Kitchen CLOSED for remodeling! Stay tune for a new remodeled kitchen!

Hello all,

I have not been blogging since I have been PACKING for the last 2 months, little by little. Our kitchen will be remodeled COMPLETELY! The project starts today. It will be demolished! The old cabinets will be thrown away, floors will be stripped, and a wall will be added. It is a huge project and I have been dreaming to have a new kitchen since we moved to our house 16.5 years ago.

Well, I have been busy packing. As a gourmet cook who prepare many different kind of dishes from many culture, you can imagine how much spices and ingredients I have. I have a LOT! I also have a lot of small appliances. Most of them have been boxed.

Now, I am cooking in our garage. I have a butane burner, food processor, toaster oven, slow cooker, rice cooker, panini grill, waffle iron, and electric skillet. I will be cooking with those. I don't have an oven so I can't bake cakes, casseroles, or bread.

I will post the pictures of old kitchen and garage kitchen soon!

My Vegan Birthday Celebration at Thuyen Vien

Yesterday was my birthday and I celebrated it at a vegan Vietnamese restaurant, Thuyen Vien(translated to 'meditation park' in English). When DH asked me of which vegan restaurant would I want to go for my birthday(his treat), he was surprised that I selected Thuyen Vien. I didn't select a fancy vegan restaurant with expensive decor, professional looking servers serving food on white gourmet plates, silver utensils, cloth napkin, and fancy wine glasses. I selected a tiny restaurant owned by a simple but very nice Buddhist Vietnamese family. What Thuyen Vien has over other fancy vegan restaurants are FLAVORS. As far as I am concern, flavors won over luxury.

After visiting this restaurant a few times, I got to know the husband and wive owners Si ('see') and Loan (and their daughter). Both work as a team of excellent cooks. They have become our friends after many times we talk about vegan food and cooking. Si always wants to create dishes that have all flavors combined and balanced in one dish: salty, sweet, sour, spicy, and savory. Their food is definitely full of love and umami. Both owners love to please their customers and talk to them. That's just what I like in a restaurant rather than to eat, pay, and go. You really can feel their love in their dishes. For example, they got to know how I like spicy food so they add more spicyness onto my dish (even some dishes that don't need to be spicy). The time I like to come is on week nights instead of their crowded weekends because then I'll have a chance to talk to them. Most of their customers have become their friends. Sometimes Si also like to recommend certain dishes to customers. I think by doing that he is trying to know what they like so he can please them.

The picture above is their famous Garlic Soy Chicken. Si has replaced their soy chicken to be vegan soy chicken after listening to their vegan customers. This dish is their customers' favorite. I can understand why. In 2007, their vegan Phở(traditional Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup) was voted as the Best Phở in the entire Orange County. I am talking about VEGAN Phở with soy beef against all the ones with the real beef in the entire county. That's awesome!

Our favorite appetizer is Fried Tofu with special sauce(in the small bowl) and rau răm (Vietnamese coriander). The fried tofu is not just any ordinary fried tofu. It is crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside(Si has a special technique to make it that way). To eat this, the fried tofu is dipped into the special sauce. Then, put it altogether in your mouth with the fresh lemony coriander leaf. Your tongue will be surprised of the flavors combination. Although we are friends, Si kept the special sauce ingredients as his secrets. Darn! He just said that there is some lime juice in it. Well, yeah, I can taste that. This sauce is soo goood. DH said he can put it on just about everything he wants to eat.

DH loves their sushi. Each sushi is topped with fresh tofu, a slice of radish, and a dot of spicy sauce. The presentation is also very nice and appetizing. There is something crunchy inside the sushi and we were told that it is crispy fried banana flower/blossom (Thai and Vietnamese use it as a cooking ingredients). Don't be surprised, it is good.

