Asian food is very popular in England, a melting pot of cultural cuisines. But rather than always eat out (too expensive) or buy plastic-wrapped ready meals, why not just learn to make your favourite meals?
Vegan Asian offers super-simple recipes by a popular young chef, for recipes that will keep you coming back for more.
Never eat rice after 24 hours (a food poison hazard) and use bamboo chopsticks. Before cooking, read up on food safety for people & pets (many foods like onion, garlic and spices are unsafe near animal friends).
Recipes include:
- Pad Thai
- Char siu tofu
- Vietnamese mushroom pho
- Singaporean chilli tofu
- Chinese lettuce wraps
- Yang chow fried rice
- Japanese yakisoba
- Spicy Dan Dan noodles
- Satay tofu sticks with peanut sauce
- Korean bulgogi mushrooms
Author Jeeca is a recipe developer from family of foodies, who learned to cook at an early age, picking up tips from her mother and grandmother.
She finds cooking very therapeutic and hopes you can feel the same, after experimenting with her recipes. She always strives to make her recipes simple with affordable ingredients.
More Plant-Based Asian Recipe Books
Asian Green with simple recipes for nourishing soups and vibrant mains, plus tips on how to use a wok. Enjoy recipes for:
- Wok-fried orange-soy sticky sprouts
- Peking mushroom pancakes
- Smoked tofu & broccoli
- Korean-style Ram-don
- Chinese black bean seitan tacos
Plant-Based Himalaya is another unique book, this time sharing 38 recipes from the author’s home country, the food that she has cooked and eaten since childhood. From grains to dal and curries and from greens and sauces to delicious desserts, the book features 250 beautiful colour photos.
Vegan Recipes and Stories from Korea
The Korean Vegan Cookbook offers recipes from this unique part of the world. This is an award-winning book from a region renowned for barbecue and fish sauce.
The plant-based recipes include:
- Black bean noodles
- Korean potato-leek soup
- Kimchi stew
- Korean pear slaw
- Omma’s BBQ sauce
- Chocolate sweet potato cake
Not just for recipes, this book is worth reading for Joanne’s story that will move you to tears. Now a top US lawyer married to a concert pianist (others almost drowned her mother in the river when fleeing from North Korea, to stop her starving to death – but she managed to survive on chocolate bars).
Vegan Recipes from Korea, Japan and Taiwan
Sesame, Soy, Spice is the debut cookbook by a popular recipe blogger, who shares delicious gluten-free meals, influenced by her pan-Asian background and personal journey to wellness.
Growing up in an international family, the author ate food from her parents’ Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese cultures, along with the food of other family members who had French and Brazilian roots.
After struggling with an eating disorder and addiction, she turned to a vegan lifestyle but found herself drifting away from the foods she enjoyed in childhood. So she turned to her old comfort foods as inspiration for new dishes and began to heal.
These recipes are inspired by Korean temple food, Japanese Buddhist cuisine and Taiwanese faux meats. Enjoy easy-to-make plant-based takes on:
- Smoky maple tempeh bacon
- Green garden soba noodle salad
- Taiwanese five-spice Brussels sprouts
- Spicy peanut ramen
- Thai basil tempeh
- Miso caramel crème brulée
Remy Park is founder of the renowned blog Veggiekins where she writes on food and wellness. A yoga and meditation teacher, she loves farmers’ markets and watching the sun rise.
Her love for wellness began after recovering from anorexia, obsessive compulsive disorder, self-harm and substance/alcohol addictions, which lead to rock bottom by age 17. After eating vegan for a week, she began to heal and now helps others to use as food for healing.
Where to Buy Vegan Korean Food
Root Kitchen delivers Korean tofu noodles to your door. Or look in stores for Lazy Vegan’s Korean Noodles.
Noodles are on the menu for most people in England, as they are tasty, quick and easy to cook. Look in stores for rice noodles (no egg) and use them to make one of these super-simple recipes.
This easy broccoli noodle recipe (So Vegan) only need a few ingredients including fresh broccoli, red pepper, onions and Shiitake mushrooms. Made with fresh ginger and cooked in a blend of sesame soil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sweetened with maple syrup.
Before cooking, read more on food safety for people and pets.
If you like this kind of food, check out the cookbooks Vegan Ramen and Oodles and Oodles of Vegan Noodles!
These Sesame Noodles (Rainbow Plant Life) make a great quick weeknight supper dish. While the spring onions are cooking, make the sesame sauce (a blend of soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and garlic) then cook and drain the noodles.
Then coat the noodles in sauce, and add spring onions and other vegetables, and serve with a little chilli sauce. Nisha says that if you can’t find Chinese sesame paste for this recipe, blend organic peanut butter and tahini.
Spicy Ramen (Jessica in the Kitchen) makes use of ready-made Ramen noodles (you can leave out the seasoning pack, and use fresh ingredients for better taste and nutrition).
Invest in some good toasted sesame oil if you like Asian dishes, it will then bring out the flavours of your fresh scallions, garlic and ginger. The sweet chilli sauce makes this dish the bomb!
How to Cook Perfect Fluffy Rice
Cooking rice on the stovetop requires a gentle hand:
- Measure accurately: Use 1.5 cups of water for every cup of rice.
- Bring to a boil. Then cover and reduce to a simmer.
- Don’t peek: Each lift of the lid lets steam out, affecting fluffiness.
- Let it rest: After removing from heat, let it sit for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
A rice cooker takes out much of the guesswork:
- Use the rice measure cup that comes with it for accuracy.
- Add a pinch of salt for taste.
- Once the cycle ends, let it sit on ‘warm’ for a few minutes before fluffing.
Instant Pots are famed for their speed:
- Use a 1:1 rice-to-water ratio.
- Cook on high pressure for just 4 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10.
- Open and fluff with a fork for an airy finish.
Post-Cooking Techniques
Use a fork to gently run through the rice, to separate the grains without mashing them. This helps air circulate and removes any clumps.
Don’t rush to serve after cooking. Give your rice a breather. Allowing it to rest keeps it from clumping and enhances texture. You wouldn’t rush a good brew, so give your rice the same respect.
Overcooked rice can become mush, while undercooked grains stay crunchy. Test a grain if unsure, and adjust water levels if needed.
Water is both a friend and foe. Too much leads to a congee-like consistency. Stick to recommended ratios and adjust based on the type of rice.
