Will

Seitan and tempeh have been made for a long time -- I wouldn't completely avoid them the way you might with more processed "fake meat". As best I know, tempeh especially isn't really treated as a "fake meat" in Indonesia, where it's from. I really like this recipe for "Sweet Sticky Spicy Tempeh": http://www.thelittle...cky-tempeh.html When it's well fried, you won't get quite as much of the taste that might be off-putting to some. It can be hard to digest for some people if not steamed first. Personally, I find tempeh and seitan enjoyable in their own right, whether or not they're dressed up like meat. There are also lots of interesting tofu and soy products beyond "normal" tofu available at Chinese markets (tofu skin, pressed tofu knots, 5-spice "dry tofu", frozen tofu, thicker tofu sheets, etc.). I don't have too many specific websites in mind, but a few cookbooks that, while not vegan, have some great vegan ideas which are not based around fake meat. I would bet that if you look through some of your existing cookbooks, you may well find some good ideas too: Chez Panisse Vegetables (Alice Waters) (Art of Simple Cooking is also good) Land of Plenty and Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook (Fuchsia Dunlop) -- *but*, her new cookbook has even more vegetarian-friendly recipes (almost 2/3 of the book can be prepared vegetarian), and it focuses on Southern Chinese home cooking, which is really not well represented in cookbooks. The US / Canada version should be out one of these days. The Essential Cuisines of Mexico (Diana Kennedy) Some people really like How To Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. We cook a lot of beans and grains, for example, the farro and white bean stew pictured here. While there's no exact recipe, it's pretty easy to just fudge it. With the white beans, we like to soak, bring to a boil in a dutch oven (with a lot of whole cloves of garlic and some sage), then finish cooking in the oven. http://www.runawaysq...-under-an-hour/ The spaghetti method pictured there (there's an outline of how to do it in the other post linked from that one) is another good one. Kinoko & Kaiware Spaghetti Ingredients: 2 medium leeks 1-2 pieces negi (Japanese green onion) if available mixed mushrooms: 2 or more of: fresh or dried shitake (see below), fresh maitake, fresh bunashimeji, etc. spaghetti (#8 or #9 is probably good -- we use a Japanese brand which is fantastic) fresh daikon (for grating) daikon sprouts (for garnish) thinly sliced nori (for garnish) Basically, in a large skillet, sweat some leeks, (and sliced negi, if you can get some -- I'm not sure, but I think you can put both the whites and green part in this), in a lot of olive oil with salt and black pepper. Add two shitakes (soaked stem-down in cold water for at least 4 hours, then stem removed and sliced), and some fresh Japanese mushrooms - maitake are great, and sometimes bunashimeji. Slightly undercook some spaghetti, and toss in the pan with the mushrooms. Add a couple tsp of soy sauce and half as much mirin* as soy sauce, and a ladle-full of pasta water. * Most supermarket mirin isn't real mirin. Try to find the better quality stuff, which most Japanese markets should have. Try to avoid anything with high-fructose corn syrup as its main ingredient. See also http://www.nytimes.c...real-mirin.html Find ways to eat lots of leafy greens. If you don't like dark leafy greens already, develop an appreciation for them. Another simple dinner I like is blanched, then sauteed rapini with garlic, served on a sandwich roll with marinara sauce. Or vegan lasagna with kale. I like this method, though sometimes I use regular noodles instead of the polenta strips (which are also good): http://blog.fatfreev...bellas-and.html Warm lentil salad, with roasted or boiled vegetables has been another recent staple, with a lot of possible variations... try roasted root vegetables, boiled potatoes, etc., tossed with still-warm Du Puy lentils cooked with some carrot, bay leaf, and shallot (removed before serving), and served on a bed of greens (Boston lettuce or arugula work well, but you could use whatever you want).

I was vegan for about 18 years, and follow essentially a vegan diet now, other than eggs from chickens and ducks that are kept locally in people's back yards (I am somewhat relaxed about things like honey, clarifying agents in wine / beer, filtering agents for sugar, etc.) Depending on where you live, eating out can be a bit of a challenge, and will probably cause more difficulties than cooking at home. One thing to keep in mind is that most good higher end restaurants will make something vegan for you off-menu if you ask. It's better to call in a few days ahead of time to see if they can accommodate you, and to give them a chance to think about it if they don't already have something up your sleeve (I've lived mostly on the costs, first in the NY area, and now in Southern California, so finding places that can accommodate me is rarely a problem, but I have traveled to Arizona, Michigan, and other places recently, and had pretty good luck finding things to eat). There are also some very good lists out there about which foods are vegan at various chain and fast food restaurants. You can eat very well on a vegan or near-vegan diet, but it can be a bit more prep / labor intensive. I agree that lots of ethnic foods are a good way to go, and east Asian and Indian markets will also have lots of products which will probably work well in other types of cooking as well. Try to avoid relying too much on convenience products (but, things like tempeh bacon, while perfectly possible to make yourself, can be quite convenient). Another way to approach it is to think about the kind of things you would make normally, and then figure out what some kind of vegan equivalent would be (not being too literal, of course). Eat lots of dark leafy greens (kale, chard, etc.). If you don't like them already, acquire a taste for them.

