Sauce

[veganblue]

A generic Chinese sauce - very effective.

1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon powdered stock
2 teaspoon potato starch - or cornflower
1/2 cup mirin (or pretty much any sort of sherry)
a good slurp of soy sauce - (adjust for taste as some can be very salty so I won't say how much)

Put it all into a 500 ml jar with tightfitting lid, add water to about 3/4 and shake vigorously.
Pour over your stir fried vegies when they are just starting to get that lightly cooked green glow and mix through. Add more water if it gets too thick - potato starch re-mixes far better than cornflour.

For variety
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice
or a little chilli
or tamarind paste/ squeeze of lemon - the sour really gives a marvelous lift

[Artichoke47]

Healthy Hollandaise Sauce (makes 1 1/2 cups)

10 ounces silken tofu, drained
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
3 T. corn, flaxseed, or olive oil
2 T. chopped parsley
4 tsp. lecithin granules
1/4 tsp. yellow mustard seeds, ground to powder
1/2 tsp. fresh ground white pepper
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg, or to taste
1/8 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. Vege-sal or 1/4 tsp. salt, or to taste


1. Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

2. Transfer mixture to a saucepan and warm over low heat until heated through. (do not boil or sauce will lose its texture and become watery). Sauce will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.


(From a magazine - don't remember which one)

[harpy]

This sounds tasty, Artichoke - not sure I ever had the "unhealthy" version though!

What does it go with? I think I've heard of people having Hollandaise sauce with asparagus?

What sort of shop sells lecithin granules?

[Artichoke47]

Health-food stores usually have lecithin granules. Unfortunately, sometimes they only have large containers, and it's like $15 US. I did see a local health-food store have a small package for $2.50 US. Also, sometimes, instead of the baking aisle, the lecithin (soy) granules are by the vitamins, for whatever reason.

Here's a recipe:

(I haven't tried the hollandaise recipe myself yet; I have way too many recipes!)

Dandelions and Vegetables w/ Hollandaise (serves 6)

2 T. olive oil
3 c. cleaned, trimmed, chopped dandelion leaves
1 medium red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
12 to 14 ounces firm tofu, drained and diced
2 medium zucchini, ends trimmed, sliced
1 medium yellow or red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 T. arrowroot or kudzu
1 1/2 c. Hollandaise Sauce (see recipe)


1. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute onion and garlic for 3 min. Stir in dandelions and saute for 10 min. until thoroughly wilted and exuding juices. Add tofu, zucchini, and bell pepper, and cook, tossing and stirring, for another 5 min. until zucchini is tender.

2. Whisk arrowroot into sauce and stir mixture into vegetables. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 min. stirring often.

[harpy]

Thank you - that sounds very interesting too. Plenty of dandelion leaves round here to use up, as well!

I'll keep an eye open for the lecithin.

[Artichoke47]

Oh, and I should note that soy lecithin (granules) are used as a thickener and probably for fat/flavor as well. :)

[Morna]

Hi everyone.

I've started making vegan stews, and they taste great, with one minor exception. The sauce. No matter what stew I do, the sauce tastes like it's "missing something." I know from when I used to cook omni that stew meat collogen dissolves into gelatin when the meat cooks, which gives an unctuous mouth-feel. I also know that cream can make a sauce taste great, but of course I don't want to eat either meat or milk. Currently I thicken my sauces with corn starch.

Is there something I can add to my stews/sauces to make them "this-can't-be-good-for-me-but-I-don't-care" satisfying? As long as the source is plant, I don't care about fat content. I usually eat light, but I don't think stew is suppossed to be low-fat.

Thanks.

[Tigerlily]

I never made stew but here's what I'm thinking: flour?

[Jacqui]

I always add quite a bit of finely cut pumpkin. This breaks down during cooking and thickens the stew. Tastes yummy too!:)

[harpy]

Red lentils also break down and give the sauce a bit of body, and you could also add something like those Bragg's Liquid Aminos (if you don't object to the salt) or some red wine (if you don't object to the alcohol) for extra flavour.

[thecatspajamas1]

what about dairy-free creamer?

[ConsciousCuisine]

Red lentils also break down and give the sauce a bit of body, and you could also add something like those Bragg's Liquid Aminos (if you don't object to the salt) or some red wine (if you don't object to the alcohol) for extra flavour.

It's all about the red lentils!!! Also, taking out a few cups and pureeing/blending it gives a good mouth feel as does finely shredding a potato into it.

