VEGETARIAN YAM RICE WITH TOFU SOUP

For simplicity, I will not be sharing the exact quantity of ingredients for the rice and soup. This is because if you are regularly preparing meatless dishes, you can mix and match the items you have in hand according to availability in your kitchen. Except that the main ingredients could be yam but also this can be substituted with pumpkin, too.

Easy, healthy home-cooked meal for your family suitable for the old and young.

Ingredients For Yam Rice [Plus/Minus]

Rice [according to number of servings]

Yam - cut into cubes

Long Beans - cut short sections

Red carrots - peeled and cut cubes

Some Okara bits [dried soy kelp] or mock meat

Some dried mushrooms - soaked and cut cubes

Some King Oyster mushrooms - rinsed and cut cubes

Some chopped ginger

Some chopped Chinese celery or Coriander leaves and red chillies

Seasoning

Vegetarian oyster sauce

Mushroom stock granules

Light soy sauce

Dark soy sauce

pepper

sesame seed oil

1. Prepare the ingredients as mentioned above. 
2. Heat some oil in a non stick pan,  fry yam pieces until lightly brown, then add mushrooms to fry until fragrant.  Add in ginger, okara bits and other ingredients using except rice.  Stir fry to mix well.
3. Lastly add in rice and seasoning ingredients.  Continue to stir fry until aromatic and well mixed.
4. Dish up into rice cooker pot.  Add in enough boiled water [about 1 to 1.5 cm above ingredients].  Give it a good stir, taste to adjust seasoning.
5. Then cook rice in rice cooker as normal.
6. When rice is cooked, fluff up before serving with soup. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves or Chinese celery and red chillies and dash of pepper [own preference].

Ingredients For Tofu Soup

Some dried mushrooms and black fungus - soaked and cut thin strips

Some Erngyii mushrooms - tear into strips

Some red carrots - cut strips

Some Szechuan Vegetable - cut strips and rinsed several times

Some Okara bits

Some dried beancurd sticks - soaked and cut strips

Tofu - cut strips

Some chopped ginger

boiling water

Seasoning

some mushroom stock granules, salt and pepper to taste

some sesame seed oil

1. Dry fry mushrooms over medium heat in a non stick wok until aromatic.  Add in some oil,   ginger and Okara bits.   Stir fry to mix ingredients for awhile before adding Szechuan vegetables and carrots.  
2. Continue to stir, then add in black fungs and beancurd stick strips.  Stir well, then add in boiling water for the soup.
3. Bring to boil for 5-10 minutes before adding tofu.   Add seasoning to taste.  Bring to a rolling boil for 1-2 minutes.
4. You can thicken soup with some cornstarch water or cook as a clear broth soup.  Drizzle some sesame oil and dash of pepper before serving.
5. Scoop soup into soup bowls, garnish with chopped coriander leaves etc.
6. Serve with some black vinegar [optional].

STEAMED TUMERIC WITH CORN RICE

A lovely steamed tumeric rice with corn which I prepared. It goes so well with any curries that you like. I have prepared a simple curry with an assortment of vegetables with some mock chicken meat. The curry is very easy to prepare with the use of my Multi Purpose Vegetable Sambal paste [Here].

Here, I will be sharing the recipe in detail. I will roughly list the ingredients and you may create a near similar dish to go with the tumeric rice. This tumeric rice is seasoned with some salt and tastes good with the sweet corn kernels. You may add some black pepper if you like. The curry is flavoured with salt, sugar and lime juice.

Tumeric With Corn Rice Ingredients 

[serves 2]

150 gm plain white rice - washed and drained

1/2 cup corn kernel

juice of 1 calamansi lime

1/2 tsp tumeric powder

1/4 tsp salt

about 230 ml water

1. Combined lime juice, tumeric powder, salt and water in a cup.  Mix well.
2. Wash and drain rice.
3. Transfer to a steaming tray.  Pour in water.  Stir to mix well.
4. Steamed over boiling water for 20 minutes, give it a good stir to mix well.  Turn to low heat and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes.  Off heat.
5. Leave rice for a further 10 minutes before fluffing.
6. Serve with curry.

