Vegan Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Crêpe Lettuce Wrap)

Warning:  This is a looong blog and recipe.  This is  because I provided several options (including a gluten-free option) so  readers can pick and choose what to use and which to follow.  Don't be afraid!  The recipe is actually pretty simple.  If you watch the video and try it, with a bit of practice making the crêpe, it is actually not that hard.  I make this dish all the time and it is delicious!

Bánh Xèo, pronounced 'bun say-o', translated to 'sizzling cake', is a unique southern-style Vietnamese Crêpe dish.   I call it Vietnamese Crêpe Lettuce Wrap (say that a few times as a tongue twister).   It is a lettuce wrap because of the way it is eaten, wrapped in lettuce with fresh herbs and vegetables and then dunked into a sauce.  It is so DELICIOUS and SAVORY that you want it again and again.  I decided to veganize it based on conversations I had recently with my out-of-state vegetarian friend, Yongkie, whom just ordered this dish for the first time in a Vietnamese vegetarian restaurant and was excited to learn to make it at home.

Yongkie and I both agreed that this is a dish that is so MESSY to eat.  Just like eating tacos, you will need to learn how to eat it without getting your hands all sticky and nasty with food juices.  It is a dish that we all feel more comfortable to eat at home in front of your family members.   Definitely, I would not recommend  this dish if you are on a date in a restaurant. :-)

Although I have made this dish at home several times, I learned that it is hard to describe how to make it to a person who lives out-of-state.  I searched for several youtube videos and sent them to describe the process of making bánh xèo, traditionally.  The recipes in the videos are not vegetarian nor vegan but what is important is to learn the techniques in preparing the batter, cooking the filling,  timing and cooking the crêpe, and eating it (wrapping in a lettuce and dunking it into the sauce).  Therefore, if you replace the filling and the fish sauce ingredients with what I suggested in my recipe, you will be able to prepare a vegan bánh xèo at home.

This youtube video by yummies4dummies is the one I really like.  Tina Pham is also so funny and energetic (the slo-mo near the end cracks me up).  Check out this Bánh Xèo video from yummies4dummies.  Her recipe and techniques are right on.  Yongkie told me that he watched it twice before he made it.  After replacing the filling and sauce ingredients with vegetarian ingredients,  the technique worked for him.  He said that it will be easier to make it next time after his first attempt.  My only critique of the video is that I thought Tina poured too much batter into her frying pan.  I think  less batter is better for a thinner crêpe which then becomes crispier.  The video plays about 9 minutes but you have to see it till the end when she showed us how to eat bánh xèo and you'll know what I mean by MESSY.

The batter Tina and Yongkie used was made from a pre-mixed flour you can buy at a Vietnamese market.  It is called Bánh Xèo flour.  This is one example:

It usually has the picture of the crêpe in front of it so it is not that hard to find.  I suggested to Yongkie to make it with a pre-mixed flour because it is the easiest for the first timer.  However, the pre-mixed flour usually contains 'all white' flour.  Like all food that is made using white flour only, it raises your blood sugar high and then drop it quickly.  One becomes hungry again too quickly.  The ingredients listed on the bag is rice flour, cornstarch, turmeric, and tapioca.  Another brand I found in the market has some wheat flour in it  (not whole wheat).  If you are trying to avoid gluten, you'll have to read the ingredients carefully.

If you are trying to avoid WHITE flour, I suggest another option, a healthier option:  Bryanna Clark Grogan's Sizzling Saigon Crepe batter from her latest cookbook World Vegan Feast published by Vegan Heritage Press on August 8, 2011.  

You can buy this wonderful cookbook from Amazon.com  I own one and use it often.  In fact, I was her Vegan Feast subscriber and tried so many of her vegan recipes including this one.  The good news for gluten-free vegan folks, Bryanna's batter is GLUTEN-FREE.  Bryanna let me blog her batter recipe which contains soaked split mung beans and brown rice flour.  There are extra steps to do but by using this batter, you'll feel that there is an extra 'uumph' after you eat it because it is more filling and nutritious.  

The dipping sauce traditionally is made with fish sauce. I veganized it by using Vegetarian 'Fish' sauce or Soy Sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos which both fermented naturally and salty.    I also listed 3 different dipping sauce recipes and you can choose what you would like to use.  I prefer a dipping sauce that has a lot of fresh lime juice, a bit sweet, and spicy (hot).  Yongkie likes it on the sweet taste with a small amount of lime juice or vinegar and not spicy at all.  Bryanna's sauce is also great and not as  spicy.

Vegan Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Crêpe Lettuce Wrap)
Serve 4-6 (or 4-6 crêpes)   Choose Batter No. 1 or 2 and Dipping Sauce no. 1, 2, or 3.

