Basic Silken Tofu and Mushroom Ramen

One of my biggest quandaries about turning plant-based is not being able to order ramen at Japanese restaurants because, even if they don't put meat cutlets or formerly live seafood in it, the broth they use is always, always, always based on meat -- usually pork. And if I ask them to omit the broth, they wouldn't know how to make it taste good, so rather than suffer eating bland noodles soaked in plain hot water, I just skip it. For years, I steered clear of the holy noodle bowl until one day someone slapped my forehead with chopsticks and I realised I could actually make it myself!

This recipe makes

- 1 bowl for one person


You will need:

Mandatory Ingredients

- 1 tablespoon of good quality soy sauce (e.g. nama shoyu, tamari, Pantai Mushroom Soy Sauce, Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce)

- ½ teaspoon of black bean garlic paste * alternatively: ½ teaspoon of fermented black soybeans and one clove of garlic, bashed into a paste with a mortar and pestle * alternatively: 1 teaspoon of miso paste

- 1 teaspoon of instant vegetable broth paste or powder * alternatively: mushroom powder 

- 100-120g of dry ramen noodles

- 500 ml (2 cups) of boiling water 

- 50g of silken tofu (or any kind of tofu), cut into cubes

- 50 g of mushrooms (ideally shiitake, but any kind will do), whole or cut, you decide 

- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil 

- ½ sheet of nori, thinly cut 

- 1 tablespoon of scallions, chopped 

- 1 teaspoon of crispy fried garlic, finely chopped

Optional Ingredients

- ½ teaspoon of chilli oil

- 1 tablespoon of cabbage, finely chopped 

- 1 tablespoon of sweet corn kernels

- 1 teaspoon of roasted sesame seeds

- 1 tablespoon of mung bean sprouts

- ½ teaspoon of crushed (pulverised) Sichuan pepper corn

Let's do this!

1. In a large serving bowl, add soy sauce, vegetable broth paste/powder, black bean garlic paste (or miso if using it as an alternative) and dry ramen noodles. Add boiling water. Cover the bowl with a lid and leave for 5 minutes.

2. Open and stir everything to mix well. When the noodles have swollen up and the pastes and broth powders have dissolved, add silk tofu, mushrooms and sesame oil. Sprinkle nori on top, then chopped scallions and fried garlic.

3. Add any or all of the optional ingredients. If not, serve.

Tip:  This is best served immediately after preparing.

Avocado-Based Vegan Ice Cream

a vegan dessert 

Now that summer has hit most of the Philippine Islands, let me share my Avocado-Based Vegan Ice Cream recipes even if I'm currently living in a cold city where spring has just come.

There are three (3) recipes for three different flavours in this post -- Mochavocado (chocolate and coffee), Mangocado (mango), and Avocadurian (durian, obviously). Try all or some of them depending on what you fancy.

MOCHAVOCADO Ice Cream

If you follow one recipe strictly, you will be have:

- 2 ice cream servings



Mochavocado (pictured above)

- 1 whole large avocado (flesh only) 

- 1 teaspoon of nama shoyu or tamari (or plain soy sauce if you don't have either) 

- 50g of melted dark chocolate (ideally 70% and above) 

- 2 tablespoons of agave nectar, maple syrup or coconut sugar 

- half a cup of coconut cream 

- 1 shot of espresso

Mangocado (pictured below)

- 1 whole large avocado (flesh only) 

- 1 whole ripe large mango (flesh only) 

- 3 tablespoons of overnight-soaked steel-cut oats 

- 1 heaped teaspoon of grated turmeric (half teaspoon if powdered)

Avocadurian (pictured below)

- 1 whole large avocado (flesh only) 

- 5 tablespoons of durian flesh

To make:

Throw everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Then use an ice cream maker and churn until it turns to ice cream. If you don't have an ice cream maker, freeze it for at least four (4) hours. A good tip is to take it out every half hour for the first 2 hours; lightly blend it; and put it back to freeze. This is to make sure your ice cream is well-aerated and does not harden into a solid block.

Notes: 

- For Mangocado - Turmeric is not absolutely necessary and I must say it adds a bit of a distinct flavour and you will be able to tell what it is if you know turmeric. I use it primarily to mask the persistent green colour. Plus, it's also really good for you.

 - For Mochavocado -  Soy sauce (nama shoyu or tamari) kicks out most of the avocado taste and enhances the flavour profile of chocolate. I've tried making the ice cream without it and while it's also good, it's not quite as good. You may omit it if you have a problem with soy.

