Lao Khao Soi

Lao Khao Soi is a Burmese influenced noodle dish that takes plenty of variations all around the world. Some are made with fermented bean paste and some with pickled vegetables and crispy noodles. My version follows more of the Laotian diet filled with plenty of cilantro, tomato and shallots. Dried chilies give this thick broth a wonderful, rich depth of flavor. Find all different kinds of dried chilies in the Mexican section of the store and play around with which one you like better.

One Year Ago Today Vegetable Tempura with Miso Mayonnaise

Two Years Ago Today Shiitake Chilaquiles with Refried Black Beans & Red Pepper Ancho Sauce

Homemade chili paste made with guajillo chilies, cilantro, shallots and ginger slowly simmered until thick and served in a bowl with fresh noodles, watercress, seitan and chili oil.

Lao Khao Soi
serves 3
4 dried guajillo chilies, whole
2 shallots, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic
1" piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, leaves and stems
1 tbl ground coriander
1 tbl turmeric
1 tsp yellow curry paste
2 tbl coconut or canola oil
8 oz soy curls(left as is) or seitan, roughly chopped in small pieces
1-15oz can coconut milk
1-15oz can tomato sauce
2 cups vegetable broth
6 oz udon noodles
3 tbl tamari
1 tbl palm sugar organic light brown sugar
garnish:
lime wedges, bean sprouts, thinly sliced red onion, watercress leaves, cilantro and chili oil

Cook the dried chilies in boiling water for 10-15 minutes until tender. Remove the chilies (reserving the soaking liquid) and discard the stems and seeds.
Combine the chilies with shallots, garlic, ginger, cilantro, coriander, turmeric and curry paste in a blender or food processor. Add 2 tablespoons of soaking liquid and blend into a paste. Add more soaking liquid if necessary to smooth out the paste.
In a large pot, heat the oil and add the paste and seitan or soy curls. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until the paste darkens and the seitan is firm. Add the coconut milk, tomato sauce and broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes.
While the broth is cooking, cook the noodles according to the package instructions.
Add the tamari and palm sugar to the broth and stir to combine. Taste and season with more tamari if necesary.
Divide soup and noodles into bowls and garnish with toppings.

Tofu Rice Bowl with Pickled Daikon & Dragon Sauce

When I first moved out of my parent's house and started cooking on my own, I ate tofu covered in nutritional yeast a LOT. I don't know why, it's not insanely flavorful but it's easy, quick and covered up the taste of tofu (which I was still a little weary of when served plain). Now I can eat it just about any way, even raw, but there's something about that "beginners" tofu that brings me back to years past.



Simply prepared tofu in a rice bowl filled with pickled daikon radish and carrots, crunchy beets, soft arugula leaves, spicy zucchini and a creamy dragon sauce.


One Year Ago Today Caramelized Onion & Seitan Flatbread with Grilled Artichokes

Tofu Rice Bowl
serves 3-4
1 lb extra firm tofu, drained and pressed, 1" cubes
salt and pepper
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2-3 tbl  extra virgin or coconut oil
1 red chili, minced
1/2" piece fresh ginger, minced
1 zucchini, shaved into ribbons (use a vegetable peeler!)
1 beet, very thinly sliced
1 large handful baby arugula leaves
2 cups cooked long grain brown rice

Heavily season the tofu with salt and pepper. Coat in nutritional yeast. Pan fry until golden brown and crispy. Drain off most of the oil and add the chili and ginger.  Saute for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add the zucchini and toss gently in the pan for 1-2 minutes just to warm through.
Serve the tofu over brown rice with zucchini, raw beets, arugula, pickled vegetables and dragon sauce.

Pickled Daikon & Carrot
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup organic cane sugar
1 tsp salt
1" piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped
4" piece daikon radish, halved and thinly sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced

Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and ginger to a boil. Pour over the daikon and carrot and chill. Let pickle for at least 1 hour before serving. The longer it sits, the better!

Dragon Sauce
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbl tamari
2 tbl maple syrup
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
2 tbl water
2 tbl tahini
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4" piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

Vietnamese Pho: Vegetable Noodle Soup

When it comes to vegetarian pho, it's all about the broth. That means making it from scratch and taking the time to infuse each and every flavor and spice. The list is long but is worth the time and is practically hands-off. At the bottom I included a quick and easy pho broth recipe that uses store bought broth as a base with the addition of ginger, garlic and spices. While my Pantry Broth is a good quick fix, it's not the intense flavorful taste you get from your favorite Pho restaurant. Try my original recipe first then decide if taking the time is worth it or not to you. I promise it will be!


