Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Simple Summer Fare: Vegan Korean Banchan Dinner

We had hot weather last weekend, AGAIN! Aargh! Fall, please come quickly, I am ready for you! I decided to make a simple Korean meal so I don’t have to turn on the oven. I just boiled a few fresh vegetables and seasoned them. I also pan fried marinated Soycurls™. I served these with kim chee that I made a week before. BTW, these dishes can be served slightly warm or at a room temperature so they are great for a picnic or traveling. This kind of style where the dishes are served on small plates or amounts with rice are called Banchan.

The Koreans use a lot of sesame oil and sesame seeds in their seasonings. There is a Korean market within a walking distance from our house that sells lots of toasted sesame seeds and gallons of sesame oil. Sesame seeds and oil are healthy. If olive oil is heavily used in Italy and Mediterranean, sesame oil is the equivalent in Korea. Sesame seeds are a good source of calcium, copper, and full of Omega 6. Here is an article that describes all about it: Open Sesame!

Sesame seeds and oil are delicious! For those who have cooked with sesame oil, don’t you think so? I used brown and black sesame seeds on top of the steamed brown rice.
From the top (clockwise) I made Pea sprouts and Carrots salad, Seasoned Boiled Spinach, Seasoned Soybeans Sprouts, Spicy Gochujang Soycurls™ , Steamed Short Grain Brown Rice, and Homemade Kim Chee. DH loves the Seasoned Soybeans Sprouts very much. It is best to use fresh vegetables for this meal. We are lucky enough to live close to Asian markets that provide lots of fresh pea sprouts, beansprouts, spinach, and napa cabbage.



Gochujang is Korean Red Pepper and Bean Paste. I bought this at the Korean market and as far as I know only Korean market sells it. This paste is a condiment and a seasoning for cooking. The use of it is just like American ketchup but it is spicy and hot. Here is a picture of a tub of Gochujang that is commonly sold in the Korean market. I love the fermented taste (it is miso like), the spicy, and a bit sweet taste. I used Soycurls™ which seem to absorb gochujang and other the spices very well.

Now, about kim chee, for those who do not know what kim chee is, here is an info about kim chee. It is considered a national dish of Korea. It is a spicy, sour, and fermented napa cabbage spiced with Korean red pepper, salt, garlic, and ginger. Other kind of vegetables can be used also such as cucumber, green onions, Chinese mustard green, daikon, etc. The Korean market near our house is like a 'house of kim chee'. They sell all kinds of kim chee. However, I was told many times that there is shrimp paste or fish flavoring in store-bought kim chee that usually is not listed on the product label. I don’t know for sure whether this is true but I haven’t bought kim chee from a store for a long time. Julie Hasson provided me with her husband’s recipe of kim chee and I have made it several times at home. It is really good.

Printable Recipes

Pea Sprouts and Carrot Salad
Serve 4

2-3 cups fresh pea sprouts
1 cup grated and peeled carrots

Salad dressing:
½ cup seasoned rice vinegar
½ cup aji-mirin
1 tsp roasted sesame oil
1 tsp organic sugar

Mix pea sprouts, carrots, and ¼ cup salad dressing or more, just before serving. Save the rest of the salad dressing for next meals.


Seasoned Boiled Spinach
Serve 4

3 bundles fresh spinach, clean leaves and break off the roots
2-3 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp roasted sesame seeds
¾ tsp sea salt

Boil about 6-8 cups of water. Put fresh spinach leaves into the boiling water. Push them down until all covered and submerged in the water. Let it simmer for 2 minutes. Drain in a large colander and immediately rinse with cold water until the spinach is cool. This is to stop the cooking process and to sustain the fresh green color. Squeeze all the water out from the spinach. Combine spinach, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and salt in a bowl. Use a fork to break the spinach apart while pouring sesame oil and other ingredients.

Seasoned Soybean Sprouts
Serve 4

1 lb fresh soybean sprouts
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions/green onions
2-3 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp Korean red pepper flakes
½ tsp sea salt

Boil 3-4 cups of water. Put fresh beansprouts into the boiling water. Push them down until all covered and submerged in the water. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately rinse with cold water until the sprouts are cool. This is to stop the cooking process. Squeeze all the water out from the sprouts. Combine sprouts, scallions, sesame oil, Korean red pepper, and salt in a bowl.

