Bibimbap is one of those dishes I love, but don’t make often because it’s so time consuming to make.  There are so many individual components to the dish that make it so delicious, but each one needs to be prepared and cooked individually, which takes time.  It’s kind of funny that the dish originates as a way to easily use leftovers, because I slave away each time I prepare it.  Anyway, to reduce the struggle, I find it’s best to prep the sauce and vegetables earlier in the day, and then cook everything when it’s time for the meal.

The sauce is the key to making the dish right is the sauce.  I got the below sauce recipe from My Korean Kitchen, and modified it slightly to taste.  The below recipe makes more sauce than needed for the dish.  For all the effort, I like having extra sauce to use later.

This recipe also adds Vietnamese pickled daikon and carrots instead of kimchee.  I find that the sweet and sour pickley taste goes so well with the sauce.  Kimchee has always been a little to strong for my taste and the sweetness of the pickled daikon and carrots marries well with other vegetables in the dish.  I got the recipe from Elsie Bauer on Simply Recipes, and modified it to taste.  The below recipe makes more pickled daikon and carrots than is needed for the dish.  Like the sauce, for all the effort, I like having extra for later.

Print

Korean Bibimbap

Perfect for Korean veggie leftovers. Spicy and bold!

Ingredients

• 3 c cooked white rice
• 5 handfuls fresh spinach
• 2 handfuls fresh bean sprouts
• 5 large shiitake mushrooms fresh, sliced
• 3 carrots peeled and julienned
• 1 persian cucumber julienned.
• 3 eggs
• cooking oil

Vietnamese pickled daikon and carrots:

• 1 c water warm enough to easily dissolve sugar
• ½ c sugar
• 1 t salt
• 1 c white vinegar or half-half white vinegar and rice vinegar
• ½ small daikon peeled and jullienned
• 3 carrots peeled and jullienned

Fake meat:

• 6 Morningstar sausage patties defrosted and broken up in to small chunks
• ½ inch knob ginger minced
• ½ t brown sugar
• 1 t soy sauce
• 2 garlic large, minced

Sauce

• 3 T sesame oil
• 3 T water
• 1½ T apple cider vinegar
• 3 T white sugar
• 6 T gochujang 고추장
• 3 T roasted sesame seeds
• 1 T minced garlic

Instructions

• At least 4 hours before the meal, place the Pickled Daikon and Carrots ingredients in a tall glass jar in the order they are listed. Stir the sugar and water until the sugar is fully dissolved before placing the rest of the ingredients. Place the jar in the refrigerator.
• Prepare all the ingredients as described in the ingredients list.
• Mix the Sauce ingredients in a squeeze bottle in the order listed. Shake the bottle, enough to ensure thorough mixing.
• Heat a large saute pan on medium high heat with 1 t of cooking oil. Add the cooked rice and press down to maximize surface contact with the pan. Cook for 3 minutes or until the rice is slightly browned.
• Reheat the saute pan on medium high heat with 1 t of cooking oil. Add the jullianed carrots and stir to coat with oil. Cover the pan and cook for 3 minutes, stirring once to evenly brown. Sprinkle with salt and add 1/4 t of sesame oil. Stir to combine. Remove from pan and place in serving bowls.
• Reheat the saute pan on medium high heat with 1 t of cooking oil. Add the bean sprouts and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with salt and 1/4 t sesame oil, and stir to combine. Remove from pan and place in serving bowls.
• Reheat the saute pan on medium high heat with 1 t of cooking oil. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with salt and stir to combine. Remove from pan and place in serving bowls.
• Reheat the saute pan on medium high heat with 1 t of cooking oil. Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute, flipping constantly to ensure leaves are touching the pan and cooking the same. Sprinkle with salt and stir to combine. Remove from pan and place in serving bowls.
• Add 1 to 2 T of drained pickled Daikon and Carrots to the serving bowls.
• Add 1 to 2 T of julienned cucumbers to the serving bowls.
• Reheat the saute pan on medium high heat with 1 t of cooking oil. Crack the 3 eggs into the pan, taking care to keep them separate. Cook for 1 minute and then flip over. Continue cooking for as long as needed to cook the yolks to desired consistency. The traditional dish calls for runny yolks, but I don’t like runny yolks, so I try to puncture the yolk and then fully cook them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Remove from pan and place in serving bowls on top of vegetables.
• Squeeze the Sauce into the bowl in a swirly pattern. Serve and enjoy.