You also can make a vegan "roux" to start your stock:

Take vegan margarine or oil and heat briefly. Add in flour and brown. Add veggie stock and simmer until thick and bubbly. Add more veggie stock and put in your chopped veggies and cook :) Take out a few cups of it and puree and add back into the mix. Before serving, stir in nutritional yeast and enjoy :)

[twinkle]

What I would do would be to get a whole load of different sauces and make a nice stew and then add a bit of each sauce to different bowlfuls :)

If I feel my stews are missing something I sometimes add a pinch of sugar, or a dash or wine, or some barbecue sauce, or some vegan cream cheese. CC's roux suggestion is good too, I always do that when I make french onion soup, and I add a dash of soya sauce to it (not very authentic, but it works!)

[Morna]

Thanks so much for the help everyone. I'll have to try all those techniques.

You guys have no idea what your help means to me. I'm a very new vegan and, though my family and friends are very supportive (thank you God), the transition hasn't been easy. I only know a few dishes, and none of them are the deeply satisfying fare I remember from my omni days. This Colorado winter is bitterly cold, and I really believe if I hadn't gotten some "soul food" PDQ, the sense of deprivation might have broken my resolve.

I never thought of mixing a roux-based gravy into a stew sauce. Today I did a gravy with 1oz of vegan margarine and 1oz of AP flour. After I had a blonde roux, I added 1 cup of vegetable stock (the Kitchen Basics box kind). After that simmered, I added salt and two tsp of nutritional yeast, which gave the gravy the perfect taste. I never would have thought of nutritional yeast without your suggustions.

I mixed a few spoonfuls into a black bean stew I made yesterday, and it turned the sauce into EXACTLY what I wanted. The gravy by itself was so yummy I'm going to make mashed potatoes tomorrow to use the rest of it.

THANK YOU GUYS. I really needed the kind of encouragement a good meal provides, and you gave me that.

[ConsciousCuisine]

YAY! I'm so glad you liked it ;) Once you become adjucted to the vegan way of cooking, you'll feel so delightfully satisfied with vegan foods (on a soul-level and on a physical-level!). Feel free to PM me if you ever need anything specific :)

[Korn]

I've started making vegan stews, and they taste great, with one minor exception. The sauce. No matter what stew I do, the sauce tastes like it's "missing something."

Hi Morna, here are some of the things I do:

1) Add some tahini sauce/tahini paste. Tahin/tahini comes in at least three different types: dark (rather firm), light (rather firm) and 'saucy'. They are all made from sesame seeds, and are used in Middle Eastern food (and macrobiotic cooking).

2) Tamari (soy sauce without sugar). I used at least a few large spoons, sometimes a lot more.

3) Coconut milk. Not the semi-transparent juice found inside coconuts, but the thick, white creamy one. I use at least a half cup.

4) Any kind of lentils/beans, crushed/mashed.

5) Tomatoes or tomato sauce/cruhsed tomatoes, or anything else 'tomatic'... :) Will thicken the sauce.

6) Mashed vegetables, ie. potatoes.

7) The stew itself! If you take out a part of what you are making, make it into a thick paste in a grinder, and put it back again, it will thicken the sauce and add flavor to it.

8) Miso. A thick, dark paste made from fermenteed soya. Too much of it will make the whole sauce taste of miso, so be careful. There are many different types of miso.

9) I learned this 'secret' from a brillian Indian chef once: He is using cashew nuts, grinded into a paste, in all his curries. (Whole cashew nuts can be added to almost any hot vegan meal too...)

10) And the must useful trick: combine two or three (or more) of these suggestions, ie.:

Soy sauce + saucy tahini sauce + coconut milk, or
Tomato sauce + soy sauce, or
Red lentils (they turn yellow after being cooked) + cashew nut paste, or
Tahini sauce + mashed potatoes + an extra crushed garlic

In addition to these things, which all are abouth both taste and texture (is that the right word?), I often use a little Indian curry + a tad garlic, even in dishes that are not meant to taste Indian or garlicy; this adds a little mysterious something to the sauce the most people seem to like.

[krank]

hi everyone, i'm not sure how much sense this is going to make to anyone outside the uk.

i once made stew with dumplings and the dumplings completely fell apart and mixed in with the sauce, leaving it stodgy and satisfying. because of this, i now always throw a handful of veggie suet into my stew.

