Veggie Kung Pao Food

KUNG PAO

Steps:

• Rinse, peel and chop 1 medium carrot in wedges or batons. Also chop 6 to 8 french beans in 2 inches pieces. Keep them in a steamer pan.
• Steam till the carrots and french beans are almost cooked.
• If using a pressure cooker for steaming, then steam for 1 whistle. For steaming in a pressure cooker, add 1 to 1.5 cups water. Place the french beans and carrots in a steamer bowl or a steel bowl or pan. Do not add any water in the bowl or pan. Steam for 1 whistle on medium flame.
• When the carrots and french beans are being steamed, slice 1 medium onion thinly.
• Also slice 1 inch ginger and 7 to 8 medium sized garlic thinly. Chop 1 small stem of celery. You should be able to get 2 teaspoon finely chopped celery.
• Then thinly slice 1 medium bell pepper (red or green or yellow). Keep aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil in a pan. Add 10 to 12 cashews or peanuts.
• Saute the cashews till they turn golden. Remove and keep aside.
• Keep the flame to a low and add 4 to 5 dry red chilies. Saute till the red chilies change color. Red chilies give a smoky flavor. Avoid burning the chilies.
• Then add the sliced onions, ginger and garlic. Stir fry on medium flame for 2 minutes.
• Then add the sliced bell peppers (capsicum) and finely chopped celery.
• Stir fry on medium flame for 3 minutes.
• Next add the steamed carrots and french beans. Mix well.
• Add 2 teaspoon soy sauce and ½ tablespoon sugar. Mix well.
• Add salt as per taste and ½ teaspoon black pepper powder or white pepper. Mix well.
• Add 2 cups water. Mix very well. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
• Then add corn starch solution. To make corn starch solution, mix 2 teaspoons of corn starch with 1 tbsp water. Then add this solution to the gravy.
• Add ½ teaspoon rice vinegar. You can also use white vinegar instead.
• Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes till the sauce thickens and then add the fried cashews. For a thicker sauce, you can add some more cornstarch.
• Serve kung pao with veg fried rice or steamed rice. You can also have with plain steamed noodles or veg noodles.

10-MINUTE KUNG PAO VEGETABLES

Steps:

• 1. Make Kung Pao Sauce: Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha, ginger, and sugar in a bowl. Stir to combine and set aside. Omit the sriracha or chili paste if you don't want the Vegetable Kung Pao to be too spicy. 2. Prepare your veggies. In a large skillet, heat sesame oil over medium heat. stir fry green beans and carrots until they begin to soften. Add bell peppers, shiitake, ginger and garlic. Shake red pepper flakes to taste. Omit if you don't want the dish too spicy. 3. Stir fry for about 2 minutes then add cashew and green onions. 4. Now add Kung Pao Sauce and bring to simmer until the sauce has thickened. 5. Remove and serve with rice.

KUNG PAO CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• Whisk together the sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil in a medium bowl.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallion whites and jalapeños and cook, stirring, until the jalapeños are soft and the seeds start to turn golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ginger and cook, stirring, until soft, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the chili sauce mixture. Bring a boil and let cook until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
• Fill a large heavy-bottom pot, fitted with a deep fry thermometer, with 2-inches of oil and heat the oil to 350 degrees F over medium-high heat. Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet.
• Whisk together the eggs, cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water in a medium bowl. Fold in the cauliflower until well coated in the batter. Add one-third of the cauliflower to the oil with a slotted spoon and fry, stirring as needed and adjusting the heat to maintain temperature, until golden, crispy and tender on the inside, about 6 minutes. Remove the cauliflower with the slotted spoon and transfer to the rack. Sprinkle with salt. Fry the remaining cauliflower, in 2 more batches, making sure the temperature of the oil comes back to 350 degrees F between each batch.
• Add the fried cauliflower, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper to the sauce and gently toss to coat well. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with cilantro, peanuts and the reserved scallion greens.

VEGETABLE KUNG PAO WITH BROCCOLI AND PEANUTS

Steps:

• Wrap the tofu slabs in paper towels and place a heavy weight, such as a skillet, on top; let stand for 30 minutes to press out the excess water.
• Cut the tofu into slices 1/2-inch thick and 2 1/2-inches long and place them in a bowl.
• Cut away the broccoli florets and separate into bite-size pieces; cut the stalks on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces.
• Heat a large pot of water to boiling, add the broccoli and boil for 3 minutes; drain, refresh under cold water and drain again.
• Heat a heavy skillet and add 2 1/2 T of the oil Arrange some of the tofu slices in the pan and sear over high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown Remove with a spatula and drain in a colander Reheat the pan and add 2 more T of oil Continue frying the rest of the slices, removing and draining as they are cooked.
• Reheat the skillet, or a wok, add the remaining T of oil, heat until hot, and add the seasonings, stir-fry briefly, about 15 seconds, then add the scallion greens and water chestnuts, and stir-fry over high heat about 1 1/2- minutes.
• Add the premixed sauce and cook, stirring continuously to prevent lumps, until it thickens.
• Add the broccoli, fried tofu and peanuts.
• Toss lightly to coat and heat through.
• Serve with steamed rice.