Vegetables & Rice in Miso Broth

My TikTok account is mostly saved recipes (plus veg growing and travel), and recently a series of miso rice dishes.

These recipes seem to cook the rice together with the vegetables, but a quicker option is to use leftover rice and vegetables.

Serves 1

150g High Fibre Brown Rice

Handful of cooked vegetables & pulses.  This bowl had leftover chickpeas, air fryer roasted butternut squash, air fryer roasted kale.  I have made other bowls with fried mushrooms and spinach/Swiss chard.

1 tbsp miso paste

500ml just boiled water

Seasoning/flavouring (optional) - soy sauce, sesame oil, chilli oil, chilli flakes, finely grated garlic, finely grated ginger, kimchi

In a small pan, pour the boiling water over the rice and vegetables.  Dissolve the miso paste into the hot water.  Bring to the boil.  Simmer for two minutes, then serve.

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Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

In an attempt to cut down my teenage son's dependance on ultra processed foods to assist him bulking up at the gym, I have been trying to make more homemade condiments.

A bottle of this Teriyaki Sauce now sits in the fridge for him to pour over noodles when he needs a quick snack. The recipe is from BBC Good Food

350ml water

85g light brown soft sugar

70ml light soy sauce

1 large garlic clove, crushed

4cm piece ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 tbsp cornflour

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Heat the water, sugar, soy sauce, garlic and ginger in a small saucepan. I put roughly chopped garlic and (unpeeled) ginger into a liquidiser first, hence the 'bits' in my final sauce. 

Heat gently, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bubble gently for 5 minutes until the sauce is glossy and slightly thickened. 

Combine the cornflour with 1 tbsp water and quickly whisk through the boiling sauce whilst still on the heat. 

Whisk through the rice wine vinegar, adding a splash of water if too thick. 

Pour into a clean jar and leave to cool at room temperature.  This sauce keeps in the fridge for up to a week.

My son pours it over stir fried beef, pak choi, and noodles. We pour it over pan fried salmon with noodles or rice.

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Asian Vegetable Pancakes with Dipping Sauce

Easy vegetable pancakes.  

There is some debate in our house, with an Anime obsessed teenage son,  whether these are Korean Vegetable Pancakes (Yachaejeon), or Japanese Vegetable Pancakes (Okonomiyaki). 

I followed a brief Korean pancake recipe off Instagram, but added a few more (Japanese) flavours, and googled a Korean dipping sauce because there wasn't one on the Instagram recipe.

Serves 4, as a light lunch

Pancakes

180g plain or self raising flour, white or wholemeal
350ml water

1 egg (optional)

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp miso paste (optional)

Thinly sliced, grated vegetables; 1 carrot, 1 small onion, quarter cabbage,1 medium courgette, 4 spring onions

1 tsp finely grated ginger

1 tsp finely grated garlic

Vegetable oil for frying

Dipping Sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp vinegar
2 tsp sweet chilli sauce 
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds

Whisk flour, water, egg, salt and miso together in a large mixing bowl. 

Finely slice and grate the vegetables, ginger and garlic and mix well.  

Heat a non stick frying pan over a medium high heat, greasing with about 1 tsp vegetable oil. 

Add 1/4 of the mixture and flatten out in the pan.  Fry for a few minutes until golden brown. Flip over with a fish slice and fry the other side till golden brown too.  

Remove to a warm plate and continue to fry the next three pancakes one after the other (unless you have more frying pans).

Whilst frying the pancakes mix up the dipping sauce ingredients and divide into 4 small bowls.

Cutting the pancakes into a 'chequerboard' seems to be the preferred presentation for serving, ready to dip large bitesize pieces into the dipping sauce with chopsticks.

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Veg Rich Noodle Soup

Ditch flavoured instant noodles for quick healthier veg rich homemade version, loosely based on Wagamama's Chicken Ramen but more veg.

