Your Vegan Mom

Okonomiyaki [Simple, Delicious, and Vegan]

Cut into wedges, okonomiyaki makes a good snack for a party or a gaggle of 4-year-olds.  

I never told you about the okonomiyaki obsession of late 2010.  Right there in the middle of Christmas hysteria, between baking 10,000 cookies and tracking down mittens and addressing cards, I was seized, simply seized, by a need for okonomiyaki, or a large Japanese pancake.  I know that okonomiyaki is a large Japanese pancake because I had one once.  It was good, even really good, but seriously, where did this sudden obsession come from?

I can't say.  But I for one, heed the call, especially when it comes smack dab in the middle of Christmas hysteria.  (Right.  Respite from Christmas hysteria.  That's where it came from.)

So, I put down the cookie sheet and scoured the internet.  Eggs, eggs, eggs.  Obviously, it's a large pancake - eggs are a traditional binder.  Alternatively, grate some nagaimo to a sticky pulp.  No.  I need okonomiyaki now, and my vegetable crisper is fresh out of Japanese mountain yam.  And then I remembered the most obvious source to turn to - the vegan Japanese cookbook right there on my own shelf.  

And there was just the recipe that I was looking for - composed entirely of ingredients already present in my kitchen, easy to throw together, and producing results that perfectly satisfied my compulsion.  

I was happy, and I rediscovered a great cookbook in the process - Japanese Cooking: Contemporary & Traditional [Simple, Delicious, and Vegan].  (How did this book almost completely leave my consciousness?)  

The author, Miyoko Nishimoto Schinner, has a whole chapter on homey modern day classics - Japanese foods that have joined the lexicon in the last several generations - things like that big pancake and curry rice and katsu that she describes as the American equivalent of pizza and macaroni and cheese - comfort foods.  Included in this chapter are  even dishes not commonly seen outside of Japan, like a creamy sauce served over rice called doria.  

I haven't tried that yet, but we did make a more traditional dish - a hearty winter miso soup variation with potatoes and onions to accompany the okonomiyaki.  It was a perfect January meal - even for a mild Southern California evening - the meal was both hearty and light.  I have at least 6 more recipes dog-eared to try in the coming weeks - fried tofu dumplings and a Japanese pilaf and spinach with sesame sauce.  

How about you?  Have you made anything from this cookbook?  

Okonomiyaki [Simple, Delicious, and Vegan]
from Japanese Cooking: Contemporary & Traditional [Simple, Delicious, and Vegan] by Miyoko Nishimoto Schinner, reprinted with permission of the Book Publishing Company (I added a few of my own notes in parentheses.)

• 2 cups water (or broth - next time I'm going to try it with konbu stock)
• 1/4 pound regular tofu (or about 1/2 cup)
• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour (as usual, I went halfsies.)
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 or 5 cups thinly sliced or slivered vegetables: onions, carrot matchsticks, cabbage, broccoli, green beans, mushrooms, etc. (Last night I used 2 shredded carrots, half a minced onion, and 4 large leaves of bok choy, crunchy parts finely chopped, leafy parts shredded)

Puree the water and tofu in a blender until smooth.  Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl, and mix well.  Pour in the liquid mixture, and mix lightly.  Add the vegetables and mix well to combine.

Cook large pancakes on a lightly oiled skillet or griddle over medium-low heat until browned on both sides.  Serve while hot with soy sauce or tonkatsu sauce.

Yield: 4 - 6 servings

Your Vegan Okonomiyaki Sauce
This is totally not traditional, and not at all Ms. Schinner's fault - it's a fairly wild departure from an approximation of what other people put on their okonomiyaki.  It's also wildly delicious.  

• 1/2 cup vegenaise
• 2 tablespoons kecap manis (or 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon maple syrup in the likely event that you don't keep this Indonesian condiment on hand.)
• 1 - 3 teaspoons sriracha hot sauce (or leave it out if you don't want it hot)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Stir together.  Adjust to your taste.  Serve with hot okonomiyaki.   

Grandma Marilyn's Swedish Pancakes

My grandmother was a saint - it has recently become clear.  As a kid, I had a sleepover at her house almost every weekend.  She would let me sit in her big orange velveteen recliner.  And we'd stay up past my bedtime watching Golden Girls and Empty Nest.  In the morning I would sit at the big orange (Again.  She redecorated in the seventies.  Incidentally, orange is my favorite color.  I never thought about this likely source.) naugahyde breakfast booth nestled into her linoleum covered kitchen and eat pancakes.  She would stand at the hot griddle and flip me tiny crepe-like Swedish pancake after pancake.

It was our thing.  We would count.  An average weekend morning might involve 32 pancakes (For me.  She ate too, but I think it's not as much fun to count how many pancakes a grown woman can eat).  While this might sound excessive, if not the sign of a serious problem - especially for the belly of an 8-year-old - I need to tell you that these pancakes were lacy-delicate, small in circumference, and just uncontrollably delicious.  The small diameter was crucial.  Before hitting on this perfect size, she had experimented with different shapes - bunnies and mickey mouse heads and various athletic equipment.  But once the baseballs made their way to my plate, all cuteness had to stop.  It turns out that the swedish baseball (as it became known in our family) or the two to three inch diameter super thin pancake is the golden mean of pancakes.  The ratio of crisp edge to custardy interior makes this version simply the perfect pancake.

