All posts tagged: vegan

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Published by Lydia Wong

Please excuse my absence in the last two weeks, I have been doing a lot of thinking, reading and reflecting about what has been happening in the world, the pandemic, the racism, the inequality in our society as a whole. What we need to do to make the changes that we desperately need. For me as a person of colour living in a white society, being a target of racism is inevitable, and it has been (at time) a difficult learning curve. I have grown used to the fact that there is this constant subtlety of racism around me, and so sad that I became used to it after more than two decades of living in the white predominated society. However, my unpleasant experiences can hardly be compared with our black sister’s and brother’s. I can’t even start to fathom how it is like for the black community all over the world to live their lives under constant threats of discrimination. Having said that, I am aware that, the majority of white people are kind …

Chinese Style Noodles with Tangy Chili Oil Dressing recipe

Rice Noodles with Amazing Tangy Chili Oil Dressing

Published by Lydia Wong

This tangy chili oil dressing is highly addictive and it can be served with various other dishes, such as salad, on rice, on crispy tofu, fish or meat, or even as a dumpling dipping sauce (highly recommended). The tangy taste comes from Chinkiang vinegar aka Chinese black vinegar, which is made of fermented glutinous rice, wheat barn, water, salt and sugar; its distinctive flavour is a combination of smoky, umami, slightly sweet and pungent which makes it one of the most popular condiments in southern Chinese cuisine, every household has one bottle in the kitchen. Compares to other Chinese white or rice vinegar, it certainly gives a little more complexity to the overall taste. For this amazing noodle dressing, I combine black vinegar with my favourite spring onion oil, a chili crisps oil (from the Asian market), plus a few other essential seasonings in good measure, and the result is out of this world, spicy(!), umami and tangy all in one mouthful! This combo makes this dressing an absolute flavour bomb! I am totally hooked! I …

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Granola

Published by Lydia Wong

How are you holding up so far this week? I am looking forward to soaking up some sun later on our balcony, reading my book and to enjoy spending some quality time with my family: no home office, home schooling or blogging! Just us hanging out, playing board games, eating etc. And we have a mutual agreement that we will always have breakfast together in the weekend, which is always nice and enjoyable. Talking about breakfast, one of my favourites is granola, especially when I am hungry and don’t want to spend too much time cooking in the morning. I always make my own granola, it is cheaper than shop bought ones and I know exactly what’s in it, adding different flavour each time as I wish. So today, I will share my favourite way to make granola, this Peanut Butter Granola is definitely one of my favourites; again see this recipe as a guideline and don’t worry too much if you have not had all the ingredients stated (see notes for variations), just throw …

Smoky Lentil Stew – with Two Different Toppings

Published by Lydia Wong

How are you all holding up? We are doing fine on our side but I think my family and I are still adjusting to this new way of life. It can be tiring mentally as there are still so much uncertainty about what is going to happen in the near future, for all of us and for the entire world. I am just trying to cope by cooking and baking a lot in order to take my mind off the unthinkable. I am grateful that we can still get fresh produce in the markets and with a few pantry ingredients, I can make something comforting and nourishing for the family. Today, I am sharing a very simple recipe which is absolutely delicious, you can turn this dish into several variations to suit different tastes. If you make a big pot, it will last you for a few meals (in fact, it tastes even better the next day). And of course you can freeze some for whenever you crave for some comfort food. Notes: 1. The ingredient …

Kimchi Fried Rice

Published by Lydia Wong

I hope everyone is well! We are living in a very strange time right now and I know our lives have changed dramatically in the recent weeks, no schools, no child cares and parents have to work from home as well as looking after their children. Also many businesses have to be closed for at least a month (or maybe longer) and many people have lost their jobs. It is such a difficult time at so many levels for so many people around the world, but I know we have to remain positive, to be responsible to our community and do our parts to help to stop spreading the virus. Social distancing is the only way to combat the spread, I see it with my family in Hong Kong and Macau, the cases are falling in China because they have been isolated themselves from others since the pandemic started, healthcare professionals and virologists advise us to stay at home and limit social contacts, because it is the only way to stop it spreading. I don’t …

Vegan Caldo Verde with Smoky Caramelised Onion and Pecans recipe

Caldo Verde – Portuguese Style Green Soup with Smoky Caramelised Onion and Pecan Nut