I measured the 1 cup white rice line in my Zoji rice cooker (without anything else in it) and it seems to be just about exactly two Japanese cups of water -- if anything, it was a bit short of the 1 cup line. That ratio (2:1) works pretty well for me (for well-rinsed Asian style rice).

You use 2:1 for porridge? How could that possibly work? I use at least 6:1, and often more like 10:1 or more (depending on whether I'm making xi fan or zhou, and whether I'm starting with already cooked rice or not). For Asian rice, I use a combination of the first-knuckle method and the markings on the rice cooker (haven't measured what ratio that works out to). For medium grain rice (say making "Spanish" rice), I use about 2:1, and never had a problem with it being too sticky or too watery. But I agree with everyone who has said that it depends quite a bit on the exact rice. Wild "rice" isn't actually rice.

As a vegetarian and California resident, I can't say I'm really unhappy about the ban. I do think it’s true that this is a wedge issue (and one connected to luxury), much like fur — because most people don’t eat foie gras, and because most people who do are well-to-do, there is a certain amount of anti-elitism involved. I don't think you can entirely quantitatively compare suffering, but I think the argument has been made that in a lot of ways, animals in factory farms (both for meat, but also for egg and dairy production) are probably exposed to more total suffering in their lifetime than the ducks at most of the US based farms which produce foie gras. All that said, I still think that, whether or not gavage itself causes the animals undue stress, that force-feeding animals way past the point they'd gorge on food in nature is not a pleasant business, especially when it's in service of producing a luxury item which, while maybe enjoyable to many, is not really necessary in anyone's book. I'd definitely recommend that anyone interested in the issues involved read Mark Caro's The Foie Gras Wars, which discusses the ban in Chicago, as well as the farms which produce it. I thought the book was well written and well-reasoned (though he ends up coming down more on the other side of the argument from me). Obviously it's a subject that people feel really strongly about (maybe more so than their actual like or dislike of foie itself).

While I usually steer clear of processed fake meat (I do eat tofu and other traditional soy products, tempeh, and seitan), I have had pretty good vegetarian "meatballs", mostly seitan based. Honestly, while it's maybe cheating a little bit, the frozen ones at Trader Joes (vegan) are really not that bad (nor do they contain anything that weird), and there are some other commercial products that are Ok too. Once they're cooked in sauce or plopped on a sandwich, they're pretty good. You could also use tofu or ground seitan as the base, combine with breadcrumbs and seasoning. Even with some kind of starch to help bind it, it may be hard to get it to hold its shape unless you deep-fry them first. You can also buy vital wheat gluten flour (for making your own seitan without having to wash all the starch off of regular flour), you can take this, combine it with water or stock, and other seasonings, shape it, boil it in broth or water, and then use them, however, I'm not sure if the texture will be right.

I mostly use dried chilis for chili oil. Normally, I just follow Fuchsia Dunlop's method, taking dry, roughly chopped dried chao tian jiao (facing heaven chilis), frying them in a wok with their seeds (without burning), crushing, then adding to oil that's been heated to 300F and then cooled a bit. I sometimes put some ginger (later removed) and star anise in the oil as well. I leave the chilis in - depending on the application, I may use only oil, only sediment, or both. BTW, a Vita-mix is much faster / easier than a mortar / pestle or a food processor for crushing chilis (I don't have the dry blade; hopefully I won't ruin the blender!). I also make my own Cantonese style chili oil, which is really delicious. I do a vegetarian variation of this recipe: http://3hungrytummies.blogspot.com/2009/11/cantonese-chili-oil.html I usually just use dried chilis, but the recipe does call for both fresh Thai chilis and dried chilis - for me, it's plenty hot without the Thai chilis.