And the pancake that I have been trying to replicate off and on for the past 16 years.  And the pancake that I just happened to stumble upon with some leftover Belgian waffle batter from tofu mom's excellent recipe.  When I thinned it out with more milk and melted butter and poured tiny pools out onto a hot griddle, there it was.  The taste of my favorite mornings.

And so after a few more tweaks and trials, I excitedly settled my own children down at the counter in our kitchen to wait for hot swedish baseballs.

Desmond began, "Why did I not get my monkey plate?"  

And continued, "The syrup is supposed to go in the ear."  (The monkey's ears also serve as sauce compartments.  So that explanation is not as bad as it sounds.)

Undaunted I replied, "I know, Buddy.  I'll get you a syrup cup."

"A big one? (Pause for recognition of an unsatisfactory syrup cup.) No not that one!"

Ready to flip.

And then after the syrup dipping was sorted, and I managed to turn a few pancakes over before they burned, and then just as I was about to flip hot pancakes onto their waiting plates, the desperate impatience for pancakes hit -

"Give (sigh).  Me (sigh)..." I didn't let him finish this emphatic demand for pancakes before I turned off the stove and shared my feelings about use of manners... while we scarfed down the first few hot pancakes.

Also,

"Ennnnhhhh!" echoed Felix meaning the same as the above.

I turned the stove back on and poured out some more batter.

"I have a joke for you.  (Thinks about it some more.)  It's not very funny.  But I'll tell it to you anyway."

(Jokes are delivered in sing-song.)  "I have pancakes in my nose!" 

(He didn't.  It was just a joke.)

Flipping pancakes and glancing at the baby, I instruct:

"Felix!  Syrup is for dipping!  Do not drink the syrup!"

More flipping, more impatient demands for more pancakes, more reminders of how to ask nicely, and how really it's not necessary to ask at all because the pancakes will just come.  More pancakes, and then:

"Ahhh!  Felix is putting syrup on his head!  Is that okay?  Or put it down on the pancakes?"

(Felix has a penchant for turning things into hats.  Even small metal containers of maple syrup.)

Baby is wiped down.  More pancakes are cooked and consumed.  Then:

"I want to go play outside!"

"Okay!" (I think I maybe hid the exact level of my extreme enthusiasm for this plan.)

More flipping, before I holler to Desmond out back:

"What's your brother doing?"

"He's cleaning!"

"What's he cleaning?"

"The dirt."

"The dirt?"

"He's cleaning the dirt off the dirt."

More flipping.  And then eventually more washing the baby.

And then Desmond runs in from the backyard, 

"Did you save this little piece of pancake for me?"

"Absolutely."  (Not looking up from my flipping, I have no idea what he's talking about.)

"And this little bit of syrup?"

"Absolutely."

He runs out the backdoor.

Pauses on last step to add, 

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome, Buddy."

And then I turn off the stove, pour myself a second cup of coffee, sit down with the last round of pancakes, and appreciate my grandmother.

Here's my recipe for her pancakes.  It is way more than inspired by tofu mom's waffles. 

Swedish Pancakes
makes a kajillion pancakes, or serves two to four 

• 2 cups flour (I generally use half white whole wheat flour and half all-purpose.)
• 4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 1/2 cups milk, divided (I generally use half soy milk and half almond milk, but any rich non-dairy milk will do.)
• 2 tablespoons flax meal
• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• cooking spray, more butter, or canola oil for greasing the griddle

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a blender, whir 1/2 cup of the milk with the flax meal.  Let sit while you measure the remaining ingredients, melt your butter, and heat your griddle over medium low.  Grease it too.  

Whir the flax meal and milk one more time and then add the rest of the milk, the melted butter and the vanilla.  Blend it again until it's good and frothy.

Pour about a cup of the wet stuff into the dry and whisk together.  Stir in the rest.  

Spoon a tablespoon of batter out onto the hot, greased griddle.  When it looks dryish and maybe some brown edges are beginning to peek through, gently scooch a spatula underneath and flip over.  Cook until browned on the other side.     

Serve immediately with maple syrup. 

 

Et Cetera

By that, I of course mean Happy Martin Luther King Day!  Happy Lunar New Year!  Happy Valentines Day!  (There was no confusion over what holidays I was referring to was there?)

Inspired by the stegosaurus (Desmond's number one dinosaur, in case you were interested.) hat that Desmond brought home from preschool on Friday... well inspired by the stegosaurus hat and the little brother's need to have everything that the big brother has... and then the big brother's need to have exactly the same thing that the little brother has, Paul made two matching triceratops hats for the boys and took them to Whole Foods to buy our Sunday pizza and groceries.  ($10 pizzas on Sundays.  Do all Whole Foods do this?)  

