Vegetarian Paella

Dedicated to my friend JD.

One of JD's food favorites is paella. I remember him always rave about this dish, saying I should try cook it myself. I'm not crazy about paella partly because I may not have tried a really good one in my life time. I remember I promised him I'll veganize paella, but I didn't have a benchmark then, so it never happened.

A few weeks ago on a friend's birthday party, I was presented with an opportunity to try it again, this time cooked by a spaniard from where else? Valencia! The best part? It's vegan! I may sound a bit exaggerating, but it's the best paella ever. Just thinking about it makes me feel like I can still taste it.

Inspired by this dish, and with JD in mind, I finally made my very first home made vegan paella.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup paella rice (or round japanese rice)
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tbsp spanish paprika powder
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
A pinch of saffron (optional)
1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1 large white onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped 
1/4 cauliflower head, rinsed and chopped (or more if you like)
5 pcs swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
1 eggplant, sliced (1/2 inch thick, 1 inch long - freestyle all you want)
Rosemary sprigs
lime wedges for garnishing.

1. Heat vegetable oil in a paella pan. If you don't have a paella pan, use a wok (i did!).
2. Saute onion for about a minute.
3. Add the cauliflower. Saute for 3 minutes.
4. Toss the eggplant and saute until it's soft.
5. Add red bell pepper and swiss brown mushrooms. Saute for 3 minutes.
6. Add the saffron if you have any, or 1/2 tsp of turmeric (to add some color), but this is totally optional.
7. Add the paprika powder, garlic powder, then salt and pepper according to your taste.
8. Add the rice and saute for another 3 minutes.
9. Then set your stove to low heat and add the vegetable broth. Make sure that it's evenly distributed.
10. Cover and simmer.
11. If the rice is still too tough and the mixture is getting dry, add some water gradually.
12. When its close to cooking completely, put some sprigs of rosemary on top for added flavor. Cover and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.

Scoop and serve with lime wedges! You can also serve it with chunky guacamole salsa.

Who's JD?
JD was my classmate in college, met him in 1999. He's one of the smartest in our class. He and Misyel were the first in his group that me and Whinie, my college best friend, became friends with. He's warm, kind, and naturally pleasant person. He's a grammar-nazi. He's a classy person. He hates it when I say "bunganga" when I can say "bibig" (both means mouth, but the former is less classy for his taste). He's one of the funniest people I know. He's very generous, self-less, down to earth, honest, religious, and a very thoughtful friend. Whinie and I eventually got absorbed by his group - which's also made up of great, smart, fun-loving, interesting assortment of people. And this group has become an extension of my family since then. And we are still the best of friends to this date, rock solid than ever.

White Beach, Puerto Galera, 2013

Favorite Memories
I could probably write a book of my memories of JD and the rest of the gang. I must say they are all worth mentioning. I like to remember how good he was in Mahjong, and although I don't have the liberty to say where the capital came from, I want to mention that whenever he wins, he would share his winnings by treating his friends. I was very poor when I was in college and so it was difficult for me to join their "after school" activities. JD would then present his mom's credit card, pay off our bill from the bars, and then we pay him back in staggered payments.

But lately I realized that my most favorite memory of JD wasn't the one that involved an adventure out of town together. Not our yearly "Way of The Cross" tradition. Not our beach escapades. Not our parties nor our drink til you drop sessions. It was actually the simplest - I find myself rethinking the moment over and over again. It was back in college on a rainy season, where we spend our lunch breaks in an obscure, cheap carinderia at the back of our school, sipping the free soup (which was just mainly knorr cubes dissolved in hot water) that came with our meal, enjoying the moment together. Then when it's time, the five of us will fight our places under the one umbrella and run back to the school, under the rain, screaming like crazy people running in the rain and just acting like children. Life was simple, and we were very happy.

I remember JD as someone who loved life so much and lived every minute of it. He enjoyed everything that life offered him. He cherished everything - specially our friendship. He was one of the people I can just be myself in its purest form - the best and worst, it doesn't matter to him.

Boracay, 2006

He have a congenital heart condition, which probably explains why he never gained weight all these years. On one of our dramatic, emo-intoxicated moments together, I remember him telling me that he wanted to live his life to the fullest, he wanted to just live it, because he felt like his life is short.

Life, is indeed short.

