Chow Vegan

Happy Chinese New Year! To celebrate, I made taro root cake. It’s not a sweet, baked kind of cake. It’s a savory, steamed, smooth cake – a dim sum type of dish. Served in Chinese restaurants, it usually has some sort of meat. A packaged veggie version can be found at the Asian supermarket, but it’s quite plain.

This homemade version is packed with flavorful bits of veggie meat, mushrooms and vegetables amidst the creamy taro and rice flour. If you never tried taro root cake before, the texture is like the wide rice noodles used in chow fun, but softer and shaped in a thick block.

It’s not the quickest thing to make but it’s also not very hard. To prevent itchy hands when handling raw taro root, be sure to wear latex gloves. It contains calcium oxalate, a skin irritant that’s neutralized by cooking.

Along the same line, Mom always said to make sure the taro root comes to a full boil before lifting the pot lid, otherwise when you eat the taro, your throat will be itchy. I have no idea if that’s true or just an old wives’ tale. I have no intention of finding out.

Taro Root Cake
Makes 4 mini loafs

1 pound taro root, peeled and cut into 3/4″ dice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 Chinese dried mushrooms, soaked and diced
1/4 – 1/2 cup veggie meat, such as vegetarian ham or sausage
2 pieces preserved salted turnip, diced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 green onion, chopped
1 cup brown rice flour or regular rice flour (not glutinous rice flour)
1 cup water
3/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar

Optional Garnishes
1 green onion, chopped
2 cilantro sprigs, chopped
Chili sauce

Place the taro root in a pot and just cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, covered, over high heat. Add the 1 teaspoon salt and reduce to low heat. Cook covered until tender about 10 – 15 minutes. Drain and mashed half of the taro, leaving the other half as pieces. Set aside.

Heat a wok to hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the wok. Add the shallots and cook until translucent. Add the veggie meat, salted turnips, and the mushrooms. Stir fry for a couple of minutes, then add in the green onions. Stir to mix in and set aside.

Stir together the rice flour and 1 cup of water in a large bowl until well mixed. Add the 3/4 cup boiling water, potato starch and salt, stir until blended and then stir in the taro and mushroom mixture, soy sauce, oil and sugar. Mix well.

Ladle into four greased mini loaf pans or one 8″ round pie pan. (The steamer must be large enough so that the pan doesn’t touch the sides. I had to use multiple pans as my steamer pot was not very large.)

Steam over medium-high heat for 30 minutes or so until the cake is set and firm. While steaming check the water level, if necessary, replenish with boiling water.

Let cool before unmolding and slicing into pieces. The taro cake pieces can be served steamed or pan-fried in a bit of oil until golden brown. Top with any of the garnishes.

Related Dim Sum Posts
Sticky Rice Bowl
Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf
Mock Chicken
Stuffed Tofu Puffs with Chili Garlic Sauce

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On a regular basis, I drive by an In-N-Out Burger. Each time, I think of their legendary secret menu (although nowadays, it’s not so secret, just Google it and all is revealed). But for those not in the know, it’s a way of customizing their limited menu of hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fries and drinks using their special lingo for various options.

One such option is “Animal Style Fries” – extra spread, grilled onions and cheese atop of french fries. For fun, I made a vegan version using tater tots instead of fries, melted Daiya cheddar cheese, whisked up a little sauce of Thousand Island dressing with vegan mayo, ketchup and sweet relish and topped it all off with caramelized onions.

So good! Never actually had the real deal, I’ve only gotten plain fries at In-N-Out, but I can see why Animal Style is so popular. Next time I’m having a veggie burger, I’m going to forget the sprouts. I’m having it Animal Style.

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In for a review is another Vegetarian Plus item, this time it’s Vegan Ginger Chicken. Not content with just serving it atop of a starch, I made spring rolls.

The lightness of the lettuce along with the refreshing flavors of mint, basil and cilantro contrasts nicely with the savory chewiness of the ginger chicken pieces. Made from soybean fiber and protein, the texture and taste of the mock meat is very similar to what you would find in a Chinese restaurant, but now available in the frozen food section.

