Vegetarian Baked White Crab Mushroom with Cheese – A Fusion Dish

Mushroom is one my favourite ingredients. The ability of the spongy mushroom to absorb the dishes flavour is just amazing! I tried to make this dish with a touch of oriental taste fused with a little western herb, thyme. I use regular type of cheese but if you can get hold of vegan cheese, by all means you can also use it in this dish.
I cut some bird eye chilly (cili padi) and mixed it with soya sauce. The dish taste great with the extra spicy bird eye chilly soya sauce.

Ingredients
White crab mushroom, 1 small packet
Light Soya Sauce, 1 tablespoon
Mozzarella Cheese (or you can also use Vegan Cheese), 3 table spoon
Pepper, a dash
Chilli power, ½ teaspoon
Olive oil, 1 table spoon
Thyme, ½ teaspoon

Wash white crab mushroom thoroughly. Put it on a steaming tray and add the soya sauce. Then add a dash of pepper, thyme, chilly powder and olive oil. Top the mushroom with mozzarella cheese and bake in preheated oven at 180 Dec C of 20 minutes. Serve while still hot!

Vegetarian Stir Fried Sambal Kangkong (Chilly Water Convolvulus)

Kangkong (water convolvulus) plants are found in tropical countries and they grow very well in soil with good irrigation or in the water. Water convolvuluses that grow in water have a slight muddy smell. Therefore, most consumers prefer those that are planted in soil instead! The young leaves and stem have crunchy texture. Water convolvulus cooks easily and it will loose its’ crunchiness if cooked too long. Malaysians love to eat water convolvulus with spicy hot chilly. This is my vegetarian version of Stir Fried Chilly Kangkong!

Ingredients
Kangkong (water convolvulus), 1 bunch, clean and cut into 2 “length
Chilly paste, 2 table spoons
Vegetarian Oyster sauce, 1 table spoon
A little sugar
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon
Shallots (optional), 3 pcs, chopped finely

Heat up wok and put the vegetable oil. Sautéed shallots until fragrant. Add in the chilly paste. Fry for a short while, then add in the water convolvulus. Put sugar and salt to taste.
Add a little water if the dish is too dry.
Serve hot with steamed rice or nasi lemak.

Simple Deep Fried Bitter Gourd Recipe -Vegetarian

Bitter gourd (scientific name, Momordica charantia, Chinese: 苦瓜, Japanese, Goya) is an edible bitter vegetable. It is well know for its’ medicinal value such as stimulating digestion, increase insulin sensitivity, might be an effective treatment for HIV and some species have anti Malaria properties.
However the red arils of the seed is said to be poisonous to children and I was told that it is not a suitable food for pregnant women.
I learned prepare this Indian style fried bitter gourd from Sonia’s blog. Deep fried bitter gourd is one of my favorite dishes whenever I eat at Indian restaurants. It is a must have for me and I found that it goes along well with okra curry. Sometimes I would also eat them with potato masala or just with yogurt. I just love the crispy and aromatic fried bitter gourd. Check out this wonderful Indian recipe!

Ingredients
Bitter gourd, 1 small size, sliced thinly
Chilli powder, 1 table spoons, more if you want it to be spicier!
Rice Flour, 2 table spoons
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Marinade the bitter gourd slices with chilli powder, rice flour and salt. Heat up wok and add in vegetable oil for deep frying. Turn the heat to medium and fry until the bitter gourd turned crispy and brown in colour. Serve while still hot or else it will lose its’ crispiness.

Vegetarian Fried Tomato Organic Bihun (Rice Vermicelli) Recipe

My aunt gave me a pack of organic vermicelli (bihun) which is suppose to have high fibre content, no preservatives, no additives and no coloring. Anyway, I find that more people are into eating organic food nowadays mainly due to health reason. This organic bihun has a firmer texture than ordinary vermicelli. Therefore before frying them, I have to soak it in water a little longer than normal bihun. I find that organic vermicelli do not turn soggy easily, which makes it easier to handle during frying or cooking.
Instead of frying it with dark soya sauce, I thought why not try something different. I have added eggs and shallots to this dish but you can omit these ingredients if you don’t take them. Here is my recipe for Vegetarian Fried Tomato Organic Bihun (Rice Vermicelli)

Ingredients
Organic Vermicelli, ½ a packet, soak in water until soft
Tomato Sauce, 7 table spoons
Vegetarian Oyster sauce, 1 table spoon
Shallots (optional),3 pcs, sliced
Eggs (optional), 1 pc
Sawi (vegetable, you can use any leafy vegetable), 1 bunch, cut into 1” length
Cabbage, 3 large leaves, cut into small strips
Tomato, 1 pc, cut into 4
Salt to taste

Heat up wok and put in some vegetable oil. Fry the sliced shallots until golden brown. Add in the vermicelli and fry for a short while. Put in the tomato sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, sawi, cabbage and tomato. Fry for a short while. Add in the eggs and salt to taste. Garnish with parsley and serve while still hot!