Josephine's, Tagaytay

Last Moments of 2013
It wasn't easy anymore to put together a getaway even just for a weekend due to our conflicting schedules, but I'm glad that we were able to push through our Puerto Galera getaway for a weekend. This was because Josh's leaving the country soon, and who knows, it might be our last summer to spend together for a very long time - that was my exact words to Mishy who backed out of the trip. We decided to go to Puerto Galera of all places, because we wanted to reminisce our roots. Puerto Galera was the only place we could afford back in our college years, and early working years for that matter. We wanted to experience it all over again, just to relive our then, young lives. We even stayed in the same place. It was superb fun times.

Bag of Beans, Tagaytay City

After Josh left for the US, it was my turn. At the night of my despedida party, JD was the last one to leave. I walked him to the street and waited for a cab. I couldn't hold my tears back. Kikay's working overseas, and so as Janice. Both try to come home once a year, but that's it. Whinie, on the other hand, have sort of have been distant and we don't hang out with her that often. Josh left for the US for good, and then Mishy was leaving too by the end of the year. It's just all him now. No more weekend breakfast at my condo. No more Saturday farmer's market. No more impromptu movie nights, Rue Bourbon or Greenbelt night outs. It's just going to be him. I hugged him hard and my tears just kept on flowing. I didn't know what to say other than I'm sad that he's going to be alone now, and that I will miss him. I saw in his eyes that he was sad, but he just held back and hid it with a smile.

Impromptu Christmas Party, 2010

In Memoriam.
Today's JD's 40th day in peace. I didn't had a chance to give him a proper memorial until this day. It was just very hard for each one of us to accept that he has passed. We comfort each other with our memories of him. We prayed and prayed for his eternal peace. My friends say that we should pray that he accepts what has happened to him, because his death was sudden, and there were many plans that he left unfulfilled, so that he can move on. But in reality, it is actually us, who loved him dearly, who cared for him,  who should learn to accept and let go - so he can move on, so we can move on.

Today I made paella in memory of him. I'm sorry I should have made it sooner. It's funny how we all left him in Manila, and now life has turned around - he left us all. A lot of things will never be the same again. We will never be complete ever, that's for sure. But life must go on, and this is a wake up call. Life is really short, we should all learn to live it. Enjoy each moment. Cherish everyone you value, and show them how much you care for them. Today I remember JD, a good friend, a brother to me. His memories will be cherished forever. He will always live in our hearts. Rest in peace my dear friend ...

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Tofu Steak

Being in a vegan home, tofu is one of the food you will regularly see in our fridge. It is one of the staple foods in this house. You may think it can get boring, but not really. It's just a matter of knowing ways to prepare it. In fact, it's very versatile. I made a number of yummy dishes from it such as a mock feta cheese, scrambled eggs, and a meat substitute for my favorite Filipino dishes (tinola, adobo, bistek tagalog and many more!). The easiest, simplest, and by far, my favorite is of course, fried.

We have enjoyed this Tofu Steak recipe a number of times. I first discovered the preparation from Youtube - runnyrunny999 channel, and its actually quite addicting. The only cooking involved is frying the tofu. The rest just involves chopping and mixing. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 firm tofu (extra firm if you may, good for frying)
2 white onions, finely chopped
1 ripe tomato, chopped OR
4 pcs cherry tomatoes, quartered
some fresh chopped parsley
some all purpose flour for tofu coating
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp Ketchap Manis (optional)

1. Pat the tofu dry. Remove water from tofu as much as you can by wrapping it in a paper towel and putting a small plate on top of it so that it presses the tofu. Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, pour extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, ketchap manis, and mix well. This step is actually going to depend on your taste. If you feel like adding more olive oil, or balsamic vinegar or soysauce, or maybe add a bit of salt and pepper, it's all up to you.

3. Add the chopped onions and tomatoes and coat well. Again, this is also according to your liking. If you want more tomatoes in the toppings, feel free to add more. On the other hand, I'm a fan of onions so I like to have the onions dominate the toppings ;).

4. Sprinkle some chopped parsley.

5. When the tofu is drained slice the tofu. You can either slice it in half, or make it thinner by slicing it horizontally. It's really up to you.

6. Dust the tofu with some all purpose flour. Now you are ready to fry.

7. Heat oil in pan. When it's hot enough, begin frying the tofu.

8. Fry the tofu on all sides, making sure it gives you that crunchy golden brown crust.

9. When done, blot it with paper towel to remove excess oil.

10. Top with the steak dressing and serve.

Check this Youtube link to get to the original recipe. The video is so easy to follow :).

