Collard Greens Stir Fry with Fried Tofu

Fall greens from last year are at the end of their lifecycle, flowering and going to seed now. If I am not too lazy, I hope to save the seeds and use it again this year.

After the cold winter, it is refreshing to see the hardy annual greens in the garden survive and thrive till they give up: Kale, Chard, and Collard greens. Arugula has flowered and gone to seed as well. Time to dig up the patch and start afresh...

Anyway, I have been incorporating these greens from the garden in my cooking lately. Collard greens is a special favorite thanks to their sturdy leaves and their tender stems that cook up easily.

Some collard greens from the garden, plus  carrots, and bell peppers, along with hunks of onion-flavored fried tofu come together in this simple stir-fry. Use any favorite stir-fry sauce, I tend to go with whatever is handy to throw together and am in the mood for, and I don't measure exactly.

Spring onion and garlic shoots have been popping up, fresh and happy as ever so I liberally garnish the dishes with these beauties.

Bui's Natural Tofu is my go-to store for getting tofu that I enjoy.
(Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Bui's Natural Tofu)


Ingredients
Onion flavored fried tofu (pictured in buinaturaltofu.com)
Carrots
Red and green bell peppers
2 cups chopped collard greens, stem and all

Flavoring:
Braggs Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce, if preferred)
Tamari
Sesame oil
Rice vinegar
Mirin
Agave nectar or Grape Molasses (or, just brown sugar is fine)
freshly grated ginger
minced fresh garlic

Preparation

1. Heat some sesame oil in a pan, add the ginger and garlic, and stir fry till aromatic, then add the bell peppers, carrots and collard greens
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients for the stir-fry sauce, adjust flavors to taste and keep handy; usually, I make more than needed and save the rest for another day
3. When veggies are slightly tender, add in the sauce, stir fry, and finish cooking.
4. Garnish with spring onions and toasted sesame seeds

Zucchini Chard Noodles with Capers Sun-dried Tomatoes and Chipotle

A quick weeknight meal that incorporates what the home garden has to offer at this time:  Asian noodles tossed in with sauteed garden veggies and flavorful no-cook sauce, served at room temperature with a light drizzling of freshly squeezed lemon juice and garnished with lemon zest.


Another tender home garden zucchini was ready to be picked.

Some lush home garden rainbow chard leaves were ready to be clipped and used as well.

A batch of home-garden cherry tomatoes were just about ripening.

Home garden Thai basil and Italian were both handy as well.

Plus some kale, bell peppers, onions, and garlic came together for this quick summer noodles with a fusion of flavors from MediterrAsian to Mexican.

No-cook Sauce: Thai basil, Italian basil, Capers, Sun-dried tomatoes, and chipotle in adobo sauce came together to make a thick fresh no-cook sauce. Simply combine the ingredients in a proportion that appeals to your taste, blend it to a smooth sauce-like paste, adding a touch of apple cider vinegar, some olive oil, and tamarind to taste.


Sauteed Veggies: Zucchini got spiralized, kale and chard got ribboned and they all got sauteed with onions, garlic, bell peppers, and tomatoes.

Shiso Pesto with Buckwheat Soba Noodles

Back in 2006 and 2007, I was thrilled about growing Shiso in my home garden as it was the early years of my home-gardening, and I liked having herbs handy in the backyard to try different recipes.

A decade later, looks like Shiso is quite readily available in the market when in season and has become a fairly popular and mainstream herb much like cilantro and mint.

A member of the mint family, Shiso leaves can be mostly green to greenish reddish/purplish. Much like my favorite pesto and chutney, I make shiso as pesto or chutney when the mood calls for it, using whatever ingredients I feel like throwing together at that time.

In this recipe, shiso pesto comes together with a confluence of complementary Asian flavors.

Tossed in with some buckwheat soba noodles, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds, and a side of roasted eggplant and home-garden scallions, shiso certainly takes center stage in this dish.