Vegetarian Braised Tofu Stew with Chinese Lettuce (Sang Choy, Sheng Cai, Pek Chai)

I was cracking my head thinking of a suitable dish to cook for my little toddler to eat the other day when I came up with this recipe. I wanted something soft and with a little gravy. Tofu and stew fits the dish that I am looking for. I have added an egg when cooking for him so you can opt out from this ingredients if you don’t take eggs. Anyway, I like to use Chinese Lettuce (sang choy, sheng cai, pek chai) in stew because it will not get too soggy easily. For a little flavouring, I used vegetarian oyster sauce, sesame oil and light soya sauce.

Ingredients
Tofu, 1 block, 3”x3”x3”, cut into 1 cm square blocks
Sesame oil, 1 teaspoon
Light soya sauce, 1 table spoon
Olive oil, 1 table spoon
Chinese Lettuce, 10 leaves, cut into 1” length
Vegetarian oyster sauce, 1 table spoon (optional)
Salt to taste
A little water
Corn flour and water mixture
Egg (optional), 1 pc, slightly beaten

Heat up pan and add in a little olive oil. You can also use any vegetable oil. Put in the tofu and fry it slightly. Add in the Chinese Lettuce. Fry for a short while. Stir the mixture gently so that you will not break the tofu into small piece. Add sesame oil, light soya sauce, salt, vegetarian oyster sauce and a little water to make a stew. Bring to a boil and thicken the stew with cornflower and water mixture. If you take eggs, then slowly pour in the beaten egg while stirring the stew.

Chinese Style Vegetarian Corn Soup Recipe

I like to use corn to add a little sweet natural flavour to my soup. For best result, use fresh whole corn. But then, fresh corn cannot last very long in the fridge and it will lose its’ sweetness if kept too long. To save all the hassle, I bought a packet of frozen froze corn from the hypermarket, so that I can use them whenever I want to!
This is a very light soup and my kids love to drink this soup whenever they are having a steamed rice meal. For extra sweetness, I used carrots and also onions. If you are a full time vegan and don’t take onions, you can give this ingredient a pass.

Ingredients
Corn, 1 cup
Water, 4 bowls
Carrot, 1 medium, diced
Onions, 1 pc, cut into four
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste
A little light soya sauce
Olive oil, 1 table spoon

Put water in a pot and bring to a boil. Put in the carrot and corn. Boil until the carrot turned soft. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Your simple Chinese style corn soup is ready!

Vegetarian Watercress Red Dates Longan Soup

Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) grows well in water and are widely cultivated throughout Asia. Old water cress plant that have produced flowers are bitter, so it is wise to choose young plants for your cooking. Watercress is rich in iodine, iron, calcium, folic acid, Vitamin C and A. Apart from that watercress is known to prevent lung cancer, aid digestion and prevent thyroid problem.
I normally use watercress to cook soup. I have added some Chinese Red dates (ang cho) which is good in improving Chi. For some additional sweetness, I also put in some dried longan which is effective in warming up our body! Check out this clear watercress soup with longan and Chinese red dates (ang cho) recipe.

Ingredients
Watercress, 1 bunch
Water, 5 rice bowls
Dried Longan, 5 pcs
Chinese Red Dates, 5 pcs
Salt to taste
A little soya sauce
Olive Oil, 1 tablespoon

Bring water to a boil. Add in the longan and Red dates. Let it simmer for a while. Then put in the watercress, salt, soya sauce and olive oil. Boil until the watercress turn a little yellowish. Serve hot!

Simple Stir Fried Choy Tam (Brussel Sprouts Leaves) with Garlic

I love the crunchy texture of Choy Tam (Brussel Sprouts) leaves. It tastes real good if it is plainly stir fried with garlic. Some vegetarian do not take garlic but some do. Anyway if you don’t take garlic, then you can omit this ingredient when stir frying the Choy Tam.
My family normally eats this dish with steamed rice. It is very simple to prepare and probably takes you around 5 minutes! The secret to preparing a good and nice is that your wok must be very hot. If you fry it at high temperature for a short period, there will be a very nice ‘wok hei’ (wok burn) aroma.

Ingredients
Choy Tam, cleaned
Garlic, 3 cloves, chopped finely
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon

Heat up wok and add in some vegetable oil. Adjust the heat to high and put in the choy tam. Fry for a short while and add little water. Add salt to taste. Quickly take out the choy tam from the wok to prevent further cooking.

Quickie Vegan Paprika Potato Soup Recipe

This recipe is a bit similar to tomato soup. For the tomato taste, you can either use tomato ketchup or canned tomato paste. Tomato ketchup normally has sugar added in to it but canned tomato paste does not. Therefore it you use canned tomato paste; you will need to balance the sour taste with a little sugar.
I used paprika to spice up the soup a little and it resulted in a totally new flavours! I love the aroma of toasted bell peppers, which is actually the ingredient used to make paprika. I have also added garlic to this dish but it you do not take garlic, it is ok to exclude it. For the creamy taste, you can use either cream or vegan cheese. If you like the soup to be smooth and without any chunky ingredients in it, then you can blend it. Feel free to add vegetable like celery or lettuce for additional flavour and fibres!