During our Australia trip we had a chance to taste few unique vegetarian dishes and snacks. One memorable item was a big, red, deep-fried blob. When we ate it for the first time, we inquired more about it, and took note – because it was delicious! After fate took us to this unusual combination of deep-fried risotto and beets, we finally got to do it our version at home.

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Breading:

• 2 c panko bread crumbs
• 1 t Italian seasoning

Arancini Balls:

• 4 c cooked and cooled beetroot risotto (see below for ingredients)
• 1 c panko bread crumbs
• 1 c Parmesan, shredded
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped
• 4 eggs, beaten

Beetroot Risotto:

• 3 small or 2 medium beetroots, peeled and minced (can be done by pulsing in a food processor to make mincing easier)
• 4 c veggie broth (2 Knorr bullion cubes dissolved in 4 c of boiling water)
• 6 T butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1½ c Arborio rice
• 1/2 c dry white wine
• 1/2 c Parmesan, shredded
• 1/2 t kosher salt
• 1/2 t black pepper

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep the broth hot.

Make the Beetroot Risotto:  In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 4 T of the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and minced beetroot and cook, stirring frequently until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 c hot broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next. Cook the rice until tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, in total about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining Beetroot Rissoto ingredients.  Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature before moving on to the next step.

Make the Breading:  Combine the Breading ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Make the Arancini Balls:  In a medium bowl, combine the Arancini Balls ingredients. With damp hands, using about 2 T of the risotto mixture, form the mixture into 2-inch diameter balls.  Roll the balls in the breading to coat.

Heat the vegetable oil in deep-fryer. In batches, fry the rice balls, turning occasionally, until golden, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

While visiting Turkey this year, we had the great honor of learning to cook from Deniz’ mom, ane Fatma Turkmen. She taught us how to make her mercimek kofte, lentil balls. The balls pack so much flavor, and are surprisingly easy to make. They’re the perfect snack size.  I loved them so much, I ate them in dinner-sized quantities.

Ingredients:

• 1 c red lentils
• 2 c water
• 1 c bulgur, fine (#1) ground

Wet Spices:

• 3/4 c olive oil
• 2 T pepper paste
• ½ T salt (or ½ bullion cube)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced

Herbs:

• ½ small bunch of parsley, tough stems removed, diced, and pat dry
• 1 small bunch scallions, diced and pat dry
• 3 charliston peppers, diced and pat dry
• juice from 1½ small lemons (or pomegranate juice)
• 1 T pul biber (Aleppo pepper)

Instructions:

Cook the lentil in the water in a covered medium pot on medium high heat.  After 5 minutes, add the Wet Spices ingredients, and continue until the lentils are mushy (about another 5 minutes).

Add the bulgur, mix well, turn the heat off, and cover the pot again.  Let the pot sit for 15 minutes for the bulgur to absorb the water.  Fluff with a fork.

Transfer the mixture to a large plastic container.  Add the Herb ingredients.  Stir well and kneed with hands to evenly mix the ingredients.

Scoop about 1½ T of the mixture with your hands and pat/roll it into 2 inch rolls.  Repeat for the rest of the rest of the mixture.

Found this quinoa salad recipe on Food Network and made minor modifications to fit our taste.  Has a lovely mildly tangy taste and fresh crunch texture.  It’s super healthy, with the protein-heavy quinoa and nutrient dense vegetables.  Makes fora great light side or snack.

Ingredients:

• 6 c water
• 2 c quinoa, rinsed
• 2 Japanese cucumbers, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 3 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
• 1/4 c mint leaves, chopped
• 1 c extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 T salt
• 1 t black pepper

Instructions:

Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the quinoa, stir, and return to a boil. Cook uncovered, over medium heat for 12 minutes. Strain and rinse well with cold water, shaking the sieve well to remove all moisture.

When dry, transfer the quinoa to a large bowl. Add the cucumbers, onion, tomato, parsley, mint, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and toss well. Spoon onto endive spears, top with avocado, and serve.

