Vegetarian tofu rice paper dumplings

 These are really good and not as difficult to make as they seem. 

Vegetarian tofu rice paper dumplings

(makes 9 dumplings, not quite a dinner amount for 4) 

From Tiktok:

Ingredients:

 SAUCE:

- 4 T. soy sauce

- 1.5 T. rice vinegar

- 1 t. sesame oil

- 1 clove garlic, grated

- 1 t. ginger, grated 

- 2 scallions or green onions, sliced

- sesame seeds

- add sirraccha or chili flakes if you want it spicy

 

DUMPLINGS

- 1/2 block firm tofu, shredded

- 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded

- 1/4 head cabbage, sliced thin and chopped into lengths or shredded (these measures approx -- try to get roughly even amounts of tofu, carrot and cabbage)

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 18 rice papers 

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Mix  sauce ingredients together in a bowl

2. fry veggies up in a pan with a little oil until cooked down. Near the end, add in some of the sauce to taste and cook it down -- I think I ended up adding 5 teaspoons or so? 

3. dip rice paper wrappers in warm water, put 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each one and fold over the edges: bottom, top, left, right. Then dip one more rice paper wrapper and wrap it again, making sure the folds are on the opposite side. 

4. In your frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add your dumplings and fry until crisp. serve with more of the dipping sauce to dip into.

Sweet and Sour Tofu

 

 This recipe is so good! The sauce tastes extremely similar to Orange Chicken or Sweet and Sour pork, but with Tofu. I have been looking for a recipe like this for a long time.

Sweet and Sour Tofu Recipe (Vegan)

from Jessica in the Kitchen

Ingredients

Crispy Tofu

• 1 16 ounce block of firm or extra firm tofu pressed, and torn into 1 inch pieces (I used medium tofu for this)
  
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic, minced)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup oil for frying

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce gluten free if needed, or liquid aminos or tamari
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped/cubed pineapple (I used canned mandarin oranges which worked great)
  
• 1/2 medium red onion chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds for garnish
• chopped scallion for garnish

Instructions

Crispy Tofu

• In a medium-sized bowl place the pressed and torn tofu pieces. Add the soy sauce and toss to coat. Add in the garlic, sea salt, ground black pepper and cornstarch and toss to thoroughly combine, ensuring all the tofu pieces are covered with the seasonings and the cornstarch.
• Heat a pan or wok over medium-high heat, and add the oil. When hot, add the tofu and toss to crisp up on all sides until the tofu is cooked and crisped on all sides, about 5 to 8 minutes. Feel free to do this in batches if desired. Remove tofu pieces and set aside.

Sweet and Sour Sauce + Putting it All Together

• In the same pan, lower the heat to over medium-high heat, and add in the onions, pineapples or mandarin oranges and bell peppers.
• Saute until the onions are translucent and the pineapples are slightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, ketchup, vinegar, water, soy sauce, and garlic powder for the sweet and sour sauce and stir together until fully combined.
• Pour in the sauce over the veggies. Add back in the crisped up tofu, and stir to combine. Bring to a slight boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened up. Taste test and add more sugar or soy sauce if you desire. Remove from heat until needed.
• Remove from heat and top with sesame seeds and chopped scallions. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

You can enjoy this with some noodles or hot rice. It makes extra gravy on purpose  !

CRISPY ORANGE GINGER TOFU WITH BROCCOLI

We are trying to get more Iron into our diets as it seems like someone is always low on iron. This one looks like a good potential, with Iron in the tofu, vitamin C to help it absorb, and no dairy to block absorption. I made it as written, except used cauliflower, red pepper, and carrots instead of the brocolli. It was ok but I think next time needs more salt in the sauce for balance -- at least 2x the soy sauce. Also maybe leave the zest out for the kids?

