Chow Vegan

Besides the sporting events at the Olympics, I like seeing the cultural side of the host city. Earlier in the week, I saw a blip about Vancouver’s Japadog, a very popular hot dog street cart with a Japanese twist.

Basically it’s a hot dog in a bun, but topped with Japanese condiments for a whole new fusion taste adventure. The “Japa Style Menu” includes some of the interesting items below. And they’re available in veggie style too.

• Terimayo – Beef hot dog with teriyaki sauce, seaweed (nori), fried onion, Japanese mayo
• Oroshi – Bratwurst with grated daikon radish, green onion, special soy sauce
• Okonomi – Kurobuta (pork) sausage with fried cabbage, Japanese mayo, bonito flakes, special Okonomiyaki sauce

Seeing as I’m not going to be in Vancouver anytime soon, I decided to go DIY. I made the Terimayo as that’s their most popular offering and the one that sounds the best.

I used jumbo sized veggie hot dogs for a better dog to bun fit. I think Japadog grills their hot dogs but I didn’t have a grill available so I just went with the boil in water method.

Took the hot dog out of the water and made a few slits in it. Heated up teriyaki sauce in a saucepan, then rolled the hot dog around until well-coated. Placed the hot dog and whatever sauce left in the pan on a toasted white whole wheat bun. Topped with sautéed onions, wasabi mayo and shredded toasted nori.

It’s actually really good, no wonder locals, tourists and celebrities are lining up to eat at Japadog. The flavors work well together, balancing the salty sweet of the teriyaki sauce with the kick from the creamy wasabi mayo.

Although I’m not a big hot dog eater, I just might have to try other DIY flavor combos. Perhaps a Vietnamese version with spicy mayo, pickled carrots and daikon, cucumbers, cilantro and mint?

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, is this Sunday. Traditionally, there’s feasting to be had on the eve of the new year. On the actual new year’s day, a vegetarian dish, Buddhist’s Delight or jai is served.

Certain dishes symbolize certain things. Dumplings for prosperity. Noodles for long life (make sure not to cut the noodles). Dried bean curd (tofu) for wealth and happiness. Mixed vegetables for family harmony and serving items whole to represent family unity and togetherness.

Appetizers
Stuffed Tofu Puffs with Chili Garlic Sauce
Deep-fried tofu puffs stuffed to overflowing with a potato-carrot filling, steamed and then topped with a chili garlic sauce.

Cream Cheese Wontons
Baked cream cheese and spinach wontons, a delightful concoction of east meeting west.

Main Dishes
Mock Chicken
Kinda looks like roasted white chicken, but it’s not. Bean curd sheets rolled with a mushroom filling and steamed. I could eat the whole thing by myself.

Roasted Tofu with Leeks and Black Bean Sauce
Golden roasted tofu cubes tossed in a savory black bean sauce. Lucky me. I mean you, lucky you.

Asian Styled Seitan and Vegetable Stew
Seitan chunks braised with potatoes, carrots and daikon, seasoned with star anise. A red-colored dish to ward off evil spirits.

Cantonese Style Vegetable Chow Mein
Baked crispy noodles topped with a medley of stir-fried bok choy, snow peas, bean sprouts and mushrooms. Remember not to cut the noodles.

Side Dishes
Vegetarian BBQ Pork Fried Rice
Rice stir-fried with veggies and bbq veggie pork (another “red” item to keep away those evil spirits).

Stir-Fried Yu Choy Sum
A simple stir-fry of chinese greens with just a bit of garlic. Keep it whole for that whole unity thing.

Dessert
Baked Banana Tempura
Not exactly a Chinese dessert but what a sweet and yummy ending.

Tangerines and oranges
Sweet, refreshing and symbolic of luck and wealth.

Wishing you health, wealth and happiness in the Year of the Tiger.
Happy Lunar New Year!