Vegetable oil
Natural oil spray in a can
8-inches or 10-inches non-stick frying pan

Batter No. 1(adapted from Tina Pham, using pre-mixed flour):
12 oz Bánh Xèo flour  (1 package)
 Note: if there is no salt and sugar in the ingredients list, add 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. sugar for extra flavors
1/2 tsp. Tumeric
1 tsp. Vietnamese curry powder, optional
 Note: Vietnamese curry powder can be bought in a Vietnamese market, it looks like this:

14 oz. Coconut milk or light coconut milk
3 cups water
1/2 cup chopped green onions

OR

Batter No.2(adapted from Bryanna Clark Grogan's Sizzling Saigon Crepe), gluten-free:
3/4 cup moong dal (split and skinned mung beans)

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
2 cups coconut milk or light coconut milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. Vietnamese curry powder, optional  (see description and picture in batter no. 1)
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Filling:
2 cups vegan smoked ham or vegan shrimp or  baked tofu or regular firm tofu, sliced
Note:  my favorite is the vegan smoked ham because of it's smoky flavor
2 cups onions, sliced
2 cups cremini mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms or brown enoki mushrooms, sliced
2 cups red bell pepper, sliced
2 cups bean sprouts
3 Tbsp. minced garlic
salt and black pepper

Dipping Sauce No. 1, on the mild and sweet side, Yongkie's recipe:
1/2 cup vegetarian soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 cup shredded carrots

Dipping Sauce No. 2, sweet and sour, Bryanna's recipe:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp (or more to taste) Vietnamese chili sauce
1/4 cup vegetarian soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 small carrot, finely-grated

Dipping sauce no.3, sweet, sour, and spicy, my recipe:
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (from 3-4 limes)
1/3 cup vegetarian soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 fresh serrano chili or Thai chili, minced
Note: for less hot, use 1/2 of a chili

Fresh Vegetables:
1 head red leaf or green leaf lettuce
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 bunch fresh mint
1 English cucumber, french cut slices
1 1/2 cup carrots, peeled and shredded  mixed with 3 Tbsp. rice vinegar, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 2 tsp. salt
Note: You can make the pickled carrots 1 hour ahead a day ahead, set it in a room temperature, then drained before serving.

Step 1, making the batter
To make the batter with pre-mix bag of flour (batter no. 1), just mix them all together in a bowl (like in the video).
To make batter no. 2:  Cover the moong dal with water to cover and soak for 30 minutes.  Drain them and place in the blender with the remaining batter ingredients.  Blend until VERY smooth.  Set aside (in the blender container) in the refrigerator until time to cook.

Step 2, making the sauce:
Choose  dipping sauce no. 1, 2, or 3 recipe.  Combine all ingredients together in a bowl, stir to mix well.

Step 3, preparing the vegetables:
Arrange the vegetables in a large platter like this:

Step 4, making the crêpes(see video for the demo), for each crêpe:

Sauteing the filling

Adding bean sprouts

1. Heat non-stick frying pan in a medium heat, put 2 tsp. vegetable oil.
2. Grab about 2-3 tbsp. sliced onions and 1/2 tsp minced garlic.  Throw them into the heated pan, saute.
3. Add 2 tbsp each sliced mushrooms, red bell pepper slices, and the protein slices (whether it is veggie ham, tofu, or veggie shrimp).
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and continue pan frying until a bit brown.  Spread the filling in a single layer in the frying pan.
5. Pour 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup batter and swirl around the pan until the batter is spread thinly covering the filling ingredients.
6. Immediately cover with a lid tightly and set timer to 4-5 minutes.
7. Remove lid,  add 1/4 bean sprouts in half of the crêpe.  Cover tightly again and set timer for 2 minutes.
8. Flip crêpe, the half without the bean sprouts, over the bean sprouts.  Slide it out to a serving plate and serve immediately.  The crêpe  should be eaten immediately.
   Note: Since there are only 2 of us at home, I usually store the batter in the fridge for the next meal.  It works well and is better than eating the leftover crêpe the next day.

Think about the possibility of a Bánh Xèo party with your friends.  With portable butane gas stoves and non-stick frying pans, each guest can take turn making his or her own crêpe and learn something new.

Vegan Pomelo/Grapefruit Salad (Happy Lunar New Year!)

Happy Lunar New Year!  The Year of the Dragon!  This weekend, if you are roaming around China town, Vietnamese town, Thai town, etc. you will see a lot of Pomelos, Kumquats, Oranges, and Tangerines.    When I start seeing pomelos in Asian markets, I know that it is close to Tết (lunar new year).  Then, I start thinking about making pomelo salad.  If there is no pomelo in your area, you can use grapefruit instead.  Pomelo is larger than grapefruit, can weight from 2-4 lbs, but it is not as tart as grapefruit.  The fruit looks like this:

It is huge and has a very thick skin, about 1/2 to 1 inch thick.  Here are  videos I found in youtube:  How to Cut, Peel, and Eat Pomelo (including the horror movie music background) and Peeling the Pomelo. For this salad, I shredded the pomelo sections/pulps after they are peeled (the white skin part was removed).  The inside of my pomelo was white instead of pink such as it was in the videos.

Now, why should I make a salad dish in winter time?  This should be a summer dish, right?  We should all be eating soups, right?   The reason is that citrus is in season now and it contains a lot of vitamin C, such as the pomelo above.  It is time to eat CITRUS so we can fight colds that are common during winter.  I also have a lot of fresh limes from my tree.  I will need fresh limes for my pomelo salad. Pomelo and lime contain a double dose of vitamin C.  This diet works since I am proud to say that I haven't had any cold in more than 1 year now.  Actually, I don't remember the last time I had any cold.

