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Japanese

20-minute (vegan) Peanut Tofu & Greens Spring Sushirrito

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Sushiwhat? Sushi + Burrito = Sushirrito! Still no idea what this is supposed to be? Well, basically a sushi roll (like maki) just so giant that you roll it up like a burrito and can eat it holding in your hands. Pretty genius invention right? Sushi to-go basically.

Biting into this is like biting into soft (and sushi flavoured) rice, fried & salty peanut tofu, crunchy cucumber & aspragus, soft avocado and creamy sriracha sauce. An explosion of flavours in your mouth and it really is ultra delicious! Plus, it actually is not too difficult to make.

What is special about this dish?

First of all, it is vegan. Vegan sushi with tofu is not very traditional in Japan. Usually it is prepared with raw fish like salmon or tuna or with fresh veggies or fruits like avocado (yep, avocado is a fruit) and cucumber. Or sometimes tempura (vegan) vegetables or prawns. You see, nl tofu in here. Nevertheless this is not a reason for us not to add tofu into this dish.

And secondly, well a gigantic sushi wrap is not quite normal. Yeah, it kinda is like an ultra thick maki, just one you can take bites from. This shape is very untypical because you (obv) cannot eat this with chopsticks, at least it is a challenge. It is more like street-style, meal prep, on the go sushi. Still, is tastes at least as good!

Is this healthy?

Damn yep. The amazing thing about this is that you can add any veggies you like into these rolls. Whatever you think would taste good in combination with the tofu & rice. I love cucumber, asparagus, avocado and spring onions but you could also add sweet potato or carrots or whatever you love. Adding all these kinds of different veggies makes this really incredibly nutritious. And obviously, depending on which veggies you choose, you‘ll have different nutrients! 

Besides the veggies we also have the tofu. Tofu is a great source of plant based protein and fibre. Together with the peanut sauce is also serves as a source of healthy and essential, unsaturated fat. Not to forget about the rice. This itself is not too nutrient dense, yet it provides many carbohydrates to keep you energized. If you also wanted some fibre and minerals, you could swap it for brown rice instead.

How to make this dish?

If you are a professional sushi-chef, you probably have got this ready in 5 minutes. If you are not (just like most people including myself) it‘ll probably take you 20 minutes – if even. And what takes the longest is cooking the rice. Therefore that‘s also what we‘re starting with. Here we‘re using sushi rice just because it has this special sushi flavor and texture. You can either find that at the supermarket or an asian store. This we just boil with twice the amount of water and then we mix it with a mix of vinegar and maple. This combination really adds the flavor we want.

Then we also need to marinate the tofu. This essentially is done by combining a few ingredients including peanut butter, soy sauce and lime juice. The longer this can marinate, the better. While the rice is cooking, the tofu is frying in hot oil until crispy. In the meantime we can also finely chop or slice the veggies. 

Then comes the fun and challenging part; rolling (or more like folding) it up. For this we need to divide the rice into the amount of sandwiches we make. If we make two sandwiches we divide it into two. And then we need to half it again (so we have rice for the top and the bottom). We start by adding one half of it into the middle of a nori sheet and pressing this into a square or rectangle. Then we add the veggies, whichever you like, and tofu, then the sauce, more veggies and the other half of the rice. We need to make sure to keep everything in this square or rectangular form. Then we take a second nori sheet and lay it on top. Now we take a small bwol with water and dip our fingers into it to wetten the sides of the nori and then fold the sides in and roll the rest like a burrito. It is important to really keep everything very tight here so the burrito does not fall apart when eating. And that’s it!

Meal prep friendly?

Yes! Definitely! That is the great thing here – it is not only great to be eaten the next day, it also is amazing to be eaten on the go, or in the park because you do not need cutlery or chopsticks or anything. It probably lasts 2-3 days in the fridge, so you’ll have a delicious meal for several days!

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20-minute (vegan) Peanut Tofu & Greens Spring Sushirrito

Like Sushi, just with Tofu and rolled up like a Burrito, so you can easilyyy eat it! An explosion of flavours and not difficult to make.

