Hi Friends, it's Teenuja from the Veganlovlie channel.
Today I am making a recipe with jicama.
So, this was actually a request from one of our viewers, Yamaris Cruz, who asked for a recipe with jicama.
So, I wasn't sure I was even going to find jicama in Montreal
but I happened to see some in Loblaws the other day so I bought a few.
So, this is actually what it looks like if you're not familiar with jicama.
It's a root vegetable and...
you can eat it raw or cooked.
So, today we are making a chop suey recipe with this root vegetable.
In Mauritius, we actually have this but it's smaller... a smaller version
And it's known as the Chinese yam or we locally call it 'patate chinois'
So, the most common way that we eat the jicama in Mauritius is actually just raw,
with... just sprinkled with some salt and sometimes some chili paste
And we also like to pickle it along with other fruits.
So, it actually tastes something like a water chestnut. It has a mild sweet taste
and it's very crunchy.
So, I will be featuring another recipe for the pickled jicama in one of our upcoming videos.
But for today we are using it in a cooked recipe which is the Mauritian Chop Suey
So, let's get started.
Start by rehydrating the shiitake mushrooms. I prefer to simmer them in some water on medium temperature
for about 10 minutes as this makes them softer. Once soft, drain the liquid and set aside.
While the shiitake are simmering, prepare the other ingredients.
In this recipe, I am only using half of one jicama as the jicamas that I got are fairly
large. Jicama are easy to prepare. They can be peeled
just like you would peel a potato. Infact, they are even easier. Lift a small section
of the skin and pull the skin off. It should come off clean and easily. Once peeled, you
can cut it into small pieces or however you like.
I cut mine into rectangular slices of about 5 mm or 1/4-inch thick and 2 inches in length.
Prepare and cut the rest of the vegetables and fruit -- carrots, broccoli, snow peas,
shiitake mushrooms and pineapple.
By the way, we have a video where we’ve demonstrated how we peel a pineapple with
minimum wastage. So you may want to check it out. I’ll leave the link in the description
box.
I have kept this recipe completely oil-free as I think chop suey is so packed full of
flavour that the oil is not even required. But feel free to use a little oil when sauteing
the vegetables if you wish.
Start to saute the vegetables. In a wok, on medium-high heat, add the minced
ginger. Allow to heat for 1 minute until the ginger starts to sizzle. Then add in the shiitake
mushrooms. Stir and saute for about 2 minutes, add a little water or vegetable broth if required.
Add in the carrots and cook while stirring occasionally for another 3 minutes. Add a
little water or vegetable broth as required to prevent the vegetables from sticking to
the pan. Next add the broccoli followed by the jicama.
Toss and continue to steam-fry for another 2 minutes.
Add the black beans and cook for another minute. Then turn off the heat, remove the vegetables
from the pan and set them aside.
We are only partly cooking the vegetables at this stage as they will cook further later on in the sauce.
Now let’s make the sauce. In the same wok (with the heat still turned
off), add the ketchup, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup or sugar and the chili flakes.
Then in a small measuring jug, mix the potato starch with 1 cup of water or vegetable broth.
Stir well with a fork to completely dilute the starch into the water. Then add this solution
into the wok.
Now turn on the heat to a medium-high temperature and allow the mixture to heat up. Once it
starts to thicken, you can lower the heat and continue to stir until it loses the milkiness
and becomes translucent. You will need to continuously stir and add a little water if
needed as the mixture thickens.
Add the pineapple pieces to the sauce and let them simmer while stirring for about 2
minutes. At this point, you can taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings like pepper,
salt or more soy sauce.
Now add the snow peas to the sauce followed by the pre-cooked vegetables and beans. Add
a little water or vegetable broth to add more sauce.
Then you can also add more of the potato starch solution (like one more tablespoon diluted
in some water) to thicken the sauce to the desired consistency.
Lastly add the bok choy and the beansprouts. These don't require a lot of cooking and you
can turn off the heat and allow them to wilt with the heat of the sauce itself. Adjust
the salt if you need to and the chop suey is now ready.
You can serve it with noodles or rice.
So, the jicama will stay crunchy even after cooking.
And, I hope you've enjoyed this chop suey recipe and you'll give it a try.
If you can find jicama close to where you live, I do recommend you try it.
And you've liked this recipe, don't forget to give it a thumbs up and also subscribe if you haven't already.
So, I'll see you soon for more recipes. Bye.