Vegan Chinese Restaurant Recipes

I love Chinese Restaurant food, but find it's both cheaper and healthier to make my own. And, it doesn't take any longer than driving to our favorite Chinese restaurant or cooking a pot of rice.

First, put on a pot of rice to cook.

Next, get out all of your ingredients. You can choose from any (or all) of the following (and even add other favorites): Onion, Carrots, Celery, Bok Choy, Bell Peppers, Snow Peas, Broccoli, Green Beans, Baby Cob Corn, Sliced Water Chestnuts, and/or Mushrooms.

I aim for about 3 quarts of vegetables to generously serve 4 adults.

As you can see, I use a combination of canned, fresh, pre-chopped fresh and frozen ingredients, so that I need to do very little chopping to prepare to cook.

Next, I pull out my big non-stick pan,  set it to medium-high heat, and start chopping things - as I finish chopping, I toss them in the pan. First I cut the onion in crescents, Carrots, Celery & Bok Choy Diagonally, and Pepper in nice chunks. Then I add the pre-chopped veggies and frozen veggies, and let it all cook till crisp-tender. Notice, there is no added oil or liquid - the veggies cook (actually braise) in their own juices. If you like little browned spots on the veggies, you can even do this on high heat. You won't need to constantly stir, but don't neglect stirring, either.

While the veggies are cooking, make one of these two sauces. If you like to have this dish often, double your sauce recipe, and put half of it in the freezer, to make preparation next time even easier!

Teriyaki:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup wine (I've used red or white, even "cooking wine" - whatever is on hand, but not an ultra-sweet wine)
1 tsp fresh ginger (or a few dashes of ground ginger)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp garlic
1 T tapioca starch (Cornstarch may be used as an emergency substitute, but tapioca starch gives a better "mouth-feel")
water as needed (about a cup)

Chinese Restaurant Style Brown Sauce:

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 tsp dry, ground ginger (more to taste)
1 ½ T minced garlic
1 ½ T molasses
1 ½ T tapioca starch (cornstarch may be used instead)
1 cup water, more as needed up to 2 cups total sauce

When your fresh & frozen veggies are crisp-tender, then add your drained, canned veggies. As soon as all the veggies are hot, add the above sauce, and stir. Sauce will begin to boil and thicken. Then it's ready to serve!

Your rice should be ready now, and you can top the rice with the veggies & sauce.

If you like, you can top with nuts: Peanuts, Cashews, or Slivered Almonds work nicely.

Variation: Browned tofu cubes may be added with canned vegetables, if you like.

Serve with: Sriracha or other Hot Sauce, and Soy Sauce.

Tip for dining with Omnivores: When serving, put your choice over the rice: Thawed, Pre-Cooked Shrimp, Cubes of Cooked Chicken, or Strips of Cooked Beef. Then, top the meat with the vegetable mixture, which will coat the meat with sauce.

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Vat O' Yachni ( Basic Recipe for Greek Batch Cooking )

The last two posts were for dishes with the word "Yachni" in their name. There are lots more dishes that use this sauce as a central component. Once the sauce is made, the dishes become almost instant -  easier than most supermarket meal kits, or meals-in-a-box - but both tastier and healthier.

If you have a big freezer, you can prepare several of these dishes all at once quite easily by making the sauce, and then using the sauce to combine with other ingredients to make several meals in a very short amount of time. Then you can plan to have, say, every Wednesday night become "Greek food night."

If you have a small freezer (the one above the fridge, like I have), then you can prepare the sauce all at once, and each week (if you make several meals at once), or even on the spur of the moment when  you want a Greek-style meal, combine it with just a few other ingredients, and be ready to go - like a meal kit in your freezer!

Most of the meals from this sauce may be made either in the Slow Cooker or on the stove top, according to your preference.

This sauce only requires brief simmering, as it will simmer more when it is cooked with other ingredients for the assembly of the meals.

Here's the plan - you make the sauce the same way as the "Yachni" sauce that was in the Fasolakia Yachni recipe (Greek Green Beans), but just quadruple the recipe. You will need at least an 8 quart pot. If you don't have one that big, then just use the Double Recipe, given further below.

Vat O' Yachni

Saute:

1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil (or up to 1 cup, depending on your taste)*

2 12oz bags frozen chopped onions (or 6 cups fresh chopped onion)
2 Tablespoons Garlic






Then add:
2 #10 cans chopped tomatoes with juice (or 14 regular cans - 15oz each)
4 Bay Leaves
1/3 cup dry Parsley
6 Tablespoons (one small can) Tomato Paste
2 teaspoons Salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon Pepper

Bring to a simmer, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Ready for use immediately, or may be frozen in 4 batches (5 or 6 cups per batch) for future use.


Double Batch Yachni
(for smaller freezers or smaller families)

Saute:

3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or up to 1/2 cup, depending on your taste)*

1 12oz bag frozen chopped onions (or 3 cups fresh chopped onion)
1 Tablespoon Garlic
Then add:

1 #10 can chopped tomatoes with juice (or 7 -  15oz cans)

2 Bay Leaves
3 Tablespoons dry Parsley
3T Tomato Paste
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Bring to a simmer, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Ready for use immediately, or may be frozen in batches (5 or 6 cups per batch) for future use.


*To be authentic, these dishes traditionally have a LOT of oil. If you like less or none, it will still taste good (I've made it with none) but it will lack some authenticity.

This Sauce Makes these Recipes:
 Bulgur Pilaf ( Pourgouri )
Greek Bean Soup ( Fasolia Yachni )
Greek Chickpea Stew ( Revythia )
Greek Giant Beans ( Gigantes )
Greek Green Beans ( Fasolakia Yachni )
Greek Okra & Tomato Stew ( Bamies Yachni )
Greek Peas & Artichokes Yachni
Greek Stuffed Veggies ( Gemista )
Indian Chickpeas in Ginger Sauce over Rice
Indian Spiced Blackeye Peas over Rice
Red Lentil Soup - Moroccan or Sephardic Styles
Stuffed Eggplant
Tofu Creole

Greek Bean Soup ( Fasolia Yachni )

Last night, we had a children's party to go to at Church, and we were all going to be getting in late. I didn't want to have to start cooking when we got home, and I also didn't have much time to prepare something before we left.

So, I put this in the Slow Cooker before we left, and when we came home four hours later - it was delicious!






Greek Bean Soup in the Slow Cooker (Fasolia Yachni)

1 12oz bag frozen mirepoix mix, thawed in a sieve under warm, running water*
4 cups "Yachni" sauce
3 15oz cans Great Northern Beans, WITH their liquid
Water (1 or 2 cups - to the right thick-soup consistency)

Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low 8 hours. (This could also be made on the stove top - cooking for 45 minutes to an hour)

That's it!

Serve with a nice, crusty bread and salad.

* If you prefer, you can use 1/2 cup sliced carrots, 1/2 cup sliced celery & 1/2 cup chopped onion

Tip for dining with omnivores: This is a hearty vegan dish - a meal in itself. But, many omnivores really want some non-vegan food on the table, no matter how hearty the meal. If  that is the case in your house, a nice addition to this meal would be a plate of cheese, crackers, and summer sausage slices.

Check out: Vat O' Yachni - so you won't have to make the sauce EVERY time you want to make a delicious Greek Dish!

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