Shiso pesto as a dip, served with roasted eggplant slices and bell peppers makes a fantastic appetizer.

Shiso Pesto:
½ Tbsp sesame oil
½ Tbsp red miso
½ Tbsp mirin
½ Tbsp rice vinegar
½ Tbsp lime juice
¼ to ½ cup packed shiso leaves
2 to 3 Tbsp sunflower seeds

Grind the ingredients together and adjust to taste.

Citrus Fresh Buckwheat Soba Salad

The crisp freshness of lemon and lime are perfect for cold summer salads. This recipe is inspired by a Japanese friend of mine with whom I exchange cooking tips on and off, among other things.

Dashi is sold in most Asian stores - either made from kombu or different types of fish. Salty Dashi, with some sesame oil, plus the tartness from lime juice and lemon zest makes this salad quite addictive.

Get the dressing ready, mix in the salad vegetables and let it sit while the soba cooks. The recipe here makes enough starter salad for two, or a huge meal for one.

Ingredients for the vinaigrette:
½ cup Seaweed Dashi or strong vegetable stock
½ tsp sesame oil
1 lime - freshly squeeze for lime juice
zest of one lemon
juice of ½ lemon, for additional tang

2 cups Salad Vegetables: For a quick meal, I use packaged kale salad mix plus scallions. Otherwise, whatever is handy -- radish, julienned carrots, sauteed cremini, slivered broccoli stems or other stems like I use for kinpira, ribboned greens, radicchio, purple cabbage...

Cook one bundle of the buckwheat soba per package directions, drain, and rinse in cold water, drain well. Toss in with the dressed vegetables, adjust the dressing as needed.

Served with some vegetable spring rolls and vegetable dumplings, this makes a filling weeknight meal.

Green Jackfruit Taquitos

Growing up with young green jackfruit as part of a vegetarian diet, I never gave it much thought, never felt it was supposed to be exotic or that it had the potential to stand in for meat. It was a fantastic element to be relished on its own right, especially in south Indian style cuisine that I was nurtured on.

There are quite a few jackfruit recipes shared here so far, and I've been finding ways to use them in more unconventional dishes as well.

Jackfruit is quite popular in Asian cuisine, especially in Indian cuisine. Not just the ripe fruit used for desserts, and chips, but particularly the young green jackfruit that is treated as a vegetable.

My mom's specialty is "Idi Chakkai" - a Palakkad term for smashed young green jackfruit dish flavored with coconut and chilies, and tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves. I could not have enough of it when I was young.

Jackfruit seed - nicknamed "jacknut" - is another favorite at home, quite a special treat, even though tons of these get discarded every jackfruit season.

The raw green jackfruit when smashed into coarse chunks have the texture of shredded chicken. Being mild in flavor, these raw green jackfruit chunks lend themselves to a variety of deep flavoring, and quite easily make a good meat imitator.

In local Asian grocery stores, various brands of canned young green jackfruit are available at a reasonable price. I prefer the ones canned in water rather than in brine. But, the brined ones are not too salty so they work well in savory dishes.

I've sauteed them with a light coating of barbecue sauce and used them as pizza toppings, and in Sloppy Joes.

In this taquitos recipe, the green jackfruit is flavored with Taco Seasoning and used as a filling with beans and cheese to make scrumptious taquitos.

Simply add beans cheese and seasoned green jackfruit into a corn tortilla, roll it up and bake it, or pan fry it.

Blanched Long Green Beans with Sambal Oelek

Long Green Beans are a favorite from childhood, especially the Indian-style with coconut and chilies.

This time, after blanching or steaming, just saute with some Sambal Oelek and serve warm as-is or with a side of Basmati rice

Stir-fried Portobello Mushrooms

A simple stir fry with some custom-made marinade/sauce. Snap peas, peppers and onions add body and flavor to the meaty texture of the portobello mushrooms.