---------------

CRISPY ORANGE GINGER TOFU WITH BROCCOLI 

From Epicurious

Ingredients

• 1 lb. extra firm tofu
• 1 cup orange juice
• ¼-1/3 cup cornstarch, divided
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce (NEXT TIME TRY 2)
  
• 1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. orange zest (NEXT TIME TRY LEAVING OUT)
  
• vegetable oil
• 2 broccoli crowns, chopped (Instead of this I used 1 head cauliflower, 1/2 red bell pepper and 1/2 carrot)
  
• 2 scallions
• sesame seeds
• red pepper flakes (optional)

Preparation

1. Press tofu for 15-20 minutes (I JUST DRAINED THE TOFU ON A PLATE). Meanwhile, in small bowl or cup, dissolve 1½ tbsp. cornstarch in a few tablespoons of your orange juice. Set aside. Place remaining orange juice in a small saucepan, along with brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and orange zest. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for about 15 minutes. Stir in cornstarch mixture until completely blended. Remove from heat and set aside. Cut tofu into cubes and roll in remaining cornstarch to coat. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with vegetable oil and place over medium-high heat. Add tofu cubes and cook a few minutes on each side, until browned and crispy. Transfer to paper towel to drain. Steam or boil broccoli florets to desired tenderness. Return tofu to skillet, along with broccoli and sauce. Toss everything to coat. Serve over rice, topped with scallions, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes

Vegan Pad Kee Mao

We all really liked this recipe including the kids!! So I don't want to lose it.

Pad Kee Mao 'Drunken noodles'⁣⁣ adapted from an Instagram recipe by @woon.heng 🧡 
Ingredients (yields 2-3 servings)⁣⁣ ⁣(NOTE: DOUBLE this recipe for 5 of us including Zoey)
  
~ 1lb fresh flat rice noodles (separate noodles to loosen them up)⁣⁣⁣
~ 1/2 package sliced fried tofu or pan-fried firm tofu⁣⁣⁣~ 4 cups mixed vegetables, thinly sliced, such as: bell peppers, onions, carrots, Chinese broccoli, regular broccoli, etc. 
~ 3 shallots⁣⁣, minced
~ 3 cloves garlic⁣⁣
~ 2 cups packed Thai basil⁣⁣ (1/2 bunch)
~ 3 chopped chili⁣⁣⁣ (I left this out for kids)
~ 1 teaspoon chili flakes plus more for garnish⁣⁣ (I left this out for kids)
~ oil & salt to taste⁣⁣⁣
~ lime juice⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
🍃Sauce (whisk all in a bowl):⁣⁣⁣
~ 2 tablespoons soy sauce/tamari⁣⁣
~ 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce⁣⁣
~ 4 tablespoons sweet & sour sauce⁣ (I found this in a Chinese grocery store, it said it was a japanese dipping sauce)
~ dash of white pepper⁣⁣⁣

1. In a heated pan on high heat with 3 teaspoons of oil, saute vegetables until cooked through. Remove vegetables and set aside with the sliced tofu.

2. Add 3 more teaspoons oil to pan, sauté shallots & garlic until fragrant. Then, add in tofu and vegetables, rice noodles & sauce. Stir-fry continuously so noodles are all coated with sauce.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
3. Stir in Thai basil, chili, chili flakes (if using) and toss until well combined. Season to your preference & add splashes of water, if needed. Serve warm with some lime juice. ⁣⁣⁣

*If your rice noodles appear hard to separate: place noodles in a microwaveable bowl covered with damp paper towel & heat for 2 mins. This will help soften noodles.

Cold Rice Noodle Salad

I bought a couple cookbooks the other day. One of them was Bowl by Lukas Volger -- vegetarian versions of many asian one-bowl dishes such as pho, ramen, etc. On first glance, the recipes seemed a bit more ingredient and labor intensive than I had hoped, and I was a bit disappointed until I found this one, which I immediately made for dinner. It's perfect, easy providing you own a mandoline, fresh, healthy and restaurant-quality. I also think it would make a great layered jar salad, I will try that sometime. I can't wait to try more of these recipes.

Cold Rice Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

-- 1 serrano chili, seeded if desired, coarsely chopped (I left this out)
-- 1 clove garlic, chopped
-- 1 T. chopped fresh ginger
-- 3 T. brown sugar
-- 1/2 cup boiling water
-- 3 T. soy sauce
-- zest and juice of 1 lime

-- 8 ounces dried medium-width rice noodles or rice vermicelli

-- 1 firm kirby cucumber (or 3 small persian cucumbers) peeled (I did not peel mine)
-- 1 medium carrot, peeled
-- 8 ounces smoked or baked tofu (I used regular tofu, which fell apart)
-- 4 cups shredded crisp lettuce, such as butter, boston, romaine or iceberg
-- 1 red, orange, or yellow belle pepper, cored and sliced into thin strips
-- 2 scallions, green and white parts, sliced on the bias
-- 1 cup chopped herbs such as cilantro, mint, or basil
-- 1/4 c. coarsely chopped peanuts, for garnish

Instructions:

-- Combine chili, garlic and ginger in a mortar and mound into a rough paste using a pestle. (Alternatively, mince and mash the mixture using a chef's knife) Combine in a small bowl with the brown sugar and the water. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then add the soy sauce and lime zest and juice. You should have about 3/4 cup sauce. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but ideally for a few hours.

-- Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until tender. Drain and rinse under cold water, then drain thoroughly and keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

-- Cut cucumber in half and scoop out seeds with a spoon (I used small persian cucumbers and did not do this). Use a mandoline to slice the cucumber and carrot into long thin strands. Cut the tofu into matchsticks.

-- Divide the lettuce among four bowls, then top each serving with the cold noodles. Arrange the cucumber, carrot, bell pepper, tofu, and scallions over the noodles in each bowl, then garnish with herbs and peanuts. Pass the dipping sauce at the table for guests to pour over their salad, or serve in small bowls for dipping.

Thanksgiving Ramen Bowl

So Thanksgiving here in Canada is just another weekday. I have been making these composed noodle soup bowls lately (you put all the ingredients in the bowl first, then pour the broth over the top) and I wanted to make one with the goodness of thanksgiving in it. Well it turned out fantastic! One great thing about these noodle bowls is you can customize each one -- so the vegetarians in our family had tofu, and I put some chicken in mine! We definitely want to make this again, so here is the recipe.

THANKSGIVING NOODLE BOWLS
(makes 3 hearty bowls)

Ingredients (very approx, I did not measure anything):

-- ramen noodles for 3 people -- I bought the ones in individual packs and used 3 packets
-- approx. 1/2 med winter squash like butternut
-- 5 ounces baby spinach
-- 1 lb mushrooms (I used crimini)
-- 1 inch knob ginger, sliced into 1/2" thick slices
-- 1 onion, chopped
-- 1 stalk celery, chopped
-- 4 slices bread, cubed
-- 3 tablespoons butter
-- 1 tablespoon oil
-- 5 cloves garlic, sliced thin
-- 1 T. better than bullion soup base (vegetarian)
-- 1/2 block med tofu, cubed and/or 1/2 cup cooked chicke
-- sage
-- thyme
-- soy sauce
-- green onions, sliced thin

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Measure 3 large noodle bowls worth of water into a pot -- this will become your broth! But for now it is your boiling bowl. Put pot on stove, turn on to high heat until water boils.

2. Wash and cut squash in half, clean out seeds, then slice squash with skin on into 1/2 inch slices. When water is boiling, boil squash until soft but not falling apart -- I did not time this, but maybe 10 minutes? When squash is done, remove from boiling water with tongs and set aside. When squash is cool, use a knife to cut off the peel, you should have nice rings of cooked squash.

3. Then add your ramen noodles to your boiling water, cook until done, maybe 2-3 minutes for the kind you buy already soft. Take out of pot with tongs and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, in a second pan, make Stuffing Croutons -- saute the celery and 1/2 onion in 2 T. butter until soft. Add in 1/2 t. fresh thyme and 1/8 t. dried sage. Add in cubed bread and set on medium, keep the pan on medium and keep mixing every now and then until the bread is toasted and crispy. Set aside.

5. Meanwhile, in a third pan, fry mushrooms in 1 T. butter and 1 T. oil until brown, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Dump into the broth, then in the same pan fry garlic in some oil until cooked (watch it because it burns easily!) Dump that into the broth when you are done.

6. Now you flavor the broth -- add in 1 T. of Bullion mix, 1/2 t. salt, pepper, ginger slices, the rest of the chopped onion, and 1 t. fresh thyme. Let that boil for at least 15 minutes or until onions are cooked through. Taste the broth, add more salt or soy sauce or whatever you think it needs to be tasty -- this broth will be the main flavoring of the dish! 

7. Add all the soup ingredients directly into the empty soup bowls -- I like to fill approx. 1/2 with noodles, then stick 3-4 slices squash in on one side, then a big handful of spinach (fresh is OK because the hot broth will wilt it down) then 1/2 cup tofu or chicken per bowl.

8. Carefully ladle boiling hot broth onto your ingredients. Add approx. 1/4 cup stuffing croutons and sliced green onions onto the top. Serve! (with hot sauce and extra soy sauce, if you like)

Vegetarian Pad Thai

I am a pad thai lover, but most vegetarian versions are pretty gross (I have tried quite a few!) and I have been scouring the blogs for something I will want to make more than once. Well, the other day I ran across this recipe, promising a yummy veg pad thai that took only 30 minutes to prepare.