The ingredients of pomelo salad are:

From top left, clockwise: shredded pomelo(in blue bowl), carrots, cucumber, aburaage, mint leaves, cilantro leave, beansprouts.

Vegan Pomelo/Grapefruit Salad
Serve 4-6

2-3 cups shredded pomelo or grapefruit  (it depends on the size of the pomelo, it can be from 1 to 2 pomelos after it is cut and peeled)
2 cups carrots, cut into matchsticks
2 cups cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1 cup  aburaage or firm tofu, cut into matchsticks
   Note:  I used seasoned aburaage (one for inari) but you can use unseasoned aburaage or shredded fried tofu
2 cups beansprouts
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts, 1-2 tablespoons more for the toppings
1/4 cup fried shallots, optional
  Note:  Below is the picture of fried shallots I bought at an Asian market.  It is crunchy and savory.  If you can't find it, you  can substitute with French's French Fried Onions but fried shallots are the preference.

Salad dressing:
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (from 3-4 limes)
1/3 cup vegetarian soy sauce or light soy sauce
1/4 to 1/3 cup agave nectar, depending how sweet you like it
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 minced serrano chili or Thai chili
  Note :  for less spicy, use 1/2 chili

1. Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl.  Don't mix the dressing until about ready to serve. Note: I often store the combined salad ingredients in the fridge without the dressing and add the dressing before serving.
2. Combine the salad dressing in a separate bowl, mix well.
3. Pour salad dressing slowly into the salad and toss well.  Add chopped peanuts on top.  Serve.

This salad is very refreshing.  It is sour, sweet, peanuty,  minty, limey, and oniony.  I just love it.  It is also light.  There is no oil in the dressing so if you are cutting oil after all those meals during the holidays, you will appreciate this salad (use plain firm tofu instead of aburage and omit the fried shallots).

Vegan Caterpillar Roll

Vegan Caterpillar Sushi Roll

This blog was inspired by my recent visit to San Diego.  I searched for a vegetarian restaurant in the area using the Internet and was directed to Sipz Fusion Vegetarian Restaurant.  After reading a few reviews, I was interested to try their variety of vegan sushi.  I haven't had sushi for a while and was excited to try several kinds of vegan sushi from this restaurant.

Unfortunately, when we arrived to the restaurant during lunch time, we were told that they didn't serve vegan sushi until after 5 pm.  Bummer! What a disappointment!  We had to go home that day and won't be back to Sipz that night.  Apparently, the sushi chef is a different chef from the restaurant's.  He rented a space in the corner of the vegetarian restaurant to make sushi every night.  Oh well!  We ordered other dishes and had delicious and yummy food.  Don't take me wrong, Sipz is a really good restaurant and it was crowded, too.  We'll be back some day for the vegan sushi.  We consumed other lunch dishes that day instead.

Hence, I still didn't have any sushi.  So I decided to take their sushi menu home.  It says on the menu that their Caterpillar Roll is "Everybody's favorite!":   I decided to create my own Caterpillar Roll at home and got the idea from the menu which says:  Inside - teriyaki flavored shitake mushroom, yam, cucumber.  Outside - avocado, sesame, teriyaki sauce.

I also want to take this opportunity to introduce a different kind of rice for sushi rice.  In the past, I blogged about making sushi here and here.  I was using short grain brown rice and quinoa.  However, DH thinks that he still likes sushi better with white short grain sushi rice than brown short grain brown rice.   Since I am trying to avoid white short grain rice, I came up with the idea of using semi brown short grain rice.  The Japanese successfully created a healthier  semi brown short grain  rice called Haiga.   Haiga rice is neither white or brown, it is in between or so called semi brown.  The rice bran was meticulously removed and the nutritious rice germ was left intact. It is perfect for a healthy sushi rice.

Vegan Caterpillar Roll
Makes 2 large rolls

Printable Recipe


Teriyaki Sauce:
You can always purchase a store-bought teriyaki sauce.  Below is what I came up with.
1/3 cup Kombu dashi (recipe below) or vegetable broth
1/3 cup Japanese soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Dark Mushroom Soy Sauce
1/3 cup Aji Mirin or other kind of mirin
2 Tbsp Agave Nectar
1 tsp. Toasted Sesame Oil
2 tsp.  Cornstarch

Direction: 

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small pot.  Stir to combine thoroughly.
2. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat to low and simmer for 6 minutes.
3. The mixture will thicken slightly.  Let it cool.

Kombu Dashi:
You can always use vegetable broth.  However, I found that adding kombu and dried shitake mushrooms will add a lot of umami.

6-8 cups water
1 large piece of kombu
8-10 dried shitake mushroom
Direction:

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium pot.
2. Bring to a boil, turn heat to low, let it simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Take out kombu and shitake mushrooms  (remove the stems and use the mushrooms for other cooking such as this roll).