Yeah - this is what I don't love about quail eggs -- to me, they basically taste like an egg, and while they're cute, they don't (to me) taste any better than a chicken egg, yet they're less filling but with way more cholesterol. Aside from the novelty and the look of having a tiny egg, I'd just as soon eat a chicken or duck egg.

Yes, but just because many journalists write web logs doesn't mean that all blumberjacks are journalists. It's also different because writing a web log is part of that journalist's job - they likely have deadlines, quotas, etc. And what is a blumberjack, anyway. The term could describe a) someone who is writing more or less as an online journal -- just as a way to put their thoughts or experiences out there, or b) someone who is writing because they're paid (work for hire) to "create content" for a news source, or even just for SEO purposes or c) someone who makes significant amounts of money or supports themself from advertising revenue and / or endorsements. Each of these people has different motivations, and these motivations will probably affect what they write, how, and how often, they write it, and how useful what they write will be to others. In terms of the title of the thread, I don't think that someone whose only qualification is writing a web log is necessarily a journalist. Obviously there is an effort on the part of newspapers and magazines to embrace so-called "new media", and there are both pluses and minuses to this. When it's done right, I think some newspapers have done a good job of straddling the line, but it's difficult -- people (rightly, I think) expect a site run by a newspaper to be held to higher standards (in terms of writing, editorial oversight, etc.) than some random shmoe; on the other hand, one of the things that make web logs useful is that things can go up quickly, and they tend to have a little more informal feel. This really puts traditional media in a tough spot - take it too seriously or be too formal, and you seem out of touch, but an off the cuff remark, typo, or bad editorial decision can embarrass an organization. I do think that journalistic standards and editorial oversight are two things that distinguish journalism from everything else, but I think it's difficult to describe exactly how (one of those "I know it when I see it" kind of things). Also, there are clearly people who move between the two. I've never really had much of an interest in keeping an online journal, other than maybe as a convenient way to keep people up to date while I'm traveling. My wife, however, has a personal web log which is also a site for reviews about food, things we cook at home, and any other thing she decides to post about. It's actually really interesting as a way to communicate and put things out there, and every once in a while, it actually seems like people are paying attention. While she's met food critics, been invited to PR dinners, etc. because of the site, I don't think she considers herself a journalist -- not just because she doesn't get paid for her work, but also because she's not expected to follow the same standards as a journalist. Our friend who's a professional food critic will often visit a restaurant 10-12 times before writing about it (and, of course, on the paper's dime); whether the place is a hole in the wall or an expensive, Michelin starred place, our wallets and stomachs won't permit that depth of "research". On the other hand, she can visit somewhere for lunch, and post about it an hour later.

Tang Yuan?

Tortilla warmer (those little round things designed for the purpose -- not much other utility, but shouldn't cost more than $5 or so), or maybe wrapped in a slightly moist, clean kitchen towel? Or, cook / heat them as you need them, which is how it usually works at our house.

I think removing the skins is a big part of getting a creamy texture. I haven't tried the cooking with baking soda technique mentioned earlier in the thread, but I've heard that's another secret, at least for Israeli style hummus. Also, using a lot of tahini (more than you might think would taste good), and (for certain styles of hummus), try not adding oil. I have seen the suggestion to mix the tahini, lemon juice, and maybe the garlic first, and then add the chickpeas to that.

Butter is usually used to grease the pan though, no?

I think it would be easier to make an eggless crêpe than one without butter, but I could be wrong; I never had proper crêpes before I stopped eating dairy, but the smell of butter taunts me whenever someone's making them. I would love it if you could post your waffle recipe somewhere! I have had good luck with the King Arthur sourdough waffle recipe with some modifications, however without eggs, the outside gets soft too quickly. As to egg substitutes, look here (but generally, one or more of starches, flax or chia seeds, banana, soy lecithin, depending on the application).

Sometimes trying to make something vegan and gluten-free at the same time is just asking for too much. I say this as someone who's done a fair bit of vegan cooking. If you are intent on making these both vegan and gluten free, you may need to accept that the final result is probably not going to be exactly how you want it to be. Maybe practice making ones that are either just vegan or just gluten-free first. I do think it's possible to make a thin buckwheat pancake, though you may have better luck if you go for one with a bit thicker / spongier texture than a traditional crêpe. Also, I think many normal buckwheat crêpes have mostly wheat flour, rather than using only buckwheat flour (e.g., David Lebovitz's recipe). You can try adding some ener-g brand egg replacer (mostly potato starch and tapioca starch) to replace the egg, and using melted coconut oil or another fat in the batter, as well as for cooking in. If it's for a savory application, you might also look into making socca, which should be vegan and gluten free just how they are, or maybe buckwheat blini. If you're not trying to make them healthy, you can cheat and try to hide the flaws in the crêpe itself by using copious amounts of fatty and sweet (or umami for savory crêpes) components. Cook with some coconut oil or Earth Balance margarine and orange liqueur, cover with powdered sugar and fresh fruit, add vegan sour-cream and tomato, mushroom, and nutritional yeast heavy filling, etc.

