Vegan/Vegetarian Roasted Chicken Rice (Using Air Fryer)

 

Traditional Hainanese and roasted chicken rice uses the stock from cooking chicken to make the flavourful and fragrant rice, and also in accompanying soup. And since this is the vegetarian version, it is much easier and of course cruelty free. It is authentically served with a hot chilli sauce dip that is made up of freshly minced red chilli and garlic, and topped with dark soy sauce and a heap of freshly pounded ginger.

 

For vegan roasted 'chicken' rice, the most common substitute is fried beancurd skin. I am not a fan of mock meat but I can accept this vegetarian 'chicken' because it is basically made from beancurd skin and spices. To make it more healthy, I do not deep fry them, instead I use Airfryer (I used this brand). No additional oil needed, and yet taste equally great like deep-fried, Airfryer is indeed one of the best ever innovation in the kitchen, perfect!

 

I love rice and I am crazy over the fragrant rice for 'chicken' rice. I also cook this flavourful rice and treat it like plain rice and accompanied by dishes of stir fry veggies and steamed tofu. Next I plan to use this rice for my next project: Hakka Thunder Tea Rice, pronounced as Lei cha, 擂茶. Stay tuned!

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan.
Serve 2

Ingredients

For fragrant rice:

 2 cups* or 270g long-grain rice, washed & drained (I used brown rice)
 2 cups* or 380ml water

Herb
 2 pcs ginger, roughly sliced
 4 cloves garlic^, keep skin & smashed (optional)
 1 stalk lemon grass, peel off outer layers, cut into 4 cm
 4 pandan leaves, tied into a knot
 1 pcs bay leaf (optional)

Seasoning

 3 tsp sesame oil
 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
 1/2 tsp soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos
 1/2 tsp brown sugar or molasses (or any sweeteners)

For vegan 'chicken'
 3-4 pcs vegan 'chicken' drumstick (made from beancurd)

Garnish/Side
 Beansprouts, stir fried
 Chinese cabbage (bok choy), stir fried
 Cucumber, sliced
 Tomato, sliced
 Lettuce 
 Vegan 'chicken' rice chilli dip topped with dark soy sauce and pounded ginger
 Cilantro sprigs


Method
☼ Cooking Fragrant Rice

1. Mix all ingredients and seasonings together, and give it a good stir.

 

2. Transfer mixture into rice cooker pot, turn on the rice cooker. When the rice is cooked, then use the rice scoop to stir the rice and loosen it up, leave it in the cooker for another few minutes. If you do not have a rice cooker, place mixture in a steamer bowl and steam for 25-30 minutes until it reached your desired consistency.

 

 

☼ Cooking 'chicken'

Deep Frying:

Heat oil to about few inch in wok or large skillet over medium-high heat to about 375°F.  Add 'chicken', turning occasionally until they are golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

 

Using Airfryer:
Preheat the Airfryer to 160℃ for 3 minutes. Evenly place the 'chicken' in the fryer basket and slide the basket into the Airfryer. Set the timer to 18-20 minutes, turning few times until golden brown.

Using Oven:
Preheat the oven to 180℃.  Evenly spread the 'chicken' on a baking tray with parchment paper. Using a oven thermometer, ensure it is at the right temperature 180℃.  Pop the tray into the oven for about 25 minutes, turning few times until golden brown.

 

☼ Setting

Remove the stick inside the 'chicken' drumstick, cut into slices. Remove the herbs from rice then scoop rice onto individual serving dish, garnish and serve immediately.

 

Notes

^ Buddhist vegetarians who do not take garlic can omit this.

* The ratio for perfectly-cooked rice in most rice cookers (works for my Toshiba) is 1:1 rice and water, but it might vary with different rice cookers and the type of rice you are using.

* The measuring cup I used in this recipe comes along with the rice cooker and it looks like this below. 1 full cup of this rice measuring cup yield 135g of uncooked rice and 190ml water.  