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Bitter Gourd In Mashed Tofu and Tomatoes

My husband asked me a few days ago if I knew any vegan recipe using bitter gourd. It wasn't really his favorite but he'd like to share the recipe in reddit because there's a post asking about it.

When I was young, the only use of bitter gourd to me was just for art work. I slice the bottom, dip the tip in water color, and make nice prints on white paper. But as I get older, I developed a relationship with vegetables I would never eat in my childhood. One of which is the bitter gourd or amplaya in Tagalog. It wouldn't be named bitter if it wasn't for its reputation, I suppose. I tell you it's  bitter as hell and I don't think I know any child who likes it, not even much of adults. But I guess you just have to prepare and cook it right to be likeable.

The secret to bitter gourd is to rub it with salt, let it sit for a while, and then rinse. Some people soak it in salt water, but rubbing works for me. This makes the bitterness milder. I love bitter gourd with eggs and tomatoes, but since Mark's requested vegan, I experimented today with mashed tofu. Here it goes.

Ingredients:
- firm tofu, halved
- 2 pcs ripe tomatoes, sliced
- 1 small white onion, chopped
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 medium sized bitter gourd
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp. white sugar (optional)

1. Cut the bitter gourd in 3 parts, and then lengthwise. Remove the white middle flesh by scraping it with a spoon.
2. Rub it with a good amount of salt and set aside for 15 minutes. This will make the bitter taste milder.
3. Divide the firm tofu in to two. Mash half of it with your hand, but not too much because it's nice when it's a bit chunky. Refrigerate the other half.
4. Rinse the bitter gourd and slice it cross-wise, making like little Cs, but not too thick.
5. Heat oil in a frying pan. Sautee onions until it's soft. Add in the garlic. Sautee til it's golden brown.
6. Toss in the mashed tofu and fry it for about 3 minutes.
7. Toss in the bitter gourd. Mix it altogether until the bitter gourd is soft and cooked. I personally like it al dente.
8. Add tomatoes and continue cooking. I added the tomatoes last because I like it half cooked and still juicy. But you may add tomatoes before the bitter gourd.
9. Add a tablespoon of soy sauce for flavor. Add some salt and pepper according to your taste.
10. Add about a teaspoon of white sugar, but this is perfectly optional. I just like a bitter-sweet twist.

Makes 2 servings. Best served with steamed white rice.

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Vegetable Tempura

After learning how to make a proper tempura batter and dip, this has become one of our top favorites. I first got the inspiration to make some vegetable tempura from Natalie's kitchen, Cook Eat Live Vegetarian, my #1 avenue when I run out of dinner ideas.




Here are a number of vegetables you can use for your vegetable tempura:

- Green french beans
- Carrots
- Aubergines
- Okra
- Potatoes/sweet potatoes
- Onion rings
- Mushrooms
- Peppers

Natalie's blog led me to Naomi's recipe where it contains the simple recipe how to make the batter and dipping sauce, plus a youtube video that taught me a very handy technique to fry the veggie tempura.

So here it goes!

Dipping Sauce:

- 1/3 cup dashi (or 1/3 cup water + 1/2 tsp. Hondashi)
- 3 Tbsp. kikoman soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. sake
- 2 tsp. sugar

1. Simmer the ingredients in a sauce pan to dissolve the ingredients.
2. When it's boiling, remove from heat and set aside.

Tempura Batter

- 100 g all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 egg yolk, beaten
- 200 ml ice water
- Cornstarch for dusting
- Vegetable oil for deep frying

* Chop your veggies. If you are including french beans, tie about 6 pieces using chives to keep it together. After vegetables are ready, heat up your cooking oil. While waiting, prepare your batter.

1. Put all dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Whisk it.
2. Add the ice water in the bowl of beaten egg yolk and blend. Put 2 ice cubes in it. It's important to keep the mixture cold because the crispiness relies on this.
3. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Mix them using chopsticks, in one direction, for about 10x. It's ok to have some chunks in it. According to Naomi's recipe, the idea is to not produce gluten to make a crunchy tempura.
4. Dust off your vegetables with cornstarch.
5. When the oil is hot and ready, dip the veggies in the batter and fry away. Do not over crowd the frying pan.

Here's the video of the frying technique I was talking about. What and learn.



Happy eating!