Ingredients For Mixed Vegetable Curry  

Some cauliflower florets - cut small bits

Some French beans - cut small sections

Some red carrots - cut small bits

1 tomato - cut small bits [keep a few slices for garnishing]

1 red onion - chopped coarsely

some curry leaves

some mock chicken meat pieces - cut cubes 

juice of 2 calamansi lime

1 tbsp Multi Purpose Vegetarian Sambal paste

1 tbsp meat curry powder

Seasoning - salt and sugar

1. Stir fry cauliflower and carrots with some oil for 1-2 minutes. Add in onions and tomatoes.  Continue to stir fry.
2. Mix sambal paste and curry powder with some water into a paste.  Add to fried vegetables and mock chicken.  Continue to stir fry, drizzle in some water in between frying.
3. Add in enough water to cover the ingredients.  Bring to boil until cauliflower is soft.  Add in French beans, then seasoning to taste.
4. Stir fry until all ingredients are cooked and gravy is almost thick.
5. Add in lime juice.  Off heat.
6. Scoop curry over steamed rice.  Serve immediately.

MALAYSIAN LOCKDOWN MEALS [9]

I was able to get a whole yam [about 800 grams] from the supermart for below RM10.00. This whole yam is enough to cook a few dishes such as Yam Rice, Yam Noodles, Stir Fry Yam with Chicken, Yam and Sago dessert etc. It is long list as yam for these dishes is not a main ingredient. Moreover, cut yam can be stored in the freezer and keeps well for sometime.

This Yam Rice recipe is an easy one to cook up as all the ingredients are mostly available in an oriental kitchen.

It is awesome, the rice is so tasty, while the yam pieces are soft and aromatic. Even better to serve with a bowl of vegetable soup.  You can either steam the rice or cook it in the rice cooker.

Dish 15 - EZ Steamed Yam Rice with Chinese Sausage [Lap Cheong]

Ingredients

[serves 2-3]

200 gm rice - washed and drained

150 gm yam - cut cubes

1 Chinese sausage [lap cheong] - wrapper removed and cut cubes

2 dried mushrooms - soaked and cut cubes

1 tbsp dried prawns - rinsed and coarsely chopped

4-5 shallots - peeled and sliced thinly

250 - 280 ml water [can add the water from soaking of the mushrooms]

1-2 tbsp cooking oil

spring onion - chopped

Seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar or 1-2 dashes of msg

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tbsp each light soy sauce and oyster sauce

some dark soy sauce for colour

1. Heat oil in a wok, saute shallots until golden brown and crispy.  Remove the crispy shallots into a plate.  Set aside.
2. Using the same wok, add in mushrooms, dried prawns and lap cheong.  Stir fry until aromatic.  Add in yam cubes, continue to fry for several minutes.  Reduce heat to low.  Add in rice and seasoning ingredients.  
3. Continue to stir fry for several minutes to mix well and the rice is evenly coloured.
4. Dish up onto a steaming tray or rice cooker.  Add in water and some crispy shallots, stir to mix well.
5. Steam rice for 40-50 minutes [halfway, stir to ensure even cooking] or cook rice in the rice cooker as usual.
6. Off heat, leave for 5 -10 minutes before fluffing up to serve.
7. Garnish with spring onions and crispy shallots.

MALAYSIAN LOCKDOWN MEALS [2]

These two dishes are simple and easy to prepare with minimal ingredients and some easy to get ingredients such as fresh assorted Yong Taufu.  It is as delicious, appetising and nutritious. 

Dish 3 - Steamed Savoury Rice With Assorted Ingredients

Ingredients

[serves 2-3]

200 gm rice - washed and drained

3 shallots - peeled and sliced thinly

1 tsp chopped ginger

2-3 dried mushrooms - soaked and cut cubes

2-3 strips preserved radish [cai por] - coarsely chopped 

30 gm red carrot - peeled and cut cubes

chopped spring onions

1/2 tbsp each cooking oil and sesame seed oil 

Seasoning 

1 tbsp each oyster sauce and light soy sauce

1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp mushroom stock granules

1. Prepare the ingredients as above.  Heat pan with oil, saute shallots and ginger until aromatic and brown.  Add in cai por, mushrooms and carrots.  Stir fry until well mix and fragrant.
2. Add in rice and seasoning.  Continue to fry until all ingredients are well mixed.  Dish up into a steaming tray.
3. Add enough hot water to rice.  Stir and taste to adjust seasoning.
4. Steam rice for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through.  
5. Off heat.  Fluff up rice before serving.  Garnish with spring onions, chilli sauce or cut chiilies.  Serve rice with Yong Taufu Vegetable Soup.