Note about Korean red pepper or Kochu Garu: This kind of pepper can only be found in Korean market. This is different than the red pepper we put on pizzas or other dishes. I really don’t know the difference (maybe a different kind of chili pepper that grows in Korea?) but it is different. Those of you who knows about it please let me know.

Cucumber Pickles
Serve 4
On the side, I also served this cucumber pickles. It is refreshing.
2 Japanese/Korean cucumbers, sliced horizontally
2 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
2 tsp organic sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Korean red pepper flakes
Mix cucumber and all the ingredients together. Let it sit in the refrigerator until ready to be served.


Spicy Gochujang Soycurls™
Serve 4

Marinade:
6 cloves garlic
1 inch fresh ginger or about 2 tsp grated ginger
3 tbsp dark mushroom soy sauce (you can use light soy sauce)
3 tbsp gochujang
1 tbsp aji-mirin
2 tbsp organic sugar
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp ground sesame seeds (grind them in a small blender or coffee grinder)
2 tsp sesame oil

3 cups dry Soycurls™, reconstitute them in warm water as instructed on the package, then squeeze the water out

Put all the marinade ingredients in a small blender. Blend until smooth. Alternatively, you don’t have to use a blender, but you have to mince the garlic and ginger very fine. Mix all the marinade ingredients well. Marinade reconstituted Soycurls™ with the sauce for about 15 minutes.

Just before serving, pan fry marinated Soycurls™ on a non-stick griddle or a cast iron frying pan until hot and a bit blackened. You can use canola oil spray from a can or 2 tsp or more of sesame oil to pan fry them.


Jay’s Kim Chee
Makes a lot, about 1 gallon I think

This is a great and quick kim chee recipe I received from Julie. You need to wait a while before you can enjoy it because you have to wait for the fermentation to take place. However, once it is done, you can enjoy it for weeks to come. Summer time is the best time to make kimchee because the weather is warm and the kim chee ferments quickly.

2 cups water
2 tbsp sweet rice flour *
2 medium heads napa cabbage, sliced into 1-inch or larger pieces
2 ½ tbsp kosher salt (see my note about Korean salt below) *
4 to 5 tbsp Korean hot red pepper flake (see my note about about Korean red pepper)*
¼ cup minced ginger
¼ cup minced garlic
½ cup thinly sliced scallions or green onions

In a saucepan, whisk together water and rice flour until smooth. Heat over medium heat, whisking continuously, until mixture thickens and starts to simmer. Remove from heat and let cool off a bit. Add pepper, whisking well.
In a very large bowl, add cabbage and sprinkle with salt, scallions, ginger and garlic, tossing to mix. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Pour cooled sauce over cabbage, tossing well.
Let cabbage sit at a room temperature for a couple hours (you can refrigerate it right away, but the flavor is better if you let it sit out for a few hours first). Toss well and place in a large glass container and refrigerate.

* All of the ingredients are available at the Korean market

Tip:
I usually let it sit in a room temperature overnight in summer and 2 nights in winter. However, be prepared of the stinky fermentation smell, so put them in your garage or outside in the patio. I also have a refrigerator in my garage where I store my jars of kim chee.

Note about salt: Do not use iodized salt or table salt to make kim chee. The best kind is sea salt or kosher salt. I buy this kind of salt in Korean market. The fermentation of the cabbage is derived from the salt and its combination with garlic, ginger, and red pepper.
Here is an article about how it all work in cabbage fermentation: Cabbage Patch Chemistry
Here is an artilce about kim chee and more tips how to make it: Got the Hots for Kim Chee

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Sushi Party: Vegan Temaki and Inari Sushi


More sushi? That's right, I am sushi crazy at this moment. This time I made 2 different ones: Inari and Temaki sushi. Inari sushi is made of seasoned aburage or tofu pouches (the brown pockets) filled with sushi rice. The Temaki Sushi (the cone shape one) is a hand-rolled sushi which is great for a sushi party. I'll tell you why later! Both kinds were filled with brown rice and quinoa mixture from my previous post: Vegan Quinoa and Brown Rice Sushi and Cavi-Art.