"No way," I thought.

I decided to take on the challenge and timed myself preparing it. From start to finish, it took me about 45 minutes including all the chopping, which is not bad for my first time making it. I think I can get it down to 30 minutes with practice. Plus, some pretty darn good pad thai. So this dish is a surprising winner in more ways than one.

Vegetarian Pad Thai

modified from Post Punk Kitchen

Serves 4 (or 2.5 in our house)

8 oz pad thai rice noodles (sometimes called rice stick noodles) , cooked according to package directions (or directions below)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
14 oz (one package) tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
4 cups brocolli florettes and thinly sliced stems
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups scallion, chopped into 1 inch pieces (I used one bunch of green onions for this)
1 cup lightly packed cilantro, chopped
4 oz mung bean sprouts

For the sauce:
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
4 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce (use gluten-free tamari to make this gluten-free)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 tablespoon Sriracha
1 heaping tablespoon mellow white miso

To serve:
1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts
Extra lime wedges

1. Put a pot of water on to boil. When the water boils, boil broccoli florets for 5 minutes, or until sort of soft. Turn off the heat and scoop the broccoli out with a slotted spoon and put on a plate. Add the pad thai noodles to the hot water. After 8 minutes, drain noodles and rinse in cool water to stop cooking. 

2. While the water is boiling, make the tofu. You’ll need a large cast iron pan, or something non-stick that can take very high heat. Preheat pan over high heat. Once pan is good and hot, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the cubed tofu and sprinkle with about 1/4 teaspoon salt. The tofu should immediately sizzle when it hits the hot the pan, otherwise, turn the heat up. Cook for about 7 minutes, tossing often, until it’s nicely browned.

3. In the meantime, mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce and set aside. The miso may not completely dissolve, but that’s okay, just get it as smooth as possible.

4. When tofu is browned, transfer it to a plate and cover gently with tin foil to keep warm.

5. Now we’ll cook the sauce. Lower heat to medium. Cook the garlic in the remaining oil very briefly, about 15 seconds. Add the scallion and cilantro and toss just to get it wilted. Add in brocolli and cook for 4 minutes or until cooked through. Now pour in about half the sauce and get it heated through.

6. Add the noodles and toss to coat. Then add back the tofu and broccoli, the mung beans and the remaining sauce, and toss to coat.

7. Serve immediately, topped with peanuts and lime wedges, plus extra cilantro if desired.

Thai red curry with butternut squash

We all just had the best lunch ever. Made with Sai's vegetarian red curry paste.

From epicurious

Ingredients

• 1 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds) -- I used acorn
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 Tablespoons thai red curry paste
• One 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• Kosher salt
• One 13-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

Preparation

1. Peel the squash, cut it lengthwise in half, and scoop out the seeds. Cut off the top where it meets the bulbous bottom. Cut the bulb end into 3/4- inch-wide wedges. Cut the neck end into 1/2- inch-thick half-moons. (This seems to indicate that you are supposed to keep the peel on? I did not do that, and instead peeled the squash and cut into 3/4 inch chunks)

2. Heat a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the canola oil, then add the curry paste and stir for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the squash and stir to coat with the curry paste. Stir in the chickpeas and season with salt. Add the coconut milk and 3/4 cup water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer gently for about 10 minutes, or until the squash just begins to soften.

3. Stir in the cilantro and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender but not falling apart and the sauce has reduced slightly. Season to taste with salt.

4. Divide the curry among four soup bowls, top with cilantro, and serve.

FINAL Roasted Gobi Manchurian recipe

I have been perfecting this recipe for a while now, I have other versions on this blog but this is the one I made today, I am very happy with it and would make it again.

Ingredients:

-- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets
-- 2 teaspoons oil
-- salt, pepper
-- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds

-- 2 teaspoons oil
-- 2 Tablespoons garlic, minced
-- 2 Tablespoons ginger, minced
-- 1 bunch spring onions, sliced thinly on the diagonal

-- 1 Tablespoons soy sauce
-- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar (or asian black vinegar, if you have it)
-- 1 teaspoon rooster sauce (or other spicy sauce)
-- 1/2 teaspoon sugar

-- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
-- 1/2 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put cauliflower florets on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, sesame seeds, salt, and pepper. Put in oven, turning every 15 minutes until tender and beginning to brown, about 40 minutes.