This next appetizer is a new item, called Seaweed Xao Lan. Si has been asking me to try this dish since I blogged about Vietnamese Green Mango Salad with black sesame crackers (inspired by this restaurant) last June. I think he also knows I like curry and coconut. This dish reminds me of a seafood curry. The ingredients are seaweed, tofu, king mushrooms, coconut milk, curry paste, and other spices and herbs. It is eaten on top of black sesame rice crackers. People may not like the rice crackers but I do since Indonesians eat this kind of crackers we called Krupuk. It's like American potato chips. Krupuk is great with curry on top rather than by itself. Just like this one, I used the black sesame crackers (vegan krupuk) to scoop each bite of the Seaweed Xao Lan. That's the way to eat it. The cracker may not be that great by itself. He made it a bit more spicy customizing to my taste. I LOVED it and ate the whole plate (DH rather devoured the sushi).

Other than the garlic soy chicken , we also ordered Tofu Thuyen Vien accompanied by brown rice. This special tofu (again, he won't share the secret) was rolled inside a seaweed, steamed, and then sliced and deep fried before it was thrown into the wok as a stir fry (stir fried with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and sprinkled with lots of black pepper). It is then served on a bed of lettuce and sprinkled with chopped Asian celery. I bet the tofu is done sort of like making a veggie fish, I think.

Finally, I'll get the credit for this one: my own birthday cake. I made Vegan Coconut Cloud Cake from More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts by Fran Costigan. I tell you: so far this cookbook has not failed yet. Every thing I made from it turned out delicioso, including this cake.

The recipe of the Coconut Cloud Layer Cake is on page 142 and the Island Coconut Cream Filling and Frosting is on page 145.

I decided to bring the whole cake with us to the restaurant and shared it with all the lucky customers who happened to be there while we were there last night and also to share it with Si and family. It was real yummy. The cake was moist and coconut-ty. I love the toasted coconut sprinkled on the cake.


Si said that I made a good vegan cream for a frosting. Hhmmm...is it my turn not to tell him my secrets? I said to him that it's tofu, the frosting is made of tofu (regular firm tofu), agar, and coconut milk, not margarine or shortening or butter. Well, I guess, if he reads this blog, it's not a secret anymore. The secrets are all in Fran's cookbook.

It was really my happy night. As I was offering cakes to other customers and talking to them about the great dishes this restaurant have, I got invited by a lady customer who is a member of the Magic Castle in Hollywood, CA, a private clubhouse for magicians and artists. She gave me an invitation to come and visit (visitors have to be invited by members). I thought that it was a great birthday gift for me and we'll seek this opportunity very soon.

On top of that, Si took out his harmonica to accompany all others that sang 'Happy Birthday' to me. While we were eating cake and drinking tea, he also serenaded all of us with his harmonica, a beautiful summer song. This is definitely a night to remember. Thanks to all who shared it with me!


Thuyen Vien
11080 Magnolia St (on Katella and Magnolia)
Garden Grove, CA 92842
(714) 638-8189
Closed on Tuesdays

Vegan Coconut Turnover, Barbados style

Carribean Vegan contacted me and asked if I wanted to be her tester of this recipe. Check out her blog! Unfortunately that weekend she contacted me, I was very busy at work and had to work overtime. This weekend I was able to do it. These are yummy turnovers. You know me, I love anything coconutty since I grew up eating coconut anything.

I used 2 kinds of coconut filling just to see the difference. The one on the left side, the filling is finely grated coconut was made of frozen-fresh grated coconut. I bought it in an Indian store near me. The one on the right side, the filling was Baker's sweetened grated coconut mixed with brown sugar. We prefer the freshly grated coconut, of course, but for a short cut and depends on availability the Baker's coconut should work, too. Below is my picture of the turnovers just came out of the oven.

These turnovers are great served with tea or coffee. It's definitely a delicious snack. I can't wait for her cookbook.

Smoked Tofu and Mango Summer/Salad Rolls

My first encounter with the recipe of this yummy Vietnamese-style Summer/Salad Rolls or goi cuon (not the fried ones called cha gio which is also called spring rolls) was at Bryanna's Vegan Cooking Class in 2004. I fell in love with it. The way she combined the flavors of ripe mango, marinated-and-baked tofu, carrots, basil leaves, cucumber, lettuce, vermicelli noodles, and peanut sauce is BRILLIANT! For the last 5 years, I lost count how many times I made this dish. I brought the summer/salad rolls to potlucks too. Every time it never fails to be the first dish gobbled up by my non-vegan or vegan friends attending the potlucks.