It is easy to order Inari sushi in any Japanese sushi bar or restaurant. Most of the time, the chef can prepare you some. It is considered vegetarian by them but I know that usually fish broth is used to cook and season the tofu pouches. It is only a miniscule amount but it is not pure vegetarian. You have to ask! The Japanese market also sells the seasoned tofu pouches (ready made for Inari). But again, guess what is used to season them? Yes, bonito flakes or broth! So, please read the ingredients if you are concerned of buying a pure vegetarian product. I seasoned my own aburage (recipe below). Un-seasoned aburage or tofu pouches can be bought in any Japanese or Asian market. It turns out that I need to buy frozen ones since the refrigerated ones may have been on the shelves too long. They can become moldy as I found out. Yuck! The Korean market near me sells it in frozen section.


The Temaki sushi or hand-rolled sushi is great for a sushi party. This kind of sushi is only good to eat when it is freshly made (unlike the ones rolled in a bamboo mat). If Temaki sits for a while, the nori becomes tough and chewey. Therefore, instead of rolling them ahead for your guests, put your guests to work! The ones who don't want to do it can enjoy your pre-made Inari and bamboo rolled sushi pieces you prepare ahead. But most of the time, everyone wants to participate. You can pile all the fillings on a tray (as pictured below), prepare a bowl of sushi rice, and put them in the middle of the table. Each guest should be supplied with a damp hand towel to wipe their sticky hands from rolling and a small bowl of water to glue the nori together. Then, the host or hostess (ME!) can demonstrate how it is rolled and how to make the cone shape with the sushi rice and the filling in the middle.

Anyone can be taught to roll a Temaki; after all, I was able to teach DH (dearest husband) who doesn't cook but likes to eat. He did pretty well, too! It is fun if you are with good company who likes sushi and enjoys something different. It should be a fun thing to do for a small group gathering where you want to have some conversation to catch up with old or new friends.

The Temaki filling from the top left, clockwise, are: seasoned shiitake mushrooms (recipe below), seasoned aburage (recipe below), sliced Japanese cucumbers, shredded carrots, seasoned and smoked baked tofu (recipe below), organic avocado, and nori sheets (cut in half).

Below are small recipes to prepare for Temaki and Inari sushi:

Printable Recipe

Seasoned Shiitake Mushrooms
6 dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup mushroom soaking water or vegetarian broth or kombu dashi
1 tablespoon organic sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoon aji-mirin

If using dried mushrooms, cover mushrooms in warm water until softened for 20-30 minutes. Discard stems from mushrooms and sliced them thin (1/4 inch thick). Place the rest of ingredients in a sauce pan, bring it to a boil, then, simmer mushrooms in this mixture for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Seasoned Aburage (tofu pouches)
8 pieces thin deep-fried tofu pouches/aburage (store bought! don't try making it yourself)
1 cup mushroom soaking water or vegetarian broth or kombu dashi
2 tablespoons organic sugar
2 teaspoons mirin
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

Boil about 3 or 4 cups of water. Remove from heat after boiling. Put thin tofu pouches in hot boiling water to remove the excess oil. Soak and dip for 2 minutes. Drain the pouches in a colander. Squeeze the water out after they are cool a bit.
In a saucepan, combine the rest of the ingredients and let it boil, stir to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat and simmer the tofu pouches in this mixture for about 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let it cool. Let the pouches soak in this mixture until ready to use. Squeeze the broth mixture out and cut each pouch lengthwise to make two open pockets. Seasoned aburage is ready to be used in Inari sushi.

Inari Sushi
1/2 recipe of brown rice and quinoa sushi filling (recipe in previous post)
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup frozen green peas
16 pieces of seasoned aburage pockets (from above)
1 teaspoon dulse flakes, optional

Blanch carrots and green peas in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, rinse with cold water to retain the color, and let them cool. Mix carrots and green peas with the sushi filling. Add dulse flakes, if desired, and mix well. Fill the aburage pockets with 2 to 3 tablespoons of sushi rice.

Smoked Baked Tofu
1 to 1 1/2 lb. extra-firm tofu
3/4 to 1 cup water
1/4 cup dark Superior brand mushroom soy sauce
Note: regular soy sauce will do but this dark mushroom soy sauce is my preference. It makes the baked tofu dark chocolate brown but the inside is light cream color. Pretty and delicious!
2 tablespoon maple syrup or organic molasses
1 teaspoon hickory liquid smoke

Slice tofu about 1/3-inch thick lengthwise. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a plastic container with tight lid in which you can soak all of the tofu slices in this marinade sauce. Marinate the tofu slices for 24 hours in refrigerator. Bake drained marinated tofu slices on an oiled cookie sheets for 10- 12 minutes in 400 F oven. Flip and bake the other side about another 10-12 minutes. Let them cool before use.

