by refusing to budge even if a single ingredient in the published recipe is missing.  I, on the other hand, go in with an outline of a recipe and use whatever I have at hand.    What sort of cook are you?

by Veggie Sutra

Cooking Vegetarian Chinese with a Cast-iron Wok

During a recent weekend in San Francisco, V and I visited The Wok Shop in China Town to buy a new cast-iron wok and we are pretty excited about it!    After bringing it home, we meticulously seasoned it as per the instructions of Randy at The Wok Shop and so far we have used it to make a couple of quick stir fries.   However this weekend, I ended up doing a real wok-a-thon, making as many as six dishes as a treat for V.    (With amma and V helping out, it did not feel like a lot of work.)

Broccoli with Ginger Sauce

All the recipes were adapted for our vegetarian kitchen from The Breath of a Wok by Grace Young and Alan Richardson.  We got this book so that we could learn more about cooking with and caring for our wok, but it turned out to be much more than that with all kinds of interesting ‘wok-lore’.  The title of the book is a metaphorical translation of wok hay, which is the indescribable essence and energy a well-cared-for wok imbues in to the food cooked in it.

The recipes in the book are truly from a family kitchen and not the typical Chinese restaurant food.   In subsequent posts, I will provide my vegetarian adaptations of the recipes in the book.   In the meantime, here is the menu and a few notes about my experience with the wok.

A weekend vegetarian Chinese wok-a-thon menu
Inspired by The Breath of a Wok by Grace Young and Alan Richardson

  • Aromatic Vegetarian Fried Rice
  • Stir-Fried Garlic Spinach
  • Broccoli with Ginger Sauce
  • Spicy Garlic Eggplant
  • Spicy Garlic Mushrooms with King Oyster Mushrooms
  • Tofu with Fermented Black Bean Sauce (my way of continuing the fermentation series!)
Seasoning our wok with chopped yellow onion.  The wok sits on a wok ring on the stove.
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of cooking with the wok – the sizzling sounds and aromas as the ginger, garlic and shallots flash through the wok are addictive.  Here are some general notes:

  • Read the earlier post about how to season and maintain the wok and what can and cannot be cooked in a young wok versus an older one.  Just as an example, while it is a perfectly okay to steam vegetables by placing a bamboo steamer right inside the wok, boiling water may not be the best thing to do until the wok has acquired some non-stickiness through regular use. So today I used my regular old steamer to steam the vegetables.
  • V, who made two of the dishes, showed off his muscle power by lifting the wok with one hand to empty in to the serving dish.  The traditional wok is unwieldy and needs some skill to use, so be careful not to drop a hot wok on your feet.  
  • You need a wok ring to place the wok on modern stoves as the bottom of a wok is rounded. Alternately you can buy a flat-bottomed wok. 
  • Get everything ready before turning on the stove – cut the vegetables, mix the sauces and keep the ingredients close by.   The wok heats up very fast and stir fries are quick.  Every ingredient is cooked just for 2-3 minutes, leaving the vegetables slightly crisp yet flavorful.
  • Use an oil with a high smoke point because wok cooking is meant to be done at very high temperatures. Peanut oil or safflower oil are good, olive oil is not really ideal.  (Olive oil is more nutritious when consumed raw.)
  • Get a good wok chuan (spatula) to be able to turn the vegetables quickly in the wok.
  • Stock your pantry with good quality organic ingredients, especially, make sure that you use an organic non-GMO soy sauce (I use Kikkoman Organic Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce).
  • Cleaning the wok:  As I made six dishes in the wok back-to-back, I just rinsed it with hot water between dishes.  After the last dish, I used a cleaning method recommended in The Breath of a Wok.  (Interestingly we use a similar method in South India to clean our iron vaanalis.)  White rice is a staple in both Southern China and South India.  Before cooking, it is customary to thoroughly wash the rice in a couple of changes of water.  The water from washing the rice is saved so that it can be used to soak the wok after cooking.  After it has been soaked for not more than an hour, wash with hot water using a very soft sponge to remove any stuck food.  Dry immediately and put away.
Aromatic Vegetarian Fried Rice

Recipes coming up soon!
by Veggie Sutra

Bibimbap made with Kimchi – Korea’s fermented staple

V and I have a fascination with Korea – he makes me watch the movies and I make him eat the food. During my visits to Seoul, I was determined to try the local cuisine instead of resorting to the generic international restaurants.  My favorite experiences were in Insadong, a oasis for vegetarians, where I could sample anything I wanted in the Buddhist all-vegetarian restaurants.

At other restaurants, most often I ordered bibimbap.  Probably one of the best known Korean dishes, it has a variety of sauteed vegetables and rice mixed together with gochujang (a spicy condiment) and topped with a fried egg.