Ingredients for marinade/stir-fry sauce:
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp coconut sugar (or agave nectar)
½ tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp tamari
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp grated ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp water

Stir together the marinade/sauce ingredients and pour over the veggies, allow to marinate for 10 minutes or so. Then, heat a cast iron skillet or wok to high heat, add a tablespoon of sesame oil, then add in the marinated veggies with all the marinade; stir on and off till crisp-tender.

Serve on a bed of arugula, or with brown basmati rice.

Teriyaki Halibut with Sauteed Garlic Gai Lan

Asian grocery store nearby had fresh Gai Lan (aka Gailon aka Chinese Broccoli) which is immensely tasty when sautéed with ginger and garlic and Asian flavors, particularly the stalk which gets tender in texture like steamed asparagus.

A small chunk of halibut caught by the other adult over last summer was handy as well. This time, the other adult requested for teriyaki-flavored fish. The home-made teriyaki sauce is customized with what was handy and what the mood called for.

Ingredients
Halibut 4 to 6 small portioned pieces
some sesame oil

For the teriyaki sauce:
2 Tbsp mirin
2 Tbsp white wine (I had some Sauvignon Blanc handy)
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp low sodium vegetarian oyster sauce (aka mushroom sauce)
½ tsp brown sugar
4 Tbsp water

For the stir-fried gai lan:
1 lb of Gai Lan, washed and patted dry
a bunch of baby bok choy, washed
5 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp grated ginger
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce (aka mushroom sauce)
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
¼ tsp brown sugar or agave nectar

Preparation

1. Gai lan stir fry: Heat the sesame oil in a wok; add the garlic and allow to brown a bit then add the ginger; stir well then add gai lan, the rest of the flavoring ingredients, cover and allow to wilt and cook till the stalks are tender
2. Teriyaki sauce: combine the sauce ingredients and simmer over low heat and keep handy
3. Halibut: Brush the halibut with some oil and cook in a cast iron skillet, flipping it over till the fish is mostly cooked; then brush generously with teriyaki sauce and broil till fish is fully cooked and the teriyaki sauce forms a rich coating
4. Serve with a drizzling of the remainder of the teriyaki sauce

Slow Cooker Teriyaki-style Chicken

Chop up a couple of organic free-range chicken breasts and throw them in a slow cooker with just enough marinade/liquids and allow to cook for  about 3 hours.

Marinade this time: tamarind concentrate, Bragg liquid aminos, plus a touch of honey

Then, stir in just the right amount of the warm Teriyaki sauce, top with Hemp Hearts and/or toasted sesame seeds, serve on a bed of kale ribbons, and garnish with julienned baby cucumbers, spring onions, and pickled ginger, if handy.


Teriyaki-ish Sauce:
2 Tbsp cup Bragg Liquid Aminos
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup Mirin
¼ cup Rice vinegar
2 Tbsp Fresh orange juice
1 tsp Honey
¼ cup water

Combine the liquids, simmer and reduce to thicker consistency, store any remainder in fridge.

Stems, Stems, Stems: Broccoli, Kohlrabi, Kale Stem Kinpira

After the Burdock Kinpira not too long ago, I've been itching for more of that special Japanese sauté and simmer style plate of wholesome goodies.

Since I don't usually throw away edible stems and stalks of greens and veggies knowing I can find a nice way to incorporate them in my cooking, I had this huge pile of kohlrabi stems, kale stems, broccoli stems, chard stems, even bok choy stems. To a casual observer, it is just a pile of compost, but to me, it was heaven beckoning.

Simply chop into uniform size to facilitate even cooking. In a cast iron skillet, heat some sesame oil and sauté the stems; add in the chosen flavoring condiments, some braising liquid, cook till all the liquid is absorbed and the stems are cooked to satisfaction.

For flavoring, I went with Ponzu, apple cider vinegar, mirin, a touch of sambal oelek, and a generous sprinkling of smoked paprika for that bright color and cozy warmth. Just a splash of water as needed, enough to get the veggies softened and juices flowing. That's it.

