Whatcha Cooking for Meatless Friday, Feb 16?

This Lenten tradition on this blog started three years when I asked @agdr03 for a good seafood dish, and she told me to cook fish with oyster sauce.

Oyster sauce???

It wouldn’t be a hyperbole to say that oyster sauce opened a whole new world for me. I thought soy sauce and fish sauce were the only condiments necessary in an Asian kitchen.

As some of you know, I’m not a great cook. In fact, I’m terrified of cooking rice because I can’t tell whether I’m under-rinsing or over-rinsing the rice before cooking it. 🙂

But any vegetarian and seafood recipes are most welcome. It’s fun to vary our Friday meals during Lent from the usual fish fry and spinach-artichoke pizza, thanks to your suggestions.

Thanks!!

 

9 Comments On “Whatcha Cooking for Meatless Friday, Feb 16?”

  1. I just finished mass with my parents. God’s blessings everyone! 🙏🏼

    Today I’m making it very easy, canned olive oil tuna with eggs.

    Brown some onion in a frying pan, then add canned tuna, cook for a couple of minutes then add eggs and mix until the eggs are incorporated. Add salt n pepper then serve with a little rice. 😀

    PS. Whenever you say the date/year that we started something here in the blog, I feel my age. 🤣

  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0zzA9cG5Pk

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwcLEEdxrZA

    Chinese New Year steamed fish recipe! (made it over CNY 1st day, today is CNY 7th day). Easy as peas and so healthy and delish!

    P.S. yes, oyster sauce is a staple in Chinese cooking and most Asian kitchens — you can mix oyster sauce with water and a tbsp of soy sauce or fish sauce and pour over your vermicelli or any Asian noodles for a great sauce base / seasoning

  3. Thanks, @Empress New Clothes!

    I’ll copy-paste the directions from the first video.

    1 whole fish, 1 small fresh ginger, 1/3 cup of cilantro, 4 stalks of green onion, 3 Tbs of shao shing cooking wine, 3 Tbs of cooking oil, salt, 2 Tbs of soy, 1/3 tsp of sugar, 1 tsp of sesame oil.
    1. Julienne [edited] cut the green onion and ginger.
    2. Brush fish with cooking wine and sprinkle salt.
    3. cook the fish for 12-15 minutes until the meat flakes easily.

    –> Steam the fish

    4. make the sauce: 2-3 Tbs of soy, 1 tsp of sesame oil and 1/2 tsp of sugar.
    5. Garnish the cooked fish with ginger, green onion and cilantro.
    6. Heat hot cooking oil and carefully pour over the cooked fish, then drizzle the
    sauce. Enjoy.

    The two vids are the same except the first video brushed Shao something something cooking wine on the fish and the second video covered the fish eyes which I do anyway because bulging fish eyes make me feel squeamish.

    I won’t have time to pass by the Oriental market tomorrow so I’ll just use the frozen fish fillets (cod, whiting, tilapia) I have in the freezer… I think they should work as substitute as they’re mild flavored and can go with anything with sauce. I might have to skip the cilantro since my hubby doesn’t like it. I love it though.

  4. Thanks, @agdr03.

    Do I have to beat the eggs before pouring them in? What’s the egg to tuna can ratio? Can I add bell peppers?

  5. Hi. I don’t beat the eggs anymore. I crack it and put it straight on the pan. For a 425grams canned tuna, I put in 5 eggs. 😂 I love eggs so it’s up to you how much you want to put really and I guess it depends how big the canned tuna is. 😀

    Yes of course! You can add any other veggies. Bell peppers would be good. I love bell peppers. 😀

  6. Old American Lady (OAL)

    I grew up in a kosher home where dairy and meat meals didn’t mix. We couldn’t eat pork or shellfish or any fish that was smoothe and didn’t have s ales. If you are a meal with meat(no pork and no beef loin-chickenfine).some dairy meals were quite simple. For example, we are broad egg noodles, mixed with butter and pot cheese(a drier version of cottage cheese) seasoned with salt and pepper. It was very satisfying and so simple. On week-endbSundays we are lix, bagels, cream cheese(bagels could be plain or flavored. A favorite accompaniment was either bananas mixed with sour cream or frozen strawberries in syrup mixed with sour cream. We also ate herring in cream sauce, smoked white fish and accompanied the food with Greek olives, and salad as well as sweet onions. We also used various cream cheese spreads like cream cheese and vegetables, cream cheese and scallions and lox spread. A good cup of coffee or tea and orange juice rounded out the meal. Another treat was cheese or frit filled blintzes. Basically blintzes are crepes with fillings
    Usually the fillings are sweet. These dishes can all be used for lent as there’s no meat. If you can find a recipe for fruit soup you are in for a treat. It is yummy mixed with sour cream or sweet cream. We also make cheese, potato or vegetable pierogi’s(borrowed from Polish cuisine) yum. Eat them with sour cream or apple sauce. And to round it all out, any kind of breakfast food minus meat will do like pancakes, French toast and any form of eggs. Omelettes with vegetables and cheese are yummy. And if you like Italian food, there are pastas like cavio and pepper or cheese ravioli or tortellini. And borscht-cold or hot made with beets. Makes a nice lunch meal with some good rye bread or pumpernickel. And for kids and adults alike there are always all manner of grilled cheese sandwiches that go great dipped in tomato soup. I also like cod fish dipped in a mixture of flour, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder, sauteed in butter and dauced with lemon juice. Yum. So I hope you have an easy lent filled with healthy vegetarian, vegan selections. Yum
    .

  7. Kalimera @Packmule3 et al!

    Although, It is not officially Lent for us, traditionally Wednesday and Friday are meatless days for the Orthodox.

    My recipe for the day is very simple and easy and I found it via Instagram from Chef Gab Nikolaidis. I have done this twice now and it tastes briliantly! I am also craving it when I am thinking about the flavor!

    Red Lentils with Spinach!

    You will need:

    1.5 – 2.0 lt of water
    200gr of red lentils
    150gr of spinach (you also use frozen one)
    1 chopped carrot
    3 chopped tomatoes (or you can use a can)
    1/2 teaspoon of Paprika
    salt, pepper
    olive oil

    Here is the video on IG:
    https://www.instagram.com/gabnikolaidis/reel/C0I-xLLIRd1/

    Enjoy!

  8. Empress New Clothes

    Yes – the 2 videos are practically the same except for certain tips on how they do the sauces and the garnishes. I attached both in case you prefer one method to another.

    I followed the male chef recipe too cos I like his details on using wine on the fish, as well as the way he does the various garnishes.

    We just did Lo-Hei today cos it is the 7th day of the Lunar New Year. It’s salad tossing done with great fanfare and lots of fish slices as diners shout their New Year wishes!

    https://www.roots.gov.sg/stories-landing/stories/lohei

    Hope everyone is having a blast making their meatless dishes today!

  9. I love these recipes. Thank you everyone. I’m making a vegetarian chili tonight with quesadillas on the side. No special recipe, just winging it as usual. I’ll make a lot and add ground beef to it on Saturday. Always better the next day!

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