Measuring Cup from Rice Cooker

 

Cooking Fragrant Rice

Vegan/Vegetarian Pumpkin Rice (One-Pot)

 

 

When the pumpkin season hits, recipes of pumpkin main-course and dessert are flooded online. I also got hold of a big pumpkin from the market and used it for a few rounds of this Pumpkin Rice and puree the balance and freeze it for dessert recipes.

 

After cooking my One-Pot Yam Rice many times, I really enjoy cooking one-pot-rice especially on weekday evenings because there are lesser plates and cutleries to wash after a great nutritious fulfilling meal. This recipe is surely a keeper and useful for a quick meal.

 

I have tried this dish umpteen times to perfect it to reach the al-dente texture for the rice. Due to the fact that pumpkin releases a lot of moisture when cooked, the amount of water for cooking the rice has to be adjusted accordingly to get the right consistency for the rice i.e. not too wet and not soggy. Please refer below for the note on rice and water before trying this recipe. 

For aesthetic reason, I omitted few of my favourite condiments like dark soy sauce and vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce because it makes the rice colour very dark and not golden yellow colour like pumpkin.

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan.

Serve 2-3

Ingredients

 Non-GMO canola oil, for frying

 4 cloves garlic, chopped ^
 1/2 medium onion, chopped ^
 2 fresh shiitake/button mushrooms, chopped

 120g pumpkin, peeled, deseeded & 1cm cubed
 1 cup* or 135g brown long-grain rice, washed & drained
 175ml water* or vegetable broth, for cooking rice

 

Optional Veggies (small amount each)

 Carrot, chopped

 Firm tofu, cubed

 Cloud ear fungus, chopped

 Bamboo shoot, chopped

 Yellow bell pepper, chopped

 Vegan ham, chopped 

 

Seasoning

 2 tsp soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos

 1/2 tsp sesame oil

 Pinch of sea salt
 Pinch of white pepper 
  

Garnish

 Spring onions, chopped

 Coriander, chopped
 Fried shallots
 Vegetarian sambal shrimp bites

 Vegetarian sambal chilli

Method

1. Heat up oil in a wok or large skillet. Sauté the onion and garlic until aromatic.

2. Add mushroom and optional veggies, and  add some soy sauce and sauté until light brown and almost cooked for about 2 minutes.

 

3. Pour in pumpkin and uncooked rice, mix gently and be careful not to mash the pumpkin. Add seasonings, sauté lightly for about 1 minute. 

4. Add water and stir mixture until well combined for 30 seconds. 

5. Transfer mixture into rice cooker pot, turn on the rice cooker. When the rice is cooked, use the rice scoop to stir the rice and loosen it up. If you do not have a rice cooker, place mixture in a steamer bowl and steam for 25-30 minutes until it reached your desired consistency.
 

6. If you find the rice too wet for your liking after stirring, press the mode for 'cook rice' again. The new cycle will continue to cook and dry up the mixture to the right consistency and automatically turn to 'keep warm' mode when ready. It works this way for most rice cookers, this is mine for reference. Loosen the rice and keep warm in the cooker for a few minutes.

7. Garnish and serve immediately.

 



Step 4: After Sautéing in the Pan  

Step 5: Ready to Start in Rice Cooker 



Notes

^ Buddhist vegetarians who do not take garlic and onion can omit these and replace with some ginger.

 

* The ratio for perfectly-cooked rice in most rice cookers (works for my Toshiba) is 1:1 rice and water, but it might vary with different rice cookers and the type of rice you are using.

 

* The measuring cup I used in this recipe comes along with the rice cooker and it looks like this below. 1 full cup of this rice measuring cup yield 135g of uncooked rice and 190ml water. I scooped off 4 teaspoon of water (20ml) to make it 170ml of water. If you do not have a measuring cup from the rice cooker, you might want to follow this recipe exactly to use 135g of uncooked rice with 170ml water (serve 2-3 pax). Do take note that result might vary with different rice cookers.