Serves 1

1 portion of dried noodles (egg noodles, rice noodles, soba noodles etc)

500ml recently boiled water

1 low salt chicken or vegetable stock cube

1 cm piece of ginger finely grated or chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

Half a mug of frozen sweetcorn

1/4 tsp chilli flakes

Small handful of cooked chicken or tofu, or fry an egg to serve on top

1 spring onion, finely chopped

1 small carrot, peeled and cut into ribbons with the peeler

1 tbsp soy sauce

Cook the noodles for the recommended cooking time on the packet in 500mlof water together with the crumbled stock cube, sweetcorn, ginger, garlic and chilli.  

Put the rest of the ingredients in a a bowl and pour over the noodles and stock when the noodles are cooked.

If the noodles only require soaking in hot water, bring the stock ingredients to the boil.  Put the dry noodles in the soup bowl with the remaining ingredients and pour over the boiling stock. Cover and wait the time on the packet.

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Protein Packed Noodles

These protein packed noodles are my son's lunch today whilst out at a drama workshop

Serves 1

1 bundle soba noodles

1 spring onion, finely sliced

1/4 cucumber, grated

50g smoked salmon trimmings

1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

1 tbsp miso paste

1tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp mirin

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/8 tsp hot chilli flakes

Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and leave in cold water.

Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, then stir in the cucumber, smoked salmon, spring onion and cold noodles.

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Homemade Vegetable Gyoza & Miso Soup

Finally got round to making homemade gyoza. A lot cheaper than buying them ready made, but fiddly, even with a gyoza press off ebay! Might try rolling the dough through the pasta bike next time, or buying wrappers.

Serves 2

250g plain flour

150ml boiling water

1tsp salt

Cornflour, for dusting

For the filling

200g white cabbage (might try 100-150g next time as I have about half the filling left over)

4 chestnut mushrooms

1 carrot

4 water chestnuts (optional)

thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

3 spring onions, finely sliced

2 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for frying

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp saké, Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry

For the dipping sauce

6 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

crispy chilli oil (optional)

Miso Soup

500ml boiling water

1 vegetable stock cube, crushed

1 tbsp miso paste

2 small sheets dried seaweed, snipped into small strips

100g tofu, cubed

Mix the flour and salt and stir in the boiling water. When cool enough to handle, knead for 10 minutes (I put it in the bread machine on the dough cycle), then dust with cornflour, wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

Whilst the dough is chilling finely grate/chop/mince the filling ingredients.  Heat the oil in a wok and stir fry the chopped vegetables for a couple of minutes until soft.  Drizzle over the soy and saké and cook for a couple more minutes until the liquid has evaporated.  Turn off the heat and leave to cool.

When the dough has rested for an hour, dust a clean surface in cornflour and divide the dough in two. Roll the first ball of dough out until paper thin. Cut out 10cm circles of dough with a pastry cutter or glass. Repeat with the trimmings, and the second ball of dough, until you have about 25 circles. I have to say I found the dough tended to spring back and found it hard to get paper thin dough, but I did rush things placing my dough in the freezer for 30 minutes as all the time I had.

To make the gyoza, hold a circle of dough in the palm of one hand and put a teaspoon of the filling in the centre. Dip your finger in a handy bowl of cold water and wipe around the inside edge of the skin. Bring the edges of the skin together, pinching it closed. There are videos of gyozas being beautifully pleated closed but I couldn't be bothered.

Dissolve the stock cube and miso in the water in a small pan. Snip in the seaweed.  Once boiling turn off the heat and add the tofu cubes and cover.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a non-stick frying pan with a lid. Fry the gyoza, flat-side down, for 2 mins until golden. Add 100ml water to the pan and cover. Cook over a medium heat for 3-5 mins until the water has evaporated and the gyoza is cooked through. Remove the lid and leave the gyoza to sizzle on the bottom for a minute. Mix the dipping sauce ingredients together and pour into little bowls/ramekin dishes.  Pour the miso soup into bowls, and serve with the gyoza.

