Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Soup)

Tom Kha Gai 

Bangkok Center Grocery in NYC's Chinatown is the best place to find fresh lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal root, and Thai basil.

Serves 4

• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 stalk fresh lemongrass, trimmed, pounded to release flavor
• 6 kaffir lime leaves
• 6 thin slices fresh peeled galangal root or ginger root
• 4 ounces thinly sliced mushrooms
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce or vegan fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1/2 block firm tofu, drained, pressed, and diced, optional
• 1 tomato, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup Thai basil (not Italian or sweet basil), roughly chopped
• Thinly sliced scallions for garnish, optional

In a large saucepan on medium-high, bring broth to a boil. Add coconut milk, lemongrass, lime leaves, galangal, mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, fish sauce, lime juice, chili flakes, and tofu. Simmer 15 minutes; turn off heat. Remove lemongrass stalks and kaffir lime leaves. Stir in tomato, basil and cilantro. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately, topped with scallions.

Easy Pad Thai

Easy Pad Thai

Serves 6

FOR SAUCE

• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha or Tabasco, to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tamarind paste

FOR SAUTE

• 1 pound dry banh pho -- Thai or Vietnamese flat rice noodles a.k.a. rice sticks or chantaboon
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen stir-fry vegetable mixture such as Birds Eye Sugar Snap Stir-Fry (sugar snap peas, mushrooms, onions, carrots)
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 (5 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained
• 1 (5 ounce) can bean sprouts, drained
• 1/2 block firm tofu, drained, pressed, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3/4 cup finely chopped peanuts, for serving

Directly into a 4-cup measure, using marks as a guide, pour peanut oil, maple syrup, rice vinegar, and lemon juice. This will equal 1 1/4 cups. Add peanut butter to the 2-cup mark. Add sesame oil, soy sauce, and sriracha. Using an immersion blender, blend until peanut butter is incorporated. Add tamarind paste and blend until smooth. Sauce may be mixed in advance and refrigerated.

Meanwhile, submerge banh pho in a bowl of cold water and soak 15 to 30 minutes and bring a saucepan of water to a full boil. When noodles are flexible, drain, then add to boiling water. Stir and untangle noodles. When noodles are soft but still somewhat chewy, 2 to 3 minutes, drain. (Alternatively, soak noodles in warm water 15 to 20 minutes.) Rinse noodles in cold water and return them to pan. Add sauce to noodles and toss to fully coat; set aside.

In a large skillet on medium, heat oil and warm frozen vegetables until thawed. Add water chestnuts, bean sprouts, tofu, garlic and cilantro and cook until heated through. Add noodles, scraping pan to get all the sauce, and toss with vegetables until well mixed and heated through.

Serve sprinkled with chopped peanuts.

Veggie Soba Sauté

Serves 6

• 1 onion, julienned
• 2 stalks celery, julienned (1 cup)
• 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced

Aside from onion, ginger and garlic, veggie selection and quantities are variable depending on what you have on hand. Select from the following (about 10 cups total):

• 1/2 bunch kale or other greens, stemmed and sliced (about 2 cups) 
• 1/4 medium green cabbage, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 2 heads broccoli, stems peeled and thinly sliced, heads separated into small florets (about 2 cups)
• 2 carrots, peeled and julienned (about 1 cup)
• 1 bell pepper, seeded and julienned (1 cup)
• 1 summer squash, trimmed and julienned (1 to 2 cups)
• 8 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced (2 to 3 cups)
• 8 ounces snow peas, strings removed, julienned (about 2 cups)

FOR SOBA

• 4 quarts water
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 (8 ounce) package dry soba noodles, broken into halves

FOR TOFU  (tofu is optional)

• 1 block firm tofu, frozen, thawed and cubed, OR drained, pressed, and cubed
• About 1 tablespoon soy sauce

FOR SAUTÉ & SAUCE

• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/3 cup rice wine or dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons brown or white sugar, or agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 5 tablespoons high-heat oil (canola, safflower, grapeseed) for sauté, or as needed
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil (for flavor, optional), or as needed

INSTRUCTIONS:  Group prepped veggies in bowls as follows:

1. kale, cabbage, broccoli
2. carrots
3. onion, celery
4. bell pepper, summer squash, mushrooms, snow peas
5. ginger, garlic

In a large saucepan bring salted water to a boil. Add kale, cabbage and broccoli; return to a boil. Add soba; return to a boil and cook until al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain all into a fine mesh strainer, rinse under cool water, and return to saucepan. Toss with a little peanut or sesame oil, cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, if using tofu, in a large wok or deep 12-inch skillet heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil and 1 tablespoon peanut oil over high heat. When shimmering, sauté tofu cubes until browned. Toss with a little soy sauce. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

