Vietnamese Vegetarian Stew
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 small bitter melon
  • 1 medium to large Japanese eggplant (the long thin ones)
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 1 medium daikon radish
  • ¼ white cabbage about 400gm
  • 200gm fresh straw mushrooms (they are also available in cans but I try not to use canned goods, feel free to use whatever fresh mushrooms available)
  • 150gm fresh shitake mushrooms or 30gm dried shitake (soaked for 2 hours, stalk trimmed off)
  • 250gm green beans
  • 3 tbsp tamari or coconut aminos (buy tamari from iherb or amazon or buy coconut aminos from iherb or amazon)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt (buy on iherb or amazon)
  • Pepper (buy on iherb or amazon)
Instructions
  1. If using dried shiitake mushrooms
  2. Soak mushrooms in room temperature water for 2 hours and remove stalks
  3. Squeeze excess water from shiitake mushrooms and set the water aside (do not discard)
  4. In a small saucepan add 1 tsp olive oil and set on medium high heat
  5. add shitake mushroom with a pinch salt, few grinds of pepper and ½ cup of reserved shitake water, simmer and stir constantly until liquids evaporate completelyprepare the vegetables as followed and set aside:
  6. Slice carrots 5mm thick
  7. Slice daikon and eggplant 1 inch thick then quartered lengthways
  8. halve bitter melon and remove seeds then halve again lengthwise and cut into inch long pcs
  9. cut the cabbage into 1.5 inch wedge then cut into chunks
  10. trim the beans and cut in half
  11. bring a large pot to medium high heat with 2 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp tamari and 1 tsp salt
  12. add straw mushrooms and stir for 1 minute
  13. add 1 tsp ground pepper
  14. add prepared vegetables, mix well and add ½ cup reserved mushroom water
  15. cover and leave on high heat for 10mins
  16. uncover, stir the vegetables well and add the shitake mushrooms
  17. taste the liquid (not veggie) for seasoning (more salt, tamari and pepper to taste, the more pepper the better!)
  18. simmer with lid off for further 5 mins to reduce the liquid
  19. allow to cool for 20 mins before serving or room temp even better when the flavours are infused
  20. Serve with rice and preserved fermented beancurd (found in asian grocery stores) or eat on its own! Lasts 4-5 days in the fridge
Recipe by Intuitive Food Design at https://intuitivefooddesign.com/food_recipe/vietnamese-vegetarian-stew/