Kimchi Bibimbap

This week for the fermentation series on this blog, I made kimchi bibimbap, inspired by a recipe in The Healthy Probiotic Power Diet by R.J. Ruppenthal.  Kimchi is a staple in Korea and is prepared by the lacto-fermentation of vegetables, primarily Napa cabbage.  It is similar to sauerkraut, but different in the addition of hot pepper, ginger, and garlic.  Vegetarians beware, kimchi sometimes has shrimp sauce, so check the ingredient list before buying.  The wonderful thing about this dish is that both kimchi and gochujang are fermented.  
Kimchi Bibimbap
For today’s dish, I used a store-bought kimchi and store-bought gochujang.  The number of ethnic grocery stores and restaurants makes the Bay Area one of the most attractive places to live and it was not difficult for me to get hold of these ingredients.   

Gochujang from a Korean grocery store

Recipe for Kimchi Bibimbap adapted from The Healthy Probiotic Power Diet by R.J. Ruppenthal

Serves two
Ingredients:

  • About 4 Tbsp of sesame oil or vegetable oil for cooking
  • For the marinated tofu (my own recipe): 
    • 1 14oz tub tofu, cut into cubes after squeezing out the water
    • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
    • 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
    • 1 Tbsp mirin or sweet rice wine
    • 1/2 tsp brown sugar
    • 2 cloves garlic chopped fine
    • 1/2 inch piece of ginger, grated
    • 1/2 tsp chili sauce (alternately soak 2 long red chilies in warm water for 10 mins and chop)
    • 2 Tbsp sesame oil
  • Vegetables:
    • 1 medium onion, sliced long
    • 8 oz mushrooms (shiitake or button), sliced
    • 2 cups greens (spinach or kale or any other), chopped
    • 2 medium carrots, cut in to thin strips
  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • 1/2 cup kimchi (any kind)
  • 2 eggs (plus water and 1 Tbsp of white vinegar if you plan to poach)
  • 1 Tbsp white sesame seeds, for garnish
  • 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, for drizzling
Method:
  • Marinated tofu: Whisk all the ingredients for the marinade.  Add the tofu and shake to coat evenly and refrigerate overnight or atleast for a few hours
Marinade for tofu
  • Add 1 Tbsp of oil and pan fry the marinated tofu and set aside
  • Add more oil as needed and one at a time, saute the onion, mushrooms, carrots and greens and set aside separately
  • Next heat up the cooked rice a bit and add the kimchi and mix.  Set aside
  • Poach the 2 eggs or fry them in a little bit of oil.  I prefer to poach.  To poach the egg:  Bring a cup of water to boil in a pan and add a tablespoon of white vinegar optionally.  Break one egg in to a small cup and slowly slide it in to the boiling water without breaking the yolk.  Do the same with the other egg.   Lower the heat and close the pan with a lid for 5 mins.  Check if the yolk has set unless you like it runny and if not, cook for an extra minute or two.  Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon.
  • Assemble the kimchi bibimbap:
    • Divide the rice-kimchi mixture into 2 bowls
    • Divide all the vegetables in to two and place on top of the rice and drizzle with about a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
    • Top with the poached (or fried) egg
    • Sprinkle with sesame seeds
    • Top with gochujang as per individual preference, mix it all up with a spoon and eat

Kimchi Bibimbap

Bibimbap can be served with fresh julienned vegetables like cucumber during summer.  Alternately during winters, it can be served in a very hot stone bowl (dolsot) that makes kind of a rice crust at the bottom of the pot which is delicious.
Any way you like it, enjoy your bibimbap with a side of kimchi for the probiotic power!
by Veggie Sutra

Tempeh in Coconut Chili Sauce plus Six Weeks of Cultured Foods

The kefir grains are here.   I am excited as well as scared!  One reviewer on amazon.com said they are like pets and need to be fed every day and washed and stuff.   Hope the little critters, I mean, cultures, like our home.

Speaking of cultures, we have decided to do a series on cultured foods for the next few weeks.  We will explore fermented and cultured foods, how to make them, how to enjoy them and what benefits they provide.

This weekend, V picked a dish from Leda Scheintaub’s Cultured Foods for Your Kitchen.  It uses tempeh as the featured ferment as well as other supporting ferments like apple cider vinegar, tamari sauce and fermented chili bean sauce.

Tempeh in Coconut Chili Sauce

Tempeh is a soybean ferment native to Indonesia.  It is usually not eaten raw, so, you might ask, what is healthy about tempeh if we have killed off the live cultures.  Fermentation has been used by our ancestors not only for the good bacteria, but also to make food more digestible and nutrients more bio-available to us.  In the case of tempeh, the process of fermentation reduces the phytic acid in soy beans, making it healthier.

