I am not a huge fan of fake meats. Part of the reason why I use mushrooms or other soy products like tofu or tempeh in almost everything I make has a lot to do with that reason. Of course, I love mushrooms, tofu, and tempeh for their unique flavor and texture too, but they’re also such great sources for protein.
In recent years, there has been some improvements in the fake meat options. They are now much more natural, emphasizing more on the flavors of veggies and grains, and no longer taste like a sad attempt at mimicking the taste of animal flesh. My favorite by far are Field Roast Grain Meats. They are great for putting together quick dishes and don’t need much instruction. But today I am here to talk about a staple item in late 90’s vegan punk rock brunch: LightLife Gimme Lean’s.
It’s an inoffensive option. It’s chewy, with a mild salty flavor and that distinctive processed soy taste. I consumed with some what of a reluctance for years because it’s so widely available that it’s hard to avoid. Only recently I started to give it a proper chance, and came up with a solution that satisfied me.
First step is to mix it with more natural flavors that appeal to me, like chopped mushrooms, garlic, herbs, or crushed nuts, and roll it in to little balls or patties. I have yet to try, but I think certain fruit preserves would also go well with it. Secondly, coat it with panko, or corn starch (preferably Korean or Japanese), and then lightly pan fry.
I served it at brunch with hoe cakes, spinach salad, and roasted home fries recently and they disappeared like hot cakes within moments. Of course, I had put some aside before hand for later. I put some in ramyun along with some frozen spinach, Korean leeks, white miso, and zucchini the next day for a quick lunch, and it could have been my favorite experience with Gimme Lean ever.
On a sort of related note, my high-spirited friends have been filling my inbox with all kinds of gross Halloween images. I guess this year’s big thing is (are?) meat babies. See example one here, and example two. And let’s not limit our meat- human body part creations to the forms of mere infants. I don’t think I can bring myself to experiment with that, having watched Martyrs, but if you are so inclined to try making gross looking veggie Halloween dish, I guess Gimme Lean would be your best substitute.
Or, if you really want to gross people out, make something like that with just plain ground vegetables, tofu, all kinds of liquid, esp. beer or malt liquor. Dump it all in a food processor. Not only it will look disgusting, it will also stink. Much like vomit.
……Okay, I am stopping here.
I wish you a fun Halloween without anything offensively gross. :)
Canned canellini beans + capers + good olive oil + crushed garlic + cherry tomatoes + s&p. Great on salad, great on toast. No cooking required. Don’t be stingy with the olive oil.
Accompaniments for not-quite-stale bread
I take after both of my parents. But when it came to food, I have always assumed that I was more like my father. I can’t tell you what he liked to snack on, or what his favorite food was, but I think that he loved to eat like I do. My mother on the other hand, sees food as a necessity. The pleasure of it is only supplementary. Her nutritionally balanced meals take 3 times a day in moderate portions with no seconds servings, or snacks in between. She also happens to be picky and difficult to please, even though she’s too polite to ever not compliment whatever is offered to her. So at home, she would only cook things that are beneficial in some how, in a minimal way (or at least as minimal as possible in Korean cooking) using carefully selected ingredients.
Since the passing of my dear grandmother a few days ago, I’ve been thinking often about my mother, and our relationship. The more I age, the more of my mother I am seeing myself in unpredictable ways, and this time, I was looking into this extra hippie- looking plate I’ve concocted.
I wanted to finish off the loaf of bread before it went stale, and I wanted something hardy to go with it. Sweet potatoes were readily available, so before I even made up my mind on what to make of them, I chopped and boiled them. I’ve wanted to make a marinated tempeh dish since I saw this delicious picture on 101 cookbooks back in January. I improvised by making the sweet potatoes and the tempeh made into a single dish.
As I was slowly enjoying my lunch in complacence, I imagined myself in my mother’s place, cooking for her self, eating alone. Because of the vastly different surroundings that have shaped us respectively, we naturally work with different ingredients, but I imagined that if she was in my place, at my age, right now, maybe she would be enjoying this too. Finding the orange and white to be a bit too heavy and assembling a last minute salad to go with the whole thing. And like her, I was doing this out of necessity. This is how I would sustain myself, and I was enjoying it because it was a necessity. And I cook for myself, because like her, I too am picky and somewhat difficult to please. I don’t know if habits are inherited or learned, but I’m thankful.
Pan-Glazed Tempeh with Sweet Potatoes
- Chop and boil some sweet potatoes.
- While the potatoes are boiling, mix a small amount of sweet condiment- BBQ sauce, fruit preserve, whatever + grated ginger/garlic/onions + orange juice + soysauce +whateve herbs you like.
- Cut some tempeh, and check on the sweet potatoes. The potatoes should be softened, but not mushy. Take out of the pan, strain and set in cold water.
- In the pot, heat some oil, and add the tempeh and fry until golden. Pour the sauce mixture and simmer until thickened. Add the sweet potatoes back in the pot to heat and distribute some of the sauce, and mix in some chopped scallions at the last minute.
Kimchi fried rice? But it's not fried..
About 15 minutes ago, I started cooking some carrots and parsnips. Immediately, I got bored, and now they’re just sitting in the pot, overcooked and getting mushier by the minute. It’s one of those days where I can’t find a hint of excitement and desire for anything, and I’m wishing that I had some left overs to remind my senses of something pleasant from the previous day with minimal effort. But there’s not even some cold rice in the fridge. And I’m just going to assume that you don’t know what cold rice can do, which most likely is true, and show you the way:
After a very late night dinner over the weekend, this is what I made the next morning with the left over rice. It’s 김치볶음밥 (kimchi bokkem bop). It’s the easiest thing in the world to make. All you need is some kimchi, left over rice, and whatever else you want. In my case, a lot of carrots and onions.