- For Avocadurian - If you don't like durian, don't make it.

AVOCADURIAN Ice Cream

MANGOCADO Ice Cream

Mushroom Stir-Fry with Asian Style Tomato Sauce

a vegan dish

Following the ouster of all non-European teams from the 2018 FIFA World Cup Finals season, I felt the need for a healthy distraction. What better way than cooking awesome vegan food?

Oyster Mushroom Stir-Fry with Asian Style Tomato Sauce on a Bed of Lamian Noodles

If you follow this recipe strictly, granting that this is the only food item eaten for a meal (with your preferred carb staple, of course), you will be able to feed:

- 1 hungry person, or
- 2 not-very-hungry people


You will need:

For the Mushroom Stir-Fry

- 150 g of mushrooms (oyster, champignon or portobello), rough cut 

- 1 teaspoon of garlic, finely chopped  

- 1 tablespoon of scallions, finely chopped 

- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (more or less to taste because it depends on what kind and brand you use, I use Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce) 

- 1 or 2 tablespoons of neutral-flavoured oil (vegetable or sunflower oil is ideal; pomace olive is acceptable; coconut oil is NOT OK as it's too overpowering)

For the Asian Style Tomato Sauce

- 4 fresh medium ripe roma tomatoes (or alicante tomatoes or whatever medium ripe tomatoes you have, but make sure they are all ripe and red, otherwise, you can forget about cooking this), quartered 

- 1 teaspoon of garlic, finely chopped  

- 1 tablespoon of scallions, finely chopped 

- 1 teaspoon of ginger, grated 

- 3 pieces of bird's eye chilli (more or less, depending on your heat tolerance; you can also use whatever spicy chilli you have), finely chopped

- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce 

- 1 or 2 tablespoons of neutral-flavoured oil 

- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil

Let's do this!

1. In a wok (or pan, if you're not Asian), heat 1 or 2 tablespoons of neutral-flavoured oil in high fire. DO NOT WAIT FOR SMOKE POINT, duh. As soon as it heats up, add scallions and stir for around 15 seconds. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds or until it turns a bit brown. Just a bit brown, not burnt! Add mushrooms and soy sauce. Stir. Cook until the mushrooms are done. Make sure there is still quite a bit of liquid (from the mushrooms). Don't let it dry up too much; that's not what we want. Turn off the heat. Remove everything from the wok. Transfer into a bowl and set aside. 

2. In the same wok (no need to wash, don't be fussy), add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of neutral-flavoured oil. Throw in the chilli. Stir for 30 seconds and cover your mouth when you sneeze. Follow the same sequence of adding spices in. Add the ginger together with the garlic. Add the tomatoes in. Stir everything around in super high heat until the tomatoes are well softened. Rub the tomatoes on the sides, deglazing the caramelised bits from the mushroom thingy you just cooked. Press down on the tomatoes to release flavour and liquid. Reduce heat to low, but not super low. Simmer covered for 5 minutes. Now, I know woks don't normally have lids, so figure something out! Make sure the liquid doesn't dry up; it's a sauce, not a paste. Turn off the heat. Add the sesame oil and mix. 

3. Mix everything together. Adjust the taste to your liking. You may use a bowl or just the wok. Simply add the mushrooms back in after turning off the heat.

Tip:  This is best eaten with rice or pre-cooked plain lamian (ramen) noodles. You may eat it with other types of Asian noodles like saang mein, shahe fen, banh pho or khanom chin. You may also eat it with pasta. Heck, you may even eat it with bread if you feel that you must. However, you must resist the urge to eat it with mashed potatoes. Come on, have a little respect!

Champignon Mushroom Stir-Fry with Asian Style Tomato Sauce

Bean Stew Secret

A chef at a vegetarian restaurant in Bolivia once told me that the secret to great chilli is to grill the tomatoes whole until the skin burns and ruptures. Cut them in half, sprinkle a pinch of salt on the inside of each piece and let them sit for at least 15 minutes before throwing them in your pan to sauté in olive oil with onion and garlic.

Peanut Butter

a vegan spread

For the 80% raw, 20% cooked food vegan that I am, this, my dear friends, is the epitome of comfort cooked food.  This tops the list!  I eat so much of it so I had to learn to make it myself--if not for economic reasons, then for convenience and sheer awesomeness!  Any why not?  It's simple and you can be absolutely sure there aren't any nasty and harmful substances in it.