Course dinner, lunch
Cuisine Japanese
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 25 Minuten
Servings 2 servings

What you will need

For the tofu:

  • 200 g tofu
  • 2 tbsp peanut butter
  • 5 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 lime
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp garlic & ginger (dried or fresh)
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp oil

For the rest:

  • 120 g Sushi Rice (you can find that either at your super market or asian store – alternatively you could go for basmati rice)
  • 1/4 cucumber
  • 2 tso vinegar
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 100 g green asparagus

For the sriracha sauce

  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • 2 tsp mayo
  • 2 tbsp greek yoghurt
  • 4 nori sheets

How to

  1. First mix all the ingredients for the tofu marinade. Then cut the tofu into two equally sized (about 1cm thick) blocks and let them marinate for as long as possible.

  2. Add the sushi rice, along with twice the amount of water and some salt, to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let simmer until all water is absorbed. Then turn down to very low heat and let sit until fluffy and soft.

  3. In the meantime mix all the ingredients for the sriracha sauce. Finely slice the cucumber, avocado and asparagus. Fry the asparagus in some oil for about 3-4 minutes until soft.

  4. When the sushi rice is done, combine the vinegar and maple and mix it with the rice. Then divide the rice into however many burritos you are making.

    Then add half of each portion into the middle of a nori sheet and press it into a flat and tight rectangle or square. Now layer some veggies and the tofu on top. To with the sriracha mayo and the remaining rice. Press everything together so it sticks well and does not fall apart. Top with another Nori sheet. Then fold in the edges and drizzle a bit of water on the sides, so they'll stick. Then tightly roll in the burrito and fold in the remaining edges.

  5. That's it! Serve with some soy saue and enjoy!

I really, genuinely hope that you’ll enjoy this as much as we do and that you’ll have a great time cooking this!

All the best,
Love,
Katie

Super easy roasted sesame miso eggplant with coconut rice

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The soft „meat“ of the eggplant, soaked with flavour of the sesame miso marinade combined with creamy coconut rice and a baby spinach salad. Way easier than it sounds. And so delicious. 30 minutes, full of flavour, healthy and comforting.

I have never been to Japan, unfortunately, but it definitely is one of the top destinations of my travel list. I just really like all of the flavours, spices and fermented goods in their cuisine. Since the current situation makes travelling a bit difficult, it is time for us to bring Japan home! Taking the delicious and decadent flavours and making masterpieces out of them in the kitchen! And also, here is no better way to start into the slightly colder season than with some good comfort food. Heating up the oven and baking and the bubbling food on the stove. A super soft on the inside eggplant and creamy rice is the perfect dish for such occasions.

What is special about this dish?

Kind of everything, to be honest. The eggplant that is prepared and soaked up with the slightly sweet but so delicious asian marinade and baked to perfection and the rice that is not you average side dish rice but made with much more flavour.

What is miso and where can you get it?

Miso is a paste made from fermented soy beans and salt. It originated in Japan and is typically used in Asian, especially Japanese cuisine. Probably it’s most common use is in miso soup, which you can find at most Japanese restaurants. There are several different kinds of miso paste, from black to yellow and sweet so sour. For this recipe, I would recommend using a yellow/ light one without added sugar since we are adding the sweetness ourselves.

You can find Miso paste at pretty much any asian grocery store. It also often can be found at health stores or organic markets because of its high content of probiotics (through fermentation) or speciality stores.

Is this dish healthy?

I would definitely say so! You get great nutrients such as vitamins and fibre form the eggplant and also healthy probiotics from the miso (although there won’t be as much due to heating it up). The rice adds some great carbohydrates and protein and the coconut milk adds a healthy dose of fats. The only thing you should note is that this dish is a bit high in sodium because of its Miso and soy sauce content. If you have issues with sodium or make it sodium reduced, you can long for sodium reduced soy sauce, which you can find at any supermarket!

Meal prep & friendly?!

Yes and yes! You can very well store this in containers and heat it up whenever you want to enjoy it. The flavours will stay and consistency wise the reheating won’t be a problem. It also is pretty family friendly and a great way to sneak some more veggies onto the plates. If in your family, someone cannot go without meat, an easy way to include this is to just add some chicken, prawns or any other meat/ seafood of your preference into the marinade and then just fry it up in a pan while the eggplant is baking!

