Thursday, April 22, 2010

Cream of Burdock (ごぼう) Soup

I invented this recipe today because I really wanted a creamy soup using Japanese ingredients. It's vegan and it will fill you up!



Ingredients:
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 long sticks burdock, cleaned, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon vegan margarine
2 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup flour
2 cups soy milk (or a bit more to taste)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
a bit of fresh mitsuba
a sprinkle of black pepper

Directions:
Heat margarine in a saucepan until bubbly. Add onions and garlic, saute until soft. Add burdock and saute a bit more. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Cook until the burdock is soft, about 20 minutes. Add flour and saute for a few minutes. Add soy milk and soy sauce and blend until smooth. Sprinkle with pepper and garnish with mitsuba.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Dried shiitakes are surprisingly meaty

Last night we made kenchinjiro, which is a kind of miso stew. As Y dug in, he remarked, "Wow...this shiitake is surprisingly meaty!" I couldn't agree more. Dried shiitakes have a much stronger taste than fresh ones for some reason. And as a bonus, you can use the soaking water for soup stock!

Monday, March 01, 2010

The best according to Erica

Bananas sauteed in butter + maple syrup + walnuts sprinkled on top = the best dessert ever!