Recently, I went to a poolside vegan potluck hosted by Orange County Veggie Meetup group and brought these rolls. Again, they were gone in a matter of minutes. I decided to blog it and share my version with the world.

Like any recipe, especially the one that I use many times, this recipe went through many iterations of changes. Every time I made it, I may use slightly different ingredients. Thus it is not really the same as the original recipe. I invite you to be creative also and use ingredients that you like. However, I think the combination of the baked or smoked tofu and ripe mango is a 'must have'.

I sometimes use a store-bought-baked-and-marinated tofu for a short cut. There are a few vegan baked tofu brands with Thai or Teriyaki flavors (those are the best for these rolls) that are ready to eat. This is just perfect if you don't mind the cost and that you'll like to save time. You can also buy store-bought Teriyaki sauce to use for the marinade and then bake the tofu at home. I have done these before too when I am lazy or really busy. I usually make my own marinade, add liquid smoke to it, and bake the tofu. Don't be nervous about using liquid smoke! It is natural and vegan. You can read this blog about it. Apparently, liquid smoke is just smoke and water but adding a few drops of this liquid to your tofu marinade will make your tofu so flavorful and smoky. I provide my version of smoked-marinated-baked tofu below.

About the rice paper or banh trang, for those who are not familiar with Vietnamese rice paper, I recommend this blog about selecting rice paper. I prefer the Red Rose brand but I have also used the Three Ladies brand. For beginners, I definitely recommend these brands. Here is a blog about How to Make Rice Paper. I believe that's the traditional way. The ones that are sold in stores are probably industrialized with machines in factories. Here is also a blog for a Step by step how to roll these spring/summer/salad rolls or goi cuon (not a vegetarian recipe). I also provide the step by step pictures below. I hope with these you'll have an idea how it is done.

Vegan Smoked Tofu and Mango Summer/SaladRolls
Serve 16

Summer/Salad Rolls Ingredients:
16 Vietnamese rice papers
2 large ripe mango, peeled and cut in 4" by 1/2" thick
1 medium head of green lettuce, shredded thinly
1 English cucumber, cut in 4" by 1/2 " thick
2 cups julienne cut peeled carrots marinated with:
2 Tbsp. vinegar, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp vegan sugar
1 lb baked-and-marinated tofu or smoked tofu, cut in 4" by 1/2" thick
1 cup basil leaves, separate leaves from stems
Note: I like to use the Thai Basil type but I have used the Italian Sweet Basil too. Whatever is available in your area will be fine.
Optional: 2-3 cups cooked rice vermicelli or thin soba noodles

Clockwise from upper left hand corner: ripe mango, cucumbers, basil leaves, julienned-and-marinated carrots, smoked-baked tofu, and shredded green lettuce.

Peanut Dipping Sauce Ingredients:
1/3 cup hot water
4 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp agave nectar
2 Tbsp vinegar or fresh lime juice
1 Tsp sesame oil
1 Tsp Chinese Chili Garlic Sauce or Sriracha
2 Tbsp chopped green onion

1. Marinade the julienne cut peeled carrots with the vinegar, sugar, and salt. Combine and set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The carrots will be limp and seasoned or pickled. Then drain them thoroughly (you can do this 1 day ahead if you like).
   
   
2. To make the peanut dipping sauce, combine hot water and peanut butter until it is well mixed and the peanut butter is melted and thinner. Then, add the rest of the peanut dipping sauce ingredients, set aside (you can to this 1 day ahead if you like).
   
   
3. Prepare a large bowl of warm water (about 120F), a damp and clean kitchen towel(wet a clean kitchen towel and squeezed the water out), a large plate or cutting board. Set all the ingredients of the Summer/Salad rolls around you so that it is within reach. BTW, I learned this method at Bryanna's vegan cooking school in 2004.
   
   

4. Dip a rice paper in the bowl of warm water and circle it around to make sure it is all wet and covered with water.
   
   

5. Quickly put the rice paper on the damp kitchen towel. Let the water soaks through the paper. I usually count about 30 seconds before I put the ingredients on it and start rolling.
   
   

6. Pile the ingredients on the wet rice paper. At this time the paper will be limp and pliable but it should not tear. If you wait too long the rice paper will be too soft and easily torn. You'll have to work QUICKLY.
   