Haiga Sushi Rice:
1 1/4 cups Haiga Rice
1 1/2  water
3-4 Tbsp. Organic Seasoned Rice Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Aji Mirin or other kind of mirin
3/4 Tbsp. Agave Nectar
1/2 tsp. salt

Direction:

1. Rinse haiga rice, drain.  Combine rice and water in a medium sauce pan and let it soak for 30 minutes.
2. Cover tightly and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 30-40 minutes until water is absorbed.  Remove from heat.  Note: you can also cook this rice in a rice cooker with 'semibrown' setting.
3. Dump the rice into a wide shallow bowl. Combine rice vinegar, mirin, agave nectar, and salt in a small bowl.  With a wide spatula or a rice paddle, slice into rice at a 45 degrees angle while pouring the rice vinegar mixture.  Continue to combine and slice rice clumps until all the rice vinegar mixture is combined with the rice.  
4. Use a magazine or a paper fan, fan the rice to cool while stirring for about 5-8 minutes.  This method will combine the flavor and give the sushi rice a nice gloss.
5. Cover with a damp kitchen towel while preparing other ingredients.

Caterpillar roll ingredients: Avocado, cooked shitake mushrooms, teriyaki sauce, cucumber, yam

Ingredients (Caterpillar Roll):
1 large ripe Avocado
4-6 cooked shitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced lengthwise
1/2 yam (Jewel or Garnett yam)
Haiga sushi rice, recipe above
2 -3 Toasted nori for sushi
Toasted sesame seeds
Teriyaki sauce
Sriracha hot sauce
Direction:

1. Steam yam in a food steamer for 20 minutes. Check for firmness while steaming as each yam is  different in sizes.  Don't let it be too mushy.  It needs to be cooked but still firm.  Let it cool, peel, and slice lengthwise similar to the cucumbers.
2. Add 1-2 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce to sliced mushrooms.  Set it aside.
3. Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, peel and slice the avocado horizontally as pictured below. I learned from this youtube video on how to arrange the avocado on top of the roll.

Rolling the Caterpillar:
I use a bamboo sushi rolling mat that I bought from a Japanese market.  I covered it in a plastic bag so the rice won't stick to it.  I will explain the process below.  However, you can watch this youtube video showing the process of rolling a caterpillar sushi.  It is actually quite fun making this roll.

Put sushi rice with wet hand on bamboo sushi mat.  Spread and pat it down.

Add nori on top and arrange the filling (yam, cucumber, teriyaki flavored shitake mushrooms) on the bottom half.

Roll with the bamboo mat tightly until a firm roll is achieved (see youtube for a demo).

Add avocado slices in the same direction and rolled into the rice roll.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cut in pieces with a sharp clean damp knife.

Arrange on a plate and drizzle with teriyaki and sriracha hot sauce.

Sliced caterpillar roll on its side.

If it seems that it is hard to make this dish, it is actually not if you use short cuts by buying a store-bought teriyaki sauce and avoiding to make the kombu dashi. This dish is quite easy to make once you got the hang of rolling sushi and it is quite delicious and filling.

Vegan Adas Polow

Traditionally, Adas Polow is a Persian dish of cooked basmati rice with lentils, ground lamb or beef, currants, dates, onions, and spices.   However, I've been to several Persian restaurants that served this dish vegetarian style, i.e. without the ground meat.  It is so delicious and satisfying.  DH loves this dish very much.  I perused the Internet to study how to make this dish.  I opted to use my fancy smanzy rice cooker to cook the rice instead of the boiling method that used by Persians. 

The cooked basmati rice to be used for this dish is not supposed to be sticky.    I learned a new trick that if the uncooked basmati rice is rinsed in cold water a lot of times until the water runs clear, the rice won't stick together when they are cooked in a rice cooker or in a pot.  The starch in raw rice is the cause of the stickiness. Another trick I found out  is to take the rice out and spread them on a cookie sheet to cool right after the rice cooker beeped to tell you that it is done (or when it switches to Keep Warm mode).

Ingredients, left to right, clockwise: chopped onions, cooked brown lentils, basmati rice, currants, and dates.

 The currant I used is the Zante currant which is smaller than raisin.  I bought these at a Persian market.  If you can't find currants, you may use raisins.  It the raisins are large, they can be cut in halves.  The thing is I want them in similar size as the lentils.  I also cut the dates in small pieces, the same size as the lentils.  Food that is uniform in size looks better and tastes better.

Now, I also used saffron as a spice in this dish.  Saffron is very expensive but a small amount of it goes a long way.   There are different grades of saffron.  They are just like diamonds.  I think I used the medium grade,  it costs me $10.99 for 2 oz.  The higher grade costs $19.99 for that much of saffron.  I mixed 1/2 tsp of saffron with 2 tablespoon water.