(As an aside, in general, with any type of grains or beans, it is a good idea to soak in water overnight or at least for a few hours before cooking.  For example, if I am making a batch of brown rice, I always soak it the night before and change the water out before cooking.  If I am making hummus, I soak the chickpeas for up to day and change the water out a couple of times.)

The tempeh dish I made turned out to be wildly fragrant and flavorful, thanks to all the herbs from our garden, my addition to the original recipe.  It’s spring time and I got a bunch of spring garlic from the garden.  (I never have the patience to let it mature).  I also added lemongrass because I had so much of it.  (It is like a weed,  I got like 50 stalks from just 2 stalks that a friend had given me a year back!)     I also changed the recipe to use seasonally-available vegetables.

Lemon grass, and spring garlic from the garden

It seems like a complex recipe, but once you have all the ingredients lined up, it’s quite simple actually.

Recipe for Tempeh in Coconut Chili Sauce
Adapted from Leda Scheintaub’s Cultured Foods for Your Kitchen

[Printable Recipe]

Makes enough for 2 servings as main dish over rice
Ingredients:

  • 3 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 8 oz package of organic tempeh, sliced in to medium-sized pieces (I used Lightlife brand from Whole Foods Market. Use organic to avoid GMO soy.)
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 4 inch piece lemongrass cut into 1 inch pieces and smashed a bit to release flavor
  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 1 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp tamari sauce
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3/4 cup organic coconut milk 
  • 2 Tbsp fermented chili bean sauce (available in Asian grocery stores, optionally use 1 Tbsp of any chili sauce or chili-garlic sauce)
  • 10 stalks of tender asparagus, cut in to 1 inch pieces after discarding the bottom woody part
  • 1 medium carrot, cut in to thin 1 inch sticks
  • 1 bunch swiss chard, leaves and stalks separately chopped
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 bunch of tender spring garlic, chopped (optionally use 1 stalk of spring onion, chopped)
  • 2 sprigs of cilantro, chopped
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Heat 2 Tbsp of the coconut oil in  medium saute pan
  • Add the tempeh and cook over medium heat for about 5 mins until browned on one side.  Then flip the pieces over and cook on the other side for 5 more minutes 
  • Sprinkle the chili powder and a pinch of salt on the tempeh, then remove and set aside
  • Heat the remaining coconut oil in the same pan
  • Lightly pound the lemon grass with the back side of the knife to release the flavor.  (You will be removing this before eating).  Add to the heated oil
  • Add the red onion and saute for about 5 minutes 
  • Add the ginger and garlic and saute for 2 minutes
  • Now, add the apple cider vinegar, tamari sauce, brown sugar, chili bean sauce, water and 1/2 cup of coconut milk
  • When it is warm, add the asparagus, carrots and chard stalks and close and cook for 3-4 minutes
  • Add the chard leaves and close and cook for 3-4 minutes more until the leaves have wilted
  • Stir in the remaining coconut milk and cook to heat through
  • Add the lemon juice and garnish with green garlic (or onion) and cilantro
  • Serve hot over steamed brown rice

Tempeh in Coconut Chili Sauce

A aromatic dish that you probably won’t have left overs of!  Let me know if you have tried to use tempeh and what your favorite recipes are.

by Veggie Sutra

Vegetarian Thai Fried Rice with Cilantro

As is our tradition during any long holiday weekend, V entered the kitchen today to make one of his signature dishes – Vegetarian Thai Fried Rice.  This is a guilty pleasure of ours, especially because we like to have it with kettle-fried potato chips.

Vegetarian Thai Fried Rice with Cilantro

The recipe was adapted from The Asian Vegan Kitchen by Hema Parekh, our favorite cookbook for Asian dishes, from where the recipe for the Vegetarian Chinese Stir Fry also came.

The original recipe in the book is for “Fried Rice with Basil” in the “Thailand” section of the book.  Since it is winter time, we had trouble finding fresh basil in the stores (it has also dried up in our garden), so V decided to substitute the basil with cilantro, which surprisingly we have no trouble finding through the year.  V also added baked tofu cubes to the dish.

So here’s the modified recipe for the Vegetarian Thai Fried Rice as cooked by V.