Another batch got a slightly different flavoring: Worcestershire sauce, white vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, adjusted to taste. Since I make this kinpira-style dish often enough -- whenever there is a pile of stems to use up -- it's nice to change up the flavors to see if there is a new favorite in the horizon.

A bunch of mustard greens are growing in the garden. Tender baby mustard greens are a fantastic addition to salads. I love to pop a leaf in my mouth and wait for the sharp wasabi-like burst when munching it down. It starts off surprisingly sweet and then just explodes. Delicious!

Topped with some caramelized sweet onions and green chilies, garnished with some fresh baby mustard greens, this plate of stems got a boost from some carrot sticks I threw in for contrast while sautéing. Not a super-fancy dish or anything, but, quite satisfying to use up edible stems and stalks.

To make a feast of it, I serve some veggie pot stickers and a cleansing cucumber salad along with the kinpira.

Braised Kohlrabi Leaves & Bok Choy with Buckwheat Soba and Okra

I had stashed away some of the smaller, torn-up kohlrabi leaves after using the big ones for the Stuffed Kohlrabi Leaf Dolma Bites. These bits and pieces of kohlrabi leaves along with some bok choy leaves, plus a splash of Zenjiang vinegar and vegetable stock came together for braising.

Simply heat a teaspoon of sesame oil in a pan, add 3 cups of packed leaves and 3 cloves of crushed garlic, turn them around till lightly golden all around, add a teaspoon of Zenjiang vinegar (a little goes a long way!) and a cup of vegetable stock, cover and cook till greens are tender. Fish out the greens and reduce the liquid, if any, to pour over the greens when serving.

Some okra, onions, and tomatoes came together with Braggs Liquid Aminos and Sambal Oelek for the warm okra side.

Served at room temperature with cold soba noodles, this is a wonderful summer dish for a weeknight evening that comes together very quickly.

Lychee Chili Chicken

I noticed a bag of lychees at the Asian store nearby and couldn't resist bringing it home to meet the family. We got on better than expected. And by "we" I mean just my daughter and I, as the others in the family don't care for lychee's strong personality at all.

Much like the Lychee Fiesta a few years ago where we had a spread of Chicken in Lychee Sauce, Lychee Strawberry Frozen Yogurt, and Lychee Flaming Diaquiri, I wanted to have a week of celebrating lychee, mainly to make sure we consume the bag of lychees brought home on a whim before they rot and turn to compost.

This is a simplified recipe of chicken in spicy lychee sauce. As always, adjust flavors to taste.

Ingredients for the Lychee Chili Sauce:
12 fresh (or frozen or canned) lychees, skinned, seeded - pulp only
2 serrano chilis, coarsely chopped
4 dry red chilies
2 cloves of garlic, peeled, crushed
3 Tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon sesame oil

1 large chicken breast, cut into chunks, plus a tablespoon of canola oil

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet, add the chicken chunks and a dash of salt, cover and cook over medium heat, flipping to cook all round
2. Combine the sauce ingredients in a blender and grind to a fine paste
3. Add the sauce to the par-cooked chicken and continue cooking covered, adding a splash of water as needed, and salt to taste
4. When chicken is done and the sauce has reduced, and the raw flavor has been cooked away, remove from heat, garnish with cilantro and spring onions and serve with warm basmati rice

Wide Rice Noodles with Pickled Beets, Radish, Carrots

Sometimes the simplest of flavors give the most satisfaction. Pickled vegetables is an easy yet flavorful way of adding interest to everyday noodles. For a warm summer evening, cool wide rice noodles with chilled pickled vegetables is a treat.

Cook the wide rice noodles per package direction, drain and rinse in cold water. Then toss with some sesame oil and pickled vegetables; and serve with some extra pickled veggies on the side.

Radish, Beets, Red onions, Green beans, Shallots, White Home Garden Pearl Onions are a few of the usual veggies I pickle at home.

