"I want to make some pancake for mommy and us, Daddy?" I heard Ethan said in the other room.
"I want to make one for myself, one for mommy, and one for you." Ethan added. "Come on, wake up!" I could imagine Ethan was dragging his daddy's sleeve, trying to pull his daddy off bed now. I giggled a little since it was the routine he'd been doing lately.
This smart little kiddo knew many process about making pancake (thanks for me, hehe). He knew that the damp cloth placed under the mixing bowl is to stabilize the bowl while we whisking the batter. He knew there have to be eggs, vanilla extract, flour, and butter in the recipe. Ethan's eyes fixed on the whip, with one of his hand holding the bowl and the other whisking the batter. He looked super grown up. Sometimes I wonder if it was the imagine he had in his mind about me when I was working in the kitchen.
The pancake turned out not very puffy (because mommy didn't put enough baking powder...), but we were more than happy to shovel all of them into out tommies. Ethan thought they were extra delicious because they were made by Mommy and him together.
This recipe is straight forward and simple enough to be an easy dinner on the weekend. Both vegetable and meat on one plate accompanied with some fragrant basmati rice. Hope you enjoy it.
1. In a bowl, combine all purpose flour, flaxseed meal, and sea salt together.
2. All soy milk. Mix until it becomes thick batter.
3. Lay open the bean curd sheet on a wide working surface. Pour the batter on one side of it.
4. Use a hand to smear the batter evenly.
5. Place three nori sheets on top of the batter. The whole batter area should be covered. Use a scissors to help with the edges and shapes if you need.
6. Pour the remaining batter on top of the nori, and smear it evenly on the surface.
7. Fold the bean curd sheet in half. Gently pat to cohere the layers.
8. Fold the three non straight sides inward to form a square sheet.
9. Then, roll it from your side all the way to the other end, about 2.5 inches thick.
10. Wrap the bean curd roll with the remaining piece of nori. Leave the roll sit for about 5 minutes.
11. In a frying pan, heat up the vegetable oil over medium-low heat.
12. Carefully place the roll in the pan and fry for about 3 minutes, or until the side turns slightly brown.
13. Use a spatular to turn the roll to the other side. Fry for another 3 minutes.
14. Turn the heat to low. Pour the teriyaki sauce on top. Be careful not to burn yourself by the splashy oil.
15. Spinkle some white sesame.
16. Cook the roll for about a minute, and then flip to another side. Cook for another minute, or until the sauce is thickened and coats well on the roll. Remove the roll from the heat.
17. Cut the roll into thick slices. Serve it either warm or in room temperature.
Vegan bean curd rolls are one of the dishes Mom is so proud of herself for making. Although the process is time consuming, she insists on making it regularly for the family. "It is very healthy and less expensive to eat. You can earn your effort back as long as you make it in a larger batch." Mom often said. I don't need to cook for a village like my mom does so I am not sure if the large yield method works for me, but I am sure this dish is worth while to make. Tofu and bean curd are a good source for iron and protein, and black fungus helps reduce cholesterol. More than half of the ingredients this recipe calls for are actually store cupboard seasonings. If you fancy Chinese cuisine and cook often enough, I am sure they are already sitting on your kitchen shelf. For the bean curd sheet, fresh ones are still needed to be stored in the freezer, so you may want to look for it at the frozen products section in the supermarket.
1. Soak the Chinese mushrooms and black fungus with some water that enough to cover them, until softened and rehygrated. About 4 hours. Rinsed and drained.
2. Cut and discard the stem of each mushroom, and then slice the caps.
3. Cut the fungus, spiced bean curds, and carrot into the size of matchsticks. Combine them with the mushrooms.
4. Add the marinade. Mix well. Leave the mixture for about 10 minutes.
5. In a frying pan, heat up two tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat. Add the mushroom mixture. Sauté for about 5 minutes.
6. When the sauce is nearly dried up, add half cup of water a little at a time. Saute for another 5 minutes, or until the water is totally absorbed. Remove the filling from the heat. Set it aside.
7. Fold a bean curd sheet in half. Repeat this process three times until you achieve a triangle shape.
8. Use a scissors to cut the triangles out. You should have eight small triangles bean curd sheets.
9. Keep the wider side of the sheet close to you and the pointing side to the other side. Use a damp cloth to wipe the top side of the sheet a few times, or until the sheet is slightly softened.
10. Place about 2 big spoonfuls of the filling on the wider side. Fold the left and right sides inward. Gently roll up the bottom, and then roll it at the way up to the other end. Add some water to the seam to seal it. Place the roll on the plate with the seam facing downward. Repeat this process until use up all the filling.
12. In a frying pan, heat up 1/4 cup vegetable oil over medium heat. Add in the rolls each by each and fry until the rolls turns golden brown, about 1 minute. Flip the rolls to the other side and fry for another minute. Remove them from the heat and transfer them on a serving plate.
13. Whisk together the sauce ingredients until the corn starch is dissloved. Add the mixture into the same frying pan and cook over low heat until the consistency is thickened, stirring constantly.
14. Pour the sauce on top of the bean curd rolls. Serve immediately.
