Chop Suey

Vegetables for Chop Suey

Chop Suey

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Kari's Chop Suey

1/2 Tbsp oil
2 tsp minced ginger
2 tsp minced garlic
1 small yellow onion, halved and sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced thin
4 fresh shitake mushrooms, destemmed and sliced thin
2 cups shredded cabbage
12 oz fresh bean sprouts, rinsed
1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 9-ounce can fried gluten (vegetarian mock pork), drained and chopped
1 Tbsp soy sauce
water, as needed

Sauce:
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp ShaoXing cooking wine
2 Tbsp vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp thick soy sauce (or more vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce)
1 tsp turbinado sugar
1/4 tsp chile garlic sauce
2 tsp cornstarch

Cooked noodles or rice

Directions:
Place gluten in bowl and add 1Tbsp soy sauce; toss to coat. Set aside.

Whisk together sauce ingredients. Set aside.

Prepare all vegetables before you begin. Heat wok. Add oil and swirl to coat pan. Add garlic and ginger; Stir 10 seconds. Push aside and add onion, bell pepper, celery, and carrot. Stir-fry 2 minutes. Push to side and add mushroom and cabbage along with 2 Tbsp water. Stir-fry 2-3 minutes. Push aside and add gluten. Stir-fry 1 minute. Add sprouts and stir-fry all together for 2 minutes. Make hole in center of vegetables by pushing to sides. Pour sauce in center. Let it come to boil and thicken. Add water chestnuts and stir-fry all together until heated through. Serve over rice or noodles.

Serves 4 or more

Soyrizo Posole

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Posole is a Mexican soup, traditionally made with pork and hominy, that is served with various condiments such as shredded cabbage, cilantro, chopped onion, lime, and fried corn tortilla strips. You'll find that there are red, green, and white versions of posole (the colors of the Mexican flag). This recipe is for a meatless red posole made with Soyrizo.

Kari's Soyrizo Posole

water, as needed
1 onion, chopped
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pkg Soyrizo (meatless soy chorizo sausage)
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 Tbsp mild chili powder
1/4 tsp Mexican oregano
1 14.5-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
5 cups vegetable broth (5 cup water + 2 veg bouillon cubes)
1 29-ounce can hominy, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

Garnishes: shredded cabbage, diced white or green onion, chopped cilantro, toasted or fried tortilla strips, chiles, sliced radishes, lime wedges

In pot, saute onion in 2-3 Tbsp water over medium-high heat 5 minutes. Add serrano pepper and garlic. Stir. Add soyrizo; cook and stir several minutes. Add water as necessary, scraping bits from bottom of pan. Add red bell pepper; cook and stir a few minutes. Add cumin, coriander, chili powder, and Mexican oregano; cook and stir to toast spices. Add tomatoes and vegetable broth. Bring to simmer. Add hominy. Simmer on med-low for 45 minutes. Add pinto beans and zucchini. You can also add more water, if thinner broth is desired. Simmer 15-20 minutes on low til zucchini is tender. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Ladle in bowls and top with desired garnishes.

Serves 4-6

Yellow Split Pea Sambar with Basmati Rice

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I think in India Sambar is traditionally made with toor dal (hulled, split pigeon peas). If you can't find toor dal in your area, it's available in online stores like this one. You can also use red lentils or split mung beans or chana dal. There are many recipe variations for Sambar, thick or thin or somewhere in between. Some are just dal (split pea/lentil) puree with spices. Others have added vegetables. This recipe uses curry leaves. If you can't find curry leaves, you can substitute bay leaves or just omit. The flavor will be different, but still good.

Recipe below.

yellow split pea puree with tumeric

chiles, curry leaves, ginger, garlic, and onion

spices

Kari's Yellow Split Pea Sambar

1 cup yellow split peas, rinsed
1 Tbsp oil, divided
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 Tbsp sambar masala*
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp salt
4 red arbol chiles (small dried red chiles)
1 sprig curry leaves
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Tbsp minced ginger root
1 Roma tomato, diced small
1/2 small cauliflower, chopped bite-size pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut in 1/4-inch dice (about 1 1/4 cups)
2 small Indian eggplants, peeled, diced (about 1 cup)
1 Tbsp tamarind concentrate
1 cup warm water
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Precook sweet potato in microwave 5 minutes. Set aside.

Cook yellow split peas with 3 cups water, 1/2 Tbsp oil and 1/2 tsp turmeric in pressure cooker 8 minutes; quick release pressure and set aside. (If your pressure cooker doesn't have a jiggle top, you can probably omit the oil. My pressure cooker has a jiggle top, so it's included to prevent foaming and clogging the vents. You can also cook without oil in a regular pan on stovetop until very tender. Peas should be mostly puree.)

In nonstick skillet, heat remaining 1/2 Tbsp oil. Add black mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they pop, add chiles and curry leaves. Stir until leaves begin to crisp. Don't burn. Add onion; cook and stir a minute or two, then add garlic and ginger. Cook 1 minute, then add tomato. Cook 2 or 3 minutes until tomato begins to break down. Add cauliflower and eggplant. Cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes, then stir contents of skillet into cooked peas along with tamarind concentrate dissolved in warm water, reserved sweet potatoes, sambar masala powder, and salt. Simmer over medium-low, stirring often and adding water if necessary to prevent scorching, for 25 to 30 minutes til vegetables are very soft. For thinner sambar, add additional water. Add cilantro and serve. You can serve this with basmati rice or Indian bread and chutney.

Serves 4. Per 1/4 recipe 447g serving: 281 calories, 4.5 g fat, 17 g fiber, 15 g protein, 56 mg sodium

*You can buy sambar masala spice blend prepackaged. I used MDH brand. There are also numerous sambar masala recipes online.

Note: You can vary vegetables to taste or by what's available. Carrots, green beans, squash, green peas, potatoes, and okra, as well as various Indian vegetables, are often used. Many sambar recipes also include coconut.