2. Heat frying pan to medium-high heat. Add oil, then ginger, garlic, and most of the spring onions. Fry for a minute until fragrant and then add in the soy sauce, vinegar, and spicy sauce. Let that bubble a bit.

3. Mix the cornstarch, sugar, and water together, then add the mixture to your pan, boil for about a minute, it should thicken up a bit into a sticky sauce. Add more water if you need to to get the consistency right.

3. Add the roasted cauliflower to the sauce, stir to coat everything completely. Turn out onto your serving dish, add the reserved spring onions for garnish and serve.

Tofu Larb

Tofu Larb

A delicious and flavorful Thai salad. In Thailand, this is typically made with ground pork (sometimes raw!!) but for us Sai made a tofu version.

Ingredients

-- 1 block fried tofu (can use regular firm tofu as well here but not as delicious)
-- 1.5 Tablespoons minced garlic (approx. 6 cloves)
-- 2 Tablespoons lemongrass, minced-- 1 Tablespoon chopped Vietnamese mint (can use coriander here, or normal mint)
-- 2 tablespoons shallots, thinly sliced
-- 2 Tablespoons of toasted rice, coarsley ground (to make this, roast uncooked dry rice on a pan on stove or in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes until light brown, then blend in coffee grinder or mixee until coarse, resembles bulgur wheat)
-- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
-- 2-3 Tablespoons water
-- Chili flakes to taste
-- salt to taste

Instructions

1. Soak tofu in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain and break apart into small crumbles resembling ground beef.
2. Fry garlic and lemongrass in a pan with a little oil until it becomes a little brown and fragrant. DO NOT BURN THIS.
3. mix everything together in a bowl, taste, add more salt, chili, or lemon to taste. 

Can eat this with rice, or serve with lettuce and make lettuce wraps with it.

Good Tofu banh mi sandwich

Really good! Just the tofu recipe itself is very good also. I bought a fresh baguette but then didn't use it for 2 days, so it got a little stale. A fresh baguette is very important!

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/06/13/tofu_banh_mi_a_vietnamese_caramelized_tofu_sandwich_that_shatters_prejudices.html?wpisrc=obinsite

Sai's Thai Green Curry

This is how my sister-in-law Sai made a quick green curry with the green curry paste we had made earlier. She said the vegetables used were not authentic, she just used what we have on hand here, authentically this curry would contain eggplant and a small round vegetable we don't have here.

INGREDIENTS

-- vegetable oil
-- 1 1/2 Tbsp. Green curry paste
-- 1 cup unsweetened plain soymilk (can use coconut milk, or cream, or a combo of any of these)
-- 1/2 cup carrot, diced small
-- 1 cup frozen peas
-- 1/2 package firm tofu, diced
-- 1 tsp. sugar
-- 1 square frozen basil -- OR 1 handful fresh thail basil leaves would have been better

METHOD

1. Heat up oil in pan
2. Add in green curry paste, fry up until fragrant
3. Add in soymilk, mix around.
4. Add in carrot, boil a bit.
5. Add in peas and tofu, boil a little more until the vegetables are done.
6. Add in sugar and basil.
7. Taste to make sure seasonings are well balanced, may need to add in more sugar or salt or even some lemon. Add more water or soymilk if you want a saucier dish.
8. Serve over rice.

Sai's fried noodles with veggies and tofu

My sister in law Sai is from Thailand, and she and Mahesh's brother Yogesh are here visiting us for a while. Yesterday she said "why don't we make a simple lunch of what we have on hand." I said, "okay." And this is what we made.

Sai's fried noodles with veggies and tofu
serves 3, somewhat scantily

Ingredients

-- 1/2 lb rice noodles, boiled until done to your liking
-- 1/2 package firm or pressed tofu, cubed
-- 1 carrot, juilenned
-- 1/2 lb. asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
-- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
-- handful thai basil leaves
-- handful green onion, thinly sliced on the bias
-- 1 T. soy sauce
-- 2 T. vegetarian oyster sauce (or real oyster sauce, if you are not vegetarian)
-- 1 wedge lemon
-- 2 teaspoon sugar
-- oil
-- red pepper flakes, 1/4 to 1/2 t. 

Method

1. If you want extra-fried tofu, start frying the tofu first in a layer of oil until browned to your liking on all sides. (If not, you start with the onion and just fry the tofu a little second.)