In this hot weather, I’ve been making spring rolls on demand for a no sweat lunch, kinda like a rolled up salad.

Just wash and spin dry several heads of baby lettuce, and store in the fridge until ready to use. (I’ve found if I don’t have already cleaned lettuce, I’m too lazy to make just a couple of spring rolls. But if it’s ready to go, then it doesn’t seem like that much work to make; it’s just assembly. Weird, huh?)

And instead of the usual rice noodles, I went with the super-easy-to-use, just-rinse-and-go kelp noodles. Then, it’s just a matter of heating up the veggie chicken and rolling it all up. Easy peasy, summer breezy.

Vegan Ginger Chicken Spring Rolls
Makes 4 rolls

Filling
1 package Vegetarian Plus Vegan Ginger Chicken
1 package kelp noodles, rinse before using
2 heads baby romaine lettuce, shredded
1 small carrot, julienned
1 green onion, thinly chopped
Fresh mint, chiffonade
Fresh basil, chiffonade
Fresh cilantro, chopped

4 eight inch round rice paper sheets
Hoisin sauce (homemade or store-bought)
Sriracha or chili garlic sauce

Defrost the package of Vegan Ginger Chicken and heat up on the stove top as directed on the box. Cut into smaller, bite-sized pieces and set next to the other prepared ingredients.

Fill a large bowl with cold water and dip one rice paper sheet into the water for about 15 seconds or so. Place the rice paper sheet on a flat work surface.

In the center, spread a bit of each of the filling ingredients, adding more or less of each item as desired. Fold in the sides of the rice paper sheet over the filling and firmly roll up. Gently press the seam to seal. Place seam side down on a serving plate. If you’re making more than a few rolls, cover with a damp towel to keep them from drying out while you’re working.

For the dipping sauce, combine a spoonful of the hoisin sauce with a bit of the sriracha to desired spiciness. Thin with a little water if the sauce appears to be too thick.

Slice each roll in half and serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

Disclosure: I received the product free of charge from the company to review. The opinions and experience with the product expressed herein are my own. There was no pay to say.

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Peachy Vietnamese Summer Rolls

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Sadly, I haven’t always been kind to pumpkins. Quickly dismissed as something to be decorated and displayed, while other squashes make the cut and are happily cooked and eaten.

That all changed last year when I tried pumpkin curry for the first time at a Thai restaurant. I had an epiphany; pumpkin is yummy in a savory dish. No longer shunned, I grabbed a couple cans from Trader Joe’s mountain of canned organic pumpkin puree before they’re all gone (15 oz can for $1.99).

Baked wontons are easy and quick to assemble, especially using the canned pumpkin. The basic triangle shape provides a large surface area for the wontons to get nice and crispy in the oven.

For the savory filling, I went with Asian-inspired flavors and Sriracha sauce for its fiery kick. Serve with ranch dressing, but it’s also good without any dip at all.

Crispy Baked Spicy Pumpkin Wontons
Makes about 24 wontons

24 wonton wrappers
1/2 of a 15 oz can pumpkin puree
3/4″ piece of fresh ginger, minced
1 green onion stalk, finely chopped
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Sriracha hot chili sauce to taste
Olive oil
1 package Tofutti cream cheese non-hydrogenated plain

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush a dark colored baking pan with oil (a darker pan helps to brown the wontons).

In a bowl, combine the pumpkin, ginger, green onion and soy sauce. Season to taste with the salt and pepper and Sriracha sauce (start with a teaspoon of the Sriracha and keep adding until desired spiciness. I’ve gone up to a tablespoon). Mix well.

Place about a 1/4 teaspoon dab of cream cheese in the center of the wonton wrapper, add 1 teaspoon of the pumpkin filling. Do not overfill, the wonton will puff up a bit in baking. Wet the edges on two sides and fold to form a triangle. Press firmly down to seal the edges.

Place the folded wontons on the prepared baking sheet and lightly brush with oil. Bake for 8-10 minutes on each side until brown and crispy.