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The Veat Meat + Ensaladang Talong

Mark is always on the look out for meat alternatives every time we are doing our grocery shopping. Here's one of his new discovery.

Veat Pandan Chicken Style.

Image from : Kawan Food

The Veat alternative meat products are soy-based. We tried the Pandan Chicken Style. It can be deep fried, baked, or just microwaved. My cooking time last night was consumed by my eggplant grilling so the pandan chicken style ended up in my microwave.

Taste: It is very flavourful, although, if you hate ginger, this might not suit your taste. The ginger, in my opinion, is very prominent. I hardly tasted the pandan. But pandan leaves are usually flavourful when it's fresh. Since this is frozen, the pandan flavour is not as tasty, so I didn't expect much. The spiciness is just right. It won't make you sneeze.

Texture : It was a bit soft and smooth in my tongue, but I suppose it's because I microwaved it. Maybe if it was prepared in the oven, or deep fried, it will give a better texture.

Overall, I find it yummy. Some soy-based alternative meat products usually taste like soy (well it's made from soy :P), and you can easily tell that it is fake meat. This usually gives people a hard time to transition to a vegetarian life style - if you know you are eating fake meat, plus it taste super fake. I guess, if you are just getting started to go vegetarian, it's important to find tasty and flavourful meat alternatives so you don't easily crave for the real one. Well, until you are used to no meat at all. The Veat pandan chicken style seems to work for me.


I matched it with ensaladang talong (eggplant salad) and garlic fried rice. Here's the recipe for ensaladang talong:

Ingredients
- 3 medium size eggplants
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 3 chopped tomatoes
- 1 small white onion, chopped
- 2-3 Tbsp of vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste

1. Grille the eggplants, until it's blistered and sort of burned in the outside. Set aside and let it cool down.
2. When it's cold enough to touch, remove the outer skin. Remove the branch and top head.
3. Mash it on a mixing bowl.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, onions, vinegar and honey. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. You may add more vinegar according to your taste, if you like it more sour.

Serve chilled.

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Karniyarik Inspired Eggplants

I didn't do any grocery shopping last week since I was caught up (and still currently is) with my job. I checked my fridge to see what's left to cook and found eggplants. Mark and I have been eating fried take-aways/deliveries since I can hardly find time to cook. My ass was always glued on either work chair, or on the bed, working. I don't know what to do with the eggplants except to fry them - and I was kinda sick of fried stuff.

It was a blessing in disguise to find Delish Recipes that I found a purpose for my eggplants. It turned out to be a great dinner.

I just finished typing the ingredients and steps (eggplant preparation, stuffing and baking) when blogger decided to fuck me right in the ass. As much as I wanted to redo it, I have to go cook for my starving husband. So I'll leave you the link where you can get the video tutorial for this recipe.

I swear, I tried to make it look photogenic. I replaced ground meat with veggiemeat.

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How I murdered the fish

- and buried it in lotsa veggies.

I was in the mood for some salmon grilling last evening but we didn't find one at Kang's, a Korean grocery store closest to us. So Mark settled for a salted fish flounder and thought it was good for grilling.

Fish has always been a challenge to me when it comes to grilling or frying. I hope that you could give me some tips to effectively fry or grill them without mutilating the flesh, or burning. In this case, there were 3 fish, one was mutilated, the other 2 were quite burned :P.

Here's the dinner idea. Just make sure you take care of your fish when you do this.

Grilled Fish served with Veggies.

Ingredients:
- Marinated fish, good for grilling (Salmon is a good candidate)
- Brussel sprouts
- potatoes cut in medium-sized cubes (baby potatoes recommended)
- baby carrots (optional)
- slice of lemon
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable preparation:
1. Steam the brussel sprouts and baby carrots. Do this separately as it might need more time for the carrots to soften than the brussel sprouts. You don't want to serve soggy vegetables.
2. Boil the potatoes. If you are using baby potatoes, make sure that you scrub them before you boil them to remove the dirt/soil. Drain thoroughly when ready.
3. Set the vegetable aside when ready.
4. Whisk extra-virgin olive oil on brussel sprouts and carrots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
5. It's a nice idea to grill your potatoes after boiling them. Season with salt and pepper.

For the fish, just properly grill it and you'll be fine.

To serve :
Surround the fish with your veggies, and top it with lemon. The lemon helps minimize the pungent fishy taste (lansa in tagalog, sorry I don't know how it exactly translates). I love lemon on fish :).

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