Who doesn’t love a sale? Especially if said sale involves food. My local Whole Foods started carrying the Field Roast Classic Meatloaf and put it on sale.

I really like some of Field Roast’s other products so I had high hopes for this meatloaf. The main ingredient is vital wheat gluten combined with carrots, celery, tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic and savory spices.

Preparation is pretty straightforward, the hardest part was getting the loaf out of its skin-tight plastic bag. Place it on a baking sheet, glaze with ketchup and stick it in the oven for 30 minutes to heat up and brown.

And brown it did. The Classic Meatloaf browns beautifully and smells delicious. Its got a great rich flavor. The texture is very similar to meatloaf as I remember it and just a tab more chewier. It’s kinda on the salty side but that’s pretty much the nature of most prepared food.

This is what I want to eat for the holidays. Thanksgiving or Christmas, it doesn’t matter, I just want it. What is it you say?

It’s smoked vegetarian goose. I picked it up from Sogo Tofu, a small vegetarian shop that produces all manner of tofu and soy products in San Jose. Expertly made, it has just the right amount of smokiness so it’s not overwhelming and the taste of the yuba comes through.

That’s right, you read that correctly. It doesn’t look like it but that roll is made from layers and layers of yuba, tightly rolled up with a layer of vegetable filling and smoked. At least that’s how I think it’s made. I’ve been unsuccessful in finding an actual recipe for this particular dish. I’m just happy to be able to get it at all.

Serve with a simple sauté of swiss chard and Cumin-Cayenne Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions from Vegan Soul Kitchen. I’ve been making all sorts of things out of that cookbook (the recipe is also available in the current issue of Vegetarian Times). The mashed potatoes is another winner – it has a spicy, rich taste about it. No gravy needed.

Related Posts
Mock Chicken
BBQ Yuba Ribs
Yuba Rolls

I meant to experiment with version 2.0 of the Salt and Pepper Roasted Tofu. But since I had a leek to use up, I went with a black bean sauce and threw the poor leek in the sauce.

I prepared the tofu using the method for Rosemary-Roasted Tofu Cubes from Vegan Soul Kitchen. I left out the rosemary but kept the paprika for the beautiful color.

For the sauce, I like to use dried fermented black beans instead of a bottled black bean sauce. Also called preserved black beans, salted or dried black beans and in Cantonese, tau see. The flavor is more intense, stronger and fresher tasting than the bottled stuff.

Not to be confused with the black beans associated with Mexican food, these are small black soy beans dried and fermented with salt and sometimes ginger. The brand I use is Yang Jiang Preserved Beans, it comes in a cylindrical cardboard container at the Asian supermarket. It’s very easy to use, just soak a few minutes to soften, rinse and mash a little with a fork to release their flavor.

And don’t forget to check your teeth after eating anything with black bean sauce. You wouldn’t want to be walking around with black specks all over your mouth. It’s not pretty.

Roasted Tofu with Leeks and Black Bean Sauce
Serves 2

1 16-ounce block of extra-firm tofu
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Sauce
1 medium leek, white and some green part, cut into 2 inch sections
2 tablespoons fermented black beans, mashed with a fork
1 teaspoon oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup water
Arrowroot dissolved in water

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, combine the oil, salt and paprika. Cut the tofu into cubes and gently toss to coat with the mixture. Place each tofu cube in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Roast for 15 minutes on each side.

Heat a wok to hot, add the oil. Swirl the oil to coat the wok. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and black beans. Stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the leeks. Stir-fry for a few minutes, add the water and cook until the leeks are tender.

Slowly add the arrowroot mixture and stir to thicken the sauce to desired consistency. Add the tofu and mix well. Serve with rice.

Related Posts
Salt and Pepper Roasted Tofu
Rosemary-Roasted Tofu Cubes

Looking through my stash of cookbook recipes, I found one that I haven’t made in a long, long time. Curried Pineapple Rice. I remember how good the dish was but not why I stopped making it. Too lazy? Got tired of it? Misplaced the recipe? I don’t know.

