One-Pot Cabbage Rice

Incredibly simple and healthy one-pot meal. What you need to do is to have a rice cooker and just dump all the ingredients in and leaves everything to it. Light soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, seasoning or sesame oil can be added, if desired. You may even opt to use Brown Rice. The vegetarian mushroom I used in this recipe is the seasoned mushroom from Yuan Jen Product range. If you cannot find this, just substitute with 2-3 dried mushrooms or fresh mushrooms.

To make it look presentable, just garnish with some chopped spring onion or coriander, sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds or even nori shreds on top. The beauty of this dish is that you don’t have to do much washing after that – just the rice cooker, 2 plates and 2 spoons!

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g rice, washed and drained
° 400ml water
° 150g vegetarian mushroom
° 100g Chinese cabbage (Wong Bak/Bok Choy), cut into broad strips
° 50g carrot, peeled and diced
° 1 slice ginger (optional), finely chopped
° ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
° pepper (optional), to taste

Method
1. Combine all the ingredients into an electric rice cooker, mix well and turn it on.
2. When done leave the cooked rice to rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve hot.

Stir-Fried Eggplants with Basil Leaves

The usual way to maintain the lovely colour of eggplants is by blanching them in oil, but for this recipe I used water instead, for a healthier dish. Eggplants can soak up oil very easily and if you love stir-fry eggplant and do not want the huge intake of oil, maybe you can tried out this dish with some compromising.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g eggplants, cut into sections, blanched for 5-7 minutes and drained well.
° 25g basil leaves
° 2 slices ginger or 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° 1 tablespoon light soy sauce or to taste
° few slices red chilli, for garnish
° salt to taste

Method
1. Heat the oil in a wok. Add the ginger or garlic and fry until fragrant.
2. Throw in the basil leaves, eggplant and stir-fry briskly for 1 minute. Drizzle with light soy sauce.
3. Stir fry for another ½ a minute and season to taste with salt.
4. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with chilli and serve immediately.

Avocado and Mango Soy Milk Shake

I fell in love with fruity soy milk shake! Still a long way to become a Fruitarian, although I love to stock up different type of fruits at home – Watermelon, apples, oranges, bananas, honey dew, kiwi, green and ripe mangos, pears … I ‘drink’ these fruit instead of eating them most of the time. Try this. It is a little bit thick but you can always add more soy milk. My boy suggested that the ratio of avocado to mango should be 1:2, to have a stronger mango taste. I’m going to try it out next round.

Preparation: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° ½ ripe avocado, peeled and chopped
° ½ ripe mango, peeled and chopped
° 250ml-300ml fresh soy milk (reduced sugar)

Method
1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Chilled or serve with ice.

Tofu Sandwiches

Tofu Sandwich, anyone? It is simple, just pan-fried the firm tofu (halved from side way). After that, place some toasted seaweed, tomatoes slices, cucumber slices, lettuces, vegetarian ham and sprinkle some sesame seed on top. What to add to the filling, is all personal preference.

For kids, just cut into smaller square and make sure it is not too huge for them to pop into their tiny mouth.

Avocado and Mango Temaki

Avocado & Mango Temaki with pickled sushi ginger

This is incredibly simple and delectable dish. As long as you can cook a pot of rice and cut avocado and mango, this dish is not a problem for you. Anyone can do it.

Preparation: 15 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (makes 6)
° 200g rice, washed and drained
° 400ml water
° 1½-2 tablespoons Japanese rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
° 1 teaspoon mirin or ½ teaspoon cooking rice wine (optional)
° 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
° ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
° 6 sheets nori
° 1 ripe avocado, stoned, peeled and cut into 6 wedges
° 1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into 6 wedges
° some pickled sushi ginger
° some roasted sesame seeds (optional)

Method
1. Add the rice and water into an electric rice cooker and turn it on. When done, leave the cooked rice to rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes.
2. Add the vinegar, mirin, sugar and salt into the rice, and mix well. Taste it.
3. Place some rice on the nori sheet. Add avocado and mango slices. Fold into a cone shape and top with some sesame seeds. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 5 more rolls in the same way.
4. Garnish with some pickled sushi ginger before serving.

Banana and Pear Soy Milk Shake

I read this from Reuters - Health News - “Students who ate an adequate amount of fruit, vegetables, protein, fiber and other components of a healthy diet were significantly less likely to fail a literacy test, Dr. Paul J. Veugelers of the University of Alberta in Edmonton and colleagues found.”

