Araya's Place - Thai Vegan and Vegetarian Food

"I should like just to remember the order of the houses here. It is a hobby of mine to have an exact knowledge of London. There is Mortimer's, the tobacconist, the little newspaper shop, the Coburg branch of the City and Suburban Bank, the Vegetarian Restaurant, and McFarlane's carriage-building depot. That carries us right onto the other block. And now, Doctor, we've done our work, so it's time we had some play...."

Can you guess where this is quoted from? This is Sherlock Holmes in "The red-headed league", one of "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" which was published in 1892. The plot was set in London, 1890... did you notice that he mentioned a Vegetarian Restaurant? I thought it was quite interesting! Well, I know that the vegetarian diet has been around since much earlier, but the thought of a vegetarian restaurant's existence in London  in 1890 is intriguing.

My husband and I went to Araya's Plate for lunch last week. It is a Thai Vegan and Vegetarian restaurant located near the University of Washington. It is a good size restaurant but almost all the tables were occupied during their lunch hour. We decided to do their lunch buffet, so that we can try a variety of food. There was Phad Thai, Coconut Curry, Fried Rice, Stir Fried Vegetables, Tom Yam Kung, Spring Rolls, Steamed Vegetables, Fresh Salad, Brown Rice, Fresh Fruit, Black Sticky Rice with Coconut, etc.

It's a little hard to judge the quality of food from lunch buffet, but they were all tasty. (They also offer regular menu items during lunch hours.) The only thing I didn't care for was their Black Sticky Rice with Coconut Sauce. It was way too sweet for my taste.

This was my first plate...

And this was my second plate...

I have to say that the big plus of this restaurant is that they have a good size parking lot which is not typical for the University District. I also recommend visiting their restrooms... you'll find all sorts of interesting vegan & vegetarian information just outside of the restrooms.

Araya's Place - Thai Vegan and Vegetarian

Location: 1121 NE 45th St. Seattle, WA 98105

Hours: 11:30am-9:00pm (Mon-Thu)

            11:30am-10:00pm (Fri & Sat)

         11:00am-3:00pm (Sundays)

Tapioca Pudding - Vegan

I was just browsing through some items at a local oriental grocery store the other day and I saw a bag of tapioca for $0.99. I've never bought or cooked tapioca before, so I don't know if it's a good price or not, but... I thought, "hey I could make some tapioca pudding and it's only ninety-nine cents even if it doesn't turn out to be good!" The instructions on the bag were written in poorly translated English, but I think I got the essence of how to cook it. I understand some people are absolutely turned off by tapioca's texture... so this may not be for everyone. But, if you like something light for a dessert, you may want to give it a shot!

What goes in your body (4-6 vegan):

• 1/4 cup of small tapioca pearls
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1-2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• 2 tbsp flaked coconuts (optional) 

 You are going to:

1. In a medium sauce pan, bring 4-5 cups of water to boil.
2. Add tapioca to boiling water, cook for about 5 minutes, turn off the heat and let it stand for an hour.
3. Using strainer, rinse tapioca under cold running water. If the pearls get stuck together, separate them into individual pieces with you finger.
4. In a bowl, mix tapioca with coconut milk. (Add some water if needed to achieve desired consistency.)
5. Mix in sugar and optional ingredients.

  Secrets from the chef:

• Stirring frequently while re-hydrating tapioca will prevent them from sticking together. 
• Tapioca is made out of starch extracted from cassava ( a root vegetable commonly used in Southeast Asia and South America) and is gluten free.

Bon appétit!

For the love of garlic...

If you have been following my blog, you have probably figured out how much I love garlic! (Didn't I just post a recipe for Peperoncino yesterday?) I usually throw in a few more extra cloves of garlic than what the recipe requires, so I go through my garlic pretty quick. Good thing they are fairly inexpensive... Around here, Fred Meyer has the best price for garlic, three for $1. Their size varies, but I guess it's true with any other stores.

Besides using fresh garlic for cooking, I also make garlic paste which is a really easy way to add garlic flavor to curry, soup, sauce, etc. All you have to do to make garlic paste is just to blend 4 ounces of garlic and 1/2 cup of water in the blender. You can keep it in the refrigerator in a glass jar for about a month. Whenever I feel like something is missing from my cooking, I just add a drizzle of this paste and it's an instant fix! I also have a secret recipe for a delicious garlic sauce, but that one remains a family secret... sorry.

Pickled Garlic from McSweet is another of my favorite! I sampled their pickles at a farmer's market this summer and I had to have them. The farmer's market season is over, but you can order samples from McSweet website for a small shipping charge. (They make variety of delicious pickles.)

Oh, and don't forget about Karam's Garlic Sauce!!

Peperoncino - Vegan

This has been one of my favorite pasta dishes for many years, and it happens to be one of the easiest and cheapest meals to cook. It only requires five ingredients from your pantry!

What goes in your body (4-6 vegan):

• One bag of whole wheat spaghetti
• 1/3 cups of extra virgin olive oil
• 8 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 dried red chili pepper
• Salt to taste

You are going to:

1. In a large pot, boil water and cook spaghetti according to the instructions on the package.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pan.
3. Cook garlic in heated oil until crisp and golden.
4. Using kitchen scissors, cut red chili pepper into small rings, add them to the pan and cook for a minutes. Turn off the heat.
5. Drain spaghetti, add to the pan along with salt and mix well with oil.
6. Serve immediately. 

Secrets from the chef:

• You can use more (or less) garlic depending on your perferences.
• To make it less spicy, de-seed chili before cutting.
• Please be careful not to overcook garlic to avoid bitter taste to develop.
• I usually serve it with fresh green salad. 

Bon appétit! 

Chipotle Chili - Vegan

I like Chili because I can throw a lot of nutritious and tasty ingredients into one pot! It's so easy to make and pretty inexpensive and satisfying. There are so many varieties of Chili recipes out there, this one has a nice smoky flavor from chipotle.

What goes in your body (4-6 vegan):

• 2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 2 large stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped 
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped 
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 to 3 tablespoon finely chopped chipotles in adobo
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid 
• 2 cups cooked red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 avocado, chopped (optional)
• Green onion to garnish (optional)

You are going to:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, peppers and garlic and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until vegetables are softened but not browned. 
2. Add chipotle, oregano, cumin, chili powder and salt. Stir to blend. Add tomatoes and water. Gently simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
3. Add beans and simmer an additional 30 minutes. Garnish individual bowls with green onions and avocado, if desired.

Secrets from the chef:

• You can use vegan sour cream and cheese as optional toppings.
• I served with my favorite tortilla chips - 'Veggie and Flaxseed Tortilla Chips' from Trader Joe's.
• The original recipe can be found here.

Bon appétit!