Serve with ranch dressing if desired.

Ranch Dressing
Makes a little over 1/3 cup

1/4 cup soy milk
1/4 cup Vegenaise or other vegan mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon granulated onion powder
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Chill until ready to use.

Related Post
Cream Cheese Wontons

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At most supermarkets, peaches and nectarines are labeled either yellow or white. But at the farmers market, local vendor Kashiwase Farms has all sorts of different peaches and nectarines. Practically from A to Z – Aortic Rose, Honey Royale, Snow King, White Lady, Zee Lady, to name just a few – I never even knew there was so many varieties.

My latest favorite is the Honey Kist nectarine – sweet with a bit of a mango taste. Combined with the flavors of fresh basil, mint and cilantro, crisp bean sprouts, baby romaine lettuce and served with a spicy dipping sauce, it’s a taste of summer in a roll.

Peachy Vietnamese Summer Rolls
Makes 4 rolls

Filling
1 medium Honey Kist yellow nectarine, or other variety, chopped
2 heads baby romaine lettuce, shredded
1 small carrot, julienned
1 green onion, thinly chopped
Handful of fresh bean sprouts
Fresh mint, chiffonade
Fresh basil, chiffonade
Fresh cilantro, chopped

4 eight inch round rice paper sheets
Hoisin sauce
Chili garlic sauce

Fill a large bowl with cold water and dip one rice paper sheet into the water for a minute or so until soft. Place the rice paper sheet on a flat work surface.

In the center, spread a bit of each of the filling ingredients, adding more or less of each item as desired. Fold in the sides of the rice paper sheet over the filling and firmly roll up. Gently press the seam to seal. Place seam side down on a serving plate. If you’re making more than a few rolls, cover with a damp towel to keep from drying out while you’re working.

For the dipping sauce, combine a spoonful of the hoisin sauce with a bit of the chili garlic sauce to desired spiciness. Thin with a little water if the sauce appears to be too thick.

Slice each roll in half and serve with the dipping sauce.

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Too tired or too lazy to make your own Baked Mushroom Calamari? There’s now Vegan Calamari from Sophie’s Kitchen. I found it in the frozen food section at the Cupertino Whole Foods (only select locations in Northern California have it).

I thought it was yummy, kinda chewy like calamari but not really seafoodie tasting. The texture though is very similar. Of course it doesn’t compare to the baked king oyster mushrooms. But it’s pretty good for something that’s frozen and took 10 minutes to heat up. It’s best to cook it a little longer than the 6 minutes as directed on the package, it makes it a bit more crispy.

It’s main ingredient is Konjac powder, a plant native to Asia and grown in China, Japan, Korea and India. In Japanese cuisine, it’s made into noodles. It’s also used as a vegan substitute for gelatin. And it’s the same stuff used to make vegan shrimp that you see in Chinese vegetarian restaurants sometimes or at the Asian supermarket.

The Vegan Squid Rings are basically the same as the Vegan Calamari but naked (without the breading). So it’s more of an ingredient than a heat-and-serve kind of thing. I went with an antipasto type of calamari salad – combining the flavors of marinated fresh veggies and salty olives with the chewy texture of the squid.

I liked both products well enough to get them occasionally, both were $3.99 each. Besides the calamari, Sophie’s Kitchen also has Vegan Shrimp, and Vegan Breaded Fish Fillet. I figured the shrimp is probably close to what I’ve already had before but I would like to try the fish fillet sometime.

Vegan Calamari Salad
Serves 2-4

1 package Sophie’s Kitchen Vegan Squid Rings
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Handful of kalamata olives, pitted and halved lengthwise
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly grounded pepper to taste
Flat leaf parsley to taste

Thaw the vegan squid rings according to package directions, cut into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, combine the garlic, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the squid pieces, onion, tomatoes, olives and parsley and toss well. Chill for 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to develop.

Having been intimidated long enough, I finally gave the whole make-it-yourself seitan thing a try. I started out with a easy and delicious recipe for breakfast sausage from one of my favorite blogs, VeganDad (who I must say, is like the master seitan maker).

