Creamy Cauliflower with Coconut Milk

Ingredients:

1 head large cauliflower

1/2 can coconut milk

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp freshly chopped rosemary

vegan margarine

sea salt

oil infused red chili pepper (optional)

Steam cauliflower florets until tender. Set aside.

In a pan, saute garlic and rosemary with vegan margarine until fragrant.

Add steamed cauliflower to the pan. Mash it with a wood spoon.

Add coconut milk to the pan. Mix well with the cauliflower mixture. Bring to a boil.

Turn off the heat.

Season with salt.

Top with oil infused red chili pepper. (optional)

Thanks to my brother-in-law for this delicious easy recipe.

Fight Flu with Medicinal Perilla Leaf Dish

Ingredients: (2 servings)

3 medium size cucumbers, diagonally sliced

a bunch of perilla leaves, finely chopped

3-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tbsp vegan oyster sauce (optional, tastes slightly sweet)

With some oil in a pan, saute the cucumber slices until slightly brown and tender. 8 mins.

Add in chopped garlic, soy sauce, vegan oyster sauce. Stir to coat. 2 mins.

Add in chopped perilla leaves at the last minute before turning off the heat.

Medicinal fact about Perilla Leaf in Eastern Medicine:

The herbal name for perilla leaf is Zi Su Ye (紫苏叶) or Zi Su in Eastern Medicine. 

It is frequently used for cold and flu, especially with cough and stifling sensation in the chest, fullness in the abdomen, and nausea or vomiting. It can also be used to treat Restless Fetus Syndromes. The essential oil in perilla seeds is used to treat high cholesterol. 

Where to buy fresh Perilla Leaves:

Any major Asian market. (Chinese, Japanese, Korean)

See how Asians eat Lotus Root

Lotus Root is not a common vegetable in the west. But it is very common throughout Asia. We love that it is so crunchy and savory. We have created hundreds of different recipes for it. Here is how I cook Lotus Root with just 2 ingredients. 

Ingredients:

1 Fresh lotus root

1 bunch Chinese leeks

Prepare:

Peel and slice the lotus root.

Wash and chop Chinese leeks to 1 inch long.

Stir fry:

Stir fry the lotus root until slightly brown on each side. High heat. 7 mins or so.

Season with salt, nutritional yeast and red pepper flakes to taste.

Add the Chinese leeks at the very last min.

Mushroom Chickpea Pasta Sauce

1. In a pan, saute sliced button mushrooms, carrots, and a few peeled whole garlic cloves until very tender.

2. In a food processor, mix the mushrooms and carrots that you just cooked with 1 cup thoroughly cooked chickpeas along with salt, 1/3 cup olive oil and 2 tbsp lemon juice.

(The more tender the chickpeas, the more smooth the sauce.)

3.  Mushroom chickpea pasta sauce finished!

(If the sauce appears to be dry with well drained pasta, add some pasta water.)

Sesame Oil Cucumber Salad

Ingredients: (1 serving)

1 cucumber (roughly chopped)

2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tsp nutrional yeast

a pinch of fresh cilantro

salt and red pepper flakes to taste

Toss all the ingredients above together. Enjoy!

The Savory Three

Ingredients:

2 bell peppers

1 eggplant

3 potatoes

3 cloves garlic

2 tbsp. soy sauce

3 tbsp. water

salt to taste

This is a very famous and easy Chinese dish to make. Make sure to follow the order of adding vegetables to get the perfect level of tenderness. 

Chop all veggies to bite size.

Heat a little larger amount of oil than you usually do in a pan. (Potatoes and eggplant absorb the oil really fast. Use a pan with a lid.)

First. Add in potatoes. Saute 3 mins.

Second. Add in eggplant. Saute 3 mins.

Third. Add in bell pepper and garlic. Saute 3 mins.

Last. Add in 2 tbsp. soy sauce, 3 tbsp. water and some salt to taste. 

Cover and let it cook 2 mins. ( Keep an eye on the water level. Do not burn the veggies.)

This dish is called 地三鲜 (di san xian) in Chinese. It can be translated as the savory three from the earth.  It is such a famous and tasty dish so almost every restaurant in China has it on the menu. 

Tiger Skin Chilies

Ingredients: (for 2 servings)

6-8 Anaheim chilies

1 red bell pepper

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp. dark rice vinegar

2 tsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. sugar

a pinch of salt

Step 1.

Halve the Anaheim chilies lengthwise and remove the seeds. Chop the red bell pepper to bite size.

Step 2.

Heat some oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. 

Arrange the chili halves skin side down on the pan and let it brown for about 8 mins.

Step 3. 

Add in chopped garlic and red bell pepper. Stir and cook for another 2 mins.

Step 4.

Add in the seasonings and turn off the heat.

1 tbsp. dark rice vinegar

2 tsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. sugar

a pinch of salt to taste

It is a classic way of cooking chilies in China. The Chinese name for this type of dish is 虎皮尖椒 (Hu Pi Jian Jiao) which can be translated as tiger skin chilies. The tiger skin refers to the brown and crispy skin of the chilies. I like to serve it over steam rice since the dish has some flavorful sauce. For a more spicy taste we can use jalapenos instead of Anaheim chilies.