   
7. Start rolling like making burrito. I like to put the basil leave on the outside layer of the roll to make it prettier. I usually put the leave right side down. You can put 1 leave or 2 to 3 leaves in a row. You'll see the result later. It's nice!
   
   

8. Then, continue wrapping it like burrito. Again, work QUICKLY!
   
   

9. Roll and tada! Here is the final result and you'll see the leave behind the transparent rice paper. It's an art!
   

10. Repeat steps 4 to 9, 15 times. It looks hard but with practice it will become easier and easier each time. If the rice paper is torn or stuck together, you can throw it away and start all over again. It's cheap, you know. Believe me, I have done that and been there before but I am persistent and determined to tackle this skill. I had practiced many times and ate many smoked tofu and mango goi cuons which is not too bad of an experience. DH loves it too that I practiced a lot.
    
    
11. Then, you can eat the roll whole with the peanut dipping sauce or cut it in a diagonal like the picture below.
    
    

If you are allergic to peanut, I have a peanut-free dipping sauce for it. Check out the salad dressing in my blog titled Vietnamese Green Mango Salad. This dressing is great for a dipping sauce for this salad roll.

Regarding the smoked-baked-marinated tofu, you may want to check on Bryanna's blog regarding A Nifty Gadget for Pressing Tofu. This kind of tofu is great for this recipe. I don't have this nifty gadget myself but I usually buy an extra firm tofu. Bryanna suggesteds 2 parts soy sauce, 1 part maple syrup, and a little sesame oil for the marinade. I added 1 part of water, 1 tsp liquid smoke, 1 tsp garlic powder, and 1 tsp onion powder for the smoked tofu marinade sauce. Make sure that all the tofu slices are covered in the marinade sauce and let them submerged in the marinade for at least 4 hours. Then, you can bake them in a 400F oven for 15-20 minutes or pan fry them in a skillet. Basically, you can create your own version of the marinade sauce.

These rolls are to be eaten within a day (we have no problems with that). They are not good to be refrigerated and eaten the next day(have done that, too).

Enjoy these summer rolls(goi cuons) this summer!

Grilled Vegan Caesar Salad

What??? Yes, you read it right! This vegan Caesar salad contains grilled Romaine lettuce. I learned this from a Create PBS TV show featuring Steven Raichlen, Primal Grill with Steven Raichlen. So, why would a person who doesn't eat meat watch a bbq show? Beats me! I just like to watch cooking show, I guess. I thought that it is summer bbqueing time again so why not? Our weather is perfect for grilling right now. I was rewarded by watching him making grilled Caesar salad. I thought what an odd dish! My first response was I GOT TO TRY IT! before I judge it no good.

So I did and I was surprised that I LIKE IT! I like it that I made it twice. Something about the smokey grilled romaine lettuce and baguette added savory flavor to the salad. I also veganized the recipe. I followed his method of grilling the Romaine lettuce and oiled baguette. Then, I used vegan Caesar salad dressing(which has no anchovies in it) and soy Parmesan. It is very simple if you buy your favorite vegan salad dressing and vegan soy Parmesan. You can also make your own vegan Caesar salad dressing and vegan soy Parmesan. I also added vegan soy chicken strips. You can buy your favorite soy chicken and mine is Morningstar Chik'n Strips, however, it is optional.


Grilled Vegan Caesar Salad
Serves 6

3-4 heads of Romaine lettuce, slice in halves from the roots (see picture above)
1/2 of a long French baguette, cut diagonally, 1/2-inch thick
1 or 2 fresh garlic cloves, halves
2-3 tablespoon olive oil or garlic infused olive oil.
1 pkg. vegan soy strips, optional
store bought vegan Caesar salad dressing, I like Follow Your Heart
vegan soy Parmesan, homemade or store bought
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt to taste

Optional: 2 cups wood chips soaked in water for 1 hour

Grill with hot coals

1. Clean lettuce by soaking them in water to remove the sands and grimes. Drain and let them dry.
2. Prepare hot coals ( I use real wood briquettes charcoal). Add wet wood chips on the hot coal. It will start to smoke. It is optional to use the smoking wood chips.
3. Grill romaine lettuce on hot coal. Close the lid to smoke them.
   