Ahh…, isn’t fruity soy milk shake meets most of the above criteria. Yes, and it is incredibly simple and delectable drink. No preservatives, no food colouring, so much better than any Soft Drink. That is what my Vegetarian boy with a busy schedule is having almost daily – a homemade fruity soy milk specially for him!

Preparation: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 1-2)
° 1 (200g) pear, peeled, seeded and chopped
° 1 (200g) banana, peeled
° 250ml fresh unsweetened soy milk
° sugar (optional), to taste

Method
1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Chilled or serve with ice.

Vegetarian Ham with Enoki

This is incredibly simple and easy dish. Just place some enkoi mushroom on a piece of vegetarian ham and roll up. Secure with spring onion or a toothpick. Next brush some olive oil on it and toasted them in the Toaster Oven for 10 mins or just bake or grill them.

If you are not a fan of mock meat, just use the vegetarian ham moderately by cutting the vegetarian into 3 portions. If you prefer them raw, just thaw the vegetarian ham and roll up with enoki mushroom, secure them and that’s!

Avocado Sushi

Nothing new, just a combination of avocado, rice and pickled ginger. For this recipe, I used brown rice instead of plain rice or sushi rice, to replicate the colour of the avocado’s seed. After making these, I just feel like stuffing a ball of brown rice into the stoned avocado and serve with pickled sushi ginger. If you prefer, you can make it into Avocado Temaki (hand rolled sushi) and garnish with crispy fried shredded ginger, it is real simple.

Check this out: How to cut and peel an avocado

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (makes 6)
° 200g brown rice or sushi rice, washed and drained
° 400ml water
° 2 tablespoons Japanese rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
° 1 teaspoon mirin or ½ teaspoon cooking rice wine (optional)
° 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
° ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
° ½-1 nori sheet, cut into 6 strips
° 1 ripe avocado, stoned, peeled and cut into 6 wedges
° some pickled sushi ginger

Method
1. Add the rice and water into an electric rice cooker and turn it on. When done, leave the cooked rice to rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes.
2. Add the vinegar, mirin, sugar and salt into the rice, and mix well. Fluff with a fork and divided into 6 portions.
3. Wet your hand and shape the rice into 6 balls. Alternatively, place rice on the cling plastic to and shape into a ball. Place one wedge of avocado over it and go round it with the nori strip to secure it. Tap some water at the end of the nori strip to seal it.
4. Serve with pickled sushi ginger.

Spicy Seaweed Crisp

I had this in Malaysia and now trying to recreate this. The one that I had does not use Tom Yum paste at all, I guess seasoning is been used. You may have it plain, if desired. If deep-frying is not your option, no worry, just bake or toast it after spraying or brushing some oil on them! Instead of using egg which is the normal practice to “seal” it, I added water to the Tom Yum Paste. And this makes it Vegan Friendly!

Too much of a trouble to do it yourself, then go to The Whole Earth (A Vegetarian Eatery in Singapore), I had eaten something similar there but it is using beancurd skin if I am not wrong.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 1 nori sheet, halved
° 2 pieces spring roll pastry skin, 215 x 215mm
° 1½ -2 teaspoons vegetarian tom yum paste, mixed with 1½ teaspoon water
° vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Method
1. Place a piece of spring roll pastry skin on a chopping board or plate. Brush some vegetarian tom yum paste over it.
2. Place a piece of nori sheet on top, brush with some vegetarian tom yum paste. Fold the spring roll pastry skin over to cover up the nori sheet.
3. Cut into strips or few sections. Repeat with the next spring roll pastry skin.
4. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or wok over high heat or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil brown in few seconds. Drop the seaweed crisp into the hot oil and fry in batches until lightly golden yellow.
5. Remove with a slotted spoon. Drain well on kitchen paper.
6. Serve immediately.

Honeydew & Banana Soy Milk Shake

Preparation: 8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 150g honeydew, peeled chopped
° 1 (200g) banana, peeled and sliced
° 250ml fresh unsweetened soy milk
° sugar (optional), to taste

Method
1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste it, add more sugar, if necessary. Chilled or serve with ice.

Tofu with Black Chilli Bean

So simple! I used chilli black bean, a product which I just discover and is a vegetarian product. I had used the chilli black bean to stir-fried power bean.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 1 pack silken tofu (300g), cut into cubes and drained well
° 1 clove garlic or 1 thin slice ginger, chopped
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° 1 tablespoon chilli black bean, or to taste
° a small handful fresh coriander leaves or spring onion, for garnish

Method
1. Heat oil in a wok. Add the garlic or ginger and fry till fragrant.
2. Add the tofu and chilli black bean. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
3. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with coriander leaves/spring onion.
4. Serve immediately.