As you can see, it is not that hard to prepare. Now, if you want to learn how to roll a Temaki sushi, please let me know and I'll invite you to our sushi party. We can have conversations while rolling so we'll know each other better and become lifelong friends!

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Native Foods' Vegan Jungle Boogie Bars - our favorite!

We have boogied down with these bars for so long now. I said WE because I started baking these bars from The Native Foods Restaurant cookbook and then DH ended up baking them more often later on. They are actually DH's favorite and this time he actually made the bars pictured above and I decided to finally blog them. It has becoming his job to bake them and he does it very well.

The first time we tried the boogie bars was actually at the Native Foods restaurant (we are lucky to live only 10 minutes from the restaurant). They so good that I bought the cookbook because the recipe is in the book. Since then we make them at home often. Although, time to time, when we dine at Native Foods, DH still buys one to take home. I can't believe how addicted to boogie bars he is!

The bars are loaded with maple syrup. I think Canadians would love them. They are not cheap to make since real maple syrup is not cheap. Plus, I have all organic ingredients in our pantry that usually are not cheap. Other than maple syrup flavor, the bars are moistened with banana, oil, silken tofu, and shortening. I know, it is not low fat at all (I haven't yet de-fatenized it). Other ingredients are vegan chocolate chips, shredded dry coconuts, sliced almonds, flour, and rolled oats (sliced almonds for on top too). They resemble blondies but not quite like them. You just have to buy the book, bake them, judge them yourself and boogie down. But don't blame us if you'll get hooked. They can be stored in the freezer too (wrap them individually) but the best time to eat them is when they are freshly baked.

DH is an expert to bake these. His tips are to bake them longer (the recipe says 35- 40 minutes, he bakes them for 50 minutes), don't over mix when combining the liquid and dry ingredients (just fold them gently with a spatula), use a metal baking pan, and reduce the maple syrup about 1/3 cup.

Friday, August 11, 2006

Millennium Chocolate-Almond Midnight - Vegan Chocolate Mousse Pie


Yum yum yum! That's all I can say about this chocolate mousse pie. A bite of this pie, your tongue will fly to cloud no. 9. The creamy chocolaty mousse on top of a cashew crust was served with raspberry sauce/couli and almond pralines. Since I bought the Millennium cookbook, I have had a strong desire to make this dessert but I didn't want to make it just for the 2 of us. DH invited few vegetarian ex-coworkers to our home for vegan Japanese cuisine (guess who did all the cooking). Finally, I took this opportunity to make this mousse pie. Our guest was so impressed and said, 'If you didn't tell me that this cake is made of tofu, I would not know it!'. Oh, I love to hear that! Tofu rocks!

Yes, this mousse pie is made of tofu, 2 boxes of Mori-Nu Lite Extra Firm silken tofu! 2 cups Tropical Source Vegan Chocolate Chips were added to it. The crust underneath it is made of cashew, flour, and a bit of sugar. The crust was baked blindly first. Then, the silken tofu, melted chocolate chips, vanilla extract, sugar, are blended in a processor and poured into the baked crust. Then, I baked it for about 35 minutes. It was that easy!

I made the almond pralines and raspberry sauce myself too. The recipes for the pralines and raspberry couli are in the cookbook too. The Millennium restaurant in San Francisco serves this dessert at their restaurant every night. It has become their customers' favorite. I have never visited the Millennium but I would love to, one day.

DH doesn't like the raspberry sauce served with it but I do. The combination of chocolate and raspberry is my favorite. Fortunately, we had leftover and happily finished the leftover. It is not heavy as mousse with real milk/cream and I am sure that the calorie is half of the real mousse. It is so decadent that I don't miss the real mousse. It is long gone now but we still dream about it!

Monday, August 07, 2006

Vegan Quinoa and Brown Rice Sushi and Cavi-Art


As you can tell, I am still in Japanese cuisine mood! I made vegan quinoa and brown rice sushi this time. I have been making sushi since the days before I became a vegetarian (10 years ago) . After becoming a vegetarian, veggie sushi was one of the first dish I tried to make. However, last week, it was the first time I used quinoa and brown rice mixture (following WW Core) in sushi. The result was amazing!