Ingredients
Potato, 1 pc, cut into cubes
Tomato, 1 pc, minced
Tomato Ketchup, 10 table spoons (or one small can of tomato paste, add a little sugar)
Vegan cheese (or normal cheese if you are not a full time vegan), 3 table spoons
Corn, ½ cup
Garlic (optional), 2 cloves, minced
Olive oil, 2 table spoons
Water, 2 rice bowls
Salt to taste
Paprika powder, 1 teaspoon
Bay leaf, 1 pc
Oregano, a dash
Thyme (dried), ½ teaspoon
Pepper, a dash
Soya sauce (optional), 1 teaspoon

Put water into a pot and bring to a boil. Add in the ingredients. Lower down the heat and let it boil for around 20 minutes. Serve with toast or crackers!

Vegetarian Tau Kan with Toasted Peanut Recipe – Nasi Lemak Sambal (Chilly)

I have posted many dishes using Tau kan which is a wet type of bean curd sheet that many vegetarian ingredients vendor have in stock. It is normally kept frozen because the quality would deteriorate rapidly if kept at room temperature and mould would form in not time at all. Tau kan by itself is actually tasteless but it soak up gravies and flavours quite well.
In this recipe I used tau kan as a vegetarian replacement for anchovies which is a vital ingredients in making sambal for nasi lemak (coconut milk rice).
Nasi lemak is one a popular Malaysian food which is normally eaten during breakfast. But then, there a also many outlets serving this wonderful dish at any time of the day!

Ingredients
Taukan, 3 blocks, cut into strips
Onions, 1 pc, slice thinly
Chilly paste, 2 table spoons
Lime Juice, from 3 limes
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Peanut, toasted (or you can buy from the local kacang putih man), ½ cup

Deep fry tau kan until crispy and put aside to drain away any excess oil. Heat up frying pan and add in around 3 table spoons of vegetable oil. Sautéed onions and chilly paste until you can smell nice aroma coming out from these ingredients. Add in lime juice, salt and sugar to taste. Add in peanuts and taukan. Sever with nasi lemak (coconut milk rice)

Vegetarian Potato with Thyme and Tomato Recipe – Hailam Style

I used Hailam style (a Chinese Clan) chicken chop gravy for this potato recipe. I could not use Worcestershire sauce because it is non vegetarian therefore I just have to use a little vinegar and Chinese soya sauce as substitutes.
However this is not a fully Vegan dish because I used normal butter. I wonder if this would be a good side dish to tofu steak. LOL!

Ingredients
Potato, 3 pcs
Tomato, 1 pc, cut into four
Thyme, ½ teaspoon (dried)
Vinegar, 1 teaspoon
Chinese light soya sauce, 2 table spoons
Sugar, ½ teaspoon
Butter, 1 tablespoon
Pepper, a dash or more
Bbq sauce, 1 tablespoon
Corn flour mix with little water to thicken gravy
Salt to taste

Boil potato until it turn soft. Remove skin and cut into bite sizes. Then put the potato aside.
Heat up pan and put in the butter. Add a little water, thyme, vinegar, light soya sauce, sugar, pepper, barbecue sauce and salt to taste. Bring to a boil and add in the tomato. Thicken the gravy with the corn flour and water mixture. Pour it over the potato! Bon Appétit!

Vegetarian Sambal (Chilly) Tofu with Cauliflower for Nasi Lemak (Coconut Milk Rice)

The best thing about deep fried tofu is that it will soak up all the tasty gravy in a dish. In this recipe I sautéed the sambal (chilly) gravy then add in the deep fried tofu and cauliflower. This spicy dish is a real good companion for Malaysian famous nasi lemak (coconut milk rice).
I also added more chillies in to it for extra kick.

Ingredients
Chilly, 5 pcs
Ginger, 1 inch length, remove skin
Serai (lemongrass), 2 pcs
Shallots, 5 pcs
Tamarind juice, from 2 tablespoons of tamarind
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Tofu, 3”x3”x3”, cut into small cubes
Cauliflower, 1 rice bowl
Vegetable oil 4 table spoons

Blend chilly, ginger, serai and shallots until fine. You can also use a pestle and mortar to do this. Somehow, most Asians prefer to use the second method because they claim that the dish would turn out tastier this way!
Deep fry the tofu until golden brown and put aside. Heat up wok and put in the vegetable oil. Then, sautéed the blended ingredients until fragrant. Add in the tamarind juice, salt and sugar to taste. Put in the cauliflower and fry until it is cook. Lastly, add in the deep fried tofu. Dish up and serve with the nasi lemak rice!