In a cup, stir together water and cornstarch; set aside. In another cup, stir together wine, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil; set aside. Place 2 tablespoons canola oil and 1 tablespoon peanut oil in wok over high heat. When shimmering, sauté carrot until softened, about 5 minutes. Add onion and celery and sauté until onion is translucent, 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, squash, mushrooms and snow peas and sauté until squash is beginning to soften, 3 minutes. Push vegetables away from center of pan, add 1 tablespoon canola oil to clear spot and sauté garlic and ginger until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Toss garlic and ginger with veggies and cook until squash is softened, 2 minutes longer. Stir wine mixture and add to wok; toss to coat. Sauté about a minute until alcohol has evaporated. Push vegetables away from center of pan and stir cornstarch mixture into simmering sauce until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add soba mixture and toss to fully coat and distribute. Reheat through; serve immediately.

Tofu Veggie Miso Soup

Tofu Veggie Miso Soup

Serves 6 as a meal
Serving size = 3 to 4 cups

• 2 blocks firm or extra-firm tofu, drained, pressed if desired, each block cut into 24 cubes
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or mirin
• 2 teaspoons sugar (omit if using mirin)
• 4 to 8 ounces sai fun (cellophane; mung bean thread noodles), or mei fun (thin rice noodles), or soba noodles broken in half, or capellini ("angel hair" pasta) broken in half
• 1/4 cup high-heat oil (canola, safflower, grapeseed)
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 4 cups water, divided
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon (or more, to taste) sriracha, optional
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 sheets nori (dried seaweed), cut into large rectangles, optional
• 1/2 cup miso (chickpea, brown rice, white or mellow)

VEGETABLES

• 1 large sweet onion, julienned
• 4 stalks celery, de-stringed and julienned (2 cups)
• 4 large carrots, peeled and julienned (2 cups)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger, optional
• 1/2 medium green cabbage, shredded (4 cups)
• 4 cups total, choose from the following:
  •  Crimini or button mushrooms, sliced (8 ounces = 2 cup)
  •  Zucchini or yellow summer squash, julienned (1 small = 1 cup)
  •  Red, orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded and julienned (1 small = 1/2 cup)
  •  Snow peas, strings removed, julienned (4 ounces = 1 cup)
  •  Broccoli, cut into small florets (1 head = 3 to 4 cups)
  •  Spinach leaves, or de-stemmed kale, chopped (8 ounces = 3 cups)

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with nonstick foil (preferred), or use regular foil and brush lightly with oil. Arrange 24 tofu cubes in a single layer on each baking sheet and brush lightly with oil. Bake until firm and golden brown, 30 minutes, turning once during baking; remove from oven and keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, in a cup stir together wine and sugar; set aside, stirring occasionally to dissolve.
3. Meanwhile, prepare noodles according to package directions; rinse in cold water, drain, cover to keep moist, and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, heat oil in a 6- or 8-quart stockpot on medium-high and sauté carrots, onions and celery until onion is translucent, 5 minutes.  Add garlic, ginger, mushrooms, zucchini, bell pepper, and snow peas and sauté until all veggies are softened, 5 minutes. Add wine mixture and cook 2 minutes. Add broth, 2 cups water, soy sauce, sriracha, and black pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Add cabbage, broccoli, kale, and nori. Return to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are just tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Add spinach and prepared noodles, and simmer just until spinach is just wilted. Turn off heat and keep covered.
5. Bring remaining 2 cups water to a boil in the microwave or on the stove; remove from heat. When boiling has stopped (boiling will destroy miso’s beneficial enzymes), stir in miso until mixture is smooth, then mix into soup. Taste and adjust seasonings.
6. To serve, place a few cubes of tofu in bowls and add soup on top.
7. When reheating, bring soup almost to a simmer and turn off heat; do not boil.

Fresh Edamame

Serves 4 as a snack or appetizer

• About 3 quarts water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (or to taste) salt for boiling, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 pound fresh edamame pods, well washed
• Soy sauce for dipping, optional

Fill a 4-quart saucepan about 3/4 full with water. Add salt and bring to a rolling boil. Add edamame  and boil 6 to 10 minutes. Test for tenderness: edamame should be firm, yet give to the teeth; they're overcooked if mushy. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Sprinkle with salt to taste if desired. Serve warm or refrigerate 1 to 2 hours to serve cold. Serve with soy sauce for dipping.