I hope that you will enjoy this recipe and that it gets you a little bit excited for the colder season ahead of us!

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Super easy roasted sesame miso eggplant with coconut rice

Soft eggplant that is full of flavor and easy to make paired with some dreamy, creamy coconut rice and a fresh salad!

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine asian, Japanese
Prep Time 5 Minuten
Cook Time 35 Minuten
Total Time 40 Minuten
Servings 4 people
Calories 530 kcal

What you will need

For the eggplant:

  • 2 eggplants
  • 1 tbsp Tahini
  • 3 tbsp miso paste
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • a few drops Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp hot sauce
  • 6 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup

For the rice:

  • 250 g rice
  • 200 ml coconut milk
  • 300 ml water

For the rest:

  • 4 handful baby spinach
  • 2 scallions (spring onions)
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds

How to

  1. Cut the eggplants lengthwise. Carefully cut a grid-pattern into each half of the eggplant. This only is supposed to add some depth to the eggplant to soak up the flavor better. Do not cut the eggplant through!

  2. In a bowl/ tupperware combine all of the inrgedients for the sauce. Place the eggplant halfes, pattern side down in the marinade and let marinade for about 2-4 hours if you have got the time (if you do not, continue on from the next step).

  3. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the eggplant halves on a baking tray and brush some of that remaining dressing into the grids. Bake the eggplant for 25-30 minutes. Take them out of the oven, heat it up to 225°C. Brush the eggplants again and bake for another 5 minutes.

  4. In the meantime add the rice along with the coconut milk, some salt and water to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let simmer until all liquid is absorbed. Cover and let steam on very low heat for another 3-5 minutes until the rice is soft.

  5. Wash the baby spinach and toss it with some slat, pepper,a nd the remaining eggplant marinade.

  6. Divide the rice and salad onto the plates and add the eggplant on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, chopped up scallions and cliantro. Enjoy!

Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Shrimp, Carrot & Aubergine Mushroom Dumplings

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Dumplings are one of my absolutely favourite things to have. I always order them when going out to Chinese or Japanese restaurant but I have never dared to make them at home because I thought it was super complicated to make them. Wrong! They are not complicated at all, just require a little work, which is a lot of fun when doing it with someone else.

I do not know if anyone else loves the mix of textures and flavours or a decently spiced filling and a soft and doughy outer shell as much as I do. The combination always gets me and I believe that it is the perfect comforting and still healthy food. The great thing is that you can switch up the fillings and get so creative. There is nothing you cannot put into those cute, little dumplings.

Since everyone has different taste buds, I created 2 versions for this first dumpling blog post. A vegetarian (vegan actually) and one with seafood. They both are incredibly delicious. For the vegetarian I combined some super finely chopped eggplant and some super finally chopped mushrooms. The chopping really takes time but making it that small just changes the taste so much because it almost feels like ground meat, texture wise, and you have both veggies in one bite. This mixture is sautéed just for a minute or so and then tossed with a teriyaki sauce. The sauce really adds a lot of flavour and makes it so addictingly good.

The shrimp dumpling is even easier. I use frozen shrimps simply because they are easiest to get and to store. Before preparing them, they need to be defrosted, which you can either do by taking them out of the freezer a few hours before cooking or if you forgot to do that, you can place them in a bowl with warm water and let them defrost that way. The shrimps are also finely chopped. The other 2 ingredients are carrots, which are peeled and also chopped up really finely and wild garlic. I love to use wild garlic at this time of the year but if you do not have that on hand you can use normal garlic cloves instead. This mixture does not have to be pre cooked, because the shrimps I use are already cooked before frozen. If yours are not you can quickly pan fry them or you just cook them when steaming.

As for the outside dough, in this recipe we are using wonton wrappers. You can get those frozen at any asian market and sometimes even in supermarkets or speciality stores. Those are the same ones you would use for spring rolls. So you can deep fry, pan fry or steam them. Same with those dumplings. I am 100% down for steaming, simply because I believe they taste best and the flavours come out most, but you can also crisp them up in a pan. I would not recommend deep-frying them tough.

Here I decided to close them differently and bring them into diverse shapes but if this is too much work for you, leaving it with one is absolutely fine. The filling and shaping does take some time, because each wrapper is a bite, so it takes a while until you have gotten them all read but it is so worth it.

