4 Asian Summer Side Veggies

One of the most common complaints I get in the clinic and online is, “I want to eat more veggies, but they taste so bland and boring”.

We usually draw associations between eating vegetables and bland tastes or boring salads. But the magic about vegetables lies in their textures and ‘blandness’, so they can transform into so many different forms. Today, we are sharing 4 addictive and versatile veggie recipes - Asian style.

1.Simple Vietnamese pickles

Serves: 1-2

Time: 5 minutes + pickling time

Skill required: cutting/shredding, mixing

Equipment: slicer/shaver, airtight container, tablespoon, (chopstick)

Ingredient list

• 200g mixed carrot & radish (thin slices/stripes)

• 2 cups water

• 1/2 cup rice/white vinegar

• 1 tbsp sugar or sweetener

• 1 tbsp salt

Methods

1. Slice carrot and radish into thin stripes, or use a shaver.

2. In a sanitized, airtight container, add water, vinegar, sugar, and salt and mix well.

3. Submerge all carrots and radishes in the pickle water.

4. Seal the container and place it in the fridge to let it pickle for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.

   (Pickled carrots and radishes can be kept in the pickle water for up to 2 weeks)

Dietitian’s Tips

• Scaling the recipe: Scale the carrots and radishes as much/little as you like, and make enough pickle water to submerge all carrots and pickles, which depends on the container size.

• Pickle other veggies: such as cucumber, onion, mustard greens, chilli, baby eggplants, etc.

• Eat it with: The pickles are perfect as a side in rice, noodles and meat dishes, or as a filling in sandwiches/bread rolls, such as Bánh mì.

2.Gomaae Spinach - Japanese-style sesame-seasoned spinach

Serves: 6-8

Time: 30 minutes

Skill required: blanching, sqeezing, cutting, grinding, mixing

Equipment: Large skillet/wok, chopping board, knife, blender/mortar and pestle/heavy bowl and rolling pin, large mixing bowl, tablespoon, (chopsticks)

Ingredient list

• 1kg spinach

• 3 tbsp sesame seeds (roasted)

• 1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce

• 1 tbsp sugar or sweetener

Methods

1. Blanch spinach for ~1 minutes or until it wilted.

2. Take out the spinach and submerge in cold water, OR run them under tap water to cool down the spinach.

3. Split spinach into a few small chunks and squeeze out excess water until spinach sticks well together. Then, cut spinach into sections (3-5 cm) and set aside.

4. If using unroasted sesame seeds: heat a small non-stick pan on low-medium heat. Add sesame seeds in and toast for ~1 minute.

5. Grind the roasted sesame seeds with a blender/mortar and pestle/heavy bowl and rolling pin until seeds are crushed and starting to stick together.

6. Add in soy sauce, sugar/sweetener and spinach and mix well

Dietitian’s Tips

• Other veggies: broccolini, cabbage, collard, brussels sprouts, kales, arugula (use raw), carrot, potato, yam, green beans, snap peas, tomatoes(use raw), okra and bell peppers.

• Storage: Keep the final product in airtight containers and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.

• Flexible use: Batch grind sesame seeds and mix with soy sauce and sugar, keep in a container and store it in the fridge. Use whenever you want with whatever you like.

3.Smacked cucumbers

Serves: 4-6

Time: 25 minutes

Skill required: cutting, smacking, mixing

Equipment: chopping board, knife, teaspoon, tablespoon, large mixing bowl, (chopsticks)

Ingredient list

• 6 Lebanese cucumbers

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 cloves of garlic (minced)

• sprinkle of sugar/sweetener

• 1 tbsp dark vinegar

• 1/2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce

• 1 tsp chilli oil (adjustable)

• 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)

• sprinkle of sesame seeds (optional)

Methods

1. Cut both ends of the Lebanese cucumbers.

2. Smack: Place the blade flat on top of the cucumber, and use your palm to press down (or smack) the blade until the cucumber is crushed. Then, cut at an angle.

3. Transfer the cucumber to a large mixing bowl, sprinkle salt over and mix well. Let it sit for 20 minutes.

4. After 20 minutes, drain all the excess moisture in the bowl.

5. Then add all other ingredients in and mix well.

Dietitian’s Tips

• Storage: Smacked cucumbers can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. It is best enjoyed the night after.

• Moisture control: The cucumber tends to continue to release moisture. If the dish is enjoyed in more than 3 days, you can cut cucumber in half and de-seed before smacking to limit moisture.

• Add flavour and texture: other popular recipe additions include crushed peanuts, coriander, and chopped chilli.

4.Korean-style bean sprouts

Serves: 4-6

Time: 10 minutes

Skill required: blanching, squeezing, mixing

Equipment: Large skillet/wok, chopping board, knife, teaspoon, tablespoon, large mixing bowl, (chopsticks)

Ingredient list

• 500g mungbean sprouts

• 2 green onion (chopped)

• 2 cloves garlic (minced)

• 2 tsp low sodium fish sauce

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 tsp sesame oil

• 1 tsp sesame seeds

Methods

1. Blanch mungbean sprouts for 3-5 minutes until all wilted.

2. Take out the beansprouts and submerge them in cold water, OR run them under tap water to cool them down.

3. Drain and squeeze all excess water from the beansprout.

4. In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients and mix well, then it is ready to serve.

Dietitian’s Tips

• Storage: The bean sprouts can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

• Eat it with: It can be a side dish for any dish, and it is often used in making bibimbap (Korean stone rice bowl), throw into a stir-fry just before turning off the stove, or into soups.

• Spice it up: Add a customised amount of (Korean) chilli powder in step 4.

• Skip fish sauce: Use 1/2 tsp oyster sauce, 1/2 tsp low sodium soy sauce, or a pinch of salt as a substitute.

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4 recipes

Vietmanese Pickles

Gomaae Spinach

Smacked Cucumber

Korean Bean Sprouts

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