Published by Lydia Wong

If you have been following my blog from the beginning, you would have come across one of my favourite and earliest recipes on the blog – Caldo Verde. It is Portuguese, means ‘green soup’ and usually served with smoky Chouriço/chorizo (you can find my recipe here). I grew up eating this soup and it became one of my favourite childhood dishes. Creamy velvety potato based soup dotted with freshly chopped kale, flavoured with smoky umami Chouriço slices, the golden fragrant paprika oil from the sausage saturates and infuses the soup in a magically delicious way, the overall taste is pretty unique and it always reminds me of home. But today’s version of Caldo Verde is no ordinary one: there is no chouriço involves so it makes this soup vegan and gluten free. I thought of a way of recreate the smoky and umami taste that comes from the chouriço, which I thought in the beginning was impossible without using ready-made faux meat (shop-bought vegan chorizo normally contains gluten, therefore it is out of the question for …

MaPo Tofu

Published by Lydia Wong

Have you ever had MaPo tofu before? Traditionally, it is a spicy braised tofu dish with mince beef in a chilli bean sauce. It is one of the most popular dishes in many Asian countries and every country has its own version of it. I remember it was one of our family dinner staples when I was young. It is silky, saucy, spicy, an absolute umami bomb! Serving it with rice is a must as the rice will soak up all the deliciousness and every mouthful is a delight! If you are a big tofu fan like I am, you will love this dish. Although this recipe is not as traditional as you might think because it consists of no meat, it is my own version which is more relevant to me right now. Since I adapted a mostly plant-based diet, I am always up for different ways to incorporate tofu into my cooking. So there you are, a vegan version of my childhood favourite Mapo tofu! I replaced beef with oyster mushrooms and pecan nuts …

Roasted cauliflower with red pepper tapenade recipe

Roasted Sumac Cauliflower Steak served with Herb Millet and Red Pepper Tapenade

Published by Lydia Wong

Ok I know there are probably thousands of Cauliflower steak recipe on the internet already, but I am still very happy to join in and share my own creation with you. Every one of those recipes available online or in cookbook is unique in someway and my one is no different. I like to pan sear the cauliflower ‘steak’ first in the pan to get it nicely charred, then finish cooking it in the oven with some smoky spices. I know it is one extra step, but searing the cauliflower allows it to caramelise which brings out its natural sweetness; in addition to the smoked paprika, sumac and seasoning, then perfectly cooked to ‘al dente’ in the oven, this humble piece of vegetable is about to turn into something extraordinarily delicious. Serve the cauliflower steak with the creamy pepper tapenade, and the herby millet, you will definitely look at cauliflower in a whole new way, I promise you! Notes: 1. To cut the cauliflower into ‘steak’, I first cut the whole thing in half and then cut …

Jackfruit and Shiitake Mushroom Stew Taiwanese Style

Published by Lydia Wong

One of my absolute favourite dishes is Taiwanese braised pork with rice ‘Lu Rou Fan’, when we went to Taiwan a few years ago, I finally had the chance to taste the authentic version of the most popular dish in Taiwan, and it was the kind of taste that you won’t forget after you first tasted it, a powerful and complex flavour of umami with a hint of liquorice. If you have been following my blog for a while, you might remember I wrote two posts about our Taiwan trip, and in one of the posts I shared my version of the ‘Lu Rou Fan’ recipe at the end. I haven’t made it for a while to be honest, but the other day, I suddenly had a craving for it. But since I have been very much into vegan cooking lately, I immediately thought of veganising my favourite dish and to see how it turns out. I use jackfruit as the plant-based alternative to pork, I have cooked with jackfruit before and it is quite an …

Roasted Miso Aubergine with Herby Polenta

Published by Lydia Wong

This is one of my absolute favourite dishes and it is on our dinner menu on a weekly bases. I have been meaning to share this recipe with you long time ago, but I kept forgetting about it. But I am so excited to finally share it with you and I hope it will become one of your favourites too. Notes: I use my homemade miso paste for this recipe and it is equivalent to the darker miso type. If you have only white miso, you might need to add some soy sauce or tamari to add in a bit more saltiness to the marinade as white miso tends to be on a sweeter side. The marinade should taste sharp and a little bit on the salty side, with an under tone sweetness. This recipe will make plenty of the miso marinade (you might only need half of it depends on the size of the aubergine) and the left over can be use for other dishes (e.g. roasted cauliflower, or even just add it on …