Avatar: The Last Airbender Official Cookbook: Recipes from the Four Nations
9 MUNG BEAN TOFU CURRY Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Yield Serves 6 Katara says I can't eat Air Nation desserts for every meal so I've been learning how to make this Mung Bean Tofu Curry by examining old scrolls I discovered in the Southern Air Temple After such a long war and so with many temples in shambles many of these recipes are nearly illegible With everyone gone I can't ask for help so this pressure of legacy rests on me This version is the closest I've been able to get to the curries I remember I hope it does my past airbenders justice Aang 2 tablespoons neutral oil ½ yellow onion peeled and sliced 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced 1-inch knob fresh ginger peeled and minced 2 bird's eye chilies stemmed and minced 1 red bell pepper stemmed cored and sliced 1 green bell pepper stemmed cored and sliced One 14-ounce block extra firm tofu drained pressed cubed pan-fried 2 cups cooked green mung beans 2 tablespoons soy sauce plus more to taste 2 roma tomatoes diced 1 cup unsalted vegetable stock 2 tablespoons cornstarch ¼ cup chopped cilantro Heat oil in a large rondeau over medium heat until slick and shiny Add onion and sauté 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant Add garlic ginger and chilies and sauté 2 to 3 minutes until ginger has softened Add red bell pepper and green bell pepper and sauté 1 minute Add tofu and mung beans with soy sauce and sauté 3 to 4 minutes Add tomatoes and sauté 1 to 2 minutes or until tomato liquid has been mostly absorbed Whisk together vegetable stock with cornstarch until smooth Pour mixture into pot and bring to a light boil to activate the starch The whole gravy should have now thickened considerably Mix all ingredients thoroughly to combine then remove from heat Garnish with cilantro
CHRYSANTHEMUM AND SHIITAKE DUMPLINGS Prep Time 1 hour Cook Time 15 minutes Yield About 30 dumplings Dumplings are a staple when it comes to Air Nation meals When I was growing up Monk Gyatso would always surprise me with new filling flavors after tough airbending trainings cabbage and ginger chayote and carrot even sweet ones with milk If I'm being honest they were never quite as good as his fruit pies This particular flavor has always been one of my favorites now these are a regular treat I make for Katara and me though occasionally Momo eats them all before we can Aang FOR THE DUMPLINGS 2 tablespoons neutral oil such as canola or grapeseed divided ½ medium yellow onion peeled and sliced 12 shiitake mushroom caps sliced Kosher salt 3 cups chrysanthemum greens tough stalks removed 4 large eggs beaten until smooth 1 teaspoon cornstarch optional 30 round dumpling wrappers of choice NOTE Reserve shiitake stems and chrysanthemum stalks and add to the water when steaming or boiling your dumplings FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE Soy sauce Rice vinegar Freshly grated ginger optional Sliced scallions optional TO MAKE THE DUMPLINGS Fill a medium pot three-quarters full of water and bring water to a boil In a large sauté pan heat 1 tablespoon of neutral oil over medium until slick and shiny Add onion and mushrooms with a dash of salt and sauté on medium-low to medium until onions have lightly caramelized and mushrooms have reduced significantly 5 to 8 minutes Remove from heat and let cool Reserve Once water is boiling blanch chrysanthemum greens for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until greens are just barely cooked through Shock with ice water and squeeze out all remaining water Reserve In a medium nonstick sauté pan heat the remaining tablespoon of neutral oil over medium until slick and shiny Add eggs with a dash of salt and cook very gently over medium-low heat until completely set on one side approximately 2 minutes Flip eggs and cook gently until second side has set approximately 2 minutes Remove eggs from heat and break up into pieces Reserve Transfer onion mushrooms chrysanthemum and egg to food processor and pulse until desired consistency If using add cornstarch and pulse again to help bind the filling together Make sure to scrape the edges of the food processor to incorporate all ingredients Once filling is made set up your dumpling station a small cutting board to wrap the dumplings a small bowl of water to wet the wrappers plus the filling and wrappers themselves Wrap dumplings in a shape that makes the most sense for you The simplest version is to place 2 teaspoons of filling at the center wet the edges of the wrapper and fold over to seal in a half-moon shape Once formed dumplings can be cooked by steaming or boiling Cook until wrappers are translucent and soft Make sure to use your vegetable scraps in the steaming or boiling water the Air Nation monks do not approve of wasting food TO MAKE THE DIPPING SAUCE While dumplings are cooking mix together soy sauce rice vinegar ginger and scallions in a small bowl to taste Serve alongside dumplings 11