NB. Gyoza can be prepared in advance and frozen.  After making them, space them out on a baking tray dusted with cornflour and freeze.  When frozen tip into a bag and put back in the freezer. Will keep for three months. Can be cooked from frozen.

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Gyoza Dumpling Soup

We were introduced to Itsu Vegetarian Fusion Gyoza at friends last weekend. The kids loved them, especially the Japanese obsessed teen boy, so I stocked up when I spotted them in the supermarket.

On a cold autumnal day, I served them up in a warming soup. Feel free to add more green veg, and even noodles if feeling particularly hungry

Serves 2

1 pack Vegetarian Fusion Gyoza (20 dumplings, although we found 21 in each of the two packs I had)

1 tbsp miso paste

1 vegetable stock cube

500ml boiling water

2 spring onions, finely sliced (optional)

Sprinkle of chilli flakes (optional)

Drizzle of sesame or chilli oil (optional)

Boil the kettle and bring 500ml of water to the boil with the miso and stock cube. When dissolved add the gyoza from frozen, cover, and bring back to the boil over a high heat. Once boiling turn down to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes.

Pour into a bowl and sprinkle with spring onion, chilli, and oil if using.

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Yakisoba, Japanese Stir Fried Noodles

Yakisoba is a Japanese stir fry noodles dish with pork and vegetables, and it’s seasoned with a sweet & savoury sauce similar to Worcestershire sauce.  We made a vegetarian version swapping pork for tofu.

Serves 4

4 layers medium egg noodles

1 onion, peeled and finely sliced

1 large carrot, peeled & grated

1 bunch spring onions, chopped into 1 cm lengths (optional)

4 large mushrooms (optional)

4 large cabbage leaves, shredded

500g pork belly, sliced into bitesized pieces, leftover roast pork, or tofu

2 tbsp sunflower oil

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and crushed (optional) 

2cm ginger, finely grated (optional)

5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sugar

Start by mixing all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and leave to one side.

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions then leave in cold water until ready to fry.

Prepare all the other ingredients.

Start by frying the pork (if using) in the sunflower oil in a wok or large frying pan until no longer pink.  Tip on to a plate, wipe out the pan and heat another 2 tbsp sunflower oil.

Swirl it around the coat the sides of the wok.  Then in quick succession add the garlic and ginger, stir once, the add carrot, cabbage, mushrooms, then spring onions.  Splash in a few tablespoons of the noodle cooking water and cover the pan, leaving the vegetables to steam and soften for a few minutes.

When the vegetables are cooked to your liking (we like them crunchy, kids like them soft) mix in the cooked noodles and cooked pork and reheat. Once hot, stir through the sauce and serve.

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Courgettes in a Japanese Style Teriyaki Sauce

 

First stab at diminishing my courgette glut, with Japanese flavours in an attempt to win over the courgette hating Japanese food obsessed teen Big Boy.

Serves 4 as an accompaniment

4 courgettes, grated or julienned

1 tbsp sunflower oil

2 tbsp runny honey

4 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp rice wine (or apple cider) vinegar

1 large garlic clove, peeled & crushed

4cm ginger, finely grated

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. When hot add half the courgette and spread out to a single layer fry for a few minutes. You want them to fry rather than steam. After a few minutes push the courgettes the pan to the side and add the rest of the courgettes, spread out as much as possible and continue frying, stirring from time to time.

Whilst the courgettes are cooking mix the sauce ingredients in a mug.

The courgettes are ready when starting to go translucent, limp, and tender, although you can continue to fry until lightly brown (if there is to too much liquid in the pan) or serve with still a bit of crunch. When cooked to your liking, turn the heat down to low and stir through the sauce and you're done.

Serve either hot or cold.  I served ours with mixed through noodles, and as a side for the sceptics.  If I can win over Big Boy I will stir it through Japanese rice for packed lunches when he returns to school.

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