 

Measuring Cup from Rice Cooker

 

Vegetarian Asian Noodle Soup

 

 

 

This is my all-time favourite Asian noodles soup that can be ready on dining table within ten minutes, literally! I often cook this for a quick lunch and weekday dinner. Thus, I hardly have instant noodles in my pantry, partly because it is pre-fried and unhealthy, and also why would I still need instant noodles when this flavourful soup noodles can be whipped up equally fast and healthier? You can substitute with rice vermicelli or any other noodles you prefer. To make this delicious soup, you only need some simple ingredients that are commonly available in Asian pantry. Who still require meat for a good broth? *smile*

 

Related Posts:

Crispy Noodles (生面)

Fried Bee Hoon (Rice Vermicelli)

Dry Chinese Noodles (干捞面) 

Hong Kong Stir-fry Noodles 

Dry Wonton Noodles (Tofu Mushroom Filling)  

Singapore Laksa

Mee Goreng

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan
Serve 2

Ingredients

 700ml water
 180g Hokkien yellow noodles or 100g soaked rice vermicelli

 

Choose a few types you like:
Veggies (A) 
 Black fungus, chopped
 Potato, chopped
 Small floret cauliflower
 Carrot, chopped
 Chinese cabbages chopped
 Long green beans, chopped
 Any mocked fish/mutton, chopped
Veggies (B) 
 Fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
 Needle mushrooms
 Firm tofu, chopped
 Beansprouts

 

Seasoning
 2 tsp light soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos, or to taste
 1 Tbsp vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce
 2 tsp sesame oil 
 Pinch of white pepper 
  
Garnish
 Spring onions, chopped
 Coriander, chopped
 Fried shallots
 Cut red chillies
 Vegetarian sambal shrimp bites 

 

Method
1. Bring water to a boil in a pot or wok. Take this time to get ready your choice of veggies.

2. Add veggies (A) and continue to boil for about 3 minutes. Stir in seasoning and mix well.

3. Add veggies (B) and noodles/vermicelli and cook them for another 3 minutes or until al dente.

 

4. Garnish and serve hot!

 

Vegetarian Crispy Noodles (Sheng Mian)

 

 

Crispy noodles also known as 生面 is a Hong Kong style dish that is very popular in Singapore and Malaysia, you can literally find it anywhere from Zi-Char stalls to restaurants. The noodles are usually deep fried, so it is not every exactly very healthy, but it doesn't harm to eat once in a while because it tastes so good with the crunchy noodles at the edges and soft in the centre and along with savoury gravy and veggies ladled on top.

 

For simplicity, I used the ready-made crispy noodles which is readily available at our local supermarkets. If you can't find it at your local Asian grocery stores, you can also fry your own noodles with the step by step guide below!

 

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan
Serves 2

Ingredients
 500ml water
 4 Tbsp tropical/corn starch
 4 cloves of garlic, chopped (optional)

 4 slices ginger
 1/2 cup carrot, sliced
 1/4 cup fresh wood-ear mushroom, chopped
 4 stalks fresh shiitake, chopped
 1/4 cup firm tofu, cubed

 Handful of Chinese greens
 1/2 cup bean sprouts

 1/4 cup mocked chicken, optional
 Canola oil

 

☼ Frying your own crispy noodles

 160g Hakka noodles or any eggless Chinese noodles or angel hair spaghetti
 

☼ Cooking with ready-made patty

 2 ready-made crispy noodles patties

 

Seasoning
 1 Tbsp vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce
 2 tsp light soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos
 2 tsp sesame oil
 Pinch of salt
 Pinch of white pepper

Garnish (optional) 
 Spring onions
 Parsley/Coriander
 Fried shallots
 Cut red chilli
 Green pickled chilli
 Vegetarian sambal chilli

 

Method
☼ Frying your own patty
1. Bring a pot of water with one teaspoon salt to a boil, blanch the noodles until al dente. Drain in a colander until really dry for at least 2 hours, set aside.

 

2. Heat oil to about 1 inch height in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat to 190°C or when the oil begins to smoke. Make sure the oil is at the correct temperature or else the noodles will be chewy rather than crispy. Fry small quantities of noodles at a time. Let it cook until light brown and crisp on underside, turn noodles over and cook until light brown. Repeat with the remaining noodles.