1. Combine 1 cup of vinegar (white, cider, champagne, rice, any combination) with ½ cup of water, bring to a boil; optionally, add any pickling spices (whole black pepper, dry red chilies, cloves, coriander)
2. Slice or cut veggies into preferred size and place in a canning jar; sprinkle some salt, a bit of honey if preferred
3. Pour the boiling vinegar solution onto the veggies in the jar till veggies are fully immersed; cover and allow to cool. Refrigerate after cooling for upto a week.

Eggplant Slices with Crunchy French Fried Onions

'Tis the season... for the crunchy french fried onions in casseroles and anything else I can think of.

A hot batch of Green Bean Casserole is a comfort food around this time, especially for my daughter and myself-- the others at home can take it or leave it. And, for us, the french fried onions is the main attraction.

This time, the love of eggplant and the love of french fried onions managed to come together for this delicious dish. Any eggplant would be fine of course, cooking time might vary based on size and thickness of slices...

Ingredients
2 Chinese or Japanese long eggplants, sliced to about ½ inch thick
2 to 3 tablespoons Sambal oelek
½ cup french fried onions
¼ to ½ cup grated cheddar or Colby jack
salt to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425°F
2. Salt the eggplant slices and allow to rest to draw out the water; drain on a paper towel
3. Brush some olive oil on both sides of the eggplant slices, arrange in a roasting pan and roast in a 425°F oven for about 15 minutes, flipping the slices over part-way
4. Spread some Sambal oelek, grated cheese and top with french fried onions on each of the roasted egggplant slices and put it back in the 425°F oven for another 4 minutes till cheese melts and the french fried onions are crispy
5. Serve warm as an accompaniment to a steaming bowl of soup for a cold winter meal.

Cari Chay Vietnamese Soup

With the winter weather here, soups, stews, and casserole are on the menu pretty much every day. Most of the time, there is no particular recipe to follow - I simply add a bit of this a dash of that, a fusion of flavors, tailored to my taste...

For a while I've been leaning towards South East Asian cuisine - Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, Myanmar... subtle differences in local ingredients and flavors make these unique, but many of them have similarities as well. If I am able to find the specific ingredients at the local Asian store, I am pretty excited to use it, else I try to substitute as possible.

Now, not having visited many of the SE Asian countries, I don't quite know the native aromas and presentation other than what I see in restaurants and books, so, no claim to authenticity here.

Curry leaves is an acquired taste - it is not quite bitter like the Neem leaf, but, has a mildly bitter flavor and some subtle undertones. Curry leaves and curry leaf powder (not the generic spice mix sold as "curry powder") are available at most Indian stores.

Any favorite combination of vegetables would be fine - I like eggplant and tofu typically, but also find that soups are a great way to use up the broccoli stems I save up after using the florets in other dishes.

Ingredients
Cari Chay Spice Mix:
2 tsp Madras curry powder
1 tsp Curry Leaf powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Annatto seed seasoning (Achiote) powder
1 tsp lemongrass powder
2 tsp brown sugar (less if preferred)
½ tsp turmeric powder
4 to 6 curry leaves

1 Tbsp finely chopped or grated ginger
1 Tbsp finely minced garlic

Vegetables— broccoli stem, potatoes, carrots, jalapenos, onions, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, tofu

14 fluid ounces coconut milk
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
salt to taste

Preparation

1. Combine the Cari Chay Spice Mix and keep handy; chop the vegetables and keep ready
2. Heat the oil in a pot, add the onions, ginger and garlic, sauté, then add the Cari Chay spice mix and sauté till aromatic
3. Add the chopped vegetables, some salt, a splash of water, cover and cook till vegetables are cooked through yet firm, not mushy
4. Stirin the coconut milk, simmer on medium low heat for about 4 to 5 minutes; off heat garnish with curry leaves
5. Serve warm with Bánh mì or plain rice

Hearts of Palm, Chayote Squash, Radish Seed Pods salad

Hearts of Palm, Chayote Squash, Radish Seed Pods plus a few other vegetables come together for this summery salad served chilled, with Asian flavored dressing.