You can serve them as an appetiser when friends are over, or also if not, or just prepare more and make an asian spread for lunch or dinner (maybe with the satay skewers, which are coming up on the blog next week?). This recipe is totally family approved, not only everyone likes eating them, but the making them together part is. a lot of fun too!

When you serve them, then do so with some soy, teriyaki, chilli or peanut sauce to dip in!

I hope that you will love this recipe as much as I do!

Have fun cooking,

Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

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Shrimp and Carrot Dumplings

Light, easy and super tasty. Crunchy carrot, soft prawns and fresh wild garlic, the result, an absoltue amazing dish!

Course Appetizer, dinner, lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine asian, Chinese
Prep Time 27 Minuten
Cook Time 8 Minuten
Total Time 35 Minuten
Servings 15 dumplings
Calories 48 kcal

What you will need

That is what you need:

  • 15 wonton wrappers
  • 3 carrots
  • 300 g prawns frozen and thawed
  • 1 handful wild garlic
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • some sesame seeds

How to

This is how it works:

  1. Peel the carrot. Slice and cube it into mini chunks, about 2 mm large. The smaller you get them, the better they are. Or, grate them with a grater.

  2. Defrost the prawns and chop them very small too. Take the wild garlic, wash it and also cut this one into small sizes.

  3. Place all of those ingredients in a bowl and mix them together with the soy sauce.

  4. Take one wrapper at a time and place a teaspoon of the filling into the middle. Brush the edges of the wraper with some water and fold two diagonal edges together. Close the dumpling up by pressing the open sides to each other so they close.

  5. If you want to, you can make a small pattern by taking one end of the triangle and folding it towards the other side. The part of the wrapper where the dough has been folded over, now folds over in the same direction. Continue doing this until you have reached the other side of the wrapper.

  6. Repeat that with the remaining wrappers until the filling is used up.

    Bring some water to a boil in a pot. Take a steamer, a bamboo steamer preferably, and place the dumplings in it on top of some parchment paper to prevent them from sticking.

    Steam them for about 5-8 minutes until the dough is soft. Serve them with some sauces like soy sauce, chili sauce or peanut sauce, a sprinkle of sesame seeds and some fresh cilantro.

    Enjoy!

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Aubergine and Mushroom Dumplings

A vegan version of the best asian comfort food. Soft and tangy aubergine mushroom mix tossed in soft wrappers. INcredibly good.

Course Appetizer, dinner, lunch, Side Dish
Prep Time 27 Minuten
Cook Time 8 Minuten
Total Time 35 Minuten
Servings 15 wrappers
Calories 39 kcal

What you will need

That is what you need:

  • 15 wonton wrappers
  • 1/2 eggplant
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 200 g mushrooms you can use champignons or oyster mushrooms
  • 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce can be substituted for 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp honey
  • sesame seeds
  • fresh cilantro
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 3 cm ginger

How to

That is how it works:

  1. Finely chop the ginger, garlic, mushrooms and eggplant into about 2mm sized cubes. The smaller the better.

    In a pan heat up the oil. Sautée the veggies for about 2 minutes. Take them off the heat and stir in the teriyaki sauce.

    Take one wrapper at a time and place one teaspoon of the mixture in the middle. Brush all edges with some water. Take the four edges and pull them up to the center and press them together. Take the remaing open sides and also press those together so the dumpling is fully closed.

  2. Repeat that with the remaining wrappers until the filling is used up. 

    Bring some water to a boil in a pot. Take a steamer, a bamboo steamer preferably, and place the dumplings in it on top of some parchment paper to prevent them from sticking.

    Steam them for about 5-8 minutes until the dough is soft. Serve them with some sauces like soy sauce, chili sauce or peanut sauce, a sprinkle of sesame seeds and some fresh cilantro. 

    Enjoy!

Miso Sweet Potato w/ Coconut Rice

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Is so incredibly addicting and satisfying, which is crazy! It’s just like miso black cod or anything sticky and sweet, just that it covers sweet potatoes. Plus, there is a curry vibe because we have some steamed coconut rice, aka rice boiled in coconut milk. Place both of these things in a bowl, sprinkle some nuts, and you will never wanna order takeout ever again.