 

3. Drain on kitchen paper towels and arrange crispy noodles on a serving plate. Continue with step 4.

 

☼ Cooking with ready-made patty
4. In a bowl, combine water and tropical/corn starch well. Set aside.

5. Heat up oil in a large skillet or wok. Sauté the garlic and ginger until aromatic.

6. Add carrot, mushrooms and tofu and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the starch mixture. Bring to a boil and add greens, bean sprouts and mocked chicken, simmer until vegetables are cooked. Add all seasoning.

 

7. Divide the crispy noodles between deep serving plates. Ladle the hot gravy over the crispy noodles. Garnish and serve hot! 

Ready-made 'Ee Mee' patty



Vegan 'Egg' Fried Rice

Using brown rice
I used some balanced Vegan Bak Kwa from Chinese New Year ;)

 

Using unpolished red rice

 

 

Fried rice is a simple dish of steamed rice stir-fried in a Chinese wok, usually mixed with ingredients like eggs, vegetables, and meat. This is a vegan variation which is eggless, and meatless of course.

 

Recently I blogged about the Vegan Tofu Scrambled 'Egg', today let me share with you how to incorporate the tofu scrambled 'egg' into a fried rice dish. I only eat unpolished whole-grain brown or red rice for better health, you may use white rice if you prefer. This recipe happens to be one of my all-time favourite fried rice because it is simple to make, healthy and delicious. And most importantly, no animals were harmed during the process.

 

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan.

Serve 2

Ingredients

 1 block or 200g firm tofu, drained & pressed
 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

 2 tsp black salt / kala namak *

 1/2 tsp sesame oil

 1 medium onion or 1 tsp ginger, chopped

 Canola oil, for frying

 3 cups cooked brown rice, warm or overnight

Vegetable (optional)
 1/4 cup carrot, chopped 
 2 fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
 1/4 vegetarian sausage/ham, chopped 

Seasoning
 1/2 tsp soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos, or to taste
 1/2 tsp vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce
 1 tsp sesame oil
  Pinch of white pepper
  
Garnish (optional)
 Parsley

 Spring onions
 Fried shallots
 Pickled green chilli
 Vegetarian sambal chilli

Method
1. Using a food processor or potato masher (or simply hands), mash the drained tofu into small pieces like scrambled egg size, but not too grainy. 

2. Marinate the scrambled tofu with turmeric, black salt and sesame oil. Set aside for about 5 minutes.

3. Heat up oil in a large skillet or wok. Stir-fry the onion or ginger until aromatic.

4. Add scrambled tofu and cook for about 2 minutes, then add vegetables (if using). Stir the mixture for until almost cooked.

5. Stir in the rice until well combined. Add in seasoning and stir for another 2 minutes.

6. Plate and garnish, serve hot!

Notes

☼ Where to buy black salt in Singapore and Online, click here for more details.  

Vegetarian Fried Bee Hoon (Fried Rice Vermicelli)

Dried Version

Moist version

 

Rice vermicelli are thin noodles made from rice. In Asian, it is usually eaten as part of soup and most often stir-fry which is also known as Fried Bee Hoon. This is a breakfast staple available in almost all vegetarian stalls usually served with curry gravy. I use organic brown rice vermicelli instead of the regular white ones because it is healthier even though it is slightly more costly. It tastes exactly the same like the regular ones, my family couldn't tell the difference, so go buy one packet of brown rice vermicelli and try it out!

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan

Serves  2

Ingredients
 120g dried bee hoon (rice vermicelli)
 2 cloves of garlic
 1 small slice ginger, grated or thinly sliced

 1/2 cup carrot, sliced
 1/4 cup fresh wood-ear mushroom, chopped

 4 stalks fresh shiitake, chopped
 1/4 cup firm tofu, cubed

 1 cup cabbage, chopped

 Sunflower oil or choice

 100ml water or more*

 3/4 cup bean sprouts
 

Seasoning

 2 tsp vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce

 1 tsp dark soy sauce

 2 tsp light soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos or more, to taste

 1 tsp sesame oil

 Pinch of white pepper

Garnish

 Spring onions
 Fried shallots

 Cut chilli (optional)

 Vegetarian sambal chilli (optional) 

Method
1. Soak rice vermicelli in warm water for at least 15 minutes or until it semi-soft. Do not soak more than required or else the vermicelli will become soggy easily during cooking. Drain in a colander, set aside.