So I made it again. Still tasty and now super easy to make using a fuzzy logic rice cooker. I barely consider it cooking, it’s more like gather and toss into the pot. Can’t get any easier than that.

A variation on rice pilaf with Polynesian flavors, the original recipe is from Pacific Flavors by Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison. Over the years, I’ve modified it a bit. Since I’m using the rice cooker, I left out the sauté in butter part and made it a bit healthier.

Curried Pineapple Rice
Makes about 5 cups
Adapted from the recipe in Pacific Flavors by Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison

4 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked in water until soft, cut off stems and dice
1 1/2 cups white basmati rice (using the measuring cup that came with the rice cooker)
1/2 cup raisins
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1/2 teaspoon grated lime peel
Juice from 1/2 lime
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger root, minced
2 stalks green onion, chopped
1/2 – 3/4 cup fresh pineapple, diced
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted (optional)

Cooking directions is for use with a rice cooker with a 5.5 cups capacity. Using the inner pot of the rice cooker, rinse the rice well in several changes of water until the water is clear. Add water to the marked level on the pot according to the rice cooker’s directions.

Add the rest of the ingredients except for the green onion, pineapple and almonds. Select the setting to cook white rice and press start.

When the rice cooker beeps that it’s done, stir in the green onions and pineapple. Turn it off and serve or leave on the “warm” setting until ready to serve. Top with toasted almonds if using.

For a fancy presentation, serve the rice in a pineapple boat.

I still have some chorizo left in the fridge, it’s like never ending. Don’t get me wrong, I love chorizo. It’s just that it’s so flavorful a little goes a long ways, so there’s quite a bit left.

Today, I made potato and chorizo tacos. In a blue corn taco shell, because I like my tacos to be crunchy. Topped with shredded baby romaine and grated carrots in place of the cheese. I also plopped on a dollop of soy yogurt, instead of sour cream (after I already took the picture and started eating. I forgotten had some in the back of the fridge). So good.

Can’t believe I still have enough chorizo for at least one more meal.

Potato and Chorizo Tacos
Makes about 8 tacos

2 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1/2 small white onion, finely chopped
3 ounces vegan chorizo
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 box of blue corn taco shells
1 medium carrot, grated
1 head baby romaine lettuce, shredded

Place potatoes in a pot and just cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low, cook for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside. When cool enough to handle, smash with a fork.

Heat a large non-stick skillet to hot, add the oil and the onions. Cook for about 30 seconds and then add the chorizo. Break up the large chunks and mix well with the onions. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add the potatoes to the skillet and mix well.

Heat up the taco shells according to the package directions. Fill the shells with the potato mixture and topped with the lettuce and carrot.

Related Posts
VeganMoFo: Chorizo Fried Rice
Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos

At the end of the week, there’s usually only a few things left in the fridge. For today’s lunch, I threw chorizo and white rice together to make a sort of Mexican fried rice. Fried rice is a really great way to repurpose leftovers into a new and tasty dish.

Since the chorizo is already so flavorful, I didn’t add any other seasonings. It’s almost like Mexican rice but without the tomatoes or peppers. If I had those items lying around, I probably would have thrown them in too. (Nothing is off limits when it comes to me making fried rice.) I actually like it better than Mexican rice as it’s much quicker and easier.

Chorizo Fried Rice
Serves 1 as a meal or 2 as part of a meal

1/2 small white onion, chopped
3 ounces vegan chorizo
1 cup cold cooked white rice
1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 sprig of cilantro for garnish

Heat the wok to hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the wok. Add the onions and stir-fry over medium high heat until translucent. Add the chorizo, breaking it up into smaller pieces with a spatula. Let cook for about a minute or so.

Add the rice, breaking up the large chunks with the spatula so the grains are separated; stir-fry to combine well. Add the vegetables, mix well and continue to stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.