According to Wiki, this is how saffron is graded:
Saffron is graded via laboratory measurement of crocin (colour), picrocrocin (taste), and safranal (fragrance) content.^[30] Determination of non-stigma content ("floral waste content") and other extraneous matter such as inorganic material ("ash") are also key. Grading standards are set by the International Organization for Standardization, a federation of national standards bodies. ISO 3632 deals exclusively with saffron and establishes four empirical colour intensity grades: IV (poorest), III, II, and I (finest quality). Samples are assigned grades by gauging the spice's crocin content, revealed by measurements of crocin-specific spectroscopic absorbance. Absorbance is defined as A_λ = − log(I / I₀), with A_λ as absorbance (Beer-Lambert law) and indicates degree of transparency (I / I₀, the ratio of light intensity exiting the sample to that of the incident light) to a given wavelength of light.

Vegan Adas Polow 
Serve: 6
Printable Recipe

6 cups cooked basmati  or brown basmati rice
1 1/2 cups brown lentil, soaked in 3 cups of warm water
1 onions, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp saffron, dissolved in 2 Tbsp. water
3/4 cup currants
3/4 cup chopped and pitted dates
1 Tbsp. Olive oil
4-5 Tbsp. melted vegan butter

Method:

Caramelized onions.

1. Soak lentils in warm water for 15 minutes, then simmer in low for 15 minutes.  Drain. The lentils should be soft but not mushy.
2. Meanwhile, while the lentils are being simmered, saute onions in 1 Tbsp olive oil on medium low heat for 45 minutes.  This is to caramelize the onions.  Keep turning them so they don't become burnt. At the end of 45 minutes, the onions should look like the picture above.
3. Then, add the salt, spices, currants, and dates.  Mix well for a few minutes,  add the drained lentils and mix.
4. In the pot used to cook the rice or the rice cooker pot, add 1 Tbsp melted vegan butter and swirl it around to cover the bottom of the pot,  add a layer of cooked rice.
5. Add a layer of currants, dates, and lentil mixture.
6. Add a layer of cooked rice, drizzle with 1 Tbsp melted vegan butter.
7. Repeat step 5 and 6 and end with a layer of cooked rice on top.
8. Drizzle the saffron and its soaking water over the rice.  This is going to make some of the rice to become yellow.
9. Cook the entire dish on low for 30 minutes or turn on your rice cooker (about 30 minutes cooking time) then serve warm.

Drizzle saffron soaking water at the end, on top.

 My Persian friend told me that if I continuously hit the cook button on my rice cooker, it will create TADIQ which is browned, crispy, crunchy basmati rice on the bottom of the pot.  I actually love tadiq and have had some at restaurants.  Unfortunately, my rice cooker is too fancy because it has the non-stick pot and computer that won't burn rice.  I tried several times and it didn't create the tadiq.  I have to cook it traditionally using the aluminum or stainless steel pot to create tadiq.  If your rice cooker has an aluminum pot, it may work.

 There are other ways to cook basmati rice:

1. Heat 4 1/2 water until it is boiling (may add salt in water) in a medium pot, then add 3 cups of uncooked basmati rice (rinsed and drained). Cover and simmer in low heat for 20 minutes.
2. Remove the lid, wrap the lid with a kitchen towel and place it over the pot, tightly.  Remove from heat and set it aside for 30 minutes.  Fluff it with a fork to cool off.

Or you can watch this video how Indians cook their basmati rice in a boiling water and then drain the rice.  Their method works great also and produces non-sticky rice.

Drunken Eye of the Goat

Drunken Eye of the Goat beans

Happy New Year!  I am posting a recipe for Drunken Eye of the Goat.  No, I am not crazy and eating goat's eyes....ha ha....I am still a vegetarian.    Eye of the Goat is an heirloom bean.  My hubby got a super awesome gift from his boss for Christmas.  It was a bag with  4 packages of heirloom beans and a bottle of New Mexico Chili Powder from Rancho Gordo, Napa Valley, California.  You can order on-line from this company or look for their products at a farmers market or any specialty store listed here.  One type of the heirloom beans we received was the 1 lb. Eye of the Goat or Ojo de Cabra beans.   I was racking my brain and searching for recipes to make something out of these beans.

Finally, I decided that the Eye of the Goat beans are similar to pinto beans.  I decided to make 'Drunken Beans' and came out with the recipe below.  The word 'drunken' also came to my mind since it is close to New Year (not that I am going to be drunk eating this bean dish).  These beans were cooked in beer (can be non-alcoholic).  Hence, we found out that it is also good to eat this dish with a bottle of beer (maybe that's how people got drunk eating this dish, ha!). 

One thing that is really important is to SOAK the dry beans overnight.  Here is a picture of the Eye of the Goat beans after soaking overnight.  This heirloom bean doesn't come in uniform sizes.  One bean can be smaller than the other.  It is kind of odd looking bean and kind of pretty too.

Soaked Eye of the Goat beans

Drunken Eye of the Goat
Serve: 6-8
I used a slow-cooker but a slow cooking method on the stove can be done also.