   
   
4. Meanwhile, brush each side of the sliced baguette with raw garlic to add flavor.
   
   
5. Then, brush each side of the sliced bread with olive oil. Or you can buy garlic infused olive oil and skip the step above. I bought the garlic oil below at Trader Joe's.
   
   
6. Don't forget to check on the romaine lettuce. It should not be grilled too long till they are crispy. The picture below shows how I like it. Some of the leaves are not wilted and some are. Take them out of the grill and slice them with a knife into bite pieces and remove the core.
   
   
7. Add the soy chicken and oiled sliced baguette on to the grill. Add a drizzle of oil on the soy chicken so it won't stick to the grill. I used a grill pan so they won't fall off into the coals. Watch the bread closely since it will brown quickly.
   
   
8. Slice soy chicken in bite pieces. Serve them on top of the grilled lettuce with drizzles of vegan Caesar salad dressing, freshly ground black pepper, a sprinkle of sea salt, and soy Parmesan. Serve with the grilled bread on the side or cut the bread into bite pieces and mix them in the salad (my preference).

Enjoy!

P.S.:
Caesar salad was invented in Tijuana (not far from where I live) by Chef Alex Cardini (not Caesar). You can read the history of Caesar salad here.

More Vegan Vietnamese Dishes

I am cooking lots of vegan Vietnamese dishes lately. Above is a picture of Vietname BBQ Noodle/Vermicelli salad. Vegan Vietnamese restaurants serve this cold noodle salad. In my area there are 6 vegetarian Vietnamese restaurants(3 are vegans): Thuyen Vien, Au Lac, Zen Vegetarian, Bodhi Tree, Bo De, and Van Hanh. I visited them often and can get ideas on how to make Vietnamese dishes. My favorite is Thuyen Vien and that's why it is listed first. I seldom go to Bo De and Van Hanh because they are my least favorites. The restaurants usually call this dish BBQ Vermicelli. This dish is a perfect meal for a hot weather since it is served in a room temperature. My recipe was posted on my other inactive blog, click here.

The ingredients that I use this time are (clockwise from top left): jicama, cucumber, carrots, Vietnamese Coriander or rau ram, bean sprouts, fresh mints, and green lettuce. All of them were sliced in thick julienne form.


This time I used buckwheat soba noodle instead of the white rice noodle or vermicelli. It is not traditional but I think soba noodle is more filling and it is more nutritious.



I also modified my salad dressing with coconut juice without added sugar. This one is my favorite brand. To see recipe of the salad dressing please my previous Vietnamese Green Mango Salad blog and scroll down to the recipe.

I have been also drinking a lot of natural coconut juice lately and bought the Amy & Brian brand. It is quite delicious when it is chilled. I have been using coconut juice for cooking lately, a new discovery. This one below is Tofu Stew with Coconut Juice from Vietnamese Fusion Vegetarian Cuisine cookbook by Chat MingKwan.


The ingredients in this stew are probably not familiar to some of you. They are lotus root, jicama, lemon grass, and coconut juice. I substituted the water chestnuts with jicama since I didn't have any water chestnuts. I also added green beans to it since I had some. It is quite delicious served with a bowl of steamed sweet rice.

Vietnamese Green Mango Salad

Recently, I have been craving Vietnamese Vegan dishes. I was inspired by my visit to a local Vietnamese Vegan/Vegetarian restaurant, Thuyen Vien, to prepare this dish. If you are in SoCal area, I really recommend this restaurant. Their dishes are authentic and the owner is very friendly and accommodating. It is a mom and pop, not a fancy vegan restaurant, but the food is out of the world!

After having a super delicious green mango salad in Thuyen Vien, I vowed to replicate it at home. It is not hard to find green mango in my area. I usually pick mangoes that are still firm and green in Asian or Indian markets nearby. If you cannot find green mangoes, you can use green apple such as Granny Smith. I even use 1 green apple in this recipe to add a crunchy texture.

