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Oil-Free Sambal Stir Fry

Warming but not overly spicy, with plenty of fragrant aromatics, this is a great way to enjoy a stir fry without the oil. This recipe serves 2-4, depending on the quantity of noodles used.

Ingredients

300g tempeh (approx.)
1 head of broccoli, in florets
2 pak choi, chopped; stems and leaves separated
1 red pepper, finely diced
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 heaped tbsp suitable-for-vegans sambal oelek paste
1 heaped tbsp suitable-for-vegans garlic ginger paste
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Soba noodles, to serve

Directions

1. Steam the tempeh for about 12 minutes to remove the bitter flavour. Place the broccoli in another steamer basket on top and steam for 3 minutes more. When cooked, plunge broccoli into a bowl of cold water to stop it cooking. Drain as soon as it’s cool.
2. Meanwhile, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, maple syrup, pastes, lime juice, and cornflour, and set aside.
3. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium high heat. Cube the tempeh, and add to the frying pan, and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden on each side (about 8 minutes). Set aside and keep warm.
4. Add the broccoli and pak choi stems to the frying pan, along with a splash or two of water or vegetable broth. Cook for about 4 minutes, until the broccoli starts to soften. Add the pak choi leaves, red pepper, and tempeh, until pak choi is wilted (about 2 minutes).
5. Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions.
6. Add the sauce to the vegetables and tempeh, and allow the sauce to reduce and thicken slightly (about 2 minutes).
7. Serve the rice noodles with the vegetables and sauce, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Spicy Stir-Fry Vegetable Soup

This spicy loaded soup is ready in 15 minutes and serves 8, so feel free to halve the recipe. If you don’t like spice, reduce the amount of chili or omit altogether. Feel free to use the recipe as a roadmap: no ingredient is essential, so experiment with the vegetables and see which flavours appeal to you.

Ingredients

1 red onion, sliced
3 bell peppers, sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 inch piece of ginger, quartered and thinly sliced
150g button mushrooms, quartered
2 bok choy, the white ends sliced and the green tops left whole
2 red chilis (optional), sliced
1/2 block tofu (approx 150g), cubed
2 litres vegetable stock
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp yellow miso paste

Method

1. Sauté the onions in a large soup pot over a medium-low heat. When they start to colour, add the peppers, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, bok choy whites, and chilis.
2. When the vegetables have started to soften, add the tofu, stock, and soy sauce.
3. Don’t bring the soup to a boil; instead, allow it to simmer over a low heat for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the bok choy and the miso, and stir. Simmer for two minutes more.