Does Vegan Egg Foo Young without tofu sound impossible? Indeed, in the past, tofu was the ingredient most used to create recipes like omelets or quiche without including animal foods. If you are like me, you were introduced to many recipes that relied on tofu to make an entree that mimicked eggs.
But it’s a brand new day. Now people around the world are wanting to eat more plant-based foods, and their numbers are growing by the minute. Excitingly, adaptable ingredients and techniques are popping up to fill the need. In this recipe, yellow dal takes the place of tofu. I have filled these delicious pan-fried pancakes with bean sprouts, sweet carrots, and crunchy water chestnuts.
Now don’t get me wrong. The ever-versatile tofu is still a mainstay in my kitchen. But sometimes you want variety. Or perhaps you have a family member that prefers not to eat tofu. Thus, this entree is for everyone, including those who are not a fan of the beautiful, jiggly bean curd.
It turns out I know a little about one sub-group of people who dislike tofu. My unofficial survey of persons born in the late 1970s to hippy parents gives a resounding thumbs down to bean curd. Apparently, they ate enough tofu growing up to want to shield their eyes from the sight of it. Who can blame them?
Whether you love tofu or not, have fun with the ingredients in this Vegan Egg Foo Young recipe. The star seasoning is Kala Namak black salt. The aromatic quality from naturally occurring sulfur compounds in Kala Namak fool the senses into thinking you are eating eggs. It’s amazing!
These Tender Vegan Egg Foo Young pancakes are high in protein. Asian seasonings, including ginger and white pepper, make each satiating bite scrumptious. The pancakes are topped with a silky baby shiitake mushroom sauce to boot. With steamed rice and wilted bok choy on the side, you have a magnificent meal.
Vegan Egg Foo Young – No Tofu
Ingredients
Pancakes
- 2/3 cup yellow split moong dal
- 2 TB basmati or jasmine rice
- 2 TB chopped ginger
- 1 TB lemon juice
- 1 tsp. Kala Namak black salt
- 1/4 tsp. white pepper
- 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 2 TB neutral oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups raw bean sprouts
- 1 cup sliced water chestnuts
- 1 cup shredded raw carrot
- 2 TB soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
Shiitake Mushroom Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 1/2 TB soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
- 1 1/2 TB arrowroot starch
- 1 TB neutral oil
- 4 oz. fresh baby shiitaki mushrooms, about 1 1/2 cups
- 1/16 tsp. sea salt
- 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
Instructions
Soak Dal and Rice 4 hours or Overnight
- Place yellow dal and rice in a medium sized bowl. Cover with 2 cups of water and soak for 4 hours or overnight. Rinse in strainer and shake off water.
Shiitaki Mushroom Sauce
- Pour oil in skillet and heat to medium. Add mushrooms, salt and garlic powder. Stir and cook briefly to coat mushrooms with seasonings.
- Dissolve arrowroot starch in a bowl with water and soy sauce or tamari.
- Add arrowroot and soy sauce mixture to mushrooms. Turn up heat and bring to a quick boil. As soon as mixture thickens, turn heat to lowest setting. Keep warm while frying pancakes.
Pancakes
- Place soaked dal and rice in a blender with ginger, lemon juice, black salt, pepper, turmeric, onion powder, oil, and water. Blend on high speed until batter is light and fluffy.
- Pour batter in a bowl. Fold in bean sprouts, water chestnuts and carrots. Dissolve baking soda in soy sauce. Lightly stir baking soda mixture into batter.
- Grease a large cast iron skillet with a small amount of neutral oil and set at medium low heat. Pour batter in skillet 1/4 cup at a time and spread to 4 inches wide with a fork. Cook until golden on both sides.
- Serve fried pancakes with mushroom sauce and slivered green onions over the top.
