Cabbage Curry Wraps

My mom believes that cabbage has healing powers. That's probably why we have an entire fridge dedicated only to kimchee, right??
She steamed an entire head of kimchee to eat with her pork, so I made my own dish using the cabbage as wraps. Cabbage works nicely as a wrap as an alternative to lettuce and seaweed or even rice paper. I used to hate cabbage, but it has grown on me :)

Cabbage Curry Wraps
20 min, Serves 2
1/2 head cabbage
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon jalapeno, finely chopped
1/3 cup carrots, grated
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 medium king oyster mushroom
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
6 oz tofu, cubed
1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 table spoon curry powder


1. Rinse cabbage. Chop in half (from top to base) and remove stem. Allow water to run in between the leaves and lightly shake to remove some water. Place cabbage cut side up in a medium bowl and cover with another bowl. Microwave for about 5 minutes and allow it to sit a few minutes still covered to continue steaming.
2. Heat oil in a non stick pan and add rest of ingredients except tofu, cilantro and curry. Stir fry for about 4 minutes until ingredients begin to get soft. Add the remaining ingredients and continue stir frying together for another 2 minutes.
3. Peel apart a few pieces of cabbage leaves and spoon in stir fried ingredients. Wrap the ingredients in the leaves and enjoy.

Pita Sandwhich (PB&J)

Pita bread is one of those things I always hear about but never got around to using. I figured a wrap would be the same thing. WRONG. This was fun to eat because of the pockets, and all the ingredients stayed inside, so less spill.
So, I'm sort of a peanut butter jelly addict. But I can't have peanut butter everyday, so I used hummus as the new peanut butter, and raspberry vinaigrette as the jelly. In a way, the following recipe is like a Pb&J, just fancier I guess??

Pita Sandwhich

5 min, Serves 1

1/2 Whole Wheat pita bread
2 tablespoons hummus
1 cup baby spinach, packed
1/4 cup cucumbers, sliced
1/4 cup red and green bell peppers, sliced
2 tablespoon raspberry vinaigrette

1. Carefully, split open pita pocket and spread hummus on one side of the bread.
2. Add rest of ingredients and top with vinaigrette.,

Faux Pho II

Last time I made meat free pho, I used only Udon soup base for the broth. It lacked the wholesome taste that beef pho has, so I decided to try making it again, this time I added some ingredients used in Korean foods. THIS TIME ITS TASTED MUCH HEARTIER. Here is a brief explanation of the two ingredients that made a huge difference this time around:

Dashima

A kelp used in Asian cuisine, when boiled, creates a soup stock. Usually sold in stores in dried pieces.

Shiitake Mushroom

A mushroom that some consider a delicacy, and sold in dry and fresh form at all Asian stores and fresh in local markets . When dried pieces are boiled, it can flavor soups and because of this, its considered a vegetarian dashi.

Vegetable Pho II (Faux Pho)

30 min, Serves 4

8 cups water

1 cup soba sauce (Udon soup base)

1/2 medium onion, large slices

2 medium dried shiitake mushrooms

1 piece dried dashima, 4 inch piece

6 servings of pho (wet) rice noodles

1 cup onion, thinly sliced

1 cup carrots, 1/4 inch thin rounds

1 head broccoli, chopped

6 cups bean sprouts

2 cups napa cabbage, chopped

2 cups bokchoi

2 jalepenos, sliced

2 cups cilantro, diced

6 sprigs thai basil

1/2 lemon, sliced

Other vegetables*

1. Add water and soba sauce to a pot and boil on medium-high. Once this boils, add 1/2 onion, shiitake, and dashima. Continue boiling until onion is soft and broth has reached its desired concentration (about 15 min).

2. In another pot, boil some water on high. Blanch the carrots and broccoli for 1 min until they soften but still crisp. Remove the vegetables and separate into servings.

3. In the same pot that water is boiling, Place a single serving of noodles into this pot for 2 min and remove with a strainer ladle. Move cooked noodles into a serving bowl.

4. Add all vegetables including carrots to the serving bowl. Pour boiling broth over everything so the ingredients cook. Serve immediately. Add Sriracha Hot Chili sauce and Hoison sauce to taste. If you find the broth to be too salty, add hot water. If it seems too bland add a touch of soba sauce or soy sauce.

*Try different vegetables to suit your taste, tofu also makes a good addition to any pho.

Faux Pho

Uh oh. Back to noodles again.

About a week ago, I ate at a local Vietnamese restaurant, 5 Seasons Grill, that served vegetable pho. I was given the choice between beef broth and vegetable broth, and was impressed at how pho-filling (sorry, I couldn't help it!) the "vegetable" broth was. My friend said that the vegetable broth reminded her of udon soup base. So with an udon soup base bottle in hand, I decided to try making my own vegetarian pho.

