Powered by plants: Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May with vegan Chinese food
My husband loves my mom’s chow mein – so much so that we asked her to cook it for our rehearsal dinner.
My 4-year-old loves it so much that he critiqued my version of it until I got it right.
Mom had played around with her own recipe quite a bit throughout the years and filled me in on a great secret to bringing out the flavor: heating the vinegar until it’s sizzling to cook off the bitterness.
I added this trick to my vegan version. And, with Asian/Pacific-American Heritage Month coming in May, I wanted to share some of my favorite vegan versions of Chinese cooking. It’s the cooking I grew up with – but without the meat, eggs or any other animal products.
Mind you, these are not low-sodium recipes. This is Chinese food we’re talking about. But you can adjust the soy sauce to your liking and substitute it with a lower sodium soy sauce. Or, just cut it in half and water it down.
The red bean soup is a childhood favorite of mine. Again, it’s easy to adjust it to your liking. Growing up, I loved the restaurant versions because they always added a lot of water. It’s cheaper that way. And it meant a sugary broth with fewer beans in my way.
The fried rice recipe is something I’ve played around with for a long time. I love fried rice but veggie fried rice can be pretty boring. I wanted to make sure it was still nutritious and flavorful – and I think I’ve achieved both.
Chow Mein
1 package of firm or extra-firm tofu
Olive oil, for sauteing
3 tablespoons soy sauce, plus splash for tofu, divided
3 baby bok choy or 1 crown broccoli
1 carrot, julienned
1 package of lo mein noodles (any Asian noodle that is wheat rather than egg based)
1 tablespoon white vinegar or rice vinegar
Dash of white pepper
Dash of black pepper
Press and drain tofu, then cube it into small squares.
Add some olive oil to a pan and warm it on medium or medium-high heat. Saute tofu until excess water is gone. Add a splash of soy sauce and water toward the end of cooking. Remove the tofu from the pan and add a little oil for the veggies. Stir fry the veggies, covered, at medium heat for about 5 minutes. When done, remove and set aside.
Cook the noodles separately. You can do this at the same time as the tofu or beforehand, if desired. When done (it usually takes about 4 minutes), drain noodles in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop further cooking. (I like to let it sit and cool for a bit afterward. If the noodles get sticky just add some water and use chopsticks to loosen the noodles.)
If your pan is still warm, add a teaspoon of oil and the vinegar to the pan. If you need to, turn the heat back onto low – hot enough to heat the vinegar to a sizzling point but not to burn anything – especially if you’re like me and you use the same pan from the tofu and veggies. This is a little trick my mom showed me – cook off the bitterness of the vinegar by letting it sizzle in the pan for a minute. But it will retain flavor.
Add 3 tablespoons soy sauce and stir it around so it coats the pan evenly. Then add the noodles (loosen them first) and stir it up quickly while it soaks in the soy sauce. Then add the vegetables and seasoning. Taste and adjust soy sauce, if needed.
Red Bean Soup
This is a favorite authentic Chinese dish often served as a dessert soup.
1 cup adzuki beans
3 cups water
½ cup sugar
Cook beans and water in a pressure cooker for 8 minutes or slow-cooker (my mom used to turn it on at night for the next day). When done, add water until it is a consistency you like – some people like it more soupy, some like it thicker. I like to mash the beans after they’re done cooking to make the broth a little richer and give it more texture. It also is an easy way to check the beans are done to the consistency I like – which is pulverized. Then add sugar. Start with ½ cup and add until it’s sweet as you like it. My mom used to use rock candy (sugar crystals) and she probably added a full cup.
Variation: Instead of sugar, try agave for a lower glycemic index. This soup can be enjoyed for breakfast as well as at lunch or dinner. I’ve used it as a warm smoothie on chilly mornings. Blend 10 dates – sliced, pitted dates and soaked in 1/3 cup hot water – with 1 cup of the red bean soup for 1-2 minutes. Add this date-bean mixture back into the soup, heat it up and drink it on the go or at home. The dates add sweetness in addition to potassium, magnesium and fiber.
Vegan Protein Fried Rice
My method of cooking rice may or may not work for everyone. But so far it’s been working for me for quick and easy rice without a rice cooker. I do have a rice cooker, I’m just too lazy to use it.
1 cup basmati rice
1 cup quinoa
2 3/4 cups water
1 package firm or extra-firm tofu or 1 seasoned grain “roast” such as the Celebration Roast by Field Roast
Olive oil, for sauteing
Splash of soy sauce
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup corn
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
Combine rice and quinoa in a pot with water over high heat. When it comes to a rolling boil, turn the heat to low, or even off. Let the rice stop boiling by setting it aside or even adding 1 tablespoon of cold water. Set it back onto the hot burner and let the residual heat continue cooking it – be sure to put a lid on to trap the heat.
Press and drain tofu. Then cube tofu into small squares. Add some olive oil to a pan and warm it on medium or medium-high heat. Saute tofu until excess water is gone. Add a splash of soy sauce and water toward the end of cooking.
Remove the tofu and add oil for the veggies and cook up peas and corn or whichever veggies you decide to use.
Turn off heat. Add the cooked rice mix on top. (If you cook the rice the day before, you’ll get better results.) Add another splash of soy sauce as well as the spices, and stir it all together.
Note: You can play with the veggies. Try chopping carrots, onions, broccoli or bok choy.
Margaret Albaugh is an Air Force wife, mother of two, vegan and photographer. Find her at MargaretAlbaugh.com.