Five spice | Delightful-Delicious-Delovely

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2016

To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

Nothing is easier than a slow cooker dish. You could make this stove-top by simply simmering it until the sauce is as thick as you like it to be. Not much more to say about this except that it is damned tasty & crazy easy.

Vegan Sticky, Sweet & Spicy Chinese Five Spice Pork for the Slow Cooker

Serves 2 very well when served with rice

INGREDIENTS

2 (10.5 oz) packages Gardein Porkless Bites (or other vegan pork, beef or chicken) – I threw the sauce packets away

1/4 cup Shao Xing rice wine

2 TBS minced ginger (I used the squeezable kind pictured)

2 TBS minced garlic (I used jarred)

1 TBS tomato paste or ketchup

2 TBS sesame oil

2 TBS vegan hoisin sauce

2 TBS vegan oyster or mushroom-flavored sauce

2 TBS sambal oelek (less if you do nott like a lot of spiciness)

2 TBS sweet Thai chili sauce

2 TBS dark soy sauce

1 – 3 tsp Chinese 5-spice (I used 3 but I think that was heavy-handed. Maybe start with one & increase it as it cooks – if you think it needs more)

Cooked rice for 2

Garnish – cilantro and/or sliced hot peppers (I used red jalapenos)

DIRECTIONS

Put everything except the rice & garnish in a slow cooker & leave on high for 4 hours. Mine was still too thin at that point – so I cooked it a bit longer with the lid off. If you are going to leave this on low for 8 hours – maybe add a cup of water – so it doesn’t burn – and then cook off excess moisture at the end by taking the lid off. If it gets too thick – add water.

Serve with rice & garnish as you desire.

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

Follow @celisemccarthy

To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

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This fucker was awesome! There are a few steps to assemble the ingredients but they are all easy. You can make this with any sort of chicken substitute you might like. I am obsessed with Beyond Meat strips. They do not have an overpowering taste & can easily be manipulated & I like the texture, too.

Traditionally, banh mi have pork in them but I haven’t found a decent fake pork – unless you believe that pork is “the new white meat.” If so – this fake chicken could masquerade as fake pork, too.

This takes a few hours of planning ahead so that you can marinate the chicken & pickle the carrots & jalapeno (and daikon – if you have it. I did not).

If you cannot find vegan fish sauce – there are lots of pretty simple recipes for vegan fish sauce HERE. Whatever you do, do not skip the marinade because it tastes great & the sriracha mayo is good enough to eat with a spoon.

Marinated Chicken Banh Mi Sandwich

Makes two sandwiches

INGREDIENTS

2 crusty rolls or some high quality baguette

8 oz faux chicken

1 avocado – cut into slices

1/2 cucumber – sliced thin

leafy lettuce

2 radishes – sliced thin

1 jalapeno – seeded & sliced thin

cilantro

Olive oil or cooking spray

For the pickled vegetables

1 carrot – cut into matchsticks

daikon – cut into matchsticks

1 jalapeno – seeded & cut into matchsticks

3 cups warm water

3 TBS sugar

2 TBS salt

4 TBS white or rice vinegar

For the marinade

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

6 garlic cloves (or to taste) – minced

4 shallots (or 1/2 small onion) – diced

2 TBS fish sauce (vegan version – or omit it)

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp Chinese five spice

1 TBS hoisin sauce

1 tsp sriracha (or to taste)

For the spicy mayo

1/4 cup vegan mayo

1 lime

3 TBS sriracha

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 350.

For the pickled vegetables

Warm the water & add the sugar, salt & vinegar & stir until the sugar & salt dissolve. Put the matchstick veggies in a bowl or jar & cover with the warm water mix. Store in the fridge for at least and hour or two.

For the marinade

Blend all the marinade ingredients & add the chicken to it. Store in the fridge for at least an hour.

For the spicy mayo

Blend the mayo with the sriracha & the juice of the lime. Store in the fridge.

For the Banh Mi

Prepare the cucumber, avocado, radishes & jalapeno. Set aside.

Heat a frying or grill pan. Treat it with cooking spray or olive oil & cook up the marinated chicken. Set aside.

Scoop the soft part of the bread out & throw it away. Heat the bread in the warm oven for 5 minutes.

To assemble – simply spread some spicy mayo on the bread. Then layer on some chicken. Then pickled veggies (drained well!) & radish slices. Add sliced cucumber & jalapeno. Add lettuce & cilantro. Add some avocado. Smash it together. Shove it in your face – and feel free to dip it in the extra spicy mayo.

See? What’d I tell you?