I had a conversation with my Dutch friend, Dominik, a few days ago about how I make my own peanut butter.  He asked if I had posted a recipe on my food blog but then I hadn't at the time so I just gave him the instructions.  This posting is for the sake of pictures and for the benefit of the rest of the world.

Hey, Dominik, enjoy making your own peanut butter from now on!

Presenting: My home made peanut butter... and my Chinese visa papers? Hahaha!

I made just a small batch for photographic purposes since I still have a half-full jar in my fridge good for the rest of the week.  This recipe, though, will be good for about a 150-millilitre mason jar.

You will need:

- 2 cups of raw peanuts (off the shells, of course, but skin on or off doesn't matter to me) 

- 2 tablespoons of peanut oil or coconut oil (I use virgin coconut oil.) 

- 1 tablespoon (more or less or none) of agave nectar/maple syrup/honey/sugar 

- ½ teaspoon of salt

To make peanut butter:

1.  You may begin by dry roasting the peanuts or frying them in the coconut oil.  Up to you.  This takes about 5 minutes over low heat, with constant stirring to ensure even cooking. 

2.  Drop everything in a food processor along with all your other ingredients and blend for about 2 minutes or until you achieve the desired consistency.  (Because I only made a tiny batch, I used a coffee grinder instead of a food processor.  It works, too.)

NOTE:  To make chunky peanut butter, reserve a tablespoon of peanuts before blending and add them in afterwards, blending for only 20 seconds to make sure you get chunks.

ANOTHER NOTE:  After making your base peanut butter (i.e. the recipe above), you can take it to the next level by adding cocoa powder or cinnamon or vanilla.  You can even apply this recipe using other nuts like cashew and almond to make other types of nut butter.

Peanuts frying - skin on

blending in a coffee grinder

Voila!  It's fluid at this point because it's hot but it'll turn viscous when it cools.
Those are green tomatoes from my mother's farm in the background.

Hummus

a vegan sauce

To be completely honest, although I do consume a fair amount of Tahini, I'm not a huge fan of it on its own.  The real reason I make it is so I could then proceed to making hummus—an awesome Middle Eastern food item that requires it.

Hummus is actually the Arabic term for chickpeas.  What we're dealing with here is called ḥummuṣ bi ṭaḥīna in Arabic—meaning hummus with tahini.  It is the non-sweet cousin of peanut butter that is commonly consumed in the region where Jesus Christ and Mohammed lived.  Whether or not you adhere to an Abrahamic religion, you'll probably love this.

Following this recipe will fill up a standard peanut butter jar or, in my case, again, a plastic container.

You will need:

- 2 cups of cooked chickpeas (or garbanzo beans, as they are otherwise called) 

- 2 tablespoons of tahini 

- 1 clove or garlic (or 2, depending on the kick you want in it) 

- ½ cup of the stock from cooking the chickpeas 

- 4 tablespoons of lemon juice (or lime juice) 

- 1 teaspoon of salt (or ½, depending on the strength of your salt) 

- 2 tablespoons of olive oil

To make it, just blend all the ingredients in a food processor until you come up with a smooth paste.

Serve with a light sprinkle of ground black pepper and paprika and a good drizzle of olive oil.

Heavenly Chocolate Brownies

a vegan cake (or whatever category brownies fall under)

Today, I had the strongest urge to bake brownies but the last time I made them, I was still lacto-ovo.  Now that I'm vegan, though, I didn't know if flax or banana would work as an egg substitute.  As it turned out, they're absolutely perfect.  I made mine using a banana.  Flax, I read upon doing research, is a better substitute but I don't have any at the moment so I settled for the fruit-based alternative.

If you follow the recipe strictly, you will come up with half a party platter.


You will need:

- 2 cups of all-purpose flour 

- 1¼ cup of agave nectar or honey if you're okay with it (Adjust sweetness by adding or subtracting a tablespoon or two) 

- 1 unit of banana-based egg alternative OR 2 units of flax seed-based egg alternative 

- 200 grams of dark chocolate, melted (Melt using the double boil method or microwave.) 

- 1 cup of liquefied virgin coconut oil 

- 1 cup of water 

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

- 1 teaspoon of baking powder 

- 1 teaspoon of salt

Let's get baking:

1.  Preheat your oven to 350°F or 175°C. 

2.  In a mixing bowl, mix your agave nectar, egg alternative, water, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt. 

3.  Thoroughly mix your coconut oil and your melted chocolate.  You may use a pan over low heat or a double boiler to do this. 

