Alex is in the kitchen this month:
I’ve been thinking a lot about chickens this past month. Maybe because it’s spring and new chicks are joining us, or because some friends have spoken about acquiring new chickens for their coops. But mostly because I watched the film “Hen” at the Peterborough Community Theatre.
The film was, on the nose, the life journey of a chicken. What struck me most about the film was how it juxtaposed human cruelty – cruelty towards animals and cruelty towards other humans. The film made a poignant point about the abuse of production; we produce too many eggs in a system that abuses chickens and uses them as a means to an end. We also do the same with migration pathways, as the film points out, with background human characters that are trafficking other humans, moving them secretly in trucks, forcing them into a small room without food or water and keeping them there for days. A system of migration that is dehumanizing and endangering.
The film’s greatest quality, I thought, was its ability to make you think: “How am I treating others?” Not only directly, but tacitly. What systems do we accept because they feel just out of our reach, that we feel we’re unlikely to change? Foodways and migration pathways are two big behemoths – what can we do to change them, or even fight for better, more humane practices, when we’re only one person?
Then I think about how people open their homes for neighbors, or who regularly rally against government practices that endanger human beings. I think about community vegan nights, like the one my aunt has spoken at, that include a potluck of vegan dishes to taste and (hopefully) replicate at home. I think of recipe-sharing columns like ours, and Instagram accounts and Facebook posts of people trying plant-based recipes (some that make my mouth water and have inspired me to try!). I think of people sharing information online, spreading the word about protests, about safety practices, about legal procedures.
If anyone remembers the TV show The Good Place, it talks about adding up the total sum of our human choices after death, to calculate if we go to the “good” place or the “bad” one. Just as, in this day and age, it’s almost impossible to be an ethical consumer, because each choice we make (with our money and our time) has a ripple effect across all systems. Voting in local elections affects the outcome of state and federal procedures, affects land distribution, affects education.
In a small, but no less real way, sharing food is that community connection, a tangible link to others. It’s one way to reach others. And sharing plant-based food recipes, even with one person, can inspire dozens (hundreds? If you’re much more social than me) to try and support better foodways, better crops, healthier eating. Because good food is one thing that should always be shared; it challenges us to be creative, to inspire, and to care for others.
If this is all too heavy for an article about vegan recipes, no apologies from me. Food is life.
This recipe is oh, so quick. And I’ve said that before, but this time, I really mean it. You can make this dish in the time it takes to make a pot of rice (which I recommend doing). I first learned about foodways (the path food takes from the earth to our plate) in a book about Thai cuisine and Thai migration to the United States. While this recipe is not certifiably Thai, it takes its direction from Thai dishes like larb and pad kra pao, and it’s certifiably scrumptious.
Turns out that instead of ground beef or chicken, you can just crumble tempeh and smother it in a delicious sauce, and you’ve got dinner. It’s that simple. This was my first foray into making tempeh myself. I’m usually a tofu gal, but tempeh has the right texture to make for a chewier bite, and won’t fall apart like tofu might (and does) if you don’t treat it right. It’s already cooked, so really you’re just heating it through and maybe crisping it up! So yeah, save a chicken; cook tempeh.
Asian Tempeh Wraps
Feeds 6 (can be halved easily)
Ingredients
- 1 head baby gem or romaine lettuce
- 1 TBSP vegetable oil
- 2 bell peppers, red or orange, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 lb tempeh (2 packages)
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 TBSP soy sauce
- ½ cup hoisin sauce
- 1-2 TBSP chili oil
- 1 TBSP grated ginger (or 2 tsp ginger powder)
- 2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
- ½ TBSP honey
- Scallions, chopped
- Rice, prepared how you like it (approximately 1 cup uncooked)
Instructions
- Put a large pan on high heat and add oil. Add the bell pepper and onion, cook until it’s softened, about 3-5 minutes. Take tempeh out of the package(s) and crumble into the pan, making sure it’s broken up into small pieces. Leave to crisp a bit before moving it around in the pan. Season with salt and pepper.
- While the tempeh cooks, mix the sauce. Add garlic cloves, soy sauce, hoisin, chili oil, ginger, rice wine vinegar, and honey into a bowl and mix.
- After the tempeh is cooked and a little crispy, add the sauce to the pan. Mix everything together and let the sauce thicken a bit, 3-4 minutes. Add the scallions.
- Serve on top of lettuce leaves with rice, if you’ve made it.
For more information on how your food choices affect the planet and your health, go to: harriscenter.org/rhp
