The Chinese Vegan Kitchen (14 page)

Country-Style Vegetable Stew with Tofu Puffs

Tofu puffs, also known as bean curd puffs or bean kow, are golden squares of soybean curd that have been deep-fried. Their super-absorbency makes them highly popular in stews and braised dishes. Look for them in the refrigerated section of Asian markets, next to the regular tofu products. For a saucier stew, use 1
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packages, or 6 ounces, of tofu puffs. Serve over rice to catch all the delicious sauce.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth, plus additional, as needed

1 cup water, plus additional, as needed

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 medium onions (about 6 ounces each), each cut into 8 wedges

1 medium carrot (about 2 ounces), peeled, cut into
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-inch-thick slices

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cup chopped celery

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 medium sweet potato (about 6 ounces), peeled and cut into bite-size pieces

1 cup green beans, trimmed, cut diagonally in half

1 teaspoon Chinese chili paste, or to taste

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teaspoon salt, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 (4-ounce) packages deep-fried tofu puffs, each piece halved

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

In a small container, whisk together the broth, water, and flour until thoroughly blended; set aside.

In a medium stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrot, celery, and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant and softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the broth mixture, sweet potato, green beans, chili paste, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir in the tofu puffs, cover, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the peas and cook, covered, until all vegetables are tender, about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally and adding additional broth or water for a soupier consistency, if desired. Serve warm.

{PER SERVING} Calories 272 • Protein 12g • Total Fat 12g • Sat Fat 2g • Cholesterol 0mg • Carbohydrate 33g • Dietary Fiber 7g • Sodium 429mg

Millet and Sweet Potato Congee

One of the five sacred grains of ancient China, millet is available in Asian markets and health food stores. This traditional, northern-style porridgelike soup, or congee, makes a nourishing breakfast or interesting main dish.

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

6 cups water, plus additional, as needed

1 cup millet, rinsed and drained

1 medium sweet potato (about 6 ounces), peeled and chopped

6 pitted dried red dates (jujubes), halved

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cup dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

1 cinnamon stick

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teaspoon salt, or to taste

Chopped walnuts or chestnuts (optional)

In a medium stockpot, combine all ingredients except walnuts and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to between low and medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until millet is tender and mixture is porridge-like, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding water, if necessary. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and serve hot, garnished with the optional nuts, if using.

{PER SERVING} Calories 251 • Protein 6g • Total Fat 2g • Sat Fat 0g • Cholesterol 0mg • Carbohydrate 51g • Dietary Fiber 6g • Sodium 275mg

Changsha-Style Fresh Rice Noodle Soup

I still dream about the inspiration of this simple yet delicious soup, always made with the freshest of rice noodles in the streets of Changsha, the capital of Hunan, which is China’s—and, likely, the world’s—largest rice producer. The secret to my version is letting the cooked noodles steep in the flavorful broth a few minutes before slurping up and savoring. If you don’t have access to fresh flat rice noodles, often sold in the refrigerated section of Asian markets in packages labeled rice sticks, use a wheat-based, eggless, linguine-style fresh wheat pasta instead and cook according to package directions.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth

2 cups water

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tablespoon reduced-sodium regular soy sauce

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tablespoon dark soy sauce

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tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce

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tablespoon Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar

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tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon light brown sugar

1 teaspoon Chinese chili paste, or to taste

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star anise

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cup chopped fresh cilantro, stems included

1 scallion, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced

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tablespoon toasted (dark) sesame oil

8 ounces fresh rice sticks or other fresh flat rice noodles

Prepared Hunan pepper sauce (duo jiao) or Fresh Chili Garlic Sauce (
page 14
), to serve

Pickled Chinese Long Beans (
page 18
), chopped preserved vegetables, or chopped fresh cilantro, to serve

In a medium stockpot, bring the broth, water, soy sauces, oyster sauce, vinegar, ginger, sugar, chili paste, and star anise to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the cilantro and white parts of the scallion; simmer, partially covered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard the star anise. Stir in the green parts of the scallion and the sesame oil. Cover and keep warm over very low heat.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook according to package directions until noodles are just al dente, typically as quickly as 15 seconds to as long as 1 minute, depending on freshness and thickness, stirring once or twice. Drain in a colander and, without rinsing, immediately transfer noodles to the hot broth. Cover, remove from heat, and let steep 5 minutes. Using tongs, place equal portions of the noodles into each of 4 soup bowls. Ladle equal portions of the broth mixture over top. Serve at once, with the garnishes passed separately.