The idea came from a recipe of a Sushi Salad (Bara-Sushi) with Quinoa and Brown Rice from Bryanna's newsletter. I was thinking that I can roll this mixture and make rolled sushi. I added some vegan 'fish eggs' in the sushi. Yes, there is such a thing! I can't believe it myself when I first heard about it from a friend that I had to order some. They are basically fake caviar made of sea vegetables. Check this out: Cavi-Art . It was invented by a mistake according to the story. BTW, only the Black and Yellow lumpfish are vegan. I used the yellow lumpfish in the rolled sushi and the black ones on top. Professional chefs use this fake caviar in their dishes, vegetarian or not. Probably, it is due the high price of real caviar.

The pale green glob is wasabi. I used natural wasabi powder I bought from health food market. Most wasabi out there contains green food coloring. The natural wasabi is pale but there is no additives in it. The Japanese market sells wasabi in a paste form in a tube like toothpaste too but I prefer the powder form without food coloring.

The pinkish rose is Japanese pickled ginger that I bought from an Asian market. The idea of making a rose out of pickled ginger came from my favorite sushi cookbook: Vegetarian Sushi by Brigid Treloar. This cookbook contains artful designs of vegetarian sushi and garnishes with lots of picture. I just love it! The recipes are mostly vegan except some that use omelet. What helped me the most was the technique to make sushi rice (brown or white). The rice has to be hot while the seasonings (rice vinegar, sugar, mirin, and salt) are poured into it. Then, you have to fold the rice with over and under motions while your other hand (or your loved one's hand) is fanning the rice with a fan. I usually use my left hand to fan and my right hand to stir and fold. It is quite a challenging! Just like when you try to draw a cirlce with the right hand and a square with the left hand at the same time. After a while, the sushi rice becomes cool, shiny and sticky. The technique really works!

Vegan Quinoa and Brown Rice Sushi
Makes 32 sushi pieces
Printable Recipe

Sushi Rice:

2/3 cup short-grain brown rice cooked in 1 1/4 water
1/2 cup quinoa cooked in 1 cup water
3 - 4 Tbsp. Organic Seasoned Rice Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Aji-Mirin (or other kind of mirin)
3/4 Tbsp. vegan sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:

Shredded carots from 1 carrot
Thinly sliced peeled and seeded cucumber from 1 cucumber
Sliced avocado from 1 avocado
Yellow lumpfish and
Black lumpfish Cavi-Art


4 Nori sheets
a small bowl of water to wet your finger
Natural Wasabi Powder
Soy sauce

Preparation:
  1. Mix natural wasabi powder ( 1:1 ratio) with water to create a thick paste. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes (if you use it right away after mixing, it could be bitter).
  2. Cook brown rice for 45 minutes. 30 minutes after the brown rice has been cooked, cook Quinoa in simmering water for 15 minutes, remove it from heat and then let it sit for 10 minutes. This way the brown rice and quinoa will be ready almost at the same time.
  3. Combine brown rice and quinoa in a shallow glass bowl. Add all the seasonings for sushi rice (rice vinegar, mirin, salt, and sugar) and fold the quinoa and brown rice with over and under motions with a rice paddle while fanning the rice at the same time to cool it off. After about 5 minutes, the mixture should be cooler, shiny, and sticky. Taste the rice. Add more rice vinegar or salt if necessary.
  4. Use a sushi bamboo mat layered with a piece of saran wrap on top it, place the nori sheet on top of it (shiny side down).
  5. Divide quinoa and brown rice mixture into 4 equal parts. Layer 1 part of rice on the lower half of the nori and pat it down with your hand (using saran wrap helps for the rice mixture not to stick onto your hand). Cover only about 1/2 of the nori (lower half) with rice mixture.
  6. Pile filling lengthwise on the middle of the rice mixture.
  7. Lift the bamboo mat and fold all together to form a log on the lower half where the rice mixture covered the nori. Squeeze tight the bamboo mat evenly. Wet your finger with water and dab about 1 inch of the edge of the nori on the upper half.
  8. Release the bamboo mat and plastic wrap from the sushi log. Roll the sushi log to the upper half of the nori. Use the bamboo mat if necessary to tighten the roll. The upper half of the nori should stick to the log.
  9. With a sharp knife, cut the log into half. Then cut each half equally into 4 pieces.
  10. Repeat for the previous step to make 3 more rolls.
  11. Serve with wasabi, soy sauce, and pickled ginger.
I even taught my co-worker to make this during lunch time at work. My co-worker bought frozen already cooked brown rice from Trader Joe's and I cooked the quinoa at home. Then, we reheated both grains in a microwave. By golly, it worked! I really like the shortcut to buy the frozen brown rice from Trader Joe's! She thought that the fanning of the rice mixture was so much fun. She also said that someone really needs to show her how to do the technique because she would not able to follow just from a recipe. That made me thinking that I can start a cooking class and quit my job (just kidding).

