Sriracha Tempeh with Stir Fryless Rice October 2, 2011

Spicy Tempeh, Asian Rice, and Miso Soup

I told you it was going to be a spicy weekend to start off VeganMofo!

So after making your delicious Sriracha Tofu yesterday, I bet you have some marinade leftover, don’t you? No? Well, better make some more!

Sriracha Tempeh

Ingredients:

• Tempeh, cut into slices
• Sriracha marinade (recipe)

Marinade the tempeh slices in the sriracha mix for a few hours. Pan fry until brown and crispy on each side. Done! Dine!

Marinading in terrible lighting.

Side: Cut onion and red pepper into thick slices, and stir fry on low until caramelized with the marinade.

Stir Fry-less Rice

The heartiness of the brown rice gives the recipe some bulk, while the sesame oil adds a nice Asian flavor to go with the tempeh. You can of course add more veggies, but I wanted to keep it simple.

Ingredients:

• Brown rice
• Carrot, chopped
• Edamame, shelled
• Sesame Oil
• Soy Sauce

Add brown rice and carrots to pot. Cook brown rice according to directions. 10 minutes before the rice is done, add the edamame on top (do not stir).

When rice is done (drain if needed), add a few shakes of soy sauce, and 1 tsp of sesame oil. Stir in pan. Taste to see if you need any more soy sauce or sesame oil.

"Tinie Tempeh"~ Omni Monkey

Bonus Tip:

Run out of sriracha? Just add a little water or regular olive oil to the bottle and shake it up! Instant flavoring for dishes! (If using water, keep in fridge.)

Gotta get all those saucy flavors out!

Shoujin ryouri October 29, 2008

“Shoujin ryouri （精進料理) is a type of vegan cuisine that was developed by Japanese Buddhist monks. It is based on a foundation of vegetables and rice, and various vegetable proteins.”

It is also amazing and amazingly hard to find on average in Japan, because the Japanese love to make the EXACT SAME FOOD but put fish stock in it (stocks, sauces, soups, dips, EVERYTHING).

So if you are in Japan, head up to Koya-san in Wakayama Prefecture which is littered with vegan monks and shoujin ryouri abound!

Before we get to cooking, lets take a look at some real traditional shoujin ryouri (top left, clockwise):

Dinner:Gomatofu (sesame seed block), green konyakku, rice noodles, fruit, mustard dipping sauce, beer, wakame soup with tofu skin and gluten balls, oily soup (in center) with tofu skin and veggies, hot green tea, pickled vegetables, rice

Dinner:Soba (buckwheat noodles) with mushrooms, pears, vegetable tempura, stuffed tofu, koyadofu (dried tofu), konbu seaweed

Breakfast: tofu burger, wrapped seaweed, stick potatoes with plum sauce (“eggs”), soy jerky, miso soup with gluten chunks, hot green tea, rice, pickled veggies, cold greens (center)

Lunch: gomatofu, veggie & fruit tempura, tempura dipping sauce, hot soba soup, cold veggies: koyadofu, konbu, veggies, tofu burger & soy jerky, rice, pickled vegetables, and cold greens (center)

After eating all this amazing food, I wanted to make my own version of shoujin ryouri… so I did!

Black goma tofu, dengaku eggplant with extra sauce, tandoori veggies, rice with beans and grains, soba noodle soup with gluten balls (fu), tempura & curry salt, tempeh bacon, stir fry rice noodles

Tempura: sweet potato, kabocha pumpkin, broccoli, mushrooms with mix of curry powder & salt to dip them in, tempeh bacon, rice noodles stir fry (soy sauce & sesame oil)

Tandoori veggie kebabs: Mix of tandoori paste and oil which I marinated tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, and tofu, then grilled.

Dengaku Eggplant: Dengaku- sweet miso sauce is a mix of miso, sugar, mirin and stock. Placed on eggplant then grilled with sesame seeds on top.

Goma tofu: Actually, there’s no tofu in it! It is sesame seeds crushed an pressed together to look like a block of tofu. Serve with soy sauce and wasabi. It is one of my favorite foods.

Let this bring inspiration to make your own mini-feast!!! The only thing that’s holding you back are how many plates you have =)

Maple smoked tempeh bacon

Just a nice little snack!

1 pack of tempeh
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp Chipotle Tabasco sauce (or liquid smoke)
1/4 tsp salt
oil

1. Cut tempeh into strips

2. Mix soy sauce, maple syrup, Tabasco sauce, and salt in a shallow bowl or container.

3. Place tempeh strips in mixture to soak.

4. Marinate for one hour, turning at least once.

5. In an oiled frying pan on med-low heat, fry tempeh strips for about 5 minutes each side until crispy!
OR
Place in toaster over and toast til crispy!

Eat by themselves, in a sandwich with lettuce & tomato, in a salad, etc!