I threw some vegetables I had handy as I liked the combination, but, any favorite set of vegetables would work as well.

The salad tastes better when prepared a day ahead and allowed to rest in the fridge and develop flavors.

Ingredients
a jar of SunPix™ Hearts of Palm, cut into rings (use as much as preferred)
1 small chayote squash, peeled an diced
¼ cup water chestnuts (optional)
¼ cup radish seed pods (optional)
½ cup chopped baby corn
a handful of sugar snap peas
1 crisp fresh tomato, pulp removed if preferred, chopped
1 carrot cut into rounds
a handful of chopped bok choy
3 or 4 mint leaves, chopped finely for garnish
1 tsp lemon zest for garnish
1 Tbsp sesame oil

Asian Peanut Chili Dressing:
1 Tbsp peanut oil
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp sambal oelek
1 tsp ginger marmalade (or orange marmalade)
1 tsp grated ginger
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp unsweetened peanut butter

Preparation

1. Blanch the chayote squash in salted water, drain and keep handy
2. Blend the dressing ingredients and keep handy
3. Heat the peanut oil in a pan, saute the vegetables with a hint of salt, adding in the blanched chayote squash - all except the hearts of palm and tomatoes - for a few minutes and turn off heat; allow to cool completely
4. Toss in the tomatoes and hearts of palm with the sauteed veggies, drizzle some dressing, chill in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes; garnish as desired, drizzle more dressing as preferred and serve cold

Luffa, Snake Beans, Baby Bok Choy

When D brought home Cee Gwa or Chinese Sponge Gourd from the Asian store nearby, I was excited about pairing it with some other favorites and cooking it.

Luffa aka Cee Gwa is much like Ridge Gourd except with no ridged skin, but just smooth greenish skin that can be bitter, and spongy insides which cook up fast.

Snake beans or Long Green Beans has been a favorite since childhood when my mom used to make paruppusili with it.

Some fresh green baby Bok Choy, Luffa, and Snake Beans came together for this simple dish, served with rice.

Ingredients
1 large Luffa/Cee Gwa, skinned and cut into chunks on a bias
20 or so Long Green Beans (more if preferred), trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
a few heads of baby bok choy, cleaned and leaves separated
green bell pepper (optional)
a few cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp grated ginger

1 Tbsp Sesame oil
1 Tbsp Mongolian Hot Chili Oil
Salt to taste
Black pepper

Preparation

1. Heat the Sesame oil in a pan or wok, add the garlic and ginger, add the long green beans, some water or stock and salt, cover and simmer till beans are almost cooked
2. Add the Luffa and Baby Bok Choy, Chili oil, a few turns of black pepper from the pepper mill and allow to cook till Luffa turns translucent (which only takes a few minutes)
3. Adjust flavors and serve warm with jasmine or basmati rice

Mushroom in Red Wine Sauce with Bean Thread Noodles

Some baby bella mushrooms with pearl onions came together in a rich-flavored simple sauce for this dish, served with mung bean thread noodles.

Cook bean thread per package directions, or serve with rice sticks, or just plain jasmine rice; or with quinoa, or even brown rice.

Ingredients
pearl onions, peeled
baby bella mushrooms, chopped if to big
2 Tbsp canola oil
salt to taste
water as needed

For garnish: cilantro and spring onions

For the sauce:
½ cup red wine (I used some Gato Negro Shiraz I had handy)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp oregano powder or 1 Tbsp crushed dried oregano (+/-)
½ tsp cayenne pepper powder
1 tsp brown sugar or 1 Tbsp Agave nectar
1 Tbsp minced garlic

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a pan, sauté the pearl onions and mushrooms a bit, remove from pan, keep aside
2. In the same pan, add the tomato paste and garlic, sauté till tomato paste turns rich red and aromatic, add the spices, wine, and half to one cup of water, cover and allow to simmer and reduce a bit
3. Toss back in the mushrooms and pearl onions, simmer together to desired sauce consistency; add water as needed

Bac Ha Soup

Bac Ha, the stem of Alocasia Odora (related to Colocasia), is something I had not used in my cooking until now. When D found it at a nearby Asian store, he bought some for us to try.