Recipe for Vegetarian Thai Fried Rice with Cilantro
Adapted from The Asian Vegan Kitchen by Hema Parekh
[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
4 green chilies (Indian or Thai) finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8 oz button mushrooms, quartered
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 tub extra-firm organic tofu
4 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp chili oil (alternately use sesame oil + some black pepper)
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 bunch cilantro, washed and chopped (everything except hard stems)
3 cups cooked white / brown rice
Method:
  • Prepare the tofu: 
    • Squeeze out any extra water from the tofu by placing the tofu in between 2 plates and placing a heavy weight on top.  Leave it for around 30 minutes and throw away the water that collects on the bottom plate
    • Cut the tofu in to cubes and marinate it in the chili oil and 1 Tbsp of soy sauce for around 30 minutes. (Alternately use  sesame oil, black pepper and 1 Tbsp soy sauce for the marinade)
    • Spread evenly on a cookie sheet lined with foil and bake it in the oven for around 10-15 minutes at 300F until the tofu is lightly browned.   Alternately, pan fry it in a wok with a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil (carefully, so as to not break up the tofu too much) until the tofu is lightly browned
  • Heat 2 Tbsp vegetable oil in a wok
  • Add the minced garlic and green chilies and fry for a couple of minutes until the garlic is fragrant
  • Add the minced onion and fry for around 3-4 minutes 
  • Then add the mushrooms and fry for around 3-4 minutes 
  • Then add the julienned red bell pepper (saving a few slices for garnish), chopped cilantro, 3 Tbsp soy sauce, sugar and cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes
  • Switch off the heat and spoon the cooked white rice and mix without mashing it up too much
  • Garnish with the remaining red bell pepper and serve
Vegetarian Thai Fried Rice with Cilantro
We have tried this recipe with brown rice and though it does taste better with white rice, brown basmati rice (found in Indian stores) would definitely work if you want to go for the healthier option.  Kettle chips, unhealthy, but a yummy accompaniment to this delicious dish!
by Veggie Sutra

Vegetarian Chinese Stir Fry with Seitan

Vegetarian Chinese cooking is one of V’s foremost interests and these days with his busy schedule, if he cooks at all, it is Chinese always.  Today, I decided to surprise him with a stir fry, adapted from a favorite kung pao recipe of his.

The Asian Vegan Kitchen by Hema Parekh is our go-to bible for Asian cooking for the last several years since we spotted it in a book store in Santa Cruz.  We have tried several recipes from the various cuisines covered in the book including Burmese, Indian, Chinese, Japanese and others, and all of them have turned out well.  The only downside is that her ingredient lists are kind of long and involve a lot of chopping.  However the end result is always authentic and delicious.

Vegetarian Chinese Stir Fry with Cabbage, Carrots, Seitan and Cashews

The most dogeared page in our book is the “Kung Pao” recipe in the Chinese section.  Hema Parekh says “This attractive and tasty dish, with its Szechuan-style flavoring and colorful vegetables, is one of our family favorites at the Tokyo American Club”.  V always follows the recipe “by the book” (pun-intended) using the correct measures and ingredients.  I am a little more playful and try to vary the ingredients like I did today.   The trick, however, as with any Chinese stir fry dish, is to not overcook the vegetables, so that they remain crunchy yet have absorbed the flavors of the sauce.

Recipe for Chinese Vegetarian Stir Fry with Seitan
Adapted from The Asian Vegan Kitchen by Hema Parekh
[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:
Vegetables:

  • 1 large carrot – julienned in to thin strips
  • 1/2 cup shredded cabbage (1/4th of a small cabbage)
  • 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage (1/4th of a small red cabbage)
  • 2 stems of kale, only the green part shredded
  • 1/2 cup shredded brussel sprouts (about 5 sprouts)
For the sauce:
  • 2 Tbsp white miso
  • 3 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp sake
  • 2 Tbsp chili oil with about 1 tsp red chili powder mixed (in lieu of 2 Tbsp of Chinese red chili paste)
  • 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 inch ginger, grated
Other:
  • 4 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 8 oz package of Seitan cut in to cubes (I used Sweet Earth Natural Foods Traditional Seitan)
  • 8-10 dried red chilies
  • 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil for drizzling
  • 1/4 cup cashews 

Method:

  • Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce until the miso is well-dissolved
  • Marinate the seitan in a little bit of the sauce for around 10 mins
  • Soak the red chilies in warm water for around 10 mins
  • Heat the vegetable oil in a wok
  • Fry the cashews until golden brown.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside
  • Add the red chilies and stir for about 3-4 minutes.  Then add the seitan and cook for around 5 mins.   Remove the chilies and seitan with a slotted spoon and set aside
  • Add the vegetables to the same oil and stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes over high heat.  Lower the heat, close and cook for 5 minutes
  • Remove lid, add in the sauce and cook over medium heat for another 5 minutes.  
  • Mix in the chilies and seitan
  • Remove from heat.  Drizzle toasted sesame oil on top and garnish with cashews
  • Serve over cooked brown rice

Vegetarian Chinese Stir Fry with Seitan and Vegetables
I was pleased with how this dish turned out despite my various changes to the recipe.  V, a self-proclaimed Kung Pao snob, also gave it a thumbs up!    Feel free to make this dish with other vegetables like broccoli.   Also the seitan can be replaced with firm tofu as in the original recipe.  Let me know about what you would experiment with in the comments below!