Conference turris::cooks

    I was veggie for 2 years - ended up anemic (and iron pills didn't
    help) so I had to quit.  However, I came up with a lot of good
    recipes and sources.
    
    First, if you don't have the VEGETARIAN EPICURE books 1 and 2, they're
    very good.  There are a lot of other books on the market too, but
    I liked their format.
    
    A good one-dish meal is fried rice.  I used to make a large pot
    of rice one or two times a week, and used a cup or two whenever
    I needed it.  It keeps a few days - maybe it can be frozen too?
    
    Anyhow, for fried rice, you need probably 1 cup of rice per person
    (more or less depending on whether it's lunch or dinner, and who
    the person is and what else you're adding).
    
    First, make the rice. While rice is cooking, dice up any veggies
    you want to put in.  Good ones are peas, carrots, any oriental
    cabbages (pak choy, celtus, etc - stems only on the ones with
    spinach-like leaves), oriental veggies like water chestnuts
    or bamboo shoots or baby corn, mushrooms, etc.  Beat up one egg
    for every two people (one if only one person) with a little water
    and a little soy sauce and some garlic and ginger, to taste.
    
    When the rice is almost ready, begin stir-frying the veggies.
    Put the harder ones (onions, carrots, cabbage) in before the
    softer ones (peas, oriental veggies, mushrooms) - I usually
    throw one in at a time starting with the onions and ending
    with the mushrooms.  Dump in the rice.  Stir until it's heated.
    Pour the egg over it all - stir until the egg looks done.
    
    Options:  Some folks cook the egg separately, either like
    scrambled eggs or like an omelet (which they cut in strips) and
    then add it to the rice.
    	      You can add more seasonings as you like.  I like more
    soy sauce, and often I use fresh garlic and ginger and put them
    in with the stir fries.
    
    --Louise

	I've had luck with shrimp, scallops, swordfish, tuna, and mako
	shark.  (not all at once.)  I like to make them colorful, so, 
	I add broccoli or snow peas, red and/or yellow pepper, black
	mushrooms, and scallions.  I usually spice and sauce differently 
	depending on how I feel.  I really like Hoisin Sauce on the 
	Shrimp dishes.  Scallops are great with garlic and ginger.
	On the sword/tuna/shark, don't cook them till they flake!  
	Combos of the fish are nice with a bit of mustard and some 
	sherry added at the end.  Or, eliminate the fish for a purely
	veggie stir fry, and add some soy and a slight pinch of ground
	start anise for an unusual flavor.

	Also, rice doesn't always have to be so bland.  Recently I've
	gotten turned on to some long grain basmati rice, carried by
	a strange little store in Concord (Spice & Grain).  The rice
	has a nutty flavor and a great aroma when cooking.  It cooks
	like regular white rice, though.  I really adds something to 
	any stir fry.

						     
							- JP

    I made this recipe up a few years ago.  It's very attactive, you can
    place the ingredients artistically, and play around with the colors of
    the veggies. I think of it as a cross between a Chinese and Japanese
    dish. Essentially, you use your wok as a steamer. 

    Serves two:
    
    Chop up half a head of green cabbage and arrange on a ceramic dish
    (stoneware is fine), or place in a glass pie pan
    
    On top of the bed of cabbage add:  snow pea pods, sliced water
    chestnuts, thinnly sliced carrots.
    
    On top of all that, place two thin filets of white fish (use sole,
    scrod, or haddock if it's thin) that have been marinated for 10-
    30 minutes in the following sauce:
    
    Sauce:  1 cup soy sauce, 1 tsp vinegar, thinnly sliced ginger, garlic
    powder (or one clove crushed), cooking sherry or white wine--just a
    dash, 1 TSP black bean sauce (optional). 
    
    Decorate the fish with red pepper slices, slivered almonds, a few more
    sliced water chestnuts and bean sprouts.
    
    Place the dish on crossed chop sticks in a wok that has about 1
    cup of water in the bottom.  Cover and steam for 10-15 minutes,
    depending on how thick the filets are. (You can tell if they're
    done if the fish flakes when you touch it with a fork).
    
    Serve over rice. 
    
    enjoy! ****andrea****

    Re .3:  What is a snow pea pod?  I've never seen them in Tescos
    here in England...  Can anyone tell me what they are?
    
    Thanks
    
    Alison

    A snow pea is a kind of pea that has a thin, edible pod. The peas
    inside are usually quite tiny.  You eat them for the pod, not for
    the peas, anyway. 
    
    They're very popular in oriental cooking.
    
    --bonnie
    

    They're similar to what's called (in French) mange-tout. I think
    that might also be the word used in the UK.
    
    - Mike

    Thanks Bonnie - I gather you mean what I would call a mange tout.
    
    Alison