1 lb. Eye of the Goat beans or regular pinto beans, dry
1 piece of kombu, 2 by 3 inches
Note:  This is for cooking the bean, to add nutrients and improve digestibility i.e. reduce intestinal gas
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
6 slices Veggie Bacon (I use Lightlife Smart Bacon), chopped in small pieces
1 tsp. Chipotle chili powder (can use 1/2 tsp for less spicy)
1 tsp. New Mexican Red Chili Powder
Note:  you can buy any New Mexico red chili powder in hispanic market
1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
3 tsp. dried oregano leaves
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. canola oil + 2 tsp. sesame oil or 4 tsp. canola oil
12 oz. (a bottle) beer (can be non-alcoholic)
10 oz. Ro-Tel (diced tomatoes with green chilies in a can), include the juice
Note:  you can use any other diced tomatoes with green chilies.  It's just that I like to use this smaller can of diced tomatoes for the beans.
 1 cup vegetable broth or broth from cooking beans
salt to taste   
Note: I was very careful with the salt since the  veggie bacon, ro-tel, and vegetable broth have a lot of salt in it already.  I  used just about 1/2 tsp salt.  Please taste first before adding more salt..

Sauteed onions, garlic, veggie bacon, and spices

1. First and foremost, SOAK the beans overnight (as I mentioned above).
2. Drain the soaked beans and place in a  pot, add water so that the water level is about 1/2 inch above the beans.  Add the kombu into it.  Do not add salt to the water.  Heat in high temperature.  When it starts boiling, start your timer and turn down to a simmer for 20 minutes.  Turn it off and set aside.
3.  While the beans are simmering, saute onions, garlic, and chopped veggie bacon in medium high for 5 minutes.
4. Add chipotle powder, New Mexican Red Chili Powder, Smoked Paprika, dried oregano leaves, and ground cumin.  Saute for another 10 minutes in a low heat.  Set aside and turn off the heat. 
5. Prepare your slow cooker or cooking pot.  Drain beans (save the bean cooking water) and place them in the ceramic bowl of your slow cooker or the cooking pot.  Add the Ro-Tel tomatoes and beer.  Then, add the sauted veggie bacon, onions, garlic, and spices mixture.  Combine thoroughly.
6. Pour some of the bean broth or vegetable broth over your pan to pick up or scrape the bits and pieces of onions or veggie bacon that stuck to the pan. 
7. Add enough vegetable broth or bean cooking broth to cover the beans (I added about 1 cup). 
8. Do not add salt  at this time but simmer this mixture until beans are tender.  If using a slow cooker, cook 6 hours on high or 8 - 10 hours on low.
9. When beans are tender, taste for salt and add as necessary.
10. Finally, I use a potato masher  to smash the beans (I only do it about 10 times) but do not smash all of them so some beans are still whole and some are smashed.  Then stir to combine.  This is a trick I use when cooking beans so that the beans are creamier and the bean flavor comes out to the pot liquor(bean broth).   But some people like their beans whole.  If you are those people, you can omit this step.

I can say that this is the BEST bean dish I have ever cooked.   We ate it with soy chicken mole.  Serving it, I started with warm and soft corn tortilla, add drunken beans on top, add soy chicken mole, and topped with fresh sliced avocado.  I served it with a side salad and a bottle of beer (red ale O'Doul).  It was really YUMMO!  You can also serve it with hot cornbread and a side salad or even brown rice (rice and beans is the perfect meal).

Drunken beans topped with soy chicken mole and avocado

 I would like to thank hubby's boss for this treat, for teaching us about heirloom beans, and for showing us the website where to buy them.  We both thoroughly enjoyed this dish.  It was the best Christmas gift we received this year.  I didn't know that heirloom beans can be so good.  If you are into beans, I recommend visiting this Rancho Gordo site  and read all about heirloom beans.  They are pretty interesting, pretty to look, and delicious. Other than the Eye of the Goat, we received 1 lb. each of Ayocote NEGRO (Black Runner Beans),  Good Mother Stallard beans, and Runner Cannellini beans.   Anyone has any idea or recipe to cook them?  Let me know and I will blog it.  :-)

Sambal Tomat(Spicy Javanese Tomato Sambal)

Sambal Tomat

I grew up eating sambal and still have the habit of using this condiment when I eat Asian dishes (especially Indonesian dishes).  It's basically, like the use ketchup in the US, Indonesians eat sambal with everything.

The description of sambal in wikipedia:

Sambal is a chili based sauce which is normally used as a condiment. Sambals are popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the southern Philippines and Sri Lanka, as well as in the Netherlands and in Suriname through Javanese influence. It is typically made from a variety of chili peppers and is sometimes a substitute for fresh chilis. It can be extremely spicy for the uninitiated. Some ready-made sambals are available at exotic food markets or gourmet departments in supermarkets in many countries.

The West has just incorporated sambal in their cooking.  The most popular one in the US that is used in Food Network TV and by well known chefs is Sambal Oelek.   Oelek means grinding or pounding. According to Wiki:  Oelek is a Dutch spelling which in modern Indonesian spelling has become simply ulek; both have the same pronunciation. Ulek is Indonesian special stoneware derived from common village basalt stone kitchenware still ubiquitous in kitchens, particularly in Java.

Traditionally, to make sambal, Javanese use a mortar and pestle like this one to grind or ulek the ingredients.