2. Once onion is yellow, add in other vegetables, starting with the hardest first, we used carrot and asparagus first.

3. When the vegetables are nearly cooked, add in the cooked noodles and all the seasoning elements in, mix well, and taste. Adjust the seasonings if necessary to your taste.

4. When you think the taste is good add in basil and green onion, and serve.

Sai's Vegetarian Green Curry Paste

I am very lucky to have been able to spend the last two weeks with Mahesh's brother Yogesh and his wife Sai, who is from Thailand. Since Yogesh is vegetarian like Mahesh, she showed me a few vegetarian versions of Thai dishes. Here is her recipe for Green Curry Paste, which can also be used to make Red Curry Paste with a few variations.

Sai's Vegetarian Green Curry Paste (or Red Curry Paste)
this recipe makes enough for about three curries

INGREDIENTS

-- approx. 8 serrano chilis (or, for red curry paste, 15 dried whole red chilis, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes -- remove seeds for less spice)
-- 5 large cloves garlic
-- 2 shallots, sliced
-- 1 stalk lemongrass, about six inches long, cut off the ends, peel the outside layer off, and then slice finely
-- 1 inch square of galangal root, sliced
-- zest of 1/2 kaffir lime, sliced, or approx 1 1/2 tablespoons kaffir lime leaves, cut small
-- 2 Tablespoons minced cilantro (do not use this if making red curry paste, up the coriander powder instead)
-- 3 Tablespoons yellow miso (or other fermented soy bean paste)
-- 1/2 t. caraway seeds
-- 1/2 t. black pepper, whole
-- 1/2 t. coriander powder (up this to 1 Tablespoon if making red curry paste)
-- 1 heaping t. of salt

-- 4 Tablespoons oil, for frying
-- 1 teaspoon sugar (only for green curry paste)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Toast whole spices in dry frying pan until fragrant. Cool and grind to powder in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

2. Blend spice mixture and all other ingredients except oil and sugar together in a blender, mini food processor, or big mortar and pestle (the Thai way) until everything is a paste.

3. Heat oil in pan, add in blended material, and cook, stirring until dark and thick, about 15-20 minutes. Add more oil if it sticks to the pan. When it is done it will be thick and stick to itself like a dough. Cool and store in fridge for up to 3 months.

NOTES:
-- When making a recipe for curry out of the paste, add in thai basil with green curry, and kaffir lime lives with red curry.

Here is a recipe for green curry using this paste.

Rice Paper Rolls

After our delicious Thai Peanut salad experience yesterday, I was looking for a way to use up the extra peanut sauce. Luckily, the Whitewater Cooks cookbook offers a recipe for rice paper rolls that uses that same peanut sauce as a dipping sauce. I had been wanting to try to make this kind of spring roll for a while now, so I took the opportunity to make some up!

The rice paper wrapper itself was quite difficult to work with. It's springy and stretchy and rips easily. It took a few tries, but my expert fajita-rolling skillz perfected at McDonalds really came in handy tonight and I think I finally got it by the last one. I think this is pretty much the perfect summer dinner.

Makes 12 rolls, a light lunch for 4 people or enough for 2 hungry people with leftovers

Ingredients:

-- 1/2 batch Thai Peanut Dressing (from this recipe)
-- 12 12-inch rice paper wrappers, plus a few more for casualties (the package I got looked like kind of like this)
-- 100 grams (approx. 4 ounces) rice or bean vermicelli (or other thin noodle)
-- 1 package medium firm tofu, julienned
-- spicy sambal olek sauce, 2 T. or to taste (I like things really spicy, you should use as much or little of this sauce as you like)

Vegetable mixture:
-- 2 carrots, juilenned
-- 1 red bell pepper, juilenned
-- 2 cups bean sprouts
-- 1 cucumber, juilenned
-- 1 bunch spring onions, sliced thinly on the diagonal
-- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
-- 1/2 to 1 cup mint, chopped
-- salt

Method:

1) Combine ingredients for vegetable mixture in bowl, salt a little.

2) Soak vermicelli in boiling water for 3-4 minutes or until tender to your liking. Drain and rinse with cold water, chop roughly, and keep handy.

3) Cover your wrapping area with a towel so the rice paper doesn't stick to it.

4) OK here is the difficult part -- the rice wrapper! Get a shallow container such as a lasagne pan out and fill it with boiling water. Let it cool a bit. Soak one rice wrapper in hot water for 10 - 15 seconds or until it becomes pliable. Carefully lift the rice paper roll out and lay it flat on the towel.

