Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Vegetarian Mock Fish Sauce)

If you like seasoning your Asian dishes such as bánh xèo and bì cuốn chay (fresh spring rolls) with the typical Vietnamese condiment called nước mắm but find it too strong to your taste or simply if you're a vegetarian, this recipe is for you. The vegetarian equivalent is called nước chấm.

I use lemon-flavored soy sauce as a main ingredient but there is a new product called nước mắm chay available in Asian stores. It gets a "sea" flavor from the addition of seaweed to the product.

It is also a nice addition to Asian soups like my sweet and sour pineapple soup.  Just serve it on the side and let your guests add as much (or as little) as they like.  In Vietnam, this sauce, or its fish-based equivalent, is as common on the dinner table as a salt shaker is in the West.

Vegetarian Sweet and Sour Pork

Sweet and Sour Pork can be found on the menu at just about any Chinese restaurant.  I wanted to make use of the pineapple and ketchup sauce in a vegetarian dish for the herbivores in my house.  I substituted tofu for the pork; you can also use seitan if you prefer (or meat if you're like me). 

I used fresh pineapple to provide natural sweetness and a hint of tang to the sauce.  I also added a little lime juice to brighten it up. To thicken the sauce, I dissolved a little cornstarch in water and added it to the mix. To this, just throw in a few carrots and enoki mushrooms and you're ready for a quick and easy dinner.

Masoor Dal Khichdi (Indian Orange Lentil Rice)

Kitcheri is a very simple recipe that requires only a few ingredients from the pantry. It's a blend of coral-colored lentils, called masoor dal, with basmati rice and a few other typical Indian spices.

It's very nutritious for all the vegetarians in the house. The lentils provide a lot of protein. The key to a good kitcheri though is a flavorful raita, or yogurt sauce. Check back tomorrow for the recipe!

Ginger and Cilantro Sweet Corn Salad

This recipe was inspired by Daddy's friend's wife, Anu Auntie. We had a scrumptious dinner at her home while we were visiting the East Coast last month. The dinner was so delicious, and in particular she prepared a ginger corn salad that was out of this world.  It was sweet, a bit spicy and had very complex Asian flavors. 

Corn is in season and it is very inexpensive right now at my local market. It's only a dollar for 4 ears. I thought it was a perfect opportunity to attempt to recreate this wonderful corn salad. I steamed and grilled the corn, cut ooff the kernels, and seasoned them with a lot of Asian flavors like ginger, soy sauce, cilantro and plum sauce. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce with Fermented Fish Sauce Base (Nuoc Mam)

Vietnamese dishes are generally very healthy. They are usually composed of a starch like noodles or jasmine rice, a meat or fish, a bunch of greens and the whole meal revolves around a strong-flavored dipping sauce called nước mắm. The main ingredient is made from fermented fish sauce, which is rich in calcium and salt. The smell is very pungent. It's a very common flavoring in Vietnamese cuisine.

I made some bún cá chiên, literally rice vermicelli noodles with fried fish. I love to dip the crispy fried fish in the nuoc mam sauce. The fish absorbs all the sauce and it's divine.

Just add pickled daikon radish, carrots, coarsely crushed peanuts, some Vietnamese mint, grilled beef (or fried tofu for vegetarians) and you get a fresh healthy meal in minutes!!