There are all kinds of sambals and this blog is only talking about one of the varieties, the vegetarian kind: sambal tomat (with tomatoes).  The basic ingredients of sambals are fresh hot red or green chillies, shallots, garlic, salt, and something sour like lime, lemon, tamarind, or vinegar and something sweet may be added, too.  Then, other ingredients are added to it which can be several vegetarian ingredients such as small eggplants, watercress, nuts, or fruit OR non-vegetarian ingredients such as shrimp, anchovies, or meat.  For example, I  blogged about Sambal 'Udang' ('Shrimp' Chili Paste) in the past (without the real shrimp, of course, but I added dulse flakes or nori flakes to create the 'seafoody' flavor).

Sambal Oelek is vegetarian but this is not the most popular kind in Indonesia.  The most popular sambal in Java is Sambal Terasi or Sambal Bajak.  Those contain terasi/belachan or shrimp paste.  If you are a vegetarian and would like to buy a bottle of sambal in an Asian market, please check the label for shrimp paste or anchovies first.



Sambal Tomat ingredients from left, clockwise: shallots, garlic cloves, tomatoes, New Mexico Chili (reconstituted), dark palm sugar, tamarind pulp, red Thai Chili (Bird's Eye chili), no shrimp paste.

I love making my own sambal instead of buying a bottle from the Asian market because it tastes better home made.  DH also prefers my home made sambal instead of the bottled Sambal Oelek.  I also don't have to worry about reading the label to find out if the sambal is vegetarian or not.  Also, to be honest, I admit that I cannot eat HOT or EXTREMELY SPICY sambal anymore.  The level of heat that I can take has reduced after years living in the US.  By making my own sambal, I can control how many chili I can put into the sambal.  Therefore, the recipe below is not that hot.  I added New Mexico or California Chili to retain the red hot color but they reduce the heat level.  It looks red and hot but it is not.    It is a little bit on the sweet side also because of the ripe tomatoes, New Mexico chili,  and dark palm sugar.

Sambal Tomat (Spicy Javanese Tomato Sambal)

2 cups chopped ripe tomatoes (about 2 to 3 tomatoes)
3 Dry New Mexico or California Chili
5 red Thai Peppers or Bird's Eye Chili  (add more to raise the heat level)
6 shallots, peeled
12 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. canola oil
2 Tbsp. palm sugar or dark brown sugar
1/2 inch cube tamarind pulp or juice of 1 small lime
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. white miso (optional)

1. Remove the stems and seeds from the New Mexico or California chillies and then soak them in hot water.  Put a bowl on top to push down the chilis  (tend to float up) into the hot water so that they stay immersed.  This will take about 10-15 minutes.  Drain the softened chillies, but reserve the water.
2. Soak tamarind pulp into 1/4 hot water, set aside.
3. Chop the shallots, garlic, and Thai peppers into 1/4-inch pieces.  Be very careful when chopping Thai Chili by using gloves or wash your hands right away
4. Put chili, shallots, garlic, and salt in a mini chopper/food processor or a mortar and pestle.  If using a food processor, use the pulsing method.  The texture needs to be roughly chopped instead of smooth like a paste.  I like using a mortar and pestle  and pound the ingredients since it produces the roughly ground texture(ulek).  However, a food processor with pulsing method gives generally the same texture.



If you have a mortar and pestle, you can use it.  Otherwise, a food processor will do.


5. Using a wok or frying pan, on a medium heat, stir fry the ground chili, shallots, garlic, and salt  mixture with the canola oil.  Keep stirring the ingredients for about 10 minutes.  Be patience with this process since the long stir frying of spices is the key to delicious result.  If the mixture sticks to the pan, add a little of the reserved chili soaking water (not too much that the mixture is soupy).
6. Add the chopped tomatoes, again, stir fry for about 10 minutes until tomatoes are disintegrated.  Add just a little chili soaking water if the mixture sticks to the pan.

7. Add palm sugar/brown sugar, soften tamarind pulp (check seeds and remove) and the tamarind soaking water OR juice of 1small lime, and white pepper.  Combine and stir fry 5 more minutes until the mixture is thickened.  Taste for more salt if necessary.
8. Turn off heat and add the optional white miso.  The miso adds the fermented taste to sambal.  It adds more umami to the sambal, too.  Combine thoroughly.  Keep refridgerated for a week in a jar.

Sambal tomat is good to eat accompanying dry meals meaning a combination of fresh raw vegetables such as fresh sliced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, raw green beans,  raw cabbage wedges, lettuce pieces, etc. and steamed rice (nasi) plus some kind of  fried food such as fried tempeh, fried tofu, or traditionally fried meat or fish.    Eating raw vegetables with sambal and rice is called lalapan or nasi lalapan.  Then,  fried food is added to it.  The idea is to dip the fried food or fresh veggie into the sambal and then eat it with the steamed rice.  I served lalapan (with raw fresh veggies) with Nasi Gudeg as a dry meal in the previous blog.  DH loves lalapan with my fresh sambal tomat.  He is an American born who learned to enjoy Indonesian meals.

The tamarind block I bought from Asian market.  If it is wrapped in plastic tightly and store in a room temperature, it lasts many months.  Every time I need it, I just cut a small chunk and soak the pulp in a hot water.

