F*ck, That's Vegan?! #2

2: "The Breakfast of Sumo Champions"

The second item we’re making vegan from the F*ck, That’s Delicious book is called chanko nabe. Sumo wrestlers eat huge pots of this flavorful, Japanese stew together as part of tradition. It’s a strength building meal that’s packed with veggies!

Bronson was lucky enough to have his chanko experience led by a professional sumo champion, who broke down the basics of the traditional meal. A spread that included rice, chicken, fried eggs, and sliced pork with onions were served alongside the stew, which we tried to re-create as well.

While we can’t promise that pro sumo wrestlers will drop in to enjoy this vegan chanko nabe with you, we can promise that the experience of making it will be memorable. There are some “tricky” techniques and potentially unfamiliar ingredients, but please don’t let that discourage you from trying this f*cking delicious meal.

Stew Ingredients:

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 tbsp grated ginger
3 garlic cloves, grated
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup mirin
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 packet kombu dashi powder
4 cups no-chicken broth
4 cups filtered water
2 cups bok choy or spinach
3 cups chopped cabbage
6 chopped shiitake mushrooms
1 cluster enoki mushrooms
1 cluster beech mushrooms
1/2 sliced onion

Instructions:

Mash toasted sesame seeds, garlic, and ginger together with the back of a spoon, then set aside. Add water, no-chicken broth, soy sauce, mirin, and dashi packet to a pot and bring to a boil. Add paste of garlic, ginger, and sesame to broth and simmer 20 minutes. Add vegetables to broth and simmer for additional 10-15 minutes.

Side Ingredients

Seitan:

6 cups of bread flour
*This seitan (both chicken and pork) was made using the super helpful recipes and resources on Seitan Society. Links are provided in the instructions below.

Chicken seitan seasoning paste:

1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp white miso paste
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp liquid smoke

Pork seitan seasoning paste:

1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp white miso paste
1 tsp vegan worcestershire sauce
½ tsp salt
½ tsp liquid smoke
½ tsp coconut aminos
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp ground mustard
⅛ tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp white pepper

Fried egg:

½ package silken tofu
½ cup water
3 tbsp rice flour
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground mustard
¼ tsp black salt
¼ tsp turmeric
2 tbsp coconut oil (for frying)

Instructions

Seitan:

Wash 6 cups of flour, then cut gluten in half and rest for 20 minutes.

Chicken:

Use the method described for seasoning and cooking in this Seitan Society chicken recipe here.

Pork:

Use the method for seasoning and cooking described in this Seitan Society ham recipe here (note that this recipe requires at least several hours of refrigeration before slicing). Slice as thinly as possible. Fry over medium-high heat with sliced onion.

Fried egg:

Add all ingredients except turmeric and ground mustard to a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour half of mixture, to be your “egg white”, into a bowl. Add turmeric and ground mustard to remaining mixture and blend. Pour this “egg yolk” into separate bowl.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add oil to hot pan. Spoon egg white onto pan in thin circles. Add a spoonful of egg yolk mixture to the center of each circle. Cover pan with a lid and cook for about 2 minutes.

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