[grail]

Hi Morna, if you are having trouble getting a nice thick consistency, I would also recommend a bit of okra if you don't mind eating it. Okra contains natural thickeners so anything you add it to won't be so runny.

Tamari is my first choice for that meaty flavor.

[grail]

krank, you have to cook the dumplings first in boiling and then add them to the stew after they are done, I believe.

[maya]

In my family we make a lot of spanish and carib food. Which consists of a lot of rice and beans, soups and stews. We cant live with out something called sofrito. It kinda looks like tomato sauce. You can buy it in a jar but make sure you find a veggie one. The regular grocery store where I live carries it. Or you can make it yourself. Throw it in your stew.

Sofrito and its ingredients
4 large yellow onions and cut into quarters
2 large Green peppers (seeded) and cut into quarters
2 large tomatoes (cored) and cut into quarters
2 heads of Garlic
1 package of sweet chili peppers (seeded)
Handful fresh Cilantro
Fresh sage.
1/8 of a cup of Olive oil.
2 tablespoons of Vinegar.

If you have a food processor with a metal blade great if not you can use a blender, but please be careful not to over do it in the blender. You dont want it mushy. Store it in fridge until ready to use.

Also along with that I use Goya's Sazon con Azafran also found in a regular grocery store, in my area anyway.
Use it to season stews, meats, salads, soups, rice, beans, vegetables - everything. This product will add both color and flavor to your food.
Box contains 8 foil packets of 5 grams each.

[qwaychou]

This may sound odd, but my mom has been doing this for years and my stews and chilis wouldn't be the same without it. A little unsweetened cocoa powder.
It darkens the stew, deepens the broth, adds to the body, subtley enhances the flavour.

[Skajen]

marmite (yeast extract) or drop of soya sauce

i use that in my famous stew and dumplings, gives it that certain je ne sais qui (if thats how u spell it :confused: ) x

[pat sommer]

not that it's that right time of year for stews in this hemisphere but for near instant body to a runny stew a fine maize flour (masa harina not starch) can be sifted over the pot and quickly stirred in. Try 1 Tbsp or less. Careful now, it clumps up easily. Just a few seconds and the maize gives a silky smooth thick (no one would guess low-fat) mouth feel without changing flavour discernably. I started using it for chile sin carne but rely on it more and more

[Wildflower]

In my family we make a lot of spanish and carib food. Which consists of a lot of rice and beans, soups and stews. We cant live with out something called sofrito. It kinda looks like tomato sauce. You can buy it in a jar but make sure you find a veggie one. The regular grocery store where I live carries it. Or you can make it yourself. Throw it in your stew.

Sofrito

Maya, do you have a recipe for that cuban dirty rice and beans dish that is made with sofrito? My friend used to live in Florida and makes it a lot, but he buys jarred sofrito made with lard. I found the mexican market here sells fresh sofrito so I would like to give it a go.

Also, he insists you need some sort of special rice cooker thing - like some sort of pan made of wood or something. Do you know what I mean? He says everyone in florida uses them for beans and rice...:rolleyes:

[LunaVanillaVega]

Gingered Apricot Sauce (with Pine Nuts)

A delicious sauce with subtle sweetness and just a hint of heat.
(The more chili you add, the hotter it gets, of course!)
It's a perfect companion to your favorite rice.
Quick and easy!


Serves: 2 (as a main course sauce)
Prep Time: approx. 5 min.
Cook Time: 4 - 5 min (microwave),
or 10 - 15 min. (stovetop)


Ingredients:

6 apricots (fresh, cut into pieces)
4 Tbs. soy milk
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. pine nuts
1 tsp. ginger (powdered)
1 tsp. coriander (powdered)
1 tsp. sugar
pinch of salt
dash chili powder

(optional: garnish with a pinch of dried parsley or basil)



Directions:

Mix everything except the soy milk
in a small bowl (for microwave) or sauce pan (for stovetop.)

Cook:

(Microwave) 4 - 5 min. on high power

(Stovetop) 10 - 15 min. on med.-high heat,
stirring frequently, until it's soft and gooey

Stir in soy milk,
Serve over rice, noodles, or your fav veggies.


I've posted a pic of this sauce (over rice with zucchini) on my Yahoo photos page. Click the link to view: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lunavanillavegan/detail?.dir=e660&.dnm=7c1dre2.jpg&.src=ph (http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lunavanillavegan/detail?.dir=e660&.dnm=7c1dre2.jpg&.src=ph)