Embracing Simplicity - Just King Oyster Mushroom and Chilli

Few days back, someone asked me about Wild Red Mushroom. Unaware of Wild Red Mushroom.  Have not seen one before! Have not tasted any before!  Hmmm... NEW stuff! Very interesting.

Yes, there are so many things in the Universe that we don't know and is waiting for us to explore and to discover, just like the mushroom with a beautiful lovely name - Wild Red Mushroom that I don't know.  

So are you on such a quest? Discovering the beauty of Vegetarian Cuisine or discovering your potential or strengths? Or your warrior's heart is on the search for the truth of your existence?

If you are wondering why my posting is getting lesser nowadays, it is because I am away discovering the Mother Nature's beauty and allure by the stimulating self-discovery workshops ... With these positive energies that I harness, maybe I would be able to have a different feel when I cook and play with vegetarian dishes.

Preparation:     5 mins

Cooking time:    10 mins

           

Ingredients (serves 2)

°         200g king oyster mushroom, sliced

°         3 dried chilli, cut into section

°         1 tablespoon olive oil

°         1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce

°         125ml water

Method

1.      Heat the oil in a wok. Add dried chilli and fry till fragrant.

2.      Throw in the king oyster mushroom and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add in the vegetarian oyster sauce and water. Simmer for 5-8 minutes.

3.      Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with some fresh chinese celery or coriander and serve immediately.

Aubergine (Eggplant) Kinpira

If you like braised eggplant with pepper and chilli, here is another rather similar dish - Eggplant Kinpira using only simple ingredients. Mirin is omitted in this recipe, you can add mirin or cooking rice wine, if desired.

Preparation:     5 mins Cooking time:  5 mins

           

Ingredients (serves 2-4)

°         250g  aubergine (eggplant), cut into strips

°         1 tablespoon olive oil

°         some toasted sesame seeds

°         some chilli flakes (optional)

°         some coriander or Chinese celery (optional), for garnish  

Seasoning

°         3 tablespoons light soy sauce

°         60ml water or dashi stock

°         1 tablespoon sugar

Method

1.      Place all the seasoning ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

2.      Heat oil in a wok. Fry the aubergine or eggplant for 2-3 minutes.  Pour in the seasoning and simmer for 1-2 minutes or until it is dry.  

3.      Dish up, top with coriander or Chinese celery, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, chilli flakes and serve immediately.

Preserved Olive Vegetables Rice

This recipe is the act of my right brain at work! When my son told me about the yummy Herbal Fried Rice offered by the Vegetarian Stall in his school.  I was not present in the HERE and NOW, upon hearing the word 'herbal', my right brain wander off to the thoughts of fried rice with olive, then it reminds me of the preserved olive vegetable and many other things that eventually lead me to this creation - adding preserved olive vegetable to cook the rice.   

This is the characteristic of a Right-Brained (often misunderstood), where they can think of one thing, say another and their brain has already moved on to another thought. 


If you are curious whether you are a right-brained or left-brained person, take the simple test @ The Right Brain vs Left Brain test. Have fun!

Preparation:     10 mins, Cooking time:  15 mins

           

Ingredients (serves 2)

°         200g rice, washed and drained

°         400ml water

°         2-3 tablespoons preserved olive vegetables

°         some freshly chopped spring onion (optional) 

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.

3.      Garnish with chopped spring onion and serve hot.

Vegan Soy Bean Sprout Pancake (Kongnamul Jeon)

Eggless Kongnamul Jeon!  Kongnamul Jeon is a Korean pancake like dish using soy bean sprout as the main ingredient. You can cook it like a big omelette or in small pancake size. Chickpea flour is used, as it has the colour of the egg and has higher portion of protein compare to other type of flour.

Preparation:     15 mins Cooking time:  10 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)

°         150 soy bean sprout, trimmed

°         50g onion, sliced

°         50g carrot shreds

°         150g chickpea flour (besan flour/gram dhall)

°         250ml water

°         salt and pepper, to taste

°         2-3 tablespoons oil

Method

1.      Combine the chickpea flour, water, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Throw in the soy bean sprout, carrot, onion and blend well. Set aside.