So the house is currently quiet.  And somewhat clean.  I have a fresh cup of coffee at a newly cleared off table nestled into a corner of sunny windows.  I'm still pleasantly full of pancakes and tempeh breakfast sausage that we made a few hours ago.  And I have a minute to write something.  Maybe a million things.

 We took the kids to LACMA yesterday, and it's true -  (Does everybody know this?  I feel it's important that everybody know this.) - You can get a free museum membership for any kid under the age of 18.  You don't even have to renew it or anything complicated.  There was even a table set up next to the admission window with a helpful lady who flagged us down and made it happen instantly.  The boys were issued their official orange NexGen badges.  And an accompanying adult gets free admission as well.  The helpful lady didn't laugh though when I gleefully told her that's why we had two kids.  We had such a nice afternoon and I'm so excited that we can go there anytime we want.  I might even become arty and pretentious.  The dress exhibit was everything I had hoped, and the Art Nouveau furniture - swoon.  

Afterwards we took the kids to Real Food Daily and I was reminded, again, of why we don't take our children out to dinner.  But it could have gone worse.  And they do have a great kids menu.  For $6.95, it comes with a drink and there are loads of choices.  Desmond chose a bowl with soba noodles, marinated grilled tofu, mixed vegetables, and cashew cheese sauce to dip.  Also, it should be noted that the banana cream tart was insane.  Desmond kept sticking his finger in the whipped cream - "hmm" - another small dip - "what is this stuff?" - another slightly more daring dip - "it's delicious" - another dip - "this white stuff - what is it?" - another - "hmm" - another - "it's delicious."  Before we stopped him and made him share.  

I bartered Christmas cards for birthday party catering with my best pal.  I think it was a good deal all around.  You can find her photographic services here if you're all jealous of my cute cards and want to know where you can get your own.  For her baby's first birthday, I set up a dessert bar in the park.  We had little pudding cups and cookies and cupcakes and a thermos of coffee and hot chocolate and fixings like marshmallows and a flask of brandy.

Oh and speaking of a little bit of elicit booze at kids parties, we co-hosted a New Year's Eve party for Desmond's classmates.  I brought sparkling cider and noise makers and mac and cheese bites.  All the families brought a kid-friendly snack to share, and the key planners of the event made a big pot of coffee and put out Kahlua and cream and sugar and some other sort of booze for stirring into your steaming mug.  It was perfect for lounging in the backyard on a pretty chilly December afternoon while the kids went nuts.  Super-fun.

Also, we went to Disneyland last month.  We had more than enough to eat thanks to all Chow Vegan's suggestions.  But my favorite meal of the trip was the Vietnamese feast we had in our motel room the night before.  (We made a whole big sleepover of it so that Felix could take a nap midday.  It was so much fun.)  One of my favorite vegan restaurants, Thuyen Vien, (I don't think we've ever talked about their banana flower salad.  It's just so special I wanted to make sure to choose the right words, and so I just haven't gotten around to bringing it up.  This is unacceptable.  Go eat it and we'll discuss.) recently moved just down the street from Disneyland, so Felix and I drove over there while Paul and Desmond swam in the pool.  We brought home approximately everything on the menu.  While we attempt to put Desmond off from our next trip until he's seven (that place is expensive, man) - I brainstorm how I can get myself into closer proximity to Thuyen Vien soon and often.  

In October we went to Denver to visit family and the great american beer festival.  We took our children to a bar.  They had fun.  

Desmond is four.  Did I tell you about his current imaginary friend?  His name is Rocket John and he takes Desmond on rocket ship rides all over the place.  Rocket John is 42.  His dad is 48, his mom is 41 and she's pregnant with twins.  Rocket John's family lives in old London Town, though Rocket John lives with us.  He spends Christmas in Paris though.  

Felix is 16 months.  He started walking on Thanksgiving and is taking it very slow and cautious.  Which is wise considering that he has an older brother that is constantly rocketing off somewhere without the least notice.  It is not a safe place to be taking tottering steps.  He's recently gotten quite a bit more confidence though in his movements.  And he talks.  He says, Desmond, and Linus (his best pal), and dog, and mom, and dad, and water, and I want (which sounds like unt, and is very demanding), and Gram, and something new all the time.  He's started practicing this jovial santa laugh - well more a cross between santa and the count from Sesame Street.  Actually I can't decided if it's more jovial or more villainous.  He's a funny baby.

And I need a good book on preventing sibling rivalry.  (Obviously.  I told you about the triceratops hats.) Any good suggestions?  I updated my books over there in the sidebar.  Desmond and I are reading The Wind in the Willows right now.  We both love it.    

I've been cooking dinner for a family down the street once a week, and now twice a week, and another family in Altadena and I'm looking for a couple more to turn it into a mini job.  If you know any busy families in the Pasadena area that are looking for a healthy home cooked dinner a couple times a week, let me know.  

Okay, now that we are somewhat caught up, we can proceed from here as before.  See you Thursday with a recipe.