Vegan Gudeg(Javanese Young Jack Fruit Curry with Tofu and Tempeh)

Gudeg with Tempeh and Tofu (the triangle shapes on the left)

This is  Indonesian Young Jack Fruit Curry called Gudeg.  It is a famous and traditional dish from Yogyakarta, Central Java.  The color and looks of it is not that appetizing and fools people to pass it by in a potluck.  Hence, Javanese will recognize it right away and will dig into it.  The savory aroma of the dish itself will attract people to try it.  It contains coconut milk, palm sugar, and spices such as coriander, cumin, galanga, tamarind, Indian bay leaves, and candlenuts or kemiri.  I served this dish with sambal tomat (spicy tomato chutney), tomato and cucumber slices, and rice on a bright yellow plate to make it more appetizing.

Yogyakarta is a city near Borobudur, a world known Buddhist temple built in 9th century.  Tourists stop by and stay at Yogyakarta so they can visit Borobudur.   Most of them will have the chance to try Gudeg.  Traditionally,  this dish contains chicken, boiled eggs, and young jack fruit.  I decided to veganize it by using tofu and tempeh.  It is served with steamed long grain rice or nasi (in Indonesian).  We always call it Nasi Gudeg  when ordering in a restaurant.

Cooking Gudeg may take hours and hours on a very low heat and it may take days.  The spices and coconut milk need to be absorbed into the ingredients and Javanese will cook the gudeg until the young jack fruit turn dark brown and that the dish is dry.  Although some people prefer it more saucey (it is optional  to add more coconut milk or broth).  I don't have time to cook Gudeg for hours and hours on a stove and afraid to leave the curry cooking on a stove unattended.   I modernized the cooking method by using a crock-pot.  It took about 14 HOURS and I had to suffer the long hours smelling the savory aroma that made me hungry.

I only can get the young jack fruit in a can in an Asian and Indian market.   We share similar ingredients with Indian cooking so most of the time I can go to a small neighborhood Indian market to find the ingredients.  I can buy young jack fruit, tamarind pulp, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, shallots, bay leaves, and coconut milk in an Indian market.  However, palm sugar, candlenuts or kemiri, and galanga may only be available in other Asian markets such as Chinese, Thai, or Vietnamese.  You may substitute palm sugar with dark brown sugar, candlenuts or kemiri with macadamia nuts, and order galanga powder from an on-line market if you cannot find it fresh (use sparingly about  1/2 to 1 tsp of powder).  BTW, galanga is not the same as ginger.

Below are pictures of young jack fruit and tamarind pulp:

Young Jack Fruit in a can soaked in brine

Tamarind sold as in block or pulp wrapped tightly  in plastic

Here are Gudeg Spices:

From left corner, clockwise: Shallots, Bay Leaves, Coriander Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Dark Palm Sugar, Galanga, Tamarind Pulp, Candlenuts or Kemiri, and Garlic cloves in the middle

Vegan Gudeg( Javanese Young Jack Fruit Curry with Tofu and Tempeh) 

Ingredients:

2 cans (20 oz each) Young Jack Fruit, drained, rinsed, and squeezed water out
8 oz super firm tofu, cut into triangle or rectangle shape
8 oz tempeh, cut into triangle or rectangle shape
2 cups coconut milk or light coconut milk

Spices:
5 shallots, peeled
10 candlenuts or kemiri
10 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
1/2 Tbsp. cumin seeds
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup palm sugar or brown sugar
1 inch square tamarind pulp, soaked in 1/3 hot water until soft
2 slices galanga or laos (1 inch slice each)
2 Indian bay leaves

1. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds on a low heat  in a dry frying pan for 1-2 minute or until fragrant.  Keep stirring to avoid burning.  Set aside.
2. Slice jack fruit, lengthwise, following the grain. Set aside.
3. Put shallots, garlic, candlenuts or kemiri,  toasted coriander and cumin seeds,  and salt in a mini food processor or blender.  Add a little water or vegetable oil and process until it becomes a paste.
   Note: Traditionally, this is done in a mortar and pestle.
4.  Stir fry the spice paste in a wok or frying pan on a medium heat.  Keep stirring and add water or oil if it starts to stick to the pan.  This process takes about 10 minutes (it is similar process when frying the spice paste in Korean Mushroom and Tofu Stew).  Eventually, the spice paste turns a bit darker and it also becomes aromatic.
5. Add coconut milk, palm sugar, bay leaves, galanga and tamarind water and softened tamarind pulps (check for seeds and remove).  Stir to combine and let it simmer.
6. Add tofu and tempeh into the curry sauce and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
7. Take tofu and tempeh out of the curry sauce and place them on the bottom of the crock-pot.
8. Then, add cut up young jack fruit  on top of them and, finally,  on top, spread all of the curry sauce including the herbs.  Set crock-pot on LOW and let it cook for 12-14 hours.  You can stir it once but I recommend keeping the lid closed during the cooking process.
9. Serve with long grain steamed rice.

Cutting up young jack fruit

Stir frying spice paste

Simmering tofu and tempeh in curry sauce