Simple Chinese Vegan Cooking for Beginners

[garlic_liang]

I got the Amazon Kindle little book “Simple Chinese Cooking Recipes for Vegetarians” by Suan-Tou Hong for $0.99 and tried two dishes over the weekend: Vinegar Potato Silk and Eggplant Mud. Wow, it was a big success – both dishes were so delicious and so easy to make. For the Eggplant Mud, I didn’t find Sesame Paste in my local store, so I replaced it with Peanut Paste I got from Costco. Has anyone tried the Sesame Paste? Where can I buy it?

[Robinwomb]

I got the Amazon Kindle little book “Simple Chinese Cooking Recipes for Vegetarians” by Suan-Tou Hong for $0.99 and tried two dishes over the weekend: Vinegar Potato Silk and Eggplant Mud. Wow, it was a big success – both dishes were so delicious and so easy to make. For the Eggplant Mud, I didn’t find Sesame Paste in my local store, so I replaced it with Peanut Paste I got from Costco. Has anyone tried the Sesame Paste? Where can I buy it?

My guess is that the sesame paste is the same thing as tahini, which is sesame seeds ground into a paste that looks similar to almond or peanut butter. I have found tahini at health food stores (with other nut butters and pastes) and also at regular grocery stores in the foreign food aisle (usually with middle eastern or asian foods).

[garlic_liang]

Thanks a lot for the information. I will try a local health food store.

[Robinwomb]

I found this site that has the type of tahini I often find in regular grocery stores in the U.S.:

http://ziyad.elsstore.com/view/product/?id=34035&cid=326

It appears that they have an option to search for retailers in your area that sell this product but you have to create an account to see it.

Here is another brand I buy at my local Whole Foods Coop:

http://www.arrowheadmills.com/product/sesame-tahini-organic

That site does have a search feature for free where you type in your zip code to find stores that carry this product. If you cant find a store in your area that sells these two brands you can keep searching online for other brands of tahini also. I have found however that stores aren't always listed for a product but do indeed carry it. I like to search online first before running all over town looking for a product. I know how frustrating it can be.

[garlic_liang]

Thanks Robinwomb. I got Tahini from a local store. The taste is indeed better than the Peanut Paste. Eggplant has a high nutrition value, but it is not easy to make a dish with it. Now I know how to cook it. I found it was also delicious to mix eggplant mud with Tahani and Sugar (replace garlic). The key here is to steam the eggplant until soft - the softer, the better.

[Robinwomb]

That sounds really interesting garlic_liang! I do not use eggplant very much simply because I don't really know how to cook it, but I see it all over right now in stores as it must be in season. I will have to give this a try. Glad you found your tahini!

[xianshuigu]

I ordered the dish "Vinegar Potato Silk" in a Chinese restaurant a couple of years ago and liked it so much. I had been trying to make it by myself but never got the same taste. Now, after reading this little book, I understand the secret: I have to put the thin potato slivers in the cold water to remove the starch. I am a chef now!