Eggplant Bulgogi Cauliflower Kimchi Fried Rice

Inspired by the popular Korean dish (but certainly not authentic!), this vegan eggplant bulgogi recipe is incredibly easy to make, exploding with flavour, and completely addictive! bulgogi beef, AKA Korean BBQ beef, is a classic Korean dish made from strips of savoury, spicy, and sweet marinated beef. My version is however made with eggplants prepared using a homemade BBQ sauce for major flavour impact.

Oh my kimchi stars! Enjoy the mouthwatering softness of the rice, the blissful kimchi and savoury vegan bulgogi partaayy. This recipe is a quick and easy dish that comes together in less than one hour. The sweetness from the bulgogi and tartness from the kimchi are perfectly balanced by the savoury rice and seasonings. .Pure home cooked goodness!

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Hakka Abacus

Yam abacus seeds (算盘子) or yam gnocchi is like the Chinese version of gnocchi. For those who are new to this traditional dish, abacus seeds is one of the Hakka classics in Chinese cuisine, made up primarily of purple yam/taro and tapioca flour. When cooked, these yam abacus seeds are soft on the outside, chewy on the inside and full of strong yam aroma.

An auspicious Hakka dish that signifies prosperity and yields to overflowing blessings — eating abacus seeds during festive celebrations and gatherings (especially Chinese New Year) will help to bring an abundance of wealth into your life.

This is an heirloom recipe from my family, dating back generations to my grandmother’s village in China. It’s a difficult dish to find outside, so although it takes some effort and time to make, it’s so worth it.

Her ratio is simple 2 portion of yam always go with 1 portion of tapioca flour. If you want your abacus seeds to be more QQ, you can probably increase the tapioca flour by a bit. But bear in mind not to add too much because you may not be able to taste the yam anymore. Likewise, if you want more yam flavour, decrease the amount of tapioca flour.

And of course the trick to make the abacus seeds is: DO IT WHILE IT’S HOT. Kneading the abacus dough while it’s hot was really challenging for me then. But now, I think my hands are somehow immune of heat already so I do it pretty fast. Don’t try to do shortcut by putting it into a blender please, this dish must be made by hand.

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Air Fried Oyster Mushroom Chicken

Battered, seasoned, and air-fried to a crispy golden brown, these vegan oyster mushroom chicken will satisfy your comfort food cravings! If I’m being honest, I really wasn’t sure this recipe would work. I mean to make vegan fried “chicken” with mushrooms is one thing. But to nix the frying completely in lieu of air frying? It shouldn’t have worked. But oooh did it worked!

Oyster mushrooms are a good source of vitamin D, protein, fiber, potassium, vitamin B6 and folate and can be found at most Asian grocery stores and farmers markets. The thing I love about oyster mushrooms for this recipe are all the nooks and crannies. The irregular shape of the mushroom provide “hooks” for the breading, so that it doesn’t just slide right off when you dredge the mushrooms. This ensures a delightful crunch with each and every bite.

These crispy oyster mushrooms are full of flavour with a crunchy coating, ensuring that they are delightfully crunchy outside and succulent inside, not to mention with a tender meaty center. They are just perfect and need no added oil. I don’t know about you guys, but I am a huge fan of mushrooms. Air frying these mushrooms gives them that distinctly crunchy, fried texture (with way, way less fat).

IF YOU EVER GIVE THIS RECIPE A TRY, DO LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND/OR TAG @FRUITYEMZ AND HASHTAG #FRUITYEMZ ON YOUR INSTAGRAM POST! I WOULD LOVE TO SEE ALL YOUR YUMMY CREATIONS 🙂