Vegetable Pho
serves 3
broth: 
2 large yellow onions, skins on, quartered
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, whole
1 hot house tomato, quartered
3" piece fresh ginger, cut into 3 pieces
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
8 cups water
3 garlic cloves, smashed
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, plus stems
2 tbl soy sauce
1 tbl palm sugar (or 1 tsp organic cane sugar)
1/4 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp cardamom pods
1/8 tsp fennel seeds
6 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
1 bunch boy choy, greens roughly chopped
9 oz rice noodles

Preheat the oven to broil.
Toss the onions, carrots, mushrooms, tomato and ginger with olive oil and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Broil for 12-15 minutes on the highest shelf until the vegetables are lightly charred.
While those are broiling, add the salt, pepper, water, garlic, celery, cilantro, soy sauce, sugar and all of the spices to a large pot over high heat. Add the charred vegetables in when they are done. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for one hour then strain.
Return broth back to the pot and bring to a simmer.Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the bok choy and cook for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the rice noodles. Let sit for 10 minutes until tender. Divide the pho into 3 bowls.
Serve with a large plate on the side with all of the garnish options.

garnish:
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh mint
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup bean sprouts
2 limes, quartered1 red chile, thinly sliced
hoisin sauce
hot chile sauce

Pantry Pho broth
If you don't have the time or the ingredients, try this broth that will get the job done in a pinch. But if you want real pho like the kind you get at a restaurant, take the extra time and make the above broth.
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
2 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
2" piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 cup cilantro, plus stems
1 tbl soy sauce
1 tsp organic cane sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cinnamon stick

Combine all of the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain.

Vietnamese Coconut Soy Curls with Red Rice and Pole Beans

Soy curls can be found in natural food stores in both bulk sections or in an 8oz bag. They have a dried consistency and are great to use in meals with broths, braises or soups because they suck up all the flavors you put into it. If you can't find them near you, try buying some online at Food Fight. 


Braised soy curls in a savory broth brimming with fresh coconut flavor, ginger, spices and lime.

Vietnamese Coconut Soy Curls
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 bunch scallions, small dice, green and white parts separated
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbl organic light brown sugar
juice of one lime
2 tbl tamari
1 cup coconut water
1-15oz can coconut milk
4 oz soy curls
1/2 cup Bhutanese red rice (or any other kind you find available), cooked
4 oz pole beans, ends trimmed, lightly steamed

Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and white parts of the scallions. Season with red pepper flakes, ginger, and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and toast for 2 minutes. Add the soy curls and brown,  5 minutes. Add the brown sugar, lime juice, tamari, coconut water and milk. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat.
Garnish with the green parts of the scallion and serve over red rice and steamed pole beans.

New Years Day Lunch

Traditional Vietnamese crepes made with black eyed peas in lieu of mung beans, stuffed with crispy seitan, sweet potato, cilantro and caramelized onions. Served with a sweet and spicy apricot sauce.

Crepe Batter

½ cup black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

½ cup coconut milk

1 cup white rice flour

½ cup cornstarch

2 cups water

2 scallions, torn into large chunks

1 tsp coarse sea salt

Vegetable oil

½ cup black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender except the oil and 2^nd amount of beans and puree until smooth. Let the batter rest for 20 minutes to overnight.

Heat up a non stick pan, pour enough oil to coat the bottom as light as possible, pour off any excess oil.

Pour ¼ cup of the batter into the hot pan and swirl immediately to get a thin, large even layer.

Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the crepe is cooked through both top and bottom.

Slide off the pan and fill with seitan filling. Serve crepes immediately. Garnish with the remaining whole beans.

Filling

2 tbl extra virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, sliced thinly

½ cup small dice sweet potato, peeled

1 package seitan, cut into small chunks

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

3 tbl chopped cilantro, divided

1 scallion, sliced on a bias

In a large sauté pan, heat the oil and sauté the onions over medium heat until soft and caramelized, 15 minutes. Add the sweet potato and seitan and continue to cook until golden brown and crispy, 10 minutes. Add the garlic cloves, cumin, salt and pepper and toast until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat and toss in 2 tbl of cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings. Leave the remaining 1 tbl of cilantro and scallion for garnish.

Spiced Apricot Sauce

2 tsp canola oil

1 heaping tbl AP flour

1 ¼ cup apricot juice

1 tbl sugar in the raw

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp cumin

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

In a small sauce pot, add the oil and flour and whisk into a thick paste. Whisk continually for 1 minute to cook the raw taste out of the flour. Drizzle in the apricot juice slowly while whisking until no clumps remain. Add the raw sugar, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt and pepper and bring the sauce to a simmer. Keep whisking until the sauce thickens. Adjust seasonings and simmer lightly for 3 minutes.