Four Delectable Wheat Meat Dishes

Gluten has strongly polarized the current generation of food-loving folks. Depending on who we talk to, either gluten is the root cause of all evil and ailment, to be censured and possibly banned from diets; or, gluten is quite an essential part of a nutritionally-balanced meal that includes optimal whole grains which provide a rich array of vitamins and minerals.

Celiac disease is very real. Research connecting diabetes and gluten is well published. And, many seem to have high sensitivity to gluten in their diet, even if not diagnosed with Celiac disease.

Over the past few years, after staying gluten-free months at a time, switching to quinoa, millet, amaranth, brown rice for weeks a stretch, it seems to make no significant difference to the folks at home. So, I've made peace with gluten for now, promising to revisit the issue in a year or so. 

I am not a nutritionist, but, I do believe in consuming as much natural, primarily-vegetarian foods as possible with minimal processing -- leaning towards fresher,  homemade options than conveniently packaged heavily processed foods. As to going grain-free? I am still researching and experimenting.

Anyway, all that is to segue into these 4 vegetarian recipes for using homemade wheat meat. 

Every once in a while, I make a batch of  wheat meat with variations in flavor and cooking methods just to see if this is still tolerated by our digestive systems. Since it stores well in the fridge and freezer, I can use a little at a time incorporating it in a variety of dishes.


I. Wheat Meat Bulgogi with pickled ginger

Nothing much to it. Instead of beef, which we don't eat, simply slice the wheat meat and toss with other ingredients like, pickled ginger strips, pickled carrots and beets, julienned summer squash and cucumbers, thinly sliced onions soaked in vinegar,



II. Wheat Meat Crumble Burritos

Cut up the wheat meat chunks into smaller pieces and run it in a food processor to make a coarse crumble. Saute some onions, bell peppers, tomatoes along with the crumble, add some Taco seasoning and there you have it.

III. Wheat Meat Fajitas

Similar principle as above, but just thinly cut them to strips along with peppers and onions.

Homemade corn tortillas fresh off the griddle makes this interesting.

IV. Wheat Meat Meatballs

Since wheat meat is already cooked and ready to go, simply crumble it in a blender, then add egg and wet slice of bread for binding. Either bake or pan cook till it has a crusty outside and firm enough that it can hold its shape well in the sauce.

Other wheat meat dishes shared earlier:

Wheat Meat Pot Roast

Wheat Meat Philly Cheesesteak

Dubu-Jorim: Spicy Chili Onion Braised Tofu

There are versions of this spicy chili onion tofu dish in Korean, Japanese, Chinese, even Indian cuisine where tofu is usually substituted with paneer (bag cheese). As always, the recipe here is adapted to my taste, so adjust the chili/heat to your palate.

The spicy onion chili tofu comes together quickly and is a fine addition to a simple Bibimbap bowl, along with some braised or steamed greens and veggies, plus fried eggs.

Although this recipe uses fried tofu, if fresh block of firm tofu is all that's available, it is just a quick step to make crispy pan-fried tofu without all the oil and deep-frying. Simply press the block of fresh tofu to squeeze out excess water, cut into cubes, pat dry, and dust with seasoned corn starch (I typically add chili powder, garlic powder, and salt for flavor; plus a pinch of brown sugar for caramelization and color). Pan-fry on a medium hot cast iron skillet flipping to cook all sides till crisp on the outside.

Ingredients:
12 to 16 oz. Fried tofu, cubed
1 large yellow onion, sliced thin
2 green chilies, chopped finely
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
1 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp sesame oil


For the Chili Sauce:
1 Tbsp fried chili in oil
1 Tbsp Sambal Oelek
2 Tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp finely grated ginger
¼ cup water

Preparation:

1. Combine the chili sauce ingredients, stir well and keep handy
2. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onions, chopped green chilies, crushed garlic, and brown sugar; saute over medium heat till onion caramelizes
3. Add the chili sauce and simmer till it reduces a bit and thickens
4. Stir in the tofu, cover and allow to simmer some more till the flavors are absorbed by the tofu and it gets a rich thick coating of the sauce all over
5. Remove from heat, garnish with sesame seeds and chopped spring onions

Chicken Bulgogi

We don't prefer beef/pork/lamb and such, but an occasional seafood and poultry dish every once in a while seems to appeal to the other adult in the household, so I usually try to make chicken dishes for him on and off.

Homemade Baechu Kimchi is a good accompaniment, plus some white rice will make this a sumptuous meal.

Bulgogi is basically thin slices of meat, marinated in a delicious marinade and cooked over open fire or grill - aka barbecued. I was making just a small serving for him from two small chicken breasts so I cooked it on my gas-stove-top grill-pan.

Bulgogi can be served over cabbage or lettuce leaves, with some dipping sauce - simply roll the tender chicken pieces in the lettuce leaves, dip in the dipping sauce and enjoy.

Or, it can be served along with some rice and seasoned vegetables, not much unlike Bibimbap, to make a more sumptuous meal, as pictured above.

Bulgogi marinade: ¼ cup soy sauce 2-3 Tbsp brown sugar 2 Tbsp sesame oil 3-4 Tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 tsp Tabasco® sauce or cayenne pepper powder 6-8 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 small shallot, finely minced 2-4 dry red chilies 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Dipping Sauce: 2 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 Tbsp gochujang or sambal oelek (or Tabasco® sauce) 2 cloves minced garlic ¼ cup chopped spring onions 1-2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1-2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp sesame oil
gochujang
Napa cabbage leaves, steamed lightly OR crisp butter lettuce leaves

Preparation:

1. Cut the chicken breasts into thin slices and allow to marinate for 30 minutes
2. Heat the sesame oil in a pan and add the marinated chicken pieces in a single layer and allow to cook over medium-high heat, tossing them around often to ensure even cooking; cook till browned on the outside and cooked on the inside; this takes only about 5-8 minutes if the chicken slices are fairly thin
3. Serve on a bed of lettuce with some dipping sauce

Home-made Baechu Kimchi

Ordinarily, I can't quite handle the kimchi bought from stores. It is too pungent and unappetizing for me. However, now that we've hit upon a simple recipe to make kimchi at home, I am beginning to relish it quite a bit.

