Discovering Vegetarian Viet Nam, in the heart of San Francisco

If you’ve read about my momo experience, you know how much I love the Saturday Farmer’s Market at the Ferry Building in San Francisco.  The array of vendors, the smells, the sounds, the air, the energy…  ahhh, I want to go back! 

In addition to the many vendors, CUESA, the organization that organizes the Ferry Plaza Market, as well as other markets throughout the City, offers free educational programs and market to table demos.  While wandering through the stalls, sampling along the way, we were fortunate to learn that the demo of the day was from Chef Cameron Stauch, author of Vegetarian Viet Nam.  Eating a plant forward diet, and having a two-week trip to Vietnam planned in September, we couldn’t believe our luck!  How serendipitous!

Meeting Chef and author Cameron Stauch

Chef Cameron began by talking about his background and what led him to write Vegetarian Viet Nam. His journey has been amazing and, truth be told, I was both intrigued and envious. I won’t go into the details, because you really should buy the book yourself.  It not only contains delicious recipes, but also reads like a good story and talks about how he came to learn the culinary traditions of Vietnam.  And the photos will have your mouth watering at first sight!

Both of the recipes that Chef Cameron demonstrated were simple to prep and prepare.  The Stir-Fried Mushrooms with Lemongrass and Chili came together quickly, and the aroma was heavenly. I had only used lemongrass a few times in the past, and always in recipes where you add the stalk for flavor, but remove it before eating the dish.  In this case, he finely minces the lemongrass and combines it with garlic and a red Thai bird chili. He added Oyster mushrooms, fresh from Far West Fungi (another Market vendor), and sauteed for just a few minutes. He then finished it off with a soy sauce/mushroom powder mixture and topped it with cilantro and fresh lime.  Based on the simplicity of the ingredients and the ease of preparation, you would not imagine such an amazing depth of flavor!

Nutty Fermented Soybean Dipping Sauce

The next dish we were treated to was a Nutty Fermented Soybean Dipping Sauce.  Chef Cameron talked about using this as a dipping sauce for fresh vegetables or other snacks, but prepared it for us as a sauce over broccolini. Again, the ingredients are simple. A combination of scallion, soybean paste, peanuts, sesame seeds and sugar, and a bit of water and cornstarch to thicken. The preparation, although easy, is the key to the dish. Pureeing a portion of the nuts and seeds helps to thicken the sauce, while the remainder add a nice texture to the final dish.

Both recipes were delicious, and combined with Chef Cameron’s sincerity and passion for his cooking, we knew Vegetarian Viet Nam was going to be added to our cookbook collection very soon.  And yes, I had developed yet another ‘cookbook crush’.  Unfortunately, he didn’t have any copies with him (I would have loved an autographed one!), but before we even left the market we had placed an order and the book was waiting for us when we returned home three days later!  Next stop… the international grocer! 

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Stir-Fried Mushrooms with Lemongrass and Chili

by Chef Cameron Stauch, Vegetarian Vietnam

Chef Cameron distributed this recipe at his market to table demo at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. It is also in his cookbook, Vegetarian Viet Nam. This uncomplicated dish, with its big hit of aromatic lemongrass, is best made just before serving so friends or family can enjoy the aroma as it fills the kitchen. The recipe is marvelous with fleshy mushrooms, but you can use cubes of fried tofu and seitan.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Vietnamese

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp mushroom powder
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 stalks lemongrass, bottom 5 inches peeled, finely minced (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 tbsp garlic, finely minced
• 1 fresh red Thai bird chili, finely chopped
• 1 pound oyster mushrooms, torn or cut into bite size pieces (or quartered button mushrooms or portabella caps)
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 lime, quartered
• 2 tbsp cilantro, roughly chopped

Instructions

 

• To prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, sugar, mushroom powder and water until the sugar is fully dissolved.
• To cook: Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lemongrass, garlic and stir fry for 1 1/2 minutes, until fragrant and the raw garlic flavor mellows. Add the chili and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and scallions and stir fry for 3 minutes (the mushrooms may give off some liquid). Pour in the soy sauce mixture and stir fry for another minute or two, or until most of the liquid is reduced and the lemongrass, garlic, and chili mostly coat the mushrooms.
• To serve: Squeeze in the lime juice, sprinkle with the cilantro, and transfer to a serving dish. Serve hot.

Keyword healthy, lemongrass, mushrooms, quick

Helpful links:

CUESA (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture – https://cuesa.org/
Purchase Vegetarian Viet Nam on Amazon

This story originally appeared on my blog ScorchedLemon.com, April 19, 2018

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