Chow Vegan

Unless you’ve been living under a turnip, you’ve probably heard how food trucks are all trendy nowadays. And not the “roach coach” type that’s been around forever, but the long-lines, gotta-hunt-it-down, twittering, gourmet, fusion food type of truck.

I have yet to actually track one of these trucks down. Obviously, I live and work in the wrong neighborhood. So that got me to thinking, if Chow Vegan was a food truck, what would it serve?

Asian fusion, of course. Inspired by the duck taco at Kung Fu Tacos (a San Francisco based food truck), I made a vegan version of the street-style soft taco – veggie duck, hoisin sauce, and mango salsa on a whole grain corn tortilla, all locally sourced for the most part.

The veggie duck is very similar to Mock Chicken, made out of fresh yuba sheets only without the filling, folded and flattened into layers instead of rolled. Just like mock chicken doesn’t actually taste like chicken, veggie duck doesn’t really taste like duck. The small (5″ diameter), home-made style tortillas are manufactured in Sonoma County by La Tortilla Factory and the mango, a California Green Keitt.

Savory, sweet, and spicy all in one bite. A range of textures too, from soft to chewy. A little messy to eat though. But so good.

Street-Style Veggie Duck Taco with Mango Salsa
Making veggie duck tacos couldn’t be easier, especially if you can find a package of veggie duck in the refrigerated section of the Asian supermarket. Or something similar, the one that I used wasn’t even called veggie duck, it was labeled Mixed Bean Curd.

Just heat up the veggie duck and tortillas. Slice the veggie duck into bite-size pieces. Smear a bit of hoisin sauce on a tortilla, add the sliced pieces of veggie duck. Top generously with the mango salsa. Serve immediately.

Mango Salsa
1 ripe mango, diced
2 green onion stalks, chopped
1 medium jalapeño, minced
A few sprigs of cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, combine the ingredients, season to taste, and gently mix together. Chill until ready to serve.

Related Posts
Potato and Chorizo Tacos
Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos

Guess what I did with the Tofu “Egg” Foo Yung leftovers. Since I had the extra patties, I made crispy rice buns for an Asian inspired burger. Basically it’s the same as the crispy rice cake with roasted vegetables that I’ve made before.

But this time I made them a little neater and rounder so they’re more like hamburger buns. I also made them on the thin side as I don’t need to be eating any extra carbs.

The sauce couldn’t be easier, it’s just a smear of vegetarian oyster sauce. Or skip the oyster sauce and go with spicy mayo (vegan mayonnaise and sriracha sauce), that was really good too. Topped with baby romaine lettuce. Om nom nom nom.

Crispy Rice Burger
1. Cook up a pot of short-grain rice such as glutinous or sushi rice. It needs to be some sort of sticky rice so the rice bun would stick and stay together. Make the tofu foo yung patties or some other patty for use in the burger.

2. While the rice is still warm but cooled enough to handle, scoop out a bit of rice onto a piece of plastic wrap. The plastic wrap will prevent the rice from sticking to everything. Gently squeeze the rice into a ball so it sticks together. Flatten and shape the rice with the rice paddle to fit the size of the patty you’re using for the burger. You can make it thick or thin.

3. Place the rounds of rice on a well oiled baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes on each side.

4. Assemble the burgers using whatever patties, fillings and condiments as desired. Serve immediately.

“Black salt can make tofu taste like eggs.” First time I heard that, I thought “Really? How?” I must try this myself. I looked all over locally for black salt but sadly it was nowhere to be found.

Then one day, a spice vendor popped up at the farmers market of all places and they had it. Even though it’s called black salt, it’s actually purplish pink in color. I had no idea there’s more than one type of black salt, the one to get is called Kala Namak or Sanchal or Indian Black Salt. Originally used in authentic Indian cooking, the mineral salt has a strong, sulfuric flavor and aroma, kinda like hard-boiled eggs.

Now, that I have said salt in my possession, what to do with it? I decided on a blast from the past. Growing up, my parents ran a Chinese-American restaurant that served egg foo young. I remember it all too well.

Along with my siblings, one of our jobs was to finely chop up the celery and onions that went into the patties. And bean sprouts, which we chopped up with an empty can. And lots and lots of eggs and flour.

Mom or Dad would mix it all up together and used an ice cream scoop to portion out each patty onto a hot griddle. It was later deep-fried to order and topped with brown gravy and green onions.

For a vegan version, I swapped out the eggs for tofu and added some of my favorite ingredients – fresh shiitake mushrooms, leeks and water chestnuts. Baked instead of pan-fried, it’s so much better and flavorful than the eggy version. It’s good with or without the gravy.

Tofu “Egg” Foo Yung
Makes 8-10 patties

6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium leek, white and some green part, chopped
3 ounces water chestnuts
1 teaspoon oil
14 ounce package of extra-firm tofu
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon or to taste kala namak
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 stalk green onion, chopped, for garnish

Gravy
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Drain and rinse the tofu, wrap in paper towels and place a heavy weight on top. Press for about an hour. While the tofu is pressing, chop the vegetables.

