Japchae (Meatless)

This was my first attempt at japchae.  I adapted this from Maangchi's recipe to suit my taste.  It came out to be a perfect hint of sesame oil.  I hope you enjoy my version.


8 oz sweet potato noodles
4-6 fresh shiitake mushrooms (or dried ones, rehydrated for 20-30 mins in warm water), cut to strips
3/4 cup julienned carrots
1 bell pepper, cut into strips
1 medium onion, cut into strips
1/2 to 1 bunch fresh spinach, blanched
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp Sesame oil
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
Fish Sauce
Cooking oil

Marinate the shiitake mushrooms and with oyster sauce and set aside.

Bring water to a boil and cook the noodles for 6 minutes.  The noodle should be soft and chewy, but should not easily break apart. Rinse the noodles under cold water when done and drain well.  Cut the noodle to shorter length.  Add noodles to a large mixing bowl and add 1 tsp of sesame oil and soy sauce and give it a light toss.

Heat up a pan and add oil to lightly coat the pan.  Cook the carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms and onion separately with a dash of salt.  Add to the mixing bowl with the spinach and noodles.  Mix the ingredients with your clean, washed hands.  Your fingers will incorporate the ingredients together better than using utensils.  Add the fish sauce to taste.  Allow the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Indian inspired potatoes with peas and carrots

Level: Easy


After watching chef Singh make aloo, I daydreamed of little dice pieces of potatoes with a light curry sauce.  I normally don't like to have potatoes in my house, but I made a Vietnamese style chicken curry earlier in the week.  I planned to boil the potatoes and toss it with some curry powder, but I prepped, I added more things to it and it became something my little kids loved.

1 lb potatoes, peeled, boiled then diced
2-3 stalks carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
2-3 large cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 shallot, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, finely crushed and minced or 1/2 tsp of dried ginger powder
1 Tbsp of Indian yellow curry powder
2 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp yogurt (I used Fage plain greek yogurt)
salt and pepper to taste
dash of fish sauce


Start off with a hot pan with enough oil to cover the bottom of it.  Add your garlic and shallots and take it off the heat to add the carrots.  Cook the carrots until it is almost tender and starts showing a sign of caramelization.  Add your potatoes and peas and stir until the peas loses the ice.  Add the curry powder and toss until the curry powder is well distributed.  Add the milk and yogurt and stir making to be careful not to break the potatoes.  Turn off the heat and add the garam masala, salt and pepper, and fish sauce.  Stir again and taste.  Add more if needed to suit your taste.

Đậu Phụ Xốt Cà Chua - Tofu in Tomato Sauce

Difficulty: Easy

1 pkg medium to firm tofu

1 large tomatoes, diced
1 shallot, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp fish sauce

1/2 tsp sugar
Salt

Pepper
2 Tbsp water or chicken stock
Cilantro, optional

Drain tofu well and wrap in some paper towels.  Place a plate on the tofu to make sure you get any excess water out.  Cut into cubes.  Heat up a small saucepan with some oil and fry the tofu until golden brown. Place tofu on paper towels after frying to remove any excess oil.

In a frying pan, heat up on high with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.  Toss in garlic and shallots. Saute until they are fragrant.  Toss in the dice tomatoes with a pinch of salt to draw the liquid out of the tomatoes. Stir well and add the sugar.  Add water, reduce to low heat and cover the pan.  Allow for the tomatoes to start breaking down into a sauce.  It will take about 4-5 minutes for it to start breaking down. Add the fish sauce and taste.  It has to be on the salty side, but still pleasant tasting.  (When you add the tofu cubes, the salt will mellow out.)  Add the tofu and combine well.  Finish with some black pepper and cilantro.  Serve over a hot bowl of rice with an herb platter.

Spicy Eggplant

1/2 lb of ground pork or  chicken
3 large Japanese eggplant, cut into 3 inch long wedges like cucumber spears
8-10 cloves ginger, minced
3 inch knob ginger, julienne
Water or stock
2 Tbsp corn or wheat starch and 2 Tbsp water, stir to make slurry

Sauce:
1 Tbsp chili sauce
5 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sugar
2 stem green onion, chopped


Combine all the sauce ingredients and set aside.  Heat up pan with oil.  When the oil is hot, add the ginger and garlic.  Stir until fragrant.  Add the ground protein and brown until the pink is gone.  Add the sauce and combine well.  Drop in the eggplant, add enough water or stock to cover the eggplant mixture, and the cornstarch slurry.  Allow for it to simmer on medium heat until the eggplant is translucent. 

This can be made vegetarian by substituting the ground meat for tofu and woodear/black fungus mushrooms.