If you’ve never heard of this delicious Sichuan dish before, now you have & you’ve seen a picture of it. Of course my rendition of it errs on the traditional meat & tofu dish, but this is still an amazing Chinese dish, which pretty much is a party in your mouth. Probably might even make you sweat a little if you can’t handle the heat. This would not be the greatest recipe to try if you’re in, oh I don’t know, California or Florida right now–the states that completely avoided the Polar Vortex because they defy the laws of Seasons–but if you’re in any of the other 48 states with the exception of parts of Texas, this dish is right up your alley. Autumn is happening & it’s slowly getting chillier with each passing week, so if you’re one of the strange individuals who doesn’t like soup–& apparently I know about at least 3 of you–mapo tofu is a nice solution. This dish is the perfect embodiment of Sichuan cuisine with its usage of their spicy peppercorns, reminiscent to the heatwave that is hammering a drought stricken California or the ever humid Florida. So, eat up this recipe & experience the heat before venturing out to the chilly autumn wind. Even if you’re not a fan of tofu, the sauce is so distinctive in flavor that the tofu won’t even bother you one bit. Not a fan of mushrooms? We’ve already talked about this.
Recipes
There are plenty of commercials we tend to remember from our childhood due to their ostentatious or subliminal ways, but one commercial that always irked me were the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter ones. If you’ve never heard of the product, I’m sure you would’ve surmised by now that given the product’s title, it’s obviously margarine. These commercials stuck with you with sexualized hands–I honestly don’t know how they did it, but it was even obvious for 10-year-old me to understand the sexual innuendos–& this surprised husband who would eat his toast with what he thought was butter. Fast forward to today, it’s no surprise that margarine, which is made up of hydrogenated oils, is 10/10 disgustingly horrible for you. However, that doesn’t mean that the vegan butter you see at your local health foods or specialty store are margarine. Take a gander at the ingredients list & if you don’t see anything with “hydrogenated oil,” or even partially hydrogenated, you’re okay!
So, why are hydrogenated oils so bad for you? Well, you could take a general chemistry class & then an intro to organic chemistry class to fully comprehend it, but the quick & dirty explanation is simple: hydrogenating oils means adding a hydrogen molecule to a molecular structure, making it more stable at room temperature after intensive science (adding metal catalysts, intense heat & pressure being added, etc). This new molecular structure is often compared to being similar to plastic, especially because the process increases shelf-life. Unless it’s honey, food should always eventually rot. But, what does all of this mean? Not very pleasant things for your body, so avoid it at all costs.
However, that’s where some of the other alternative vegan butters come in such as Earth Balance, Nutiva, & SmartBalance. In fact, I decided to change it up from Earth Balance & tried Nutiva for my two recipes. If you’re looking for an animal friendly product, search for some of these brands in the grocery store & you can get to cooking tons of vegan-friendly food without even realizing it! These two new recipes I’ve just added are absolutely perfect for the holidays & are vegan-friendly. Now onto pictures of my fancy mashed potatoes & gravy.
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If you’re struggling to find a good vegan gravy, look no further. My mushroom & sage gravy is full of umami thanks to the sautéed crimini mushrooms in vegan butter accompanied by the sake is absolutely divine. No meat drippings needed in this gravy! You can try to replace the alcohol with a white wine vinegar (start with an oz at a time), but try to stick to the ingredients I listed because the alcohol makes a huge difference. I used sake instead of Sauvignon Blanc because I didn’t have any at the time, but it worked perfectly. Enjoy the gravy with mashed potatoes, vegetables, bread, & more!
PrintMushroom & Sage Gravy
- Total Time: 20
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2.5 oz sake or your favorite white wine
- 9 oz water
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp vegan butter
- 10 crimini or baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 10 sage leaves, leave 2-3 to roughly chop to top the gravy
- 1 Tbsp oat flour or all-purpose whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp peppercorn, freshly grated
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, add the vegan butter & let it melt on medium high heat. When completely melted, add the sage. After 2-3 minutes when the sage has infused its flavor into the butter, add the mushrooms.
- Sautée the mushrooms for about 3 minutes or until the mushrooms have softened. Meanwhile, add the oat flour to a small mixing bowl & mix with the sake & water. Whisk or mix the flour into the liquid until completely dissolved. Add the mixture to the sauce pan.
- Continuing to stir the gravy, cook until thickens. Add peppercorns & salt to taste. Remove from heat when gravy arrives at your desired consistency (if you’d like it thicker, add more flour in a mixing bowl with some sake, mix well, & add it; add more water to the saucepan if you’d like it runnier). Top with roughly chopped sage leaves.
Notes
- Feel free to add more sage or various types of mushrooms. This recipe is perfect for mushroom fans alike & still absolutely delicious to those don’t even like mushrooms (because we all know many mushroom haters who hate mushrooms due to their obnoxious obsession over “strange” textures).
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Dips & Sauces
- Cuisine: New American
For those of us on the Northern Hemisphere, many of us have anxiously awaited this spectacular 3 month span of this wonderful orange globular fruit to grace the aisles of our grocery store. This season is aptly named Pumpkin Season. It’s here. It’s at Starbucks. Pumpkins in all shapes & sizes are being stacked at our local farmers’ markets & I want to buy a little family of mini pumpkins to adorn my fireplace, but I really can’t justify the cost of doing so. For those of you who don’t really care all that much for pumpkin pie because there’s something wrong with you (if you’re allergic, I’m so sorry), I’ve added a new recipe for a savory Japanese inspired dish called Pumpkin Nabe with Soba. I can’t tell you how thankful I am to have gotten admitted into Northeastern this time of year, obviously for the academic part, but the location of the school is majestic. While California is sweating in a sweltering heat, I’m gearing up for Autumn & snow to follow soon after. Can y’all say, “cover photos for days” or what?! Hah, just kidding, totally hate Facebook. I’ll realistically have new desktop wallpapers for days.
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One of the questions I like to frequently ask my culinary inclined friends is what their specialty dish is. Some say tacos, while others say nachos. That was obviously a semi-clever attempt to rhyme, but realistically, some say enchiladas, while others have said grilled steak–which I think is easier than making instant ramen so I press on for something more complex. So, what do I say when someone turns the question to me? Without skipping a beat, my reply is always, “noodles.” Whether the noodles are Asian, Italian, or Jewish, I have a natural love & knack for making great noodle-y dishes. Baked, raw, stir-fried, steamed, soaked, or freshly made, I can easily whip you up a bowl of delicious noodles whether you prefer them in soups, alone, or as a dipping tool. I suppose you’d like me to provide some troth of my noodle specialty, to which I say to you, NO PROBLEMO, AMIGO/A.
Here’s a real conversation I just had with Josh as I type this at 12:29 AM on the day after his birthday:
Me: Hey Josh, what would you say is my ultimate culinary specialty?
Josh: *swivels around from his computer chair to face me* Noodles & Asian fusion.
See, I can’t even make this up. Now that my boyfriend has totally verified my capabilities, let’s get on with this recipe I’ve just posted, which I previewed on Instagram last month. I bring you my Mediterranean inspired Hearty Alphabet Soup recipe. It’s vegetarian & vegan friendly too! It’s not exactly Asian fusion, but it does feature noodles & childhood nostalgia.