Sarah Spencer - Best Vegetarian and Vegan Asian Recipes from Mama Li’s Kitchen

Mama Li has been an inspiration throughout my culinary journey. When I moved to Philadelphia with my family as a teenager, I found it hard to adjust. My one refuge was cooking. This is when Mama Li opened my eyes to an entirely unfamiliar culture and consequently, cooking style. She owned a Chinese Take Out restaurant where she took the time to teach me knife skills, Asian delicacies and a general curiosity for unfamiliar food.

Asian cuisine is a cultural experience that includes many countries, and has a tradition steeped in history thousands of years old. There is an exquisite beauty to Asian cuisine, with its pungent, aromatic flavors and array of textures. Asian dishes typically feature the freshest of ingredients, depending mainly on crisp, colorful vegetables, silken grains, and flavorful spices. Some of the most delicious cultural cuisine on the face of the planet is also among the freshest and healthiest.

In many Asian cultures, there is a focus on fresh seafood and vegetarian diets. It has mainly been in western culture that the addition of beef, pork, and poultry has become popular.

While this may satisfy the craving of the western palette, many people seek fresh, authentic Asian cuisine that fits into their vegetarian or vegan lifestyles.

This book will provide you with an array of some of the most flavorful, traditional, Asian dishes from China, Japan, and Thailand. Each recipe is specifically tailored to a vegetarian or vegan diet, focusing strongly on fresh produce, alternative protein sources, and complimentary sauces and seasonings. The recipes contained within this book will look and taste like they were created by a master chef, but they are very simple both in preparation and presentation. Whether you are a seasoned cook, or a novice looking for ways to add variety into a vegetarian diet, you will find this book easy to use, and one that you return to time and again.

Recipes that are vegan have been designated as such. Recipes that are not designated as vegan contain at least one ingredient that was in some way produced by an animal. Eggs, honey, and in a few cases dairy are examples of non-vegan ingredients included within this book. Each of these ingredients can easily be substituted with vegan ingredients to achieve an equally pleasing dish.

Enjoy your tour through Asian soups, appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Stop and savor the flavors along the way.

Bon apptit!,

Sarah

Tofu Miso Soup

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

4 cups vegetable broth

1 ounce dried seaweed

6 ounces firm tofu, or about of a store-bought package

cup oyster mushrooms, sliced

1 egg, beaten

4 tablespoons light or sweet miso paste

1 scallion, chopped for garnish

Directions

• Add broth to large saucepan or stockpot, and heat over medium-high heat until broth comes to a boil.
• To the boiling broth, add the seaweed, tofu, and mushrooms.
• Stir and allow the broth to boil for one minute before reducing heat to a simmer.
• Slowly whisk in the egg and cook for 1 3 minutes before removing pan from heat.
• Place miso paste in a small bowl and pour one ladle of the soup broth over the paste.
• Using a small whisk or spoon, mix the miso paste with the broth to form an even consistency.
• Add miso and broth mixture to the pan and stir well.
• Spoon soup into serving bowls and garnish with scallion.
• Serve immediately.

*Note: To gain the most flavor and health benefits from the miso, take care not to boil or overheat the miso paste. Adding it at the end and applying only a few minutes of heat provides the best results.

Sesame Bamboo Soup

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 cup bok choy, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced

1 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced

1 teaspoon coriander

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cups bamboo shoots, liquid drained

2 teaspoons sesame oil

Directions

• Add one teaspoon of the sesame oil in a large sauce pan or stockpot. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
• Add the bok choy and garlic to the hot oil. Saut for 2 minutes.
• Add mushrooms and coriander. Continue cooking, while stirring for 1 minute.
• Add broth and bamboo shoots to the pot.
• Bring broth to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.

• Add remaining teaspoon of sesame oil and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

Thai Curry Vegetable Soup

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon green curry paste

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

cup onion, sliced

3 cups vegetable broth