Quick and Easy Thai

Tonight, I decided to whip together something simple and fresh: Stir-fry and Thai Coconut soup. Delicious. The last few days of cooking have cemented for me that a month of going vegetarian is going to be not only easy, but rewarding and delectable.

Anything that looks unfamiliar on the ingredients list should still be available at most decent grocery stores, even most of the HEB's here in Austin. If that fails, a trip to an asian grocery is always fun and enlightening, and is something that I would recommend, particularly because their prices tend to be much lower for many of the "specialty" items that constitute much of asian cuisine.

Asian Veggie Stir-Fry

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 in. piece of ginger, minced

1 large portabella mushroom cap, cut into large chunks

2 carrots, cut into long strips

1 small head of broccoli, cut into large chunks

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon fish sauce (vegetarian fish sauce is available, if fermented fish corpse isn't your thing. In a pinch, substitute more soy sauce)

1 1 /2 tablespoons black bean sauce

2 tablespoons veggie oil

Heat the veggie oil in a large, deep skillet or wok. Add the garlic and ginger and fry until golden brown and aromatic. Add onions, carrots, broccoli, and portabella. Stir fry on high for 3 minutes. Add soy sauce, fish sauce, and black bean sauce. Continue to stir-fry for 3-5 more minutes, or until the vegetables are as tender as you prefer. Serve over steamed jasmine rice.

Thai Coconut Soup

1/2 stalk of lemongrass, chopped finely

1/4 in piece of ginger, sliced finely

1 serrano chili pepper, sliced finely

1 can of coconut milk

1/2 package of tofu, cut into small cubes.

5 tablespoons fish sauce (a vegetable stock or veggie bullion and a little water make a nice sub)

1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar

juice of 3 limes

cilantro to garnish

Heat half the coconut milk in a pot with the ginger, lemongrass and chili. As it begins to boil, add the tofu, fish sauce, remaining coconut milk and sugar. Heat this again just until it begins to boil. Add lime juice, and serve immediately. Garnish with cilantro.

While fish sauce is not vegetarian, it's an essential element in thai cooking, though the substitutes work quite well. However, I can't quite seem to quit the stuff, despite my September vow, and have rationalized myself into believing that I am still doing just fine with this whole vegetarian thing. After all, how could a liquid be meat?