The particular brand I was using had fish sauce in it, which does not make it vegetarian. There are brands out there that are fish sauce free, but I have not tried any of them yet. Udon soup base is actually concentrated soba sauce, just diluted with water and is easily found in any Asian food market. When buying noodles for pho, do not get dry rice noodles, purchase the "wet" version that is stored in the refrigerated section. Lastly, there are two types of bean sprouts sold at asian stores and they look pretty similar to each other. Do not buy the one that has a darker yellow sprout, you want the one that is a lighter yellow.

Luckily, this pho wont take days or hours to get broth, just minutes.

Vegetable Pho (Faux Pho)

30 min, Serves 4

8 cups water

1 cup soba sauce (Udon soup base)

6 servings of pho (wet) rice noodles

6 medium shitake mushrooms, sliced

1 cup onion, thinly sliced

1 cup carrots, 1/4 inch thin rounds

6 cups bean sprouts

1 cup snow peas, cut in half

2 cups cilantro, diced

6 sprigs thai basil

Other vegetables*

1. Add water and soba sauce to a pot and boil on medium-high. Once this boils, add carrots and cook for 5 min. Remove cooked carrots with a strainer ladle and set aside.

2. In another pot, boil some water on high. Place a single serving of noodles into this pot for 2 min and remove with a strainer ladle. Move cooked noodles into a serving bowl.

3. Add all vegetables including carrots to the serving bowl. Pour boiling broth over everything so the ingredients cook. Serve immediately. Add Sriracha Hot Chili sauce and Hoison sauce to taste. If you find the broth to be too salty, add hot water. If it seems too bland add a touch of soba sauce or soy sauce.

*Try using cabbage, broccoli, or button mushrooms with your pho!

Eggplant Salsa

I understand that I have posted only noodles so far, so heres something different.

My mother introduced this recipe to me the other day. I came home to a bowl of what only could be described as Eggplant Salsa and had me try a spoonful on a slice of bread. After possibly our 20^th bite later we were still amazed at how surprisingly tasty it was. But then again, I am biased toward anything with a vinegar/sweet taste such as ketchup. You be the judge! Also, there didn’t seem to be a name for this recipe, and so I ended up calling it eggplant salsa because of the way it looked. BTW, my mother will kill me if she knew I was sharing this online. keke.

Eggplant Salsa
30 min, Serves 8

2 Chinese eggplants
2 celery stalks
2 cups parsley
3 bell peppers (yellow, green, red)
1 cup dill
2 cups cilantro
½ onion

1 cup brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
1 cup ketchup

1 loaf French bread*

1. Cut eggplants into ½ in rounds. Heat frying pan to medium high. Add 2-3 tablespoon of vegetable oil and add eggplant. Lower heat to medium and cook until soft and slightly transparent (about 15-20 min). Add oil if necessary, as the eggplant will absorb a lot of it. Break eggplant rounds into smaller pieces as it begins to cook so speed up the cooking process.
2. Finely dice and chop the vegetables, adding them into a medium sized container. Add eggplant to the vegetable mix.
3. Add vinegar, garlic and ketchup into the container and carefully toss ingredients.
4. Add more ketchup to sweeten or vinegar to add sour according to your preference.
5. Spread mix on a slice of bread (preferably flavored plain).

*Any type of bread that has a firm crust like French bread will work. Crackers would work too but they do not soak the flavors as good as bread does.

Vietnamese Vermicelli

Bun is a fresh noodle dish that can be found in most Vietnamese restaurants and homes. I like to enjoy it on a warm day as an alternative to Pho because I find it refreshing. It's only drawback to possibly being a popular dish is its pungent smell and fishy flavor in the fish sauce that is used. The sauce is an acquired taste and smell that some will never get used to! I no longer mind fish sauce, but some days I still find it overpowering. As an alternative I use Sriracha Hot Chili sauce along with Hoison sauce, or even a blend of Rice vinegar and sugar. I'll list the alternatives in the recipe below.

Vietnamese Vermicelli (Bun)
Serves 4, 20 min

4 servings of dry rice stick noodles*

2 cups cilantro, chopped

4 cups bean sprouts

4 cups lettuce, julienned

4 cups cucumber, julienned

8 sprigs Thai basil leaves

4 cups medium firm tofu, cubed

4 tablespoon picked carrot

4 tablespoon ground, roasted peanuts

Fish Sauce

4 teaspoon Garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

4 teaspoon sugar

4 tablespoon fish sauce

4 teaspoon red chili sauce

Vinegar sauce

4 cups brown rice vinegar

1 cup sugar

1. Add 6 cups water to a pot and boil. Add dried rice sticks to boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Promptly remove pot from heat and rinse noodles in cold water. Place noodles in separate bowls.