Heat a wok to hot. When hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the wok. Add the celery and leeks, sauté for a few minutes, add the mushrooms and water chestnuts and cook for another minute or so. Place in a bowl and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Crumble the tofu, add the rest of the ingredients and blend well together. Scoop out a 1/4 cup of the mixture and shape into a patty on a oiled baking sheet. Brush the top of each patty with oil, flip over and brush the other side. Bake for 15 minutes, gently flip over and bake another 15 minutes.

To make the gravy, heat the broth with the soy sauce and sugar. Combine the cornstarch with a little bit of cold water and mix until smooth. When the broth comes to a boil, slowly add the cornstarch mixture and stir to desired thickness.

Top the foo yung with gravy and garnish with the green onions, serve immediately.

Where to find kala namak?
The vendor at the farmers market is a local company, Spice Hound, for their 2.5 oz jar, it was $7.00. I have since found the black salt labeled as Sanchal at an Indian market for cheaper. Also available online at Amazon from a number of vendors.

While skipping down the aisles of the local Asian supermarket, I came across veggie shrimp. I’ve found them before over in the frozen food section but they weren’t vegan, having some sort of whey protein or some other such thing.

But these were different, they are vegan. It says so right on the package. I found this brand in the refrigerated section along with a bunch of other veggie meat and tofu products.

Some labeled “vegan”, some “vege”, I’m assuming this meant vegetarian. It seems like manufacturers are getting better with the labeling.

Convinced it’s the same as the ones used in Chinese vegetarian restaurants, I was inspired to make a vegan version of cashew shrimp. The taste is only vaguely shrimp-like, the firm texture is similar though. But veggie shrimp does make for a nice contrast to the sweet and crunchy snow peas.

Cashew Veggie Shrimp
Serves 2

5 ounces veggie shrimp
6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 small carrot, sliced diagonally
4 ounces napa cabbage, sliced
3 ounces snow peas, trimmed
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed and coarsely chopped
3/4″ piece fresh ginger, minced
Salt to taste
1/4 cup water
Cornstarch dissolved in water
Handful of raw cashew nuts

Heat a little of the oil in a wok and stir-fry the cashew nuts until they’re a light brown color. Place the nuts in a bowl and set aside.

Add the rest of the oil, when hot, add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about ten seconds. Add the carrots and mushrooms and stir. Toss in the snow peas and napa cabbage, stir-fry for a minute or so.

Add the veggie shrimp, water (if you like a lot of sauce, use all of the water. I prefer less sauce so I only use a little water) and season to taste. Continue to stir-fry for a few more minutes until the vegetables are crispy-tender and the shrimp heated through.

To thicken the sauce, slowly add the corn starch mixture and stir to desired thickness. Top with the toasted cashews and serve immediately with rice.

Variation: Substitute baked tofu for the veggie shrimp if you can’t find it or don’t care for faux things. Or just go with vegetables only. Of course, it wouldn’t be cashew veggie shrimp anymore but it’s still good. You can’t go wrong with toasted nuts and stir-fry.

Sometimes I like to relax by trying out new recipes. I know it’s weird but if I have the time to relax, then I usually have the time to try cooking something new.

I’ve been eyeing the Zesty Orange Mojo Baked Tofu recipe from the Viva Vegan! cookbook. Since I’m staying at a resort with a full kitchen, it’s an ideal time to give it a go (I don’t have to clean the oven if it makes a big mess. Not that I’m going to make a mess on purpose or anything.)

It came out great, a bit differently than the actual recipe, seeing as I totally forgot about zesting the orange. I just squeezed it for the juice and threw the rest away. I only realize this as I’m staring at the remains of the orange in the trash, thinking I was suppose to zest that first.

And I had only bought one orange specifically for the recipe. Oops. So it’s just Mojo Baked Tofu. No zesty orange. Next time I try the recipe, I’ll be sure to have all of the ingredients plus extras.

On a side note, since I was traveling, I was only able to find super-firm tofu (all the other tofu was sold out). Super-firm is like the next step up from extra-firm. It’s very firm. When they say super-firm, they mean super-firm.

Stick to extra-firm to achieve that chewy outside, creamy inside kind of baked tofu. Super-firm makes it chewy all the way through.

Zesty Orange Mojo Baked Tofu
Serves 3 to 4
Time: About 55 minutes

1 pound extra-firm tofu
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Mojo Marinade
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Grated zest of 1 orange
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Slice the tofu into eight 1/2-inch-thick slices and dab the slices dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel. Press the tofu if desired. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a shallow glass 9 by 12-inch baking dish, combine the olive oil and soy sauce. Lay a tofu slice in the baking dish, pressing it into the sauce mixture. Flip and press again to coat with the mixture. Bake for 20 minutes; remove from the oven but don’t turn the oven off. The tofu will be bubbling and juicy.

2. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and stir well.

3. Flip each piece of tofu and pour the marinade over tofu; the marinade will nearly cover the top of the tofu. Bake for another 30 minutes until the tofu is firm and any remaining marinade has thickened up a little bit. Bake longer if an even chewier texture is desired. Serve the tofu hot and topped with any remaining marinade juices from the baking pan.

From the book Viva Vegan! by Terry Hope Romero. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright © 2010. www.dacapopresscookbooks.com

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 Post
Corn Crusted Tempeh Pot Pie From Viva Vegan!

Chinese steamed egg, a beloved childhood dish that I thought I would never enjoy again. I had loved it so much as a kid and so did my siblings.

But then, I found a vegan recipe for it on one of my favorite blogs, The Modern Vegetarian. A homey kind of a dish, it’s like a savory egg custard with a silky, smooth texture.

The vegan version uses silken tofu in place of the eggs and a little bit of turmeric for color. Mom sometimes added a pork filling. In my version, I replaced it with tempeh and mushrooms.

Vegan Chinese Vegan Steamed “Egg” with Tempeh
Serves 2
Adapted from The Modern Vegetarian

2 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and chopped
1/4 cup cooked tempeh (see recipe below)
12 ounces fresh silken tofu
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons egg replacer, mixed with 4 tablespoons water

Optional topping
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 green onion, white and green parts, chopped

In a food processor, combine the tofu, salt, sugar, rice wine, turmeric, egg replacer and blend until smooth and creamy.

Place the mushrooms and tempeh in a heatproof bowl or shallow pan, pour the tofu mixture on top of it. Use a bowl large enough (so that it doesn’t fill all the way to the top) to allow room for the tofu to expand.

Set up a steamer. When the water boils, place the bowl in and steam over medium heat for about 10 minutes. For a firmer texture, let stand 15-30 minutes before serving. It sets up even more overnight.

If using, mix the oil and soy sauce together and drizzle over the top, add the green onions. Serve with rice.

Cooked Tempeh
8 ounce package of tempeh, crumbled
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon oil
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Heat the wok until hot. Add the oil and swirl in the wok to coat. Add the onions and saute over medium heat until translucent. Add the tempeh, water and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Cover and turn down the heat to medium low and simmer until the water is mostly absorbed about 4-5 minutes.

My first bento box and its got blue rice. I’ve always been fascinated with how pretty bentos can be, but put off by the food coloring used to achieve some of those effects. Then I found this excellent tutorial at Eye Candy food blog on how to get a beautiful blue color using red cabbage of all things.

It’s actually pretty easy to do. Well, not as easy as pouring a few drops out of a little bottle from a store shelf, but still very easy and kinda fun too.

Basically, it’s just cooking shredded red cabbage in water. Drain, and you’ll see that the water turned a purple color. By adding an alkaline such as baking soda, it becomes blue! Add an acid like vinegar, it’ll be pink.

To minimize the cabbage flavor of the blue dye, I added a few tablespoons to just the amount of rice I wanted to turn blue. Mixed well and then poured out the excess liquid. Placed the blue rice in the fridge overnight. In the morning, it’s even bluer.

For the tofu fish, it’s just a couple pieces of Crispy Baked Tofu cut into a fish shape with barbecue sauce eyes. The underwater flora is blue lake green beans and the bottom is sliced raw carrots.

A few weeks ago, I received a review copy from the publisher of the newly released Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers by Terry Hope Romero.

Viva Vegan! is to Latin food what Vegan Soul Kitchen is to African American food – amazing cookbooks that open up and reinvent the culinary delights of their respective cultures using fresh ingredients to create healthy, tasty, vegan meals.

And if you liked Veganomicon, you’ll probably like Viva Vegan! too, it’s written in a similar style and format but focused solely on Latin cuisine.

Since I have a soft spot for shepherd’s pie, the Creamy Corn-Crusted Tempeh Pot Pie jumped out as one of the must-try recipes. It’s a twist on the Chilean comfort food “pastel de choclo” or corn pie.

Using fresh white corn from the farmers market, the creamy topping is a sweet contrast to the savory tempeh filling. It’s fairly easy to make too as it’s mostly assembly. To see for yourself, I’m giving away a copy of Viva Vegan!

To enter, complete the following:

1. Subscribe to chowvegan.com via RSS reader or email.

2. Leave a comment in this post and tell me what’s your favorite Latin food. Comment must be made by midnight PST on Saturday, May 29th; one entry per person. Giveaway is open to US mailing addresses only.

One winner will be randomly selected from the comments received and announced on Monday, May 31st.

Disclosure: In case you didn’t notice, this post is crawling with Amazon links. I get a few coins thrown my way if you click on any of the links and make a purchase of anything.

The cookbook I’m giving away is the one that I received directly from the publisher. I did not drool on it.