2.      Heat 1- 1½ tablespoons of oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Ladle half of the soy bean sprout batter mixture into the pan and spread well.  Flip over the pancake after 1½ minutes or when the base is slightly brown. Remove from heat after another 1½ minutes and transfer to a serving plate. Repeat with the rest of mixture.

3.      Cut into smaller size and serve. 

Potato Kinpira

Simple, healthy and tasty! Another Kinpira recipe using potato! I omitted mirin in this recipe, you can add mirin or cooking rice wine, if desired.

Preparation:     10 mins Cooking time:  10 mins 

           

Ingredients (serves 2-4)

°         200g  potato, julienne 

°         4 slices carrot, julienne

°         1 tablespoon olive oil

°         some toasted sesame seeds

°         some spring onion (optional), chopped or shredded

Seasoning

°         2 tablespoons light soy sauce

°         3 tablespoons water or dashi stock

°         1/3 tablespoon sugar

Method

1.      Place all the seasoning ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

2.      Heat oil in a wok. Fry the potato for 5 minutes.  Add in the carrot and pour in the seasoning and simmer for 1 minute or until it is dry.  

3.      Dish up, top with spring onion, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Soy Bean Sprout Rice

This is rather similar to Korean Rice Dish - Kongnamul Bab. You can even simplify it by having two ingredients -  rice and soy bean sprout,  with simple seasoning like salt or light soy sauce with or without sesame oil.  You may even replace carrot with mushroom or other ingredients you have in your kitchen.

Never underestimated the taste of this simple dish! We are surrounded by many simple and yet delicious vegetarian dishes. So just experience the richness of vegetarian food by taking the opportunity to savor it and fully taste it, by just focusing on the sensations in the mouth and appreciate it fully.

Preparation:     15 mins  Cooking time:            15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)

°         200g rice, washed and drained

°         400ml water

°         125-150g soy bean sprout, trimmed

°         25g carrot, peeled and shredded

°         1 tablespoon curry powder (optional)

°         salt and granulated mushroom bouillon  to taste

Garnish

°         some shredded nori and roasted sesame seeds

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 garnish with shredded nori, sesame seeds and serve hot.

Vegetarian Assam Fish

I brought a pack of instant Vegetarian Assam Fish where it only required heating-up. I added some other ingredients to make this more nutritious yet simple to be done.  Instead of stir-fry the ingredients and add to the heated up Vegetarian Assam Fish, I just put them together and heat up.

Preparation:     8 mins Cooking time:  8 mins

           

Ingredients (serves 2)

°         1 pack (400g) vegetarian assam fish

°         1-2 tomatoes, cut into wedge

°         1 wedge pineapple, cut into small chunk

°         1/2 onion, cut into wedge.

°         mint leaves (optional),  for garnish

°          

Method

1.      Place the ingredients in a pan and heat up.

2.      Garnish with mint leaves and serve. 

Edamame 'N' Corn Salad

A simple and colourful salad! Whatever combination or quantity of the ingredients used is possible, just make sure they are balanced and in harmony with the colour, texture and appearance of the food.

Preparation:     8 mins  Cooking time:  8 mins

           

Ingredients (serves 2)

°         150g edamame beans

°         100g corn, blanched

°         50g carrot dices

°         1 teaspoon sesame oil

°         salt, to taste

°         some roasted/toasted white sesame seeds

Method

1.      Place the ingredients in a bowl, mix well and serve. 

A Simple Bowl of Green Tea Soup

Finding all ingredients for making the Thunder Tea Rice Soup is getting difficult as some of the ingredients are not easily available.  Here is a very simplified soup! Grounded peanut powder can be added, if desired.

This reminds us how much effort by many people and the natural gifts (sunshine, rain, soil) went into growing, harvesting, processing, cooking and serving the food that we eat every meal. How blessed we are!  When we are hungry, we have food.  Living in this era, we get to taste different wonderful and scrumptious cuisines even without having to step out of the country. Maybe, when we have our meal, just be thankful.  