The soymilk maker is a little gimmicky (and I have to say, we don't use ours as often as we probably should), but it works well, and it seems a lot easier to me than making soy milk the "hard" way (something I've never had the motivation to do). Especially if you don't have a good local source for fresh, hot, doujiang (soy milk), the machine is a nice thing to have, though clearly not an "essential" kitchen gadget. We have a "Homesmart" brand (probably $60 or so locally), and it works pretty well. Really only useful if you go through a ton of soy milk and / or consume it plain; for cooking it's probably easier to just buy it. You can use the pulp ("okara" in Japanese) to enrich baked goods, to make mock crab cakes, or for other purposes. If you don't clean the little container the beans are strained through quickly, it can be really unpleasant to clean!

I think people may be taking the adjective a bit too literally. One person's idea of "sweet" may be different, so the OP's friend may have just meant that the flavor had some sweetness, not that the dish was especially sweet. I find gochujang-based sauces even without additional sugar to be fairly mild and sweet tasting, though obviously not sweet like a dessert or something.

I tend to use Ener-G egg replacer (gluten-free), which is mostly potato starch and tapioca starch. I find that adding a little extra baking powder for recipes which use baking powder is helpful. Note that this will help bind the recipe, but won't serve as an emulsifier. You can add some (dissolved) soy lecithin if the eggs are also serving as an emulsifier. Another trick is that you don't have to mix the liquid and egg replacer powder - you can actually just put the egg replacer in with the dry ingredients, and add the extra liquid with the wet ingredients. Bob's Red Mill makes a powdered egg replacer which has a slightly different formulation. I am not sure if I've used it before. Both are widely available at health food stores, Whole Foods, etc. Flax seed meal left to sit with some water, or whole flax seeds whizzed with some water will also work pretty well. I will say that trying to make something both vegan and gluten-free can be somewhat limiting. As someone mentioned above, nuts are another common allergy, but you can do some great desserts (vegan "cheesecake", for example), which should also be gluten-free, with raw cashews.

Threw together a quick vegetarian chao hefen (wide rice noodles) with (vegetarian) shacha sauce and fried tofu the other day. Even with a pretty anemic flame on the stove at my in-laws, it came out pretty well.

It's not baking soda. Most commercially available jianshui I've seen is a solution of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide (which are both "lye") or potassium carbonate, and I think these are what are most commonly used for making zongzi, moon cakes, noodles, etc. Sodium bicarbonate is sometimes also present, but it's there as a buffer, not as the primary alkaline agent. For example, the "Koon Chun" brand, which is one of the more commonly available ones in the US, is potassium carbonate, buffered with sodium bicarbonate. Historically, mugwort potash (penghui) was also used as an alkaline substance for noodle making. The reason recipes specify "lye water" is because that's the most common English language label on bottled jianshui, and a simple sodium bicarbonate solution made at home won't be strong enough.

I wondered about this too, though I think re-freezing after shaping would be the answer. However, there are plenty of spherical molds; the result may not look as nice as the ones using the press, but the ice should be pretty dry, since the shape is spherical to start with (and the molds are pretty cheap to boot).

I really enjoyed our meal at Kajitsu. Shojin ryori style (Japanese vegetarian temple cuisine). http://kajitsunyc.com/

If it were me, I'd tend to just waste more ginger and use a knife to peel it, lopping off smaller protrusions (if you wash / scrub it well first, you can use the leftover unpeeled bits for cooking, or to make ginger syrup or other stuff).

I think you can put two 10" plates together -- in fact, that's why they made them with a square shape. http://bellacopper.stores.yahoo.net/faqs.html On my stove, the 10" perfectly covers one grate, so if I had two, I could create a continuous surface. However, since the heat dispersion is so good, you might not get the behavior you're talking about, like with a French top. It should be possible to get a larger copper plate custom made if that's what you're looking for.

I dunno - I didn't do anything special with my Bella Copper diffuser before use. It did change colors when it got a little too hot one time; still seems to work fine, though.