2. Heat up oil in a large skillet or wok. Sauté the garlic until aromatic.
 

3. Add carrot, both mushrooms and tofu and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Then add cabbage and a little soy sauce or salt. Sauté until almost cooked.
 

4. Pour in vermicelli and water, then add all seasonings. Add bean sprouts and sauté  until all ingredients are coated evenly. Use a pair of chopsticks to help loosen the noodles. Cover wok to let vermicelli and ingredients cooked through for about 1-2  minutes.

 

5. Uncover and sauté vermicelli until gravy is almost dried up and noodles are soft. Add water if the mixture is too dry or if you prefer the dish to be more moist, do adjust the seasonings to taste.

6. Transfer to a plate, and top with garnishes. Serve!


Notes
* Different brands of rice vermicelli absorb different amount of water so do adjust to your preferred consistency.

Vegetarian/Vegan Asian Dry-Tossed Noodles (Gan Lao Mian) 干捞面

Using BK Bee Kia Brand: Flat Noodle 生面
(First choice!)

Using BK Bee Kia Brand: Flat Noodle 生面
(First choice!)



Using Yu-Men Brand: Eggless Fresh Mushroom Noodles 

Using A1 Brand: Instant Wonton

This noodle dish which comprises of thin wonton noodles and fried mocked meat is commonly available at vegetarian stalls in Singapore, it is also known as Gan Lao Mian 干捞面, meaning dry noodles using Mee Kia (thin wheat noodles). This is my perfect quick weekday dinner dish when I want a bowl of noodle yet do not have the time to do the wrapping of the wonton, check out my Tofu Mushroom Wonton. It is nutritious too with all the veggies, oh well, dinner ready within 15 minutes, yes literally! Where to buy the best raw eggless wonton mee in Singapore? Click here.

 

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan. 

Serve 2
 

Ingredients
 2 pcs (150g) fresh eggless wonton noodles

 Water, for boiling

 4 cloves garlic, chopped (can replace with some ginger)

Choose a few types you like, a little of each:
Veggies (A) 
 Black fungus, chopped
 Small floret cauliflower
 Carrot, chopped
 Baby corns, sliced
 Chinese cabbages, chopped
 Long green beans, chopped
 Firm tofu, chopped
Veggies (B) 
 Fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
 Enoki mushrooms
 King oyster mushrooms, sliced
 Beansprouts

 

Seasoning

 1 tsp sesame oil
 2 tsp vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce

 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce

 1 tsp light soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos, or to taste

 1.5 tbsp tomato sauce
 Pinch of white pepper

 1 Tbsp vegetarian sambal chilli (optional)
 4 Tbsp or 60ml water, more if you prefer

Garnish
 Spring onions, chopped
 Coriander, chopped
 Fried shallots
 Cut red chillies
 Pickled green chilli

Method

1. Heat up a pot of water to boiling point. Lightly loosen the noodle and remove any excess flour coating, blanch the wonton noodle in the pot of boiling water and cook for 45 seconds maximum, do not overcook. Rinse under cold or room temperature water few times to remove the excess starch, drain well in a colander.

2. Meanwhile, heat up oil in a large skillet or wok. Sauté the garlic until aromatic. Add Veggies (A) and sauté for about 3 minutes until slightly brown. Then add light soy sauce. Add Veggies (B) and sauté until cooked. Dish out from wok and set aside.

3. Pour drained noodles into wok, then add all seasonings. Use a pair of chopsticks, toss until all ingredients are coated evenly under very low heat. If you prefer your noodles to be a bit soupy, add more water to your desired consistency.

4. Transfer noodles to individual serving dish, then top with veggies and some vegetarian char sao (roasted meat) if desired. Garnish and serve immediately.