Tempeh Fried Rice

veggies fried rice- thaiveggiewithb

This is a dish that goes well with a big salad or plate of steamed vegetables. The recipe calls for tempeh, but you can add tofu or mushrooms instead, or whatever you like. You can experiment with other raw vegetables and ingredients.

Click here to watch this video on my YouTube channel!

https://www.youtube.com/c/thaiveggiewithb

Ingredients

– 1/2 cup raw onion, julienne cut

– 4-5 cloves garlic crushed or chopped fine

– 1 cup fresh kale chopped or torn into small pieces

– 1 cup napa or other raw cabbage, chopped or shredded

– 1/2 to 2 cups cooked brown rice – I use Thai Jasmine, available at the co-op and the Asian market

– 1/2 cup tomato pieces – from a whole tomato, remove the soft inner part and seeds, use only the firm outer part of the tomato for this dish

– 2 tablespoons soy sauce

– 2 tablespoons olive oil

– 1-2 ounces tempeh sliced thin – the thickness of cardboard – and marinated in soy sauce and garlic powder

– 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

-In a wok or pan, heat the oil until hot. Brown tempeh until crisp; remove and set aside.

-Add oil as needed to continue.

-Add onion and garlic and turn heat down, but enough to keep the ingredients sizzling.

-When onions begin to soften, add kale and cabbage.

-Keep turning and moving ingredients until they soften and the sweet smell rises.

-Add tomato pieces.

-Add soy sauce and pepper.

-Remove from heat.

Serving

On each plate, serve a mound of fried rice and 3-4 pieces tempeh.

Garnish with cilantro cut into small pieces and small lime wedges.

Add chili sauce to individual taste.

This will go nicely with a salad or plate of steamed vegetables. A meal for two.

Tom Kha Hed

Tom Kha- Soup with mushroom- thaiveggiewithb

If you’ve had only one Thai soup, it was probably Tom Yom or Tom Kha.

This is a recipe for coconut soup with mushrooms, Tom Kha Hed.

Click here to watch on my YouTube channel!

https://www.youtube.com/c/thaiveggiewithb

Ingredients

We use fresh ingredients, with two exceptions – soy sauce and coconut milk. The soy sauce and coconut milk are very minimally processed.

–1 1/2 cups fresh water or vegetable stock

–2-3 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced thin. Oyster, crimini and straw mushrooms are all good choices. Slice into thin cross-section pieces

–1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped

–1/2 cup sweet pepper – red, orange, yellow – chopped.

coconut milk - thaiveggiewithb

–1 cup coconut milk. This coconut milk has two ingredients, the flesh of coconuts and water. We get it at the local Asian market. It’s also available at the co-op and supermarket.

The next three ingredients are for flavor – we don’t usually eat them. We cut them into big pieces so they’re easily removed when our Tom Kha is ready.

Galangal is a root. It’s a relative of ginger. Ginger adds heat to a dish. Galangal cools and refreshes.

– 6 thin slices Galagal.

–3-5 kaffir lime leaves. Kaffir limes are small and dark green with bumpy skin. In Thai cooking we use the skin and leaves. We’ll use the leaves today. When we’re ready to use them, we’ll tear them.

–1 stalk lemon grass. To get the lemon grass ready, whack the stalk with the dull edge of the knife. This releases the flavor and aroma. Then cut the stalk into three-inch pieces.

Galangal, lime leaves and lemon grass are native to Southeast Asia. We get them at the Asian market.

–2-3 small chilis, red or green. These are hot. In the cool climate of the Pacific Northwest, fresh chilis are ready in late summer. We get chilis at the farmers’ market and buy enough for the year. We bag them up and keep them in the freezer. Then we take out what we need as we need it.

At the end of our preparation, we’ll add

–2 tablespoons soy sauce – this is soy protein and water. No added salt, no alcohol. It works very well.

–2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice

Preparation

In a medium size pot, bring water to a boil.

Add lemon grass, galangal and sweet onion.

Cover, return to boil, then reduce heat and boil gently for about five minutes.

Add coconut milk and turn up heat. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently. When the stock boils, add mushrooms, sweet pepper, lime leaves, and the hot chilis.

When the soup returns to boil, cut the heat to simmer and cook until mushrooms are tender and the sweet peppers are getting soft.

Remove from heat.

Add soy sauce and lime juice.

Soup’s on.

When we’re ready to serve, we can fish out the galangal, lime leaves, lemon grass and chilis if you like. Or, better, leave them in and let diners take care of it. They add nice touches of color and texture to the dish.

Serve with rice. Garnish with cilantro, green onion, and a small wedge of lime. Add chili sauce as you like.

A meal for two.

Tofu Basil

tofu basil -thaiveggiewithb

I have fond memories of family trips in the north to visit my grandparents. When we got there we were met by these two loving people and the wonderful smells of the dish they were preparing for us. The lovely fragrance of garlic and onions, citrus, peppers and basil filled the air.

Click here to watch this video on YouTube channel!

https://www.youtube.com/@thaiveggieb

Ingredients

2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed with mortar and pestle, or minced

1/2 cup sweet onion, sliced thin

1/2 block firm tofu – 6 or 7 oz – cut into cubes

2 small hot Thai chilis, red or green, whole

1/2 cup sweet pepper – red, orange, or yellow – chopped

1cup fresh whole basil leaves

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 tablespoons soy sauce

juice of 1/4 lime, about 1 tablespoon

Preparation

Heat 8-10 inch pan over medium heat. Add olive oil.

With olive oil, we heat the pan to just above medium. Don’t let it burn.

It’s important, as we add ingredients, that the pan sizzles – we hear the sizzle – and keep ingredients moving in the pan by stirring or sauteeing.

Add garlic and onion.

After about a minute, when you notice the sweet smell of garlic and onion cooking, add tofu. Cook until the tofu is firm.

Add soy sauce and lime juice.

Add chilis.

Add sweet pepper.

The chilis and sweet pepper add color and texture to the dish.

As the sweet pepper begins to soften, add basil leaves, dropping them into the pan.

Cook for about a minute and turn off heat.

Serve

Serve over rice. Garnish with a sprig of cilantro and a small wedge of lime. Add chili sauce as you like. A meal for two people.

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Chili Sauce

thaiveggiewithb chili sauce

In Thailand, chili sauce is always on the table for meals. Use as much or as little as you like. Keeps in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Click here to watch this video on my YouTube channel!

https://www.youtube.com/c/thaiveggieb

Ingredients

2-3 cloves garlic

2-3 red or green Thai chilis

2-3 tbsp soy sauce (I like to use Bragg liquid Aminos for gluten free option.)

2-3 tbsp lime juice

sprig of cilantro

an inch or two of the green part of a green onion

Preparation —

with mortar and pestle

Cut the stem ends off the garlic and chilis.

No need to skin the garlic, as pounding it in the mortar will do that.

Into the mortar, add garlic and chilis.

Smash garlic and chilis, pick out garlic skin.

Or —

with chef’s knife

Cut the stem ends off the garlic and chilis.

With the broad side of the knife, whack garlic and pick off the skin.

Cut garlic and chilis into mince.

When handling fresh chilis, take care not to touch your eyes or sensitive skin.

Scoop garlic and chilis into serving bowl. Add soy sauce and fresh lime juice. Stir with teaspoon.

Top with cilantro and green onion, minced, if you like.

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If, while eating, you get too much chili and your mouth is on fire,

a forkful or two of plain cooked rice will help to dissipate the heat.