#woonheng

Dreaming of eating this again.

I can’t quite remember the last time I’ve been to a Thai restaurant, although it was certainly pre-pandemic. We plan to hit up our favorite local place, The Woodsman as soon as we can, but are still avoiding indoor dining. (Our second vaccine doses are blessedly coming soon!) Thai food hits so many of my favorite flavor notes from the prevalence of spice to the sheer variations of saucy noodle recipes. If I’m eating out, I almost always order Pad Kee Mao with beef. This week’s menu planning had included making WoonHeng’s Vegan Rad Na, but as I pulled out my ingredients I realized I misread the recipe when I made my shopping list and purchased pickled mustard greens rather than pickled peppers. Sigh. While the Rad Na will have to wait for another time, I did happen to have everything on hand to try her Vegan Pad Kee Mao and I’m so glad I did!

SKILL RATING: Easy-Peasy

As I’ve said before, stir fry recipes are inherently fast and easy. To maximize efficiency, I encourage a little organization. In most recipes, I chop all the veggies and prepare whatever sauces before starting to cook anything. If there is a protein that needs to marinate, I’ll do that first and then prep everything else, but you get the idea. Anyway, there was a teeny learning curve this time around because it was my first attempt at using fresh flat rice noodles - those wide luscious sheets you get at the restaurant. WoonHeng does have instructions to make your own, but I used store bought this time. As she described in the recipe, they can be a bit brittle when you open the package and recommends softening them in the microwave under a damp paper towel for 1-2 minutes. This method worked well, although I would pull back on the cooking time a bit as some of the noodles got a bit gummy and hard to pull apart at the edges.

The rest of the recipe was just a classic fast and easy stir fry. I broke out my handy-dandy TofuBud, whisked together the sauce, chopped a few veggies, and we got to enjoy one of our favorite restaurant dishes at home paired with an episode of StarTrek Voyager.

TASTE RATING: 5/5

This was everything I wanted in a Thai stir fry. It was packed with strong umami flavors and the bright spice of the chopped Thai chili peppers was a perfect compliment to the earthy bite of the basil and slightly bitter notes from the Chinese broccoli. Thanks to the TofuBud (seriously, get one), my tofu crisped up into a toothy and substantial protein that held up to the thick sauce and densely chewy noodles. We didn’t miss the meat at all.

Take the time to crisp up some wonton strips to up the CRUNCH factor!

After making WoonHeng’s scrumptious Vegan Wontons in Red Chili Oil, I was very eager to cook through her trove of plant-based recipes. Typical of Oregon springtime, the weather can shift wildly from requiring sandals to sweaters in a matter of minutes. While we had been enjoying a string of sunny days and blooming flowers, a recent cold and cloudy evening seemed like the right moment to make a batch of Vegan Hot and Sour Soup. One of the things I like most about WoonHeng’s recipes, is how much she embraces spice and layering flavors. The recipe looked great and very quick and easy. But I’m not going to lie, the reviews in our house were split.

SKILL RATING: Easy-Peasy

Having never made hot and sour soup at home, I had no idea how easy it was. The only real planning involved is making sure to soak the dried mushrooms and mung bean thread. Other than that, this is a one-pot meal with a bit of sauteing followed by simmering everything together. I took the extra step ahead of time of cutting a few wonton wrappers into strips, frying, and salting them to add some necessary crunch to a thick, silky soup.

TASTE RATING: 3/5

We were very split on this one. Matt didn’t like it at all and I have to admit, it was a little meh. Based on the ingredients, I ladled out two bowls of this hot steamy soup anticipating an umami explosion in my mouth, but was surprised that it tasted like nothing. I mean truly, the first bite was beyond bland and I thought for a moment I had completely lost my sense of taste. Matt looked at me and said: “This is not good.” He was right. I really like hot and sour soup, but this was neither hot nor sour, but just a gloopy soupy soup. I let it sit for a few minutes and found the flavors started to emerge. It did improve and I ate mine, making sure to get crunchy wontons and fresh scallions in with every bite to maximize the texture. Reflecting on the soup, I think the recommended use of silky tofu made it too silky when it needed a little more tooth to it. If I were to make it again, I’d use a firmer tofu and add more vinegar in the end. I still have some leftover in the fridge that I’m planning on for dinner tonight, so I’m wondering if the flavors get better after a couple of days. All in all, it was okay but definitely needs the toppings! Looking forward to trying out more of WoonHeng’s recipes soon!