One of my favorites to this day is Plantain stem (Vaazha Thandu). My mom makes wonderful koottu (Koottu recipes) as well as pachadi (Pachadi recipes) with it. It takes a bit of preparation to peel the outer layers of the stem, and pull out the fibres as they emerge during the chopping process, but, the slight crunch with watery insides absorbing the flavors of the dish, not to mention the health benefits, makes it a much-treasured food for me. Something I miss a lot as I have not been able to find Plantain stems in my area.

Anyway, the starchy rhizomes of some Colocasia (or Taro) - Cheppan Kezhangu/Chaembu as I am used to calling them - was quite a staple when I was growing up. My mom didn't cook much of taro leaves though. Much like Rhubarb, some varieties of taro leaves need to be cooked with caution, as they can be toxic.

Peel the green outer skin, trim off the hard ends, and cut up the spongy insides of the stem to use Bac Ha in recipes.




My inspiration for this soup came from Wandering Chopsticks. This is a lazy-cook's version of a clear and brothy soup made with bullion cubes for stock and some other handy vegetables thrown together, just to try Bac Ha.

After the first taste, do I like Bac Ha? Hmmm... am not sure... they say it takes at least 15 tries for children's sensitive palates to accept a new taste. Or reject it categorically. I am not a child, except at heart of course. And, after nearly 50 tries in the last 3 years, cooked and presented in more ways than I can remember, my five-year-old has convinced me that she does not care for tomatoes or sweet potatoes. Bac Ha for me has a texture similar to water chestnut or even vaazha thandu, and quite a bland flavor... I guess I'll have to try it a few different ways to see if it grows on me.

Ingredients
5 or 6 foot-long stems of Bac Ha
6 cups Vegetable Stock
pearl onions, bok choy, spring onions, Napa cabbage, Long green beans
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp coconut vinegar (optional)
spices: red pepper flakes (or Vietnamese chili paste)

Preparation

1. Sauté the vegetables in a bit of sesame oil, add the stock, spices, cover and simmer till vegetables are cooked
2. Stir in mirin and coconut vinegar, garnish with cilantro/spring onions, and serve warm

Cremini Mushroom in Chili Garlic Sauce with Brown Rice

Portabello/Cremini mushrooms are my all time favorites among mushrooms. Since D will not eat mushrooms of any kind (how can you voluntarily ingest fungus?!), I don't get to cook much of it. Every once in a while, I do indulge in my very own marinated grilled portabello sandwiches or Mushroom Stroganoff or spicy Mushroom-and-Bell-pepper Curry or Baked Mushroom with Walnut-Cilantro Pesto...

Anyway, nothing extraordinary about this Mushroom in Chili Garlic Sauce, except that I made it exclusively for myself and enjoyed the whole experience, including eating it as leftovers the next day when it tasted even better.

If store-bought Black Bean Chili Garlic Sauce is available, go for it. I have a self-imposed ban on many of the store-bought items, especially the ones with MSG, or are heavily processed. Just a short-term ban to manage the wicked-nasty migraines... hopefully I can reintroduce some of them later on.

A large jar of Sambal Oelek is a staple in my kitchen, but, any other favorite chili paste or home-made chili concoction is good for that extra bite.

Ingredients
3 or 4 cremini or portabello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 medium onion sliced thin
a handful of baby spinach leaves (optional)
Cilantro and Spring onions for garnish

1 Tbsp Sambal Oelek
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp rice wine
1 Tbsp light soy sauce

Preparation

1. Heat the sesame oil in a pan, add the garlic and ginger, sauté a bit, then add the onions, mushroom, spices, cover and cook till mushrooms are just done
2. Toss in the spinach if using, cover and let it stand for 5 minutes before serving. The slightly wilted spinach adds a nice texture and flavor to this simple dish