2. Pan fry tofu for a few minutes until the outsides have browned and are firm. Set aside.

3. Add vegetables on top of the noodles. Add the fried tofu on top of the vegetables.

4. Prepare desired sauce by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl and mixing completely. Continue to mix until sugar is dissolved.

5. Separate desired sauce and pour over each dish. Toss ingredients together and serve. Try using fried spring rolls, grilled shrimp, or seared scallops as toppings instead of tofu. Add Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce and Hoison sauce for added flavor.

*Do not confuse dry sticks with dried mung bean noodles. They have a different consistency, and mung bean noodles do not soak flavors as easily as rice sticks do.

Otsu Soba

Otsu Soba
Serves 4, 15 min
On days that I work, I don't get to eat dinner until I get home (around 10-11 PM). So the last thing I want to do is cook myself something that will take forever or keep me up too late from being too rich. Luckily, I came across this recipe online, originating from a small restaurant called Pomelo. It's a buckwheat noodle salad thats easy to make, full of flavor, light on the stomach and wallet. I didn't have a blender so after grating a few of the ingredients, I put the sauce in the microwave for 50 seconds so the honey was warm enough to mix with the rest of the ingredients.


Grated zest of 1 lemon
Fresh ginger, cut into a 1-inch cube, peeled, and grated
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup unseasoned brown-rice vinegar
1/3 cup shoyu sauce (wheat-free soy sauce)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

12 ounces dried soba noodles
12 ounces extra-firm nigari tofu
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 small handful of cilantro sprigs, for garnish
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

1.Make the dressing by combining the zest, ginger, honey, cayenne, and salt in a food processor (or use a hand blender) and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice, rice vinegar, and shoyu, and pulse to combine. With the machine running, drizzle in the oils
2.Cook the soba in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water just until tender, then drain and rinse under cold running water.
3.While the pasta is cooking, drain the tofu, pat it dry, and cut it into 1 inch cubes. Cook the tofu in a dry nonstick (or well-seasoned) skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until the pieces are browned on one side. Toss gently once or twice, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy.
4.In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba, the 1/4 cup cilantro, the green onions, cucumber, and about 1/3 cup of the dressing. Toss until well combined. Add the tofu and toss again gently. Serve on a platter, garnished with the cilantro sprigs and the toasted sesame seeds.

Mix it up with BiBimBap

Bibimbap
Serves 1, 30 min
I was sifting through the fridge and found some left over side dishes and vegetables that were going to go to waste. I hate watching ingredients go unused so I decided to use them all up and make bibimbap. "Bibimbap" literally translates to "mixed rice" in Korean. Traditionally, bibimbap is a mix of cooked vegetables, meat, egg, hot chili paste and sesame oil. Here, I left out the meat but kept the egg (you can leave out the egg and it still tastes good). You can pretty much take any vegetable and stir fry it or keep it fresh and have bibimbap. Try it with fresh cucumbers, blanched spinach, fresh sesame leaves, etc. Two of the ingredients used today are things you probably never heard of.


Burdock root (on left)- This is the root of a Burdock plant, better known as a thistle. Its cheap and stays for a long time. I found it difficult to cut by hand so I made even slices by using a mandolin. Once cooked, its slightly sweet and becomes softer yet stays crunchy.
King Trumpet mushroom (on right)- also known as the "almond abalone mushroom" is a large mushroom that tastes slightly buttery once cooked and its texture is comparable to an abalone.


1/2 cup burdock root
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup zucchini
1 king trumpet mushroom
1 egg
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 Tbs sesame oil
1-2 Tbs Korean hot chili paste

1.Remove skin from burdock by using a potato peeler. With a mandolin, shred burdock into matchsticks. Stir fry with little oil for 3-5 min until slightly tender. Add pinch of salt for taste.
2.Slice carrots into matchsticks and stir fry for 3-5 min until tender.
3.Chop zucchini into 1/4 inch half circles and stir fry. Remove excess water from pan and add a little salt for taste.
4.Dice the king trumpet mushroom into cubes and fry for 3 min, stirring occasionally.
5.Break egg into pan and pan fry, careful not to break the yolk. once the egg looks cooked on one side, flip the egg, again careful not to break the yolk. Don't let the egg to cook thoroughly, the yolk should stay a little runny.
6.Chop lettuce and set aside.
7.In a bowl, scoop the rice into the center, add the vegetables, and egg. Add desired amount of hot chili paste (the more you add, the spicier and saltier it will get) and drizzle sesame oil over everything. Mix well and enjoy.