4.  Pour the chocolate and oil mixture into the mixing bowl.  Throw in the flour and mix well for about a minute, preferably using a mixer but a whisk will do. 

5.  Lightly grease a baking tray (23cm x 34cm or 9" x 13") and line the surface and sides with baking paper. 

6.  Pour your brownie mix onto the tray and bake for 30-35 minutes. 

7.  Check if it's done using a cocktail stick or toothpick (i.e. it should come out clean when poked).  If done, take it out of the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting to squares. 

8.  Serve heaven.

Refried Beans

a vegan sauce

I made bean stew and soaked way too much beans for the folks in the house to consume in a single sitting.  They were beginning to sprout in the bowl so I had to do something with them and I didn't want to make the same dish again.  I remember my vegan friend, Chef Marla (who now resides in Bali), brought refried beans at a dinner party we were in.  I particularly relished that stuff so I made some myself!

It kind of looks like peanut butter, doesn't it?  If you make it without the spices, reduce the salt and use a sweetener (e.g. honey or agave nectar), it's actually going to taste a lot like peanut butter.

This recipe makes a bowl good for I don't know how many people.

You will need:

- 1 cup of dried beans 

- 3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped 

- ½ medium sized onion, coarsely chopped 

- ½ teaspoon of marjoram (dried or fresh) 

- 2 tablespoons of olive oil 

- salt and pepper for seasoning 

- water

To make it:

1-3.  Soak the beans on 4 cups of water overnight.  

or   

1.  Add beans to 4 cups of boiling water.  

2.  Bring back to the boil and boil for 5 minutes.  

3.  After 5 minutes, turn the heat off; put the lid on and leave for 2 hours to cool.  

4.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  

5.  Put the beans back in a pan and cover it well with water.  Make sure the water lever is about an inch above the beans. 

6.  Add garlic, onion, marjoram and 2 pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper and bring to the boil.  

7.  When it comes to the boil, bring the heat to low.  Cover with a lid and simmer for 2 hours to tenderise the beans.  Check periodically to make sure the water does not dry up. 

8.  Drain the water out. 

9.  Heat your olive oil in a pan over low heat. 

10.  Drop in a cup of beans at a time and mash it with a masher. 

11.  Add water to increase fluidity--about ¼ cup or more based on your judgement--just not too much. 

or 

9-11.  Put beans with olive oil and ¼ cup of water in a food processor and blend away. 

12.  When all the beans have been mashed to perfection, check seasoning and serve.

Oat Flour Crepe

a vegan quick bread

I had some mango chutney (achār or whatever) left from last night but I didn't have any more chapati to eat it with and I didn't want to settle for ordinary bread.  I was basically looking for an excuse to play with the stove so I decided to make some crepes.  The bummer was I didn't have flour anymore so I improvised.  Thus, I came up with something vegan, gluten-free and awesome!

If you follow the recipe strictly, you'll come up with:

- 2 medium sized crepes


You will need:

- 150 grams (1 cup) of oat flour * You can make it yourself by grinding oatmeal in a coffee grinder until it becomes completely powdered. 

- 250 millilitres (1 cup) of soy/almond/coconut or any non-dairy milk * In my case, I used organic soy milk. 

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil * If you use coconut milk, omit this ingredient. 

- 1 tablespoon of agave nectar or maple syrup (or honey, if you're okay with it) 

- 1 unit equivalent of banana-based egg substitute * Click on the link to know how to make it.

- ¼ teaspoon of salt 

- 1 tablespoon of baking powder

To make pancakes:

1.  Mix all the wet ingredients in a bowl, including the banana egg substitute. 

2.  Add in all the dry ingredients to the mixing wet ingredients in this order:  Flour, salt, and baking powder 

3.  Make sure your batter is a little bit runny.  If, by your good judgement, it's not runny enough, mix in a bit more vegetable milk.  Make sure it doesn't become too fluid because then it will fall apart when you flip it since it's completely gluten-free. 

4.  Cook over low heat with a non-stick or greased pan.  Spread it fairly thin all over the surface.  A minute on each side will likely do.  Make sure you flip it carefully since it won't hold as well as normal gluten-filled crepes would.

(Raw) Vegan Chocolate Pudding

a vegan dessert

This is an adapted version of Laura Miller's "not gross avocado chocolate pudding."  It's simple; it's delicious; it's vegan!  So, go make it.

