It's been a little over five weeks since social isolation started in Amsterdam, and in many of my recent virtual conversations, the question of what to cook commonly comes up. So I've decided to share some of my usual go-to and newly tried recipes. All of these recipes are Asian inspired dishes made with minimal ingredients. They are also pescatarian friendly, with most of them being lacto-ovo vegetarian.
Miso Soup
I make miso soup on a routine basis because it's comforting and easy, as long as you have the ingredients on hand. I refer to Just One Cookbook's miso soup and dashi (stock) recipes often. I enjoy Nami's iriko dashi and kombu dashi (vegetarian/vegan) the most, but the ingredients may be hard to find in your local supermarket. So I suggest opting for shiitake dashi (vegetarian/vegan). Dried shiitakes and other dried mushrooms like porcini are more accessible and provide plenty of umami. You can usually find dried mushrooms in the produce section. To round out the meal, I tend to have miso soup as a side with zaru soba, which is cold soba with dipping sauce.
Pan-roasted Sweetened Sweet Potatoes
Candied sweet potatoes or daigaku imo from the Chopstick Chronicles feels like the fancy version of diner home fries. I substituted rice malt syrup with maple syrup because it's what I had on hand. I also added a pinch of salt before serving to make it a salty-sweet combo. I suggest going full diner style and pairing these sweets with a sunny-side up egg.
Chinese Tomato and Egg Stir-fry
Maggie from the Omnivore's Cookbook has a great recipe for a classic tomato and egg stir-fry, with suggestions on small tweaks on how to make this dish your own. As one of my childhood favorite Chinese dishes, I like to sauté a yellow onion and some sliced fresh ginger before adding in the tomatoes and finish with a drizzle of sesame oil before serving. While commonly eaten with rice, I mix it up and have it with quinoa or farro. Really, any grain you have on hand will do.
Simmered Daikon Radish
I love this simmered daikon radish recipe from The Woks of Life because it's low-stress. To make a complete meal that resembles a noodle soup, I double the amount of water and seasonings in the recipe. While the daikon is simmering, I rehydrate some mung bean noodles or vermicelli and portion it out in bowls. Near the end of cooking, I'll toss in tofu and bok choy (or any other leafy green), and heat until the greens are wilted. If you’re looking to make this vegetarian, substitute hoisin sauce for the oyster sauce.
Scallion Pancakes
I've always wanted to make scallion pancakes from scratch but was intimidated by the process. Angel does such a fantastic job in the linked video explaining how to make these savory pancakes that I had no reason to be intimidated. In addition to her well-done instructional video, I found giving myself ample time (thanks, quarantine!) allowed me to be more patient when handling the dough, leading to a positive experience.
Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Pancake)
Craving Vietnamese food and not being able to easily get it led me on a quest to find a recipe that will fill the void. The Viet Vegan's vegan bánh xèo was exactly what I needed. Another tasty savory pancake, but unlike scallion pancakes, the process is similar to a traditional diner pancake. I especially enjoyed watching the batter bubble up after adding in the seltzer.
More Recipes from the Blog:
I hope that these recipes spark some creativity and fun during your near future mealtimes as they did for me. There are plenty more recipes I’ve pinned on Pinterest if you’d like to browse as well. Happy cooking and eating!