Everytime I see musubi in a Hawaiian market or potluck, I get so jealous.  Looks so yummy with its sweet soy fatty topping wrapped in a cute nori package.  So I decided to make a vegetarian version!  Below is what Deniz and I created over the weekend, turned out tasting great!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 c sushi rice
• 5 sheets nori, cut in quarters lengthwise
• 1 recipe of Seitan O’ Greatness, molded as described below
• Furikake, to taste (I usually buy the nori komi furikake, since it’s typically the only vegetarian version)

Marinade

• 3 T cooking oil
• 6 T soy sauce
• 4 T mirin
• 4 T sugar

Instructions:

Prepare 1 recipe of Seitan O’ Greatness, shaping it into one rectangular log where the log cross section matches the shape of the musubi mold prior to baking.

Cook the sushi rice to package directions.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

Heat the Marinade ingredients in a large bottomed saute pan over high heat.

Slice off the hard outer skin of the seitan.  Then slice the seitan into ½ inch slices that will eventually be placed onto the musubi.  Place the slices into the boiling marinade, making sure not to overlap the slices, so you get even coating.  After 30 seconds, flip the seitan over and continue cooking for another 30 seconds.

Lay a strip of nori lengthwise on a clean surface. Moisten lower half of musubi maker with water, and place on lower third of nori. Fill musubi maker with rice and press flat until the rice is 3/4-inch high. Sprinkle rice with furikake. Top with slice of marinaded seitan. Remove musubi maker.

Starting at the end towards you, fold nori over seitan and rice stack, and keep rolling until completely wrapped in the nori. Slightly dampen the end of the nori to seal it. Repeat with the other seitan slices, making sure to rinse off musubi maker after each use to prevent it from getting too sticky.

Deniz and I were doing Mexican taco/burrito this week and saw beautiful baby sweet bell peppers on sale in the grocery store.  We decided on a whim to also make stuffed peppers.  The turned out so delicious, we had to add a post so we remember the recipe.  We gobbled up 6 peppers in the span of 5 minutes.  Guilty, and yet healthy pleasure.

Ingredients:

• 12 sweet baby red/yellow/orange bell peppers
• 6 Morningstar Original Vegetarian Sausage Patties
• 2 t taco seasoning
• 1 t salt
• 4 chipotles from a can marinading in adobo sauce, chopped
• 1 box of cheesy broccoli rice or ½ c plain rice
• ½ c shredded mexican cheese or cheddar cheese
• 1 Knorr Vegetarian bullion cube
• 1 T tomato paste
• 1 c water
• ½ t corn starch
• 2 T cilantro (optional)

Instructions:

Toast the veggie sausage patties in the oven for 14 minutes on 400°F. Pulse the toasted patties a food processor (or chop manually) to a ground beef consistency.  Heat 1 T cooking oil in a large saute pan on medium high heat.  Add 1 t of the taco seasoning and salt and stirfry for 30 seconds.  Add the toasted ground patties, 2 of the chopped chipotles and stirfry for 1 minute longer.  Transfer the ground patties into a large bowl.

Prepare the rice according to package directions.  Add 1 c of the prepared rice to the large bowl with the ground patties.  Add the shredded cheese to the bowl.  Mix to combine well.  This is the filling for your peppers.

Cut the tops off of the peppers, remove the seeds and veins to make a hollow space for the filling.  Fill each pepper with filling, pushing the filling in to stuff well.  Leave about ½ of the pepper unfilled.  The filling will expand to the top during cooking.

Dissolve the bullion cube, tomato paste, the remaining 1 t of taco seasoning, the remaining 2 chopped chipoltes, and water in a small pot.

Carefully place each stuffed pepper in the pot so that the open ends are facing up and stay facing up when the pot is on the stove.  Cook covered for 20 minutes on medium heat.

Remove the peppers from the pot, leaving the sauce behind.  Dissolve the corn starch thoroughly in the sauce, ensuring no particles remain.  Reheat the sauce on medium heat while continually stirring until the sauce thickens.  Pour the thickened sauce on top of the peppers.   Garnish with cilantro.

This is one of our go-to recipes when get a hankering for grilling.  It’s adapted from Bobby Flay’s Toasted Israeli Couscous Salad with Grilled Summer Vegetables recipe.  Just the right balance of tart with charred veggies and savory toasted orzo.  It’s usually the first dish to go after we make it.  Can’t eat just one bowl!