It is also not that hard for me to find the fresh herbs used in Vietnamese cooking. I live near the so called Little Saigon of Orange County, California. The essential ingredient for this salad is a fresh herb called Vietnamese Coriander, the Vietnamese name is rau răm. I went on a special trip to a Vietnamese market just to get it. It is not available in the usual natural food markets I frequently shop at. If this is not available in your area, you can use fresh lemon verbena. Whatever you use for a substitution, choose a fresh herb that has lemony flavor and smell. I took a good picture of it so you can see how it looks like if you are able to find a Vietnamese market near you (you know that language barrier can be a problem shopping in such a market). Probably, you can also ask your local Vietnamese restaurant if they know where to buy it.

The ingredients of the salad are as follows (from left hand corner, clockwise): green mango, firm cucumber (English cucumber), carrots, jicama, green apple, chopped herbs (Vietnamese coriander and fresh mint leaves).

As you can see that the green mango is light yellowish and not white. During my growing up years, I was able to pick green mango from my own tree in the yard before it turned light yellow (a bit too ripe). However, for the purpose for this salad, since the mango was still firm, it was good enough.

The ingredients were all cut in julienne manner or match sticks. This is a chore. I used a food processor but then found out that it was not a good idea since this tool tends to make the ingredients juicy. I will investigate of a good mandolin that can perform julienne cut fruit and vegetable the way I want it. A julienne peeler did not do a good job since it cut too small. Don't worry since all the effort to cut all the vegetable and fruit is well worth it. This salad is so refreshing, spicy, light, healthy, and very low fat.

Another unique ingredient is young coconut juice. It is the water/juice and not milk, ok? If you can find a young coconut and get the juice out of it, that's great (recently we have lots of young coconuts in nearby Asian and natural food markets). Otherwise, I recommend the one in a can without added sugar and no pulp. I am using it in the veganized salad dressing (originally, this salad has fish sauce in its dressing).

Vietnamese Green Mango Salad
Serve 4-6

Ingredients:
2 cups green mango, julienne cut (about 2 small green mango)
1 cup English cucumber, julienne cut
2 cups carrots, julienne cut
2 cups jicama, julienne cut (1 small jicama)
1 to 2 Granny Smith apple, julienne cut (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup Vietnamese Coriander, measure then chop
1/2 cup fresh mint, measure then chop

Garnish:
Cilantro
2 tablespoons fried shallot, omit for lower fat
3 tablespoons chopped unsalted peanuts, omit for lower fat
Sriracha hot sauce
Rice chips or crackers

Salad Dressing:
1/4 cup light soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Amino
Note: refer to my blog about soy sauce I use
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 to 1/3 cup young coconut juice or vegetarian broth (room temperature)
1-2 tablespoons agave syrup
1-3 Thai chili or 1/2 jalapeno, chop finely (reduce amount for less spicy)
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

Preparation:

1. Combine all salad ingredients in a salad bowl or a large salad plate.
   
2. Combine all the salad dressing ingredients. Adjust the lime juice and agave syrup so this dressing is a sweet, sour, and spicy. Add enough young coconut juice to make it about 1 cup. Make sure the dressing is mixed thoroughly.
   
3. Just before ready to serve, pour the dressing over the salad and combine well.
4. Add garnish on top of salad, serve immediately in a room temperature with rice crackers, papadum, and drizzle with Sriracha hot chili sauce, if desired.

While shopping in Vietnamese markets, I discovered Vietnamese rice crackers that is usually served with this kind of salad. The Vietnamese name is Bánh da .



It is made of rice flour, tapioca starch, salt, water, black sesame seetd, and peanut. In this case, it was covered with black sesame seeds. It is crispy like a large cracker about 12-inches diameter and is broken into pieces when it is served with the salad. A closer look:


I thought that this rice cracker is quite delicious with the salad or even just for snacking by itself. It reminds me of Indian papadums. I guess every culture has chips as snacks and this one is a great Vietnamese snacks. Here is how this salad is served: rice cracker on the bottom, top with salad, and drizzle with Sriracha hot sauce. I made sure that every bite has all 3.


This is our favorite salad. It can be a light meal by itself for a hot summer. I cannot describe how good is the combination of sour green mango and green apple, sweet carrots, crispy jicama and cucumber, spicy sweet and sour dressing, refreshing herbs, and crackling rice chips all together. It was a party in our mouth!