5) Lay some tofu and vermicelli in a horizontal 5-inch strip right in the middle of the wrapper. Drizzle on approx. 1 tablespoon of peanut dressing and 1 teaspoon of sambal sauce (if you like things spicy!) Add a big handful of the vegetable mixture.

6) Time to wrap! This is hard to describe without pictures, but the way to do it is to wrap the sides of the wrapper over the filling mound, then take the bottom of the wrapper, wrap it as tightly as you dare over the filling mound, tuck it in, and then carefully, roll, roll, roll, the rest of it up. This takes some practice as if your roll is too loose, everything will fall out, if it is too tight, the wrapper will rip.  (this video shows how to do it, producing smaller rolls though)

7) Serve with additional peanut sauce and/or sambal for dipping.

Vegetable Udon

This is healthy, quick, and easy to make. It’s kind of like a homemade, healthier version
of chow mein. This is something Mahesh and I used to make a lot, but not so much lately. Today we made it again and decided we should put it back in the rotation!

Vegetable Udon

INGREDIENTS:

2 heaping platefuls vegetables, thinly sliced. This is what we might typically include, I have marked the "must haves" everything else is up to you:
-- 1 large onion, chopped in half then thinly sliced (this is a must have)
-- 2 ribs celery, sliced thin on the bias (this is a must have)
-- 1 zucchini, chopped in half lengthwise, then sliced thin on the bias
-- 2 medium carrots, cut in half lengthwise, then thinly sliced on the bias (or
julienned).
-- 1 green or red pepper, thinly sliced
-- 1/2 to 1 lb. Mushrooms, thinly sliced
-- 1/4 large or 1/2 small cabbage, thinly sliced into strips
-- 1 head brocolli, it’s hard to thinly slice brocolli, but I cut the florets off and
leave those be and then thinly slice the stem
-- 2 cloves garlic, minced (this is a must have)
-- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced (this is a must have)

Flavorings, this can include but not limited to:
-- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, plus more to taste (a must)
-- 1-2 t. Spicy sauce or dried spicy pepper (or thinly slice a jalapeno and add it to the vegetables)
-- 1 Tablespoon Chinese Black Bean Garlic Sauce, or more to taste (this stuff is really really good in this this recipe)
-- Whatever other spices/sauces you like and have hanging around.

-- 2 Tbs olive oil
-- 1 block medium-firm tofu, cubed (optional)
-- 2 packages Udon noodles. The ones I use are called Nama Udon, or fresh Udon, they are like thick, already cooked spaghetti and come vaccum packed in 7 oz. packets and look sort of like this:


Here are the steps to creating a delicious meal for yourself:

1. Fry up the vegetables and garlic in the olive oil, starting with the ones that will take the longest to cook like carrots or green pepper and ending with the ones that only really need to be heated up like mushrooms or zucchini. They don't have to be fully cooked at this stage, because they will steam for another 5 minutes or so. The order I do mine is: onion, green pepper, garlic, ginger, carrots, brocolli, cabbage, and then I just throw the mushrooms and zucchinni in at the very end.

2. Add in your flavorings and mix it into the veggies good. You will see that the salt in the soy sauce will bring the liquid out of the veggies, especially the mushrooms and zucchinni, you want that to start to happen. 

3. Unwrap and add in the Udon noodles in a chunk straight from the package. Push it underneath all the vegetables so it sits in the liquid on the bottom of the pan. The noodles will be in one chunk, don’t try and break it up yet. If the pan looks too dry add a little water in there too.

4. If you are using tofu, you can pre-fry it in another pan if you want (although we rarely do for this recipe) add it to the veggie mixture at this point.

5. Cover the pan and let everything steam. This is where the real magic happens and the Udon noodles absorb the soy sauce/vegetable juices/flavorings. After 2 minutes open up and check on the Udon noodles, are they turning brownish because they have absorbed the liquid and starting to loosen up? Is there enough liquid in there? Stir a little to mix all the vegetables and Udon up, then cover and steam some more (I usually flip the block of Udon over at this point so the other side is in the liquid). You will know the Udon noodles are done when they mix up with everything easily and feel soft and warm all the way through, maybe 4-5 minutes of steaming total. When the noodles are done the vegetables should be fully cooked through as well.

6. Serve and eat!

This recipe makes plenty for a main meal for 2 hungry people. Enjoy!