Ingredients:

Veggies:

• 2 tomatoes, halved
• 1 red bell pepper, quartered and seeded
• 1 yellow bell pepper, quartered and seeded
• 1 green bell pepper, quartered and seeded
• 1 yellow onion, quartered

Marinade:

• ¼ c balsamic vinegar
• ½ t Dijon mustard
• ½ t garlic, chopped
• ½ c olive oil
• 1 t salt
• ½ t pepper, freshly ground

Orzo:

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 lb orzo
• 6 c hot veggie broth (3 Knorr vegetable bouillon cubes dissolved in 6 cups of hot water)

Garnish:

• ¼ c basil, thinly sliced
• ¼ c flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
• 1 T capers (optional)
• ½ c olives, sliced (optional)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Put the Marinade ingredients in a 1 gallon zip lock bag.  Massage to combine.  Prepare the Veggies per the ingredients list, then add to the bag with the Marinade.  Massage the bag until all the veggies are coated in the marinade.  Set the bag aside and allow the veggies to marinade for at least 15 minutes.

Preheat the grill.  Place the marinaded veggies onto the grill directly over the fire until charred.  Remove from the grill and allow to cool.  Coarsely chop the grilled marinaded veggies.

Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet on medium high heat.  Add the orzo and toast until lightly golden brown.  Add the hot veggie broth.  Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer covered for 9 minutes.  There will still be cooking liquid in the bottom of the skillet after the orzo is done cooking.  Turn off the heat, stir well, cover, and allow the orzo to absorb the remaining liquid for 10 minutes.  Add the grilled marinaded vegetables.  Finally, add the Garnish.

This is Taiwanese comfort food at its best. My mom used to make it all time, and as kids we loved it. She even stuffed the Thanksgiving turkey with it. It’s so good it’s addictive.  We adapted the below recipe from WeiChuan’s Rice cookbook for our vegetarian diet.  We used dried marinated turnips in place of the typical dried shrimp/fish.

Ingredients:

• 4 c sticky rice 糯米 (rice cooker’s cup, long grain preferred)
• 6 MorningStar Original vegetarian sausage patties
• ½ oz dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 oz pickled dried marinated turnip, finely chopped and washed to remove excessive salt. (When we can’t find turnip, we substitute with raw peanuts.  It yields a different taste, but also very good.)
• 4 large shallots, cut in half and then sliced in half circles
• ½ c vegetable oil

Seasoning

• 5 T soy sauce
• 1 t salt
• 1 t sesame oil
• 1 t pepper

Instructions:

Wash the rice, add water up to 4 cup line of your rice cooker pot.  Cook the rice in a rice cooker.

Soften the dried mushroom in warm water for 30 minutes.  Cut out the stems and coarsely chop the rest.

Toast the vegetarian sausage patties for 15 minutes at 450°F. Pulse in food processor to a ground beef consistency.

Heat 1/2 c of vegetable oil in a very large sauce pan.  Add the shallots, mushrooms and pickled turnip and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add Seasoning ingredients and mix well to combine. Turn off he heat.  Add ground sausage patties and mix to combine.  Add steamed rice, and mix well until the rice has an even brown color.

When I was in college back in Turkey, it was common for us students to eat cheap fixed menus at nearby restaurants which usually consists of soup, rice, a meat dish, and a dessert. My soup of choice (if there was any choice) was always Ezogelin. Tasty mixture of lentils and bulgur in a tomato-based soup, accompanied with a slice of fresh bread.

That’s why I was excited to see the recipe in one of the best-selling Turkish Recipe books on Amazon (Sultan’s Kitchen – eBook version is about $13). I got even more excited when the soup turned out really good.

Ingredients

Cooking oil

• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T butter

First Batch

• 1 onion finely chopped (3/4 cup)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Second Bach

• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped (1/2 cup)
• 2 T paprika
• 1/2 t  mild Aleppo pepper mixed with a pinch of cayenne (original recipe asks for 1/2 Turkish pepper, which is not easy to find)
• 1½ c red lentils
• ¼ c long grain rice
• 7 cups of hot water
• 3 cubes of Knorr vegetable bouillon

Last Batch

• 1/4 c fine bulgur (you can make your coarse bulgur finer in blender)
• 1 t dried mint
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Prepare the ingredients as described above in the Ingredients list.

In a pot or a big sauce pan, put Cooking Oil over medium heat until it gets melted evenly.

Add First Batch, cook it until soft, for about 2 minutes.

Add Second Batch in the order listed, stirring for few seconds in between.

