A host of delicious Asian greens can be tossed into a salad, a stir-fry or a casserole. Have fun with them.
Other great veggie recipes include: Spicy Indian Cauliflower, Holiday Salads, Stir-Fried Pea Shoots, Indian Chickpeas and Eggplant and lastly, Chayote and Jicama dishes.
If you want more veggies in your diet, try out my mother's non-meat Buddhist dish and down below a fiery Chili Green Beans
BRAISED ASSORTED VEGETABLES (LO HAN CHAI)
Ingredients
- 1 turnip
- 1 carrot
- 1 small head cauliflower or broccoli
- 3 dried Chinese mushroom (soaked beforehand until soft) or substitute for other mushrooms such as shitaki
- 6 fresh button mushrooms
- 1/3 can of young corn shoots or bamboo shoots (375-400 ml. can or a small can if available)
- 1/3 can of straw mushroom ( 375-400 ml can or a small can if available)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1 cup soup stock ( your preference)
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with water to form a smooth paste
Seasoning
Mix all together:
- 1 teaspoon salt ( or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 Tbsp wine ( cooking wine or sherry)
Method
- Cut turnips & carrots into balls or strips. Boil in stock until tender.
- Boil cauliflower or brocoli in stock until tender.
- Slice mushroom, baby corn shoots or bamboo shoots in halves or any size you prefer.
- Heat oil. Add and saute in order, mushroom, corn/bamboo shoots and canned mushroom.
- Add stock, turnip, carrots & seasoning , saute & mix well, stirring all the time.
- Thicken with cornstarch.
- Add cauliflower/brocoli & sesame oil. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
CHILI GREEN BEANS
Ingredients
- 1 lb green beans
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 2-3 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp hot chili-garlic sauce (or more if you like)
- deep-fried shallots
Method
- Cut the beans into 1 1/2-inch pieces, trimming off the stems.
- Heat oil in a fry pan or wok over medium heat. Add beans and stir-fry 2 minutes.
- Pour in water gradually. Stir frequently until beans are tender but crisp, about 5 minutes or less.
- Add ginger, oyster sauce and 1 tsp. of the chili sauce. Stir until spread evently for 1 minute.
- Add rest of chli sauce.
- Top with the shallots, which can be bought ready-fried in bottles in most Asian shops.
If eating veggies is your kind of thing, you might try a gander at the Ayurvedic way of eating.
Ayurveda concerts on a person's "dosha" - which is about three types of energies: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Each dosha contains two elements: Vata has ether and air, Pitta has fire and water while Kapha has water and earth. We all have three doshas within us but one or two may be more prominent.
Depending on which doshas are dominant in us, we can be hot or cold, dry or wet, heavy or light. And what we eat is all about balancing our doshas.
Some of the key Ayurvedic teachings include: eating seasonal food, preparing food lovingly, always sitting down to eat and only eating when hungry. They all sound like common sense.