{PER SERVING} (without optional condiments and garnishes) Calories 275 • Protein 12g • Total Fat 2g • Sat Fat 0g • Cholesterol 0mg • Carbohydrate 53g • Dietary Fiber 4g • Sodium 753mg

Instant Ramen Noodle Soup with Vegetables

Ramen noodle soup is endlessly popular in China—small wonder, as the Chinese invented this wonderfully thin and curly noodle. Instant plain dried ramen noodles are available in Asian markets—if necessary, use the packaged flavored variety and omit the seasoning packets.

MAKES 3 TO 4 SERVINGS

4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 cup frozen peas and carrots

3 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce, or to taste

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tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon Chinese hot oil, or to taste

4 ounces instant plain ramen noodles

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tablespoon toasted (dark) sesame oil

In a medium saucepan, bring the broth, water, peas and carrots, white parts of the scallions, soy sauce, ginger, and hot oil to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring to break up the noodles, until noodles are al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the scallion greens and sesame oil. Serve at once.

{PER SERVING} Calories 276 • Protein 22g • Total Fat 5g • Sat Fat 1g • Cholesterol 0mg • Carbohydrate 38g • Dietary Fiber 8g • Sodium 934mg

Spicy Hunan Hot Pot

Ready in just about 15 minutes, this easy one-pot wonder makes the perfect rush-hour supper. Cremini or cultivated white mushrooms can stand in for the shiitake, if desired.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

2 teaspoons peanut oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

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pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2 cups water

3 to 4 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

2 to 3 teaspoons Chinese chili paste, or to taste

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tablespoon toasted (dark) sesame oil

8 ounces dried flat rice noodles (stir-fry or linguine-style)

1 pound firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes

4 cups thinly sliced fresh bok choy greens (tender parts only)

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cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 scallions, mostly green parts, thinly sliced

Prepared Hunan pepper sauce (duo jiao) or Fresh Chili Garlic Sauce (
page 14
), to serve (optional)

In a medium stockpot, heat the peanut oil over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broth, water, soy sauce, sugar, chili paste, and sesame oil; cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and boil until almost cooked al dente, 3 to 4 minutes, pushing them down into the broth and stirring occasionally. Stir in the tofu and bok choy; cover, and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring a few times, until bok choy is wilted and noodles are cooked al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and scallions. Serve warm, with the pepper sauce passed separately, if desired.

{PER SERVING} Calories 275 • Protein 16g • Total Fat 7g • Sat Fat 1g • Cholesterol 0mg • Carbohydrate 41g • Dietary Fiber 4g • Sodium 688mg

Tibetan Lentil Soup

This simple and satisfying lentil soup never fails to lift the spirits.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

1
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tablespoons canola oil

1 medium onion (about 6 ounces), chopped

1 large carrot (about 3 ounces), peeled and chopped

1 fresh red or green chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon whole cumin seed

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2 cups water

1
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cups dried lentils, rinsed and picked over

1 medium boiling potato (about 3 ounces), peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon whole coriander, crushed

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

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teaspoon ground cumin

1
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(14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained (about 3 cups)

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cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon Chinese chili paste

1 tablespoon toasted (dark) sesame oil

In a medium stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, chili pepper, garlic, and cumin seed; cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, water, lentils, potato, coriander, sugar, salt, and ground cumin; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to between low and medium-low and simmer, covered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomatoes with their liquid, half the cilantro, and the chili paste; simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, about 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of cilantro and the sesame oil. Serve warm.

{PER SERVING} Calories 305 • Protein 23g • Total Fat 7g • Sat Fat 1g • Cholesterol 0mg • Carbohydrate 42g • Dietary Fiber 19g • Sodium 969mg

Northern-Style Fresh Noodle Soup with Tofu and Pickled Vegetables

In the north, this soup is made with hand-pulled fresh wheat noodles known as la mian, but any fresh noodle (udon is a good choice) or pasta will work well in this outstanding recipe. Rinsed and drained sauerkraut can replace the pickled Chinese cabbage, if necessary.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

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cup canola oil

2 scallions, white and green parts, coarsely chopped