Cover the pot, bring it to boil. Lower the heat, simmer for 30 minutes.

At this point the rice will be soft, and lentils will be mushy and absorbed a lot of the stock.

Add the Last Batch, cook for another 10 minute, stirring occasionally.

If the soup is too thick, you can add some water, but the original recipe was 6 cups of stock, and we already added one more cup to compensate.

Deniz and I saw our tagine sitting on the shelf gathering dust this week and suddenly got a hankering for Moroccan food.  Below is a modified fusion of recipes we found on BBC and Epicurous recipe for Vegetable Tagine and Harissa.  It’s got that perfect balance of sweet, tangy, salty, and exotic Mediterranean spices.

Tangine Ingredients:

• 400g shallots, peeled and cut in half
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (optional)

Squash mix:

• 1 medium butternut squash (about 2½ lb), peeled, deseeded and cut into bite size chunks
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• ½ t ground ginger

Tangine Sauce

• 2 c strong veggie broth (2 Knorr vegetarian bouillon cubes dissolved in 2 cups of boiling water)
• 14 large pitted prunes, each cut into six even pieces
• 2 t honey

Tagine Garnish

• 3 T cilantro, chopped
• 2 T mint, chopped

Couscous Ingredients:

• 500g couscous (approx 2¾ c)
• 1 red pepper
• 1½ t tomato paste
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1½ T salt

Harissa dry spice mix:

• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
• pinch of red pepper flakes

Harissa wet spice mix

• 3 T olive oil
• 1 small sweet onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

Tagine Instruction:  

Prepare the ingredients as described in the ingredients list.  Combine the Squash Mix ingredients in a large bowl.  Combine the Tagine Sauce ingredients in a medium bowl.  Combine the Tagine Garnish in a small bowl.

Fry the shallots in the oil for 5 mins until they are softening and browned. Add the Squash Mix, and stir for 1 min. Add the Tangine Sauce. Cover and simmer for 8 mins.

Add the peppers and optional chickpeas and cook for 8-10 mins until tender. Stir in the Tagine Garnish.  

Couscous Instruction:

Place the red pepper under a broiler, turning occasionally for about 30 minutes until the skin is blackened and the pepper is soft. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to cool. Peel the pepper and discard its skin and seeds.

Prepare the ingredients as described in the ingredients list. Combine the Harissa Dry Spice Mix ingredients in a medium sauce pan.  Combine the Harissa Wet Spice Mix ingredients in a small bowl.

Pour 1 L boiling water over the couscous in a bowl. Cover and leave for 5 mins. Fluff up with a fork.

Heat a dry frying pan over low heat and lightly toast the Harissa Dry Spice Mix for 2 minutes. Grin the mix to a powder using a mortar and pestle.

Heat the frying pan over medium heat, and fry the Harissa Wet Spice Mix for 10 to 12 minutes, until it is a dark smoky color and almost fully caramelized.

Blend the dry-fried Harissa Dry Spice Mix, fried Harissa Dry Spice Mix and remaining couscous ingredients (except for the couscous) together until smooth.  Mix this completed salty Harissa into the couscous until completely coated.  Add olive oil to the flavored couscous to taste.

Serve the Tagine on top of the seasoned couscous.

Here’s another fast and delicious recipe from Sandra Lee adapted our vegetarian diet.  It’s great by itself or as an accompaniment to a veggie meaty dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 T veggie oil, divided
• 1 recipe of vegan chicken, chopped into ½ inch pieces
• 2 c long grain rice (we like basmati)
• 4 c veggie broth (2 cubes of Knorr vegetarian bouillon mixed with 4 cups of boiling water)
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced  tomatoes, with juice
• 1 T chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Veggies

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped

Spices

• 1 T garlic, chopped
• 1 T Cajun seasoning
• ¼ t cayenne pepper
• 1 t salt
• 1 t black pepper

Instructions:

Combine the Spices ingredients in a small bowl.

Heat 1 T of oil In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the vegan chicken, season lightly with salt and pepper, and brown on both sides, about 7 minutes.. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the sauté pan.  Add the Veggies and stir-fry until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the Spices and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Stir in the rice. Add 3 c of the broth and the canned tomatoes including juice, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 30 minutes.  Check the mixture halfway through cooking.  Add additional broth during cooking if the rice is dry.  After the rice is cooked, add the fried chicken pieces.