This recipe is good for a whole bowl of pudding, which will feed a varied number depending on how hungry or greedy the diners are.

You will need:

- 2 large ripe avocados (of course just the flesh) 

- ½ cup of agave nectar, maple syrup, or honey (Now, maple syrup may not be technically raw but it's still used in a lot of raw food recipes.  Honey may be raw but not exactly pure vegan.  You can use it if you're not hardcore.  Just make sure it's cultured and you know the bees weren't killed in the process of collecting it.) 

- ½ cup of raw cocoa powder or melted dark chocolate (Use the latter if you're not fanatic about eating raw.) 

- 3 tablespoons of liquid coconut oil 

- ½ teaspoon of balsamic vinegar (No other kind of vinegar will do.)

- ½ teaspoon of nama shoyu or regular soy sauce (Nama shoyu is simply raw, unpasteurised soy sauce which raw foodists use in place of regular soy sauce but you may use the latter if you don't have the raw option.  It's not going to make your dessert taste like soy sauce; it simply destroys the taste of avocado and sharpens the taste of chocolate.) 

- ¼ teaspoon of salt (You can add even less than this because you literally need very, very little.  Just an itsy bitsy pinch will do.)

To make it:

Mix everything well in a blender, food processor, or in a bowl using a fork. 

Ideally, mix in the avocado, salt, nama shoyu, balsamic vinegar and coconut oil first.  Add the agave nectar and cocoa powder after about a minute of blending the first batch of ingredients and blend for another minute or two.

END TIP:  If so desired, you may top it with your choice of fruits and/or nuts when you serve it.

Vegan Cinnamon Pancakes

a vegan quick bread, obviously

I got hungry and I had all the ingredients to make pancakes... except eggs!  "Darn it," I said to myself.  "But wait, this is a very good opportunity to come up with vegan pancakes."

Don't be fooled.  That's not butter melting on top of the pancakes.  That's actually dairy-free margarine!

If you follow the recipe strictly, you'll come up with:

- 3 regular sized pancakes, or
- 1 freakishly gigantic pancake

NOTE:  The photo above has 6 pancakes.  I simply doubled all the ingredients!  HAH!


You will need:

- 150 grams (1 cup) of plain flour 

- 180 millilitres (¾ cup) of soy milk or coconut milk, coconut in my case 

- 2 tablespoons of melted dairy-free margarine 

- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar (or 2, depending on whether you like your pancakes sweet) 

- 1 egg's equivalent of vegan egg substitute: either banana-based or flax seed based  ←<<CLICK ON THOSE LINKS!!!  (In this case, half and half of puréed banana and flax seed is best because sweet pancakes are awesome.) 

- ¼ teaspoon of salt 

- 1½ teaspoon of baking powder 

- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder

NOTE:  If you don't like cinnamon, you can omit it.  However, in that case, you can no longer call them "Cinnamon Pancakes."


Let's flip some:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. 

2. Mix the egg substitute, the margarine and the soy/coconut milk in a second bowl. 

3. Use a mixer if you have one and let it run on the bowl with the liquids.  If you don't have a mixer, use a whisk.  A fork is NOT acceptable. 

4. Slowly add in the dry ingredients to the bowl with the liquid ingredients while the mixer is running on it (or while continuously mixing it with your whisk). 

5. Mix it well.  And I don't mean make a suspension.  Mix it really well! 

6. Put a non-stick flat pan over medium-low heat.  You DO NOT need a greasing agent. 

7. Divide the mixture into 3 equal parts and cook them individually.  You got that right! ONE BY ONE! 

8. To do this, pour the mixture onto the centre of the pan and allow it to spread by itself to form a circle.  Don't worry if it's not a perfect circle.  That's life! 

9. Allow about a minute of cooking and then check the underside.  If it's brown (like the photo above), flip it using your spatula or, if you're a kitchen diva, toss-flip it using the pan.  If you don't think it's brown enough, leave it to cook for a couple of more seconds but make sure you don't burn it because there's nothing more awful than burnt pancakes. 

10. After flipping it, cook the other side until you think it's done.  Channel your inner chef and you'll be able to tell intuitively.  Hahaha!  By the way, it's important to note that the other side looks completely different from the original underside.  It has more bubbles and it has a cake-like curve.  I call it the "puffed side." 

11. When cooked, remove from the pan and serve hot with margarine or maple syrup.  Or you can let it sit on a plate while waiting for the other pieces to cook so you can stack them and eat them all at once like a boss.