Dish 4 - Yong Taufoo Vegetable Soup

several pieces of yong taufoo - cut into bite size pieces

1 piece tofu - cut bite size pieces

some bok choy - wash and cut 

some red carrots - peeled and sliced

seasoning to taste

dash of pepper

1. Bring water to boil.  Add in carrots and yong taufoo pieces.  Boil until yong taufoo pieces are tender.  Add in tofu and vegetables until cooked.
2. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste.

VEGETARIAN YAM RICE

My Vegetarian Yam Rice is as good as the non vegetarian version. I believe this is a healthier version without the dried prawns and meat. Another available option, if you happen to be short of dried prawns and meat in your pantry. 

Taste wise, it is surprisingly good. I know that, because my hubby enjoyed it, eating 2 big bowls in one go. Perhaps, because we are on meatless diet for 10 days and he probably is afraid of getting hungry fast before the next meal. No, I am just joking.  This Yam Rice is really tasty and good. Me too, can take more than a bowl if not watching my waistline.

I used Thai yam, it is tender, soft and still has a bite after cooking. The rice is fragrant and savoury sweet in taste with the yam, mushrooms and seasoning sauce. Though with the addition of minced preserved radish [cai por], it is not noticeable at all. 

This recipe is a keeper.  The portion here is big as I intended to giveaway half the portion to my sister but ended up sharing with my neighbours as she said she cannot take Yam Rice now due to 'skin allergy'.

This is what I got from Google about Yam benefits: "Yam is ideal for curing respiratory problems, skin diseases, digestion related ailments and cancer. It also protects the female endocrine system, increases nutrient absorption, improves cognitive abilities, conciliates metabolic functions and increases the count of the red blood cells. Due to the presence of Vitamin B6, Yam also prevents hypertension".   Do Visit this Site More Information on Yam Benefits for better understanding about Yam . 

Ingredients

[serves 7-8]

600 gm white rice - washed and drained

300 gm Thai yam or local yam - peeled and cut bite size pieces

3 dried mushrooms - soaked and diced [forgotten to show in photo]

some vegetarian mock meat - diced [optional]

some small bits of Okara [dried gluten pieces]

2 tbsp preserved radish [cai por] - rinsed and squeezed dry

1 tbsp chopped ginger

1 tbsp each of cooking oil and sesame seed oil [more if you like]

enough hot water to cook the rice

some chopped Chinese celery and red chillies

Seasoning 

1/2 tsp each 5 spice powder, white pepper powder, salt and mushroom stock granules

1 tbsp each of light soy sauce and mushroom flavour sauce

2 tsp dark soy sauce for colour [more if you like]

1. Prepare the ingredients required as stated above.
2. Wash rice and drained.  Add in the seasoning ingredients to rice.
3. Heat up a non-stick pot of an electric rice cooker [ i chose Quick Cook mode].  Add oil to saute ginger, preserved radish and mushrooms until aromatic.  Then add in the Okara [dried gluten pieces].
4. Continue to fry until aromatic and well mix.  Add in yam pieces, stir fry for 1-2 minutes.   Add in the rice, continue to stir fry the ingredients to mix evenly.
5. Add in mock meat if using, then add in enough hot water to cook rice.  Give it a good stir, add more dark soy sauce if it is too light in colour.  Mix well.  Taste to adjust seasoning at this time.
6. Close the cooker lid, turn off rice cooker.  Then restart cooker, choosing 'Quick Cook' mode to continue cooking rice. Halfway through cooking, stir the rice [to ensure rice is evenly cooked], close lid and leave the rice to complete the rice cooking cycle in the cooker.
7. Fluff up rice before serving.  I served the yam rice with a vegetarian herbal soup [See Recipe Here].
8. Garnish with cut chillies, Chinese celery or other condiments you like.

Too bad, I have forgotten to take some pictures of the cooked Yam Rice in the rice cooker.  It will show the cooked portion of the rice for this recipe.