Then I saw Chorizo Seitan Sausages in Viva Vegan! and decided to combine elements of the two recipes to make mini “hot dogs” for a seitan version of pigs in a blanket.

Since I was going for a hot doggy sort of seitan, I use tomato paste and paprika for the color and chickpea flour for a smoother texture. Of course, it doesn’t actually taste like a commercial hot dog, but it’s still good. And it’s fun to be able to customize the flavor and spices. It’s a little “wheaty” tasting right out of the steamer, less so after sitting in the fridge overnight and the flavors develop a bit more.

For the blanket, I used the dough from a pigs in a blanket recipe on VegWeb. I love it because there’s no scary yeast to deal with and no waiting either. Just mix, roll and go.

Seitan In A Blanket

Seitan Dogs
Makes about 12
1 1/4 cup wheat gluten
1 cup water
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Fresh ground black pepper

It’s best to make the seitan dogs the night before so the flavors have a chance to develop.

Set up a steamer and cut out 12 pieces of tin foil.

In a large mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients and mix together. Knead the dough a little bit to develop the gluten. Divide the dough into twelve pieces. Roll each piece into a mini hot dog shape and wrap in the foil. Twist the ends together to secure, but don’t wrap too tightly otherwise it might bust out of its wrapper during steaming.

Place the seitan dogs in the steamer and steam for about 20-25 minutes, flipping over about halfway through. Remove from the steamer and let cool completely before refrigerating or freezing.

Blanket Dough
Makes enough dough for 6-8 pieces depending on the thickness of the blankets
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine all of the ingredients, except the water, in a bowl and mix until it looks like coarse meal. Add a little bit of water at a time, mixing until the dough comes together in a ball (I added less than a 1/4 cup of water).

Sprinkle a bit of cornmeal on the work surface and rolling pin so the dough doesn’t stick and roll out the ball of dough into a long thin strip. Cut into approximately 2″ high strips and wrap a section around the middle of a seitan dog. Gently press the seam to make it stay. Place seam side down on a well-oiled baking sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden, flipping them over halfway through. Serve with your choice of condiments.

Disclosure: This post contains an Amazon link, I get a few coins tossed my way if you click on the link and make a purchase of anything.

I love fried foods. But I could never bring myself to actually fry anything at home. It’s much too messy and in the back of my mind I know I’m much too lazy to want to clean up after frying.

Then I came across a recipe for King Oyster Mushroom “Calamari” in Living Raw Food by Sarma Melngailis. It looks just like fried calamari but it’s really king oyster mushrooms (also called king trumpet) that have been dehydrated. But alas, I didn’t have a dehydrator and I didn’t want to leave the oven on low for hours.

Inspired by the raw recipe, I made a baked version. Fresh out of the oven, the mushroom calamari came out nice and crispy. Easy, healthy and so good for satisfying that fried food itch.

Baked King Oyster Mushroom Calamari
Serves 2 as an appetizer

3-4 large king oyster mushrooms
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly squeezed juice from 1/2 small lemon
Sea salt
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon ground flax meal
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Wash and slice the mushrooms crosswise into 1/8″ slices. Using a small round cutter, cut out a hole in the center to make a ring. Save the centers for some other use.

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice and a generous pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Add the mushroom rings and toss, leave to marinate for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix together the water and flax meal in a small bowl and let stand for a few minutes until the mixture becomes slimy and somewhat sticky. In a separate plate or pan, combine the breadcrumbs, spices and salt to taste.

Dip a mushroom ring into the flax seed wash and then into the breadcrumbs, covering well. Place on a well-oiled baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake for 10 minutes, flip over the rings and bake another 5 minutes on the other side until crispy. Serve immediately. It’s good plain or with tartar sauce.

Disclosure: This post contains an Amazon link, I get a few coins tossed my way if you click on the link and make a purchase of anything.

Related Links
Spicy Mushroom Cocktail
King Oyster Mushrooms with Snow Peas
King Oyster Mushroom Salad