Vegan Dishes From Around The Globe - I often remember the cooking by my Japanese aunt, whom I lived with for a few years in Japan. On a regular basis, she would cook vegetarian meals for us. Buddhist vegetarian cooking is very popular in East Asia as some believe that by not consuming animals, it helps to clear our mind and to find peace in the body and soul. This week’s cooking theme reminds me of my aunt, I am dedicating this post in memory of her.
My aunt’s dishes were always elegant and sophisticated. And, I think her dishes truly reflect her personalities. I remember till this day how she cooked meals that offer multiple colours as well as flavours. Come think about it, this balance in colour and flavour really shaped the way I look at food or even life! Our dinner used to always consist of a soup, a bowl of rice and three other dishes.
For this set dinner, I made the following dishes:
- Gyoza (purple cabbage dumplings)
- Okonomiyaki (green cabbage pancake)
- Shiroae (sesame paste tofu and veggie salad)
- Simple miso soup
Gyoza
- Ingredients - A quarter of one Purple Cabbage, 2 Green Onion, 1 tbsp Potato Starch, 1/2 tbsp Vegan Oyster Sauce, 1/2 tsp Salt, 1 tbsp Ginger, Pepper, Gyoza wrappers, 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- Methods - For the filling, steamed purple cabbage until soft, chop and squeeze out liquid. Add chopped green onion and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Place a spoonful of filling on gyoza wrappers. Put water along the edge. Fold into semi circle and seal. Heat sesame oil and brown the bottom of gyoza. Add water and turn the heat down. Cover until liquid disappears.
Okonomiyaki
- Ingredients - A quarter of one large Green Cabbage (shredded), 3 Green Onion, 1 tsp Thyme, 1/2 cup Cake Flour, Water, Salt and Pepper
- Methods - Fry cabbage with green onion and thyme until soft. Mix cake flour with water and form a pancake-like mixture. Mix cabbage with flour mixture and pan fry until golden (I added some vegan meat).
Shiroae
- Ingredients - One block of Soft Tofu, Red Pepper, Spinach, Japanese Mushrooms, Sesame Paste, Salt and Pepper
- Methods - Boil tofu and mushroom, drain and place in bowl. Fry red pepper with spinach. Mix all together and cool. Then add sesame paste, salt and pepper.
Simple Miso Soup
- Ingredients - 6 cups Water, 1/4 cup Chopped Green Onion, 3/4 cup Firm Tofu, 4 Tbsp White Miso Paste, Nori Salt
- Methods - Boil water. Mix 4 tbsp of miso with hot water, add to boiled water and simmer. Add remaining ingredients and cook for another 5 minutes.