Gwei… Taiwanese radish cakes made of rice and daikon.  Mmmmm… Every time I hear that name, fond memories of savory and succulent Taiwanese dim sum treats from my childhood come rushing back.  I still remember those lazy weekend trips to Chinatown for dim sum in Philadelphia.  I’d watch steaming mini bamboo baskets of gwei passing by on carts and desperately point with my tiny fingers to get my parents attention.  So as an adult, this dish is on my must-make list. Thank goodness we kept Deniz’ old fashioned rice cooker, as the recipe doesn’t work with a modern rice cooker.  The below recipe is adapted from Wei-Chuan’s Chinese Dim Sum cookbook for a vegetarian diet.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of rice flour
• 4 c water
• 2 lbs of daikon radish, shredded
• 3 Morningstar veggie sausage patties
• 3 shallots, chopped
• 1 T salt
• 1 t pepper (black or white)
• Optional garnishes:
  • scallions, chopped
  • Maggie liquid seasoning
  • garlic chili oil

Toast the veggie sausage patties in the oven for 13 minutes on 400°F. Cool and pulse in a food processor (or chop manually) to a ground beef consistency.

Combine the rice flour and water and stir until no lumps remain.

Stir-fry the shredded daikon in 4 T of cooking oil on high heat until soft.  This will take a while, be patient.  Set aside.

Stir-fry the ground veggie sausage and chopped shallots in 3 T of cooking oil for a minute on medium high heat.  Add the salt and and pepper and stir-fry for a minute more.  Add the white radish and stir to combine.   Turn off the heat and add the watery rice flour.

Place in an old-fashion rice cooker.*  Add enough water in the gap between the cooker and the container to fill it half way. Make sure that the container is not touching the side of the cooker or steam will drip into the cake instead of back into the gap.  Cook in the rice cooker for two hours.   After 10 minutes of cooking, stir the cake mixture to evenly distribute the daikon.  Return to cooking.  Continue to add water in the gap between the cooker and the container throughout cooking as needed to keep the rice cooker cooking for the full cooking time.  Do not fill the gap more than half full or boiling water may bubble into the cake mixture during cooking.  After cooking, cool to room temperature.

Remove the cake from the container and slice into 1/2 inch slices.  Pan fry each slice on both sides until golden brown. Sprinkle on garnishes as desired.

*Note:  Old-fashioned rice cookers require water to be put in the gap between the cooker and the rice container to create steam.  They also have loose-fitting lids.  Newer rice cookers do not this gap for water.  This recipe won’t work on a new rice cooker because it will automatically turn off after 10 minutes and will not continue to cook.

Kısır is a traditional, home-cooked Turkish side dish.  It’s made of fine bulgur (chopped, hulled wheat kernels), which are high in fiber and protein and low in fat.  After trying kisir and one other Turkish dish (Şakşuka), I fell in love with Turkish cuisine, and insisted Deniz get Turkish recipes from his mom.  Below is Deniz’ mom’s kisir recipe with a few modifications to add depth of flavor.

Print

Turkish Spiced Bulgur (Kısır)

Whether you eat it as a side or a snack, this savory bulgur salad is here to satisfy your hunger

Ingredients

• 2½ c of fine #1 bulgur
• 3 c boiling water
• 2 Knorr vegetarian bullion cubes
• 1½ T of tomato paste
• 1½ T of red pepper paste*
• ½ t paprika
• ½ T of lemon juice
• ½ T of sumac optional
• 1 dash cayenne to your hotness liking
• ½ c olive oil more can be added to liking
• 1 bunch parsley thick stems chopped off, and chopped finely
• 1 bunch scallions chopped
• 1 Persian or ½ Japanese cucumber chopped
• 2 small tomato (or 1 large tomato) chopped and with a few sprinkles of salt mixed in
• ½ c walnuts optional

Instructions

• Put the bulgur in a container and even it out so it's level in the container.
• Dissolve the vegetable stock cubes in the boiling water in a separate container.
• Pour the vegetable stock into the bulgur.  Mix well.  Cover the container and leave for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, fluff the bulgur with a fork.
• Add the remaining ingredients except for the herbs/veggies/nuts and mix well until uniform.
• Add the herbs/veggies/nuts last and stir to combine.

Notes

*Don't use Asian chili paste.  Red pepper paste can be substituted with tomato paste if you can't find it.