Mom gave us this wonderful book for Christmas and we've been trying out recipes from it: Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz.

There are some simple suggestions in this book to make food nutritious and earthy, as well as tasty, via wild fermentation. I was quite thrilled to see idlee and dosai batter fermentation recipes mentioned in this book.

And, this recipe for baechu kimchi (made with Napa cabbage) comes from this book, Wild Fermentation, with some tweaks.

I use medium-sized tall crock to make this, and I can insert a container filled with water to weigh down the vegetables while still letting air in and keeping the dust out.

Ingredients:
1 head Napa cabbage
1 large carrot
1 bunch Spring Onions
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1-2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
3-4 dry red chilies
¼ cup salt
1 quart water

Preparation:

1. Remove the outer leaves of the Napa cabbage(save for stir-fry perhaps), and roughly chop it; julienne the carrot or cut it into sticks of desired proportions; cut the spring onions as well
2. Dissolve the salt in water to make the brine and soak the vegetables in it overnight
3. Drain and reserve the brine the next day; rinse out the veggies; add crushed garlic, ginger and red chilies, refill the reserved brine making sure there is enough to cover the vegetables
4. Weight down the veggies a bit with some suitable apparatus that covers it sufficiently to keep out dust, but leaves it open enough for fermentation
5. Allow to ferment for a week at least - the liquid gets a bit cloudy after a week and the flavor seeps into the veggies well enough to start enjoying the wonderful, home-made baechu kimchi

Bibimbap

A fairly authentic version of bibimbap came into my life about 12 years ago when a Korean fellow student introduced Bulgogi and Bibimbap to me. Bulgogi (bool-go-gi) apparently roughly translates to fired meat or fire-cooked meat, and, by default the meat is beef in Korea. Since I don't eat red meat, I skipped trying Bulgogi that she ordered that day.

However, she talked to the waitress and assured me that they serve Bibimbap (bee-bim-baab) without any meat. So, I ordered it with slight apprehension and figured I could always have some rice-and-yogurt when I get home if I couldn't eat this strange sounding new dish. But, when it arrived, with visually stimulating presentation and aroma, I was excited. And, I loved it instantly! Loved the hot sauce Gochujang that came with it as well.

As far as I understood then, Bibimbap is a good way to clear out the fridge - it is simply rice served with an assortment of vegetables, accompanied by Korean hot sauce Gochujang. Typically, seasoned bok choy, seasoned spinach, cool cucumber salad to clear the palate, some julienned blanched/steamed vegetables like carrots, zucchini, and maybe some form of eggs - either fried or boiled, all of it served over rice that is piled on crisp lettuce leaves to balance out the flavors.

This recipe here is just a version of Bibimbap that I have adapted to suit my tastes over the years. Gochujang was not handy, so, I made up a version of it as well. I usually have a huge jar of Sambal Oelek in my pantry, seems like it has become just as indispensable as salt or black pepper in my kitchen.


Ingredients
Seasoned Bok Choy or Spinach or Swiss chard
Pan-fried Tofu (optional)
Boiled Egs
Cucumber Salad
Toasted Sesame Seeds
Finely chopped Spring Onions
Sauteed eggplant
Steamed Asparagus
Julienned fresh baby tender kohlrabi
Shredded purple cabbage marinated in apple cider vinegar and some strong Dijon mustard
Bean Sprouts, Baby Corn, Roasted Red Pepper, Zucchini, Carrots or other vegetables of your choice


For Gochujang: Either buy it from the store, or, use a substitute recipe as given by Madhur Jaffrey in her World Vegetarian cookbook, adapted here:

2 Tbsp red miso
2 Tbsp sambal oelek
1 Tbsp cayenne pepper or red chili powder (optional, for extra heat)
1 tsp brown sugar
toasted sesame seeds
1 Tbsp sesame oil

Combine the above ingredients, add some rice wine vinegar if preferred to get the sauce more runny. Also, can double the amount and prepare this ahead of time and save in an air-tight container for a couple of weeks in the fridge.


Seasoned Bok Choy or Spinach:
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 Tbsp grated ginger
2-3 dry red chilies
Bok Choy or Spinach, cleaned and cut to bite-size pieces
some water or broth
1 tsp sesame oil or canola oil

Heat the oil in a wok or pan, sauté the garlic and ginger, add the dry red chilies, then add the greens, some broth/water, cover and cook till tender but not mushy. Adjust salt to taste with light soy sauce or just table salt.



Cucumber Salad
Any simple cucumber salad is fine, but, I like to peel, core and dice the cucumber and red onions, add a simple vinaigrette of sesame oil, lemon juice, salt and red chili powder or cayenne pepper powder.

To Serve: Prepare a bed of lettuce leaves or blanched Napa Cabbage leaves. Add a scoop of cooked rice (I prefer Jasmine rice for this recipe). Arrange the toppings separately over the rice - seasoned greens, sliced boiled eggs, pan-fried tofu, cucumber salad, julienned vegetables - place some gochujang in the center, sprinkle some chopped spring onions and toasted sesame seeds. Let the guest mix it all up as they eat.

Also, I like to serve some extra gochujang, spring onions and other toppings on the side for extra helpings with rice :)