Bokkem-bop means “stir-fried rice”, roughly translated, but I kind of hate saying fried rice. It’s not really fried! It’s more like, stir-cooked with minimal oil. That kind of goes against the definition of the description. Let’s just say there’s no direct translation in English for it, and digress.
This is one of the first things I started cooking for myself, and I never get sick of it. And it’s only just one of many things that can come out of the neglected leftover rice, but this one is my favorite. By the way, in Korean idiom, cold rice (찬밥) often describes a neglected person. In my ideal, I don’t want to neglect anyone, or anything. Not even cold rice itself. And certainly not my grumpy, hungry self. So. I think it’s time for me to pay some attention to the carrots and parsnips. But first, I’ll leave you with this to try when you’re feeling famished and wretched, or happy and adventurous.
- Choose the vegetables you want to cook and chop in the same size.
- In a pan, start cooking the onions with carrots (or other roots) in some butter, or butter substitute like Earth Balance.
- Lightly squeeze the liquid out of well fermented kimchi and chop, add to the pan. If you want some protein, or chili paste (고추장), this is the time to add. I prefer mushrooms.
- Add the cold rice. If the rice is too dry from sitting in the fridge, add some kimchi water. Mix well without breaking the grains with a little bit of sesame oil and chopped scallions. Top with some gim.
- Dark beer goes really well with it.
- Don’t forget to brush your teeth afterwards.
Miso Ramen
Ramyun is god’s gift to all Korean people. Or I should say, it is Japan’s gift to Koreans. I’d even take it as a consolation offering for the genocide of 1923 and 35 years of forced occupation. This ramyun is not to be confused with the Japanese ramen made with fresh noodles and pork broth, which is also delicious but not vegan friendly. I’m talking about instant noodles here!
There isn’t a comparable cultural or culinary equivalent to ramyun in the west that I can think of immediately. Once a part of an emergency provision package, it signifies a certain lifestyle roughly associated with single adulthood, and teenage life. It’s also often considered as a cure for hangover by many (with no real proof). But most of all, it’s loved for its value as the ultimate fast, comforting food that provides spicy warm broth within minutes. It’s also an inspiration for some of the best moments in Korean pop culture such as this:
This song is called ‘Ramyun and the Coal Briquette’.
The most popular brand of Korean instant noodle is without a doubt, ShinRaMyun. The noodle is fried, and it’s a little thicker than other brands, with fiery spicy broth. I like to try different kinds, and I’ve had this somewhat new brand of instant noodles for a while. It’s called An-twi-ghin-myun (non-fried noodles). The consistency of the noodle is a little more chewy, and the broth package doesn’t contains MSG. Because I don’t eat meat, it’s important for me to make an effort to increase the content of protein in every meal. Something that I always have in the fridge is tofu, and Korean miso (called dwen-jang). So this is something I make very often. And now I present to you, the ingredients for Miso Ramyun.
This is basically dwenjang chigae (Korean miso stew) with ramyen in it. In the bottom corner of the picture above is the pot/bowl that I will use. I’m soaking some dried shiitake mushrooms. I usually buy my mushrooms at the Union Square Green Market, but I haven’t had a chance to stop by this week. I bought this pack of dried mushrooms at Hanahreum in K-town, and it’s so cheap, convenient and still flavorful. I still prefer fresh mushrooms, but it’s great for days like this.
To get started, I dissolve a spoonful of miso in the mushroom water and whisk it, and bring it to boil
Since I’m only cooking for myself, I break the noodle in half. All the mushrooms and tofu really increase the serving size. Below is the 2 ‘soup’ packets that come with the noodle. One contains dehydrated vegetables which I put in the pot, and the other one is what makes the peppery broth. Since there’s already miso in the broth, I only put in about 1/3 of the content of this packet. The rest I save for later. Perhaps I’ll use it for dukbokki. At this time, the noodle also goes in the broth.
Let the noodles cook for another 3-5 minutes, and then add some fresh chopped scallions.
Of course, it can never be a proper meal of instant noodles without some kimchi. I also like to add a tablespoon of kimchi water to the soup.
If there is an anti-thesis of slow food, this is it. It’s meant to be eaten fast, while the noodle is firm and the broth is steaming hot.
moi. je fais la cuisine pour moi.
I’m a freelancer who often works alone, and from home. Here’s a very typical dish I make for myself, which was made today for lunch. This represents every aspect of my cooking method— lazy (only 1 pot used), vegetarian, full of stuff I like, and mostly, fast. The whole thing takes 15 minutes at max.
1. I boil a fistfull of fusilli. While it’s cooking, I dice this nice looking shallot, along with some other veggies. Today, it’s garlic, mushrooms- porcini and crimini, and some collard greens.
2. When the pasta is not quite al dente, I pour the pot’s contents into a bowl, leaving just enough water to cover all the pasta and let it cook in the hot water. In the same pot, I sautee the garlic + shallot for about a minute in olive oil, and then the rest of the veggies, and then the pasta. This way, I have less dishwashing to do!
3. Season with s&p, and some olives, and that’s it!
And yes, sometimes, like today, I eat in front of the computer.
Enjoy!