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Vegan Teriyaki 'Steak', is it possible?



Yes, it is possible if you know Bryanna. I am her no.1 fan and a long time vegan feaster who follow her creations in her newsletters. Her recent newsletter features 'vegan steak'. So here it is, my use of her 'steak', and of course, I have to make it Asian style. Above in the picture are teriyaki 'steak' (DH called it Japanese Kobe Teriyaki Steak), teriyaki 'pork cutlet' (Bryanna's recipe too), and teriyaki 'eel' (using store bought vegan fish). These were marinated in my own wasabi teriyaki sauce and bbqued in my Cuisinart panini bbq grill/griddle. When I was eating meat, I love teriyaki anything and since I became a vegetarian I realized that I missed the flavor and texture of bbqed teriyaki instead of the meat and the blood in it. Bryanna's creation of faux steak has satisfied that cravings in me.

I know some vegetarians(non-vegetarians) are disgusted with faux meat or mock meat but I am with Bryanna in this. We are having fun creating faux meat or fish that it has becoming a culinary art. It adds more variety to the dishes that we create eventhough we already have a lot of ways we can do with vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes. We play with wheat gluten flour, soy flour, tofu, and yuba to create mock meat and fish. Bryanna is definitely the 'Queen of Faux Meat'. She can create seitans that the results were almost too real. I learned so much from her (even flew hundreds miles to attend her cooking vacation in 2004) in making faux meat that I bought 25 lbs. vital wheat gluten flour and have been making so many different kind of seitan since.

I can't post the 'steak' recipe since it is reserved for vegan feasters only (who subscribes to the newsletter). I am posting my wasabi teriyaki sauce recipe which I created after I bought SoyVay Wasabiyaki sauce. Soy Vay has delicious sauces but this time I made my own to save money and honestly I can't stand the challenge of not recreating it at home. Here is the recipe:


Wasabi Teriyaki Marinade/sauce
Printable Recipe

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/2 cup Aji-mirin or Japanese cooking wine
1 cup water mixed with 4 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup organic apple juice
2 tbsp organic molasses or other sweetener
4-5 tsps wasabi powder
1 tbsp brown sugar

Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil on a skillet on a medium high heat. Add minced garlic and chopped onions. Saute for several minutes until onions are soft.
Add soy sauce, mirin, apple juice, molasses, and brown sugar. Let it come to a boil.
Add water and cornstarch mixture. Let it come to a boil again.
Add wasabi powder and turn off heat.
Transfer to a blender. With the top off or the middle part of the blender off (this is to prevent accident in blending hot mixture) and use a kitchen towel to cover the top and hold it with your hand, blend the teriyaki mixture for several minutes until smooth (carefully, start from the lowest setting of your blender and go the the puree setting).
Let the sauce cool before storing it in a bottle or jar. Keep in refridgerator for months.

Servings: 16
Yield: 3 cups

Nutrition FactsNutrition (per serving): 31.9 calories; 24% calories from fat; 0.9g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 2.1mg sodium; 63.4mg potassium; 4.9g carbohydrates; 0.1g fiber; 3.3g sugar; 4.8g net carbs; 0.1g protein; 0.7 points.

We ate the teriyaki with pan fried cabbage, carrots, broccoli, and a bowl of steamed brown rice. I am going back to eating and cooking Japanese again. Japanese cuisine is the one cuisine I missed the most in terms of eating out (in my area, there is no Japanese vegetarian restaurant that I know of or any Japanese restaurant who serves vegetarian food).