I’m so glad it’s spring, because now the days are longer, the light is brighter and it’s sunnier outside. I love sweater weather, although I could do without the mud and puddles. I’ve been feeling more inspired to actually cook for myself instead of just throwing some pasta in the pot to eat with nooch and black pepper or just eating a sleeve of crackers with some peanut butter. I’m not sure if you all follow me on Instagram, but if you don’t, please do. A lot of the time I’ll share my personal meals there that aren’t always posted on the blog because either they’re so simple I feel silly posting the recipe, or I was just messing around in the kitchen. It’s hard to develop a recipe for just one when most people aren’t just cooking for themselves. I’ll also share my favourite restaurants, new things I’m trying in the kitchen, or simply featuring some beautiful food that I’ve fallen in love with.
The thing I love about Instagram is that I can browse the feeds all day. I follow over 300 people, and most of them are my blogger friends or other awesome food Instagrammers who post drool-worthy shots of colourful food every day. It’s inspiring at it’s best. I see bright green avocado toast and I feel like I should add more colour to my bowl. Layered smoothies (which I recently failed at), salad bowls, soups and vegan inspiration galore. I’m really proud of the photos I post on there, and it’s exciting to hear back from people who tell me they went and bought some bok choy after I posted a photo of some =)
Go visit my feed @thevietvegan, and if you ever make one of my recipes, please tag me in the photo so I can see! I love seeing what you do with my recipes.
I grew up eating stir fries made with chicken broth granules instead of soy sauce because it adds a different flavour without colouring the entire dish a dark brown. But I found mushroom broth granules in Chinatown and I knew I could make old school stir fries like my mom used to make =)
I thought I’d share this super simple mushrooms side dish that I eat with bok choy and bean curd. Bean curd is fermented soft tofu basically, otherwise called Chinese cheese, tofu cheese, or in Vietnamese—chao. It’s creamy, soft, and has a tanginess to it, and spicy if you buy the one in chilli oil. It is so good with blanched greens like mustard greens or bok choy. Comfort food at its finest.
Have a great weekend, all!
Meals for One & Recipe for King Oyster Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 small onion halved and sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4-5 king oyster mushrooms halved lengthwise and cut into smaller wedges
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp mushroom broth granules
- 1 pinch chilli pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Cook sliced onions over medium heat with olive oil until translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Add mushrooms, water, mushroom broth granules and cook until softened and juicy, about 10 minutes. Stir in chilli flakes and black pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and serve over rice and blanched mustard greens or bok choy with bean curd.
low carb desserts says
Ohhh great I love king oyster mushrooms! Would love to try this recipe sometime this week :)
Sheena Yap Chan says
this recipe looks delish, will have to check this out
Michelle says
This sounds soooo good and is that baby bok choy in there?? ?
Lisa Le says
Yep =) One of my favourite greens!
Rodrigo says
These photos make you want to make it right away!!!
Maya says
This looks absolutely incredible! Mushrooms are my favorite way of getting vegan protein. For a long time I worried about how to get protein and then I realized my answer was right in front of me in one of my favorite foods :)
And I never knew that mushroom worth granules were a thing that existed. I will definitely have to buy those next shopping trip! Can you find them at any grocery store?
If you are interested, I just designed this fun shirt based on one of my vegan pet peeves haha. Hope you like it!
xox Maya
Lisa Le says
I don’t typically rely on mushrooms for protein, but they sure are tasty! I found mushroom broth granules at the Chinese market =)
Penny says
If I don’t have mushroom granules, is there something else in my pantry that I might be able to substitute? Thank you.
Lisa Le says
If you have broth concentrate/paste, that would work too. It might not be exactly as savoury but it’ll be close :)
pete says
how do you eat the fermented tofu? (and do not say by putting it in the mouth). do you dab the chopsticks with it, then get a bite of the dish? or do you dip it in sauce? i am assuming the stuff in the little bowl is fermented.
Lisa Le says
It’s all a matter of preference, but yes, the it’s fermented bean curd. I use grab a bit with the chopsticks, eat it with rice because it’s quite salty and strong in flavour as it is :)
Tarek says
I generally love cooking with king oyster mushrooms as they are a very good alternative to meat. They taste great and have all of the nutritional value. Definitely trying this out for myself and sharing the recipe with my friends and family.
Lola says
My Viet grandma used to eat Chao with fresh and pickled vegetables; I couldn’t take the the piquancy. Today, many years after she passed, I still recall the aroma (distinct!) and spice. Thanks for the recipe.