No, I am serious, it really is good. I absolutely love miso, like a lot. I have always liked it, but then I went to a restaurant over Christmas break and had that black miso yuzu cod, and let me tell you, this was out of this world. So. Fricking. Good. I tried marking something similar to the miso at home for the sweet potatoes and I have to say that it did not turn out terribly, no definitely not. Although it is not quite the same, because I don’t know how the chef there made it, this was incredible, it is super delicious!

So before you ask yourself ‘what even is miso?’ I am going to give you a little information. Miso actually is a fermented soy pasta. You can buy it at most super markets or Asian markets. It is available in black and white. For this recipe, I used the black miso paste, but I am sure that the white one will work as well. Miso is mostly eaten in Japan, where also the popular miso soup is from. So, in this recipe we are using the same miso as in the soup, but prepare it differently.

To make the miso glazed sweet potatoes, we do not need a lot of things. Sweet potatoes, of course, cut into slices, some miso pasta, soy sauce, some sriracha or hot sauce, rice wine vinegar, agave or honey, a little lime juice, and if not vegan some fish sauce. This adds an extra touch but is not necessary. We combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and let the sweet potatoes marinate in there for about 30min-1h. If you do not have that time, then leave it out but I would still recommend you to do it. Once they are marinated, we grill them on a grill or you can also pan-fry them or even bake in the oven. Just do whatever sounds best to you.

So we have the main star of the show but we still need something to serve it with. And this something is coconut rice. Honestly, this is life changing. This coconut rice goes so incredibly well with anything, be it curry, stir fry, just some steamed vegetables or some chicken skewers. Anything Asian is perfect to be served with this. We make this rice by simply adding it to a pot. Next we add a mixture out of coconut milk and water and a generous pinch of salt. Bring it to a boil, reduce to very low heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Here you go, super easy but so much flavor. Honestly you will never skip this when making your next curry.

For serving, I like to put everything in a bowl, sprinkle with some cashews or peanuts, some fresh cilantro, some shredded coconut, and a lime wedge for decoration. This dish honestly is super good, and a great weeknight dinner. You can also meal prep it very well. For example make the sweet potatoes ahead of time and add them to salads or stir frys throughout the week.

I hope that you like this recipe and will enjoy making it!

Love Katie || Une Petite Cuisiniere

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Miso Sweet Potato with Coconut Rice

An addictively good twist on regular sweet potatoes served with steemed coconut rice on which you never want to miss out ever again. So good.

Course bowl, dinner, lunch
Cuisine asian, Japanese
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 20 Minuten
Total Time 1 Stunde
Servings 4 servings
Calories 546 kcal

What you will need

For the Miso Sweet Potatoes:

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes
  • 2 tbsp miso paste
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 Lime juiced
  • 2 tsp sriracha
  • 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tbsp honey or maple
  • 1-2 tbsp water
  • 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

For the Coconut Rice:

  • 250 g Rice
  • 200 ml Coconut Milk
  • 300 ml water
  • 1 tsp salt

For Garnish:

  • 2 handful greens can be any greens of your choice, I would recommend using fresh spinach or a salad mix
  • some cilantro
  • a few cashews or peanuts
  • lime wedges
  • coconut flakes.

How to

That’s how it works:

  1. Wash and peel the sweet potato if not having bought organic ones. In a Bowl mix all the ingredients for the sauce. Slice up the sweet potatoes into about 1cm thick slices. Place them in a bowl and pour over the sauce. Let marinate for about 30-60 minutes. If you do not have the time to do that, then pour over the sauce when grilling or cooking. 

    Meanwhile add the rice to a pot along with the coconut milk, water and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to very low heat, cover and let simmer for about 10-12 minutes. 

    Heat up a pan with a little sesame oil, or heat a grill brushed with olive oil, or preheat the oven to 200*C. If making in the pan or grill, fry on each side for about a minutes at medium to high heat. In the oven bake for about 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. 

    Separate the rice on the bowls. Add the fresh greens, top with the sweet potato and add some cilantro, cashews or peanuts, some more shredded coconut (optional) and a lime wedge to garnish. Serve and enjoy!