Preparation:     8 mins Cooking time:  8 mins

           

Ingredients (serves 2)

°         25g mint leaves (stems removed before weighing)

°         25g coriander

°         500ml water

°         salt, to taste

°         granulated mushroom bouillon (optional), to taste

°         1½ teaspoon green tea powder, or to taste

°         some roasted/toasted white sesame seeds, for garnish

Method

1.      Place the mint leaves, coriander, and ginger in a blender with 125ml of water. Blend well and set aside.

2.      Pour 375ml of water into a pot and bring to a boil. Stir in the vegetable puree and bring to a boil.

3.      Season to taste with salt, granulated mushroom bouillon and stir in the green tea powder.

4.      Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, sprinkle some sesame seeds and serve hot. 

Earth 'N' Ocean Salad (Hijiki Seaweed Salad)

A simple yet easy-to-do side dish, marrying the ingredients from the Earth which are carrot and edamame and hijiki seaweed from the blue ocean. Keep the water for blanching carrot and hijiki seaweed as soup base for noodle or clear soup, if desired.

Preparation:    15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)

°         2 tablespoons (15g) hijiki seaweed, soaked with 500ml water for 15 mins, drained well  and blanched

°         50g carrot dices, blanched

°         50g edamame

°         3/4  tablespoon sesame oil

°         1/2  tablespoon sugar

°         1 tablespoon light soy sauce

°         some sesame seeds (optional)

Method

1.    Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Serve chilled if prefer. 

Pumpkin 'N' Yam Congee

Lately, has a Mindful Lunch in Silence! Someone asked us to watch our mind during lunch time with questions like - What is the mind doing? What is the mind aware of? What is the aspect of the food are we enjoying? How many percentage of the time are we enjoying the food or thinking of the food (via internal chattering or commenting)? How is the mind relating to the five senses? It was a very interesting to see how the mind works! 

Basing on our previous experiences, knowledge and life circumstances, our mind would tend to have predetermined views on food or certain type of food knowingly or unknowingly.  All would feel differently and all food reviews can be subjective.  Therefore, feel free to change the ingredients or explore with different type of ingredients to come up with something that you would like.  

Preparation:    5 mins

Cooking time:  20 mins, plus 2 ½ hours standing time

                      

Ingredients (serves 2)

°         100g rice, washed and drained

°         100g pumpkin, cut into small cubes

°         50g yam, cut into small cubes

°         50g king oyster mushroom

°         1 pcs kelp (2cm x 5cm)

°         800ml water

°         salt and pepper, to taste

°         some shredded nori, roasted sesame seed, spring onion, for garnish

Method

1.    Wash the rice and drain well. Put the rice in a plastic or metal container and freeze it for 2 – 2 ½ hours in the refrigerator.

2.    Remove from the freezer and add 250ml water to it and leave to stand for 5 minutes.

3.    Pour the rice into a claypot or pot. Add the remaining water, pumpkin, yam, kelp and bring to a boil. Simmer for another 15 minutes or until the congee is soft. Stir to mash up the pumpkin. If it is too thick, just add some water. Season to taste with salt and pepper

4.    Ladle the congee into individual serving bowls. Garnish with shredded nori, sesame seeds, spring onion and serve hot. 

Seaweed Roll

S$1 for 1 piece/roll

Just for S$1, you get this much (slightly crispy outer layer after toasting for a longer time )

I like these few lines I read in a book, it says -

"CONTENTMENT

The more we pursue sensual pleasures, the more we crave them and chase after distractions. Our dissatisfaction increases and creates mental stress and physical discomfort. Recognize how this happens, and learn to be content with a few necessities. You will be more carefree and joyful. "

So, I try to enjoy the simple meal now and learn to be contented.  Cooking has become very simplified.  I purchased this Seaweed Roll which is made with layer and layer of beancurd skin seasoned with simple ingredients that has  nori sheet in between which costs around S$5 for 5 pieces.

 Instead of deep-frying it, I just placed them in the oven toaster and let it toasted for 10-15 minutes (you are free to do other chores or prepare other dishes). 

You can brush some oil on it or use none, cut it prior to toasting or do it after that, it is all your preference.  It can be a healthy and simple dish to go with plain/brown rice, congee, as snack or finger food.

You can dip it with chilli sauce or mayo or any other sauce you prefer.  You can even choose to wrap it with lettuce too. So just follow your mood, explore and be open to all possibilities and have fun too  ...