Some of my standard substitutions for Asian-food staples:

• Soy sauce = Maggi Seasoning (no soy, but wheat) never bothers my mild soy allergy.
• Soy sauce = Two friends recommend San-J Wheat-Free Tamari (I’ve never used it – you know, the soy). Another friend recommends Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

• Fish sauce = add a 1inchx2inch piece of cooked salmon (or raw if you’re making soup anyway)
• Fish sauce = add a 1inchx2inch piece of smoked salmon works too
• Fish sauce = (I know the above don’t help you if you have a fish allergy – for you I’d add a good dollop of salt, or perhaps some seaweed if that works) You might even try beef bouillon

• sesame oil = canola oil with a touch of Maggi or “soy sauce”
• sesame oil = canola oil with some spice added, try a grind or two of white pepper to get that “Asian spice flavor”, or a bit of Fenugreek to add the richness of sesame

• “seasoned” rice wine vinegar = usually is seasoned with sugar and salt. Judge for yourself whether it is worth the risk, we have no trouble with it
• rice wine vinegar = white vinegar or apple cider vinegar with a little sugar

• bean sprouts = julienned broccoli stems (crazy, right?!)

• Shiso leaf = peppermint leaf or basil leaf (it isn’t at all the same, but sometimes random weird ideas work)

• bean noodles = rice noodles

From Jason Gift Enevoldsen

• 2 boxes beef broth
• ¼ lb salmon (fresh or smoked, not lox)
• 2 lbs steak
• ginger (cut in thin coins)
• 5 pearl onions
• 2 Tbsp Maggi* (or soy sauce, or wheat-free soy sauce)

Bits to add

• rice stick noodles
• cilantro, shredded
• red basil or thai basil – leaves picked off stems
• scallions, small pieces
• lime wedges
• broccoli stems, cut thin (like for a slaw, we buy them precut)
• Sriracha* (red hot sauce)

Directions:

Add onions, ginger, steak, salmon (whole), Maggi, and beef broth. Bring to a boil, simmer 1 ½-2 hours until steak is tender and cooked through. KEEP COVERED, you’re not boiling it down. (Salmon will have disintegrated completely, but that doesn’t matter).

Soak rice noodles in hot water 10-15 minutes. Boil noodles for 1 minute, strain and rinse in cool water immediately.

After broth is done, cut steak in very thin strips – crossgrain if possible.

(*Listed Sriracha ingredients: Chili, Sugar, Salt, Garlic, Distilled Vinegar, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Bisulfate As Preservatives, and Xanthan Gum.)

(**Listed Maggi ingredients: Water, salt, wheat gluten, wheat, and less than 2% of wheat bran, sugar, acetic acid, artificial flavor, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, dextrose, caramel color)

Related posts: my standard Asian-food cooking substitutes.

I can’t believe I haven’t posted this yet. My go-to actually-for-real-egg-free egg substitute is Ener-G Egg Replacer. It is currently carried by Amazon.

Ener-G Egg Replacer

Their listed ingredients (but check your own box to be sure) are: Potato Starch, tapioca starch flour, leavening (calcium lactate [not derived from dairy], calcium carbonate, citric acid), sodium carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose.

I follow the directions on the back of the box. I always use it in baked goods, and have had luck in things like chicken nuggets as well which I wasn’t expecting.

When that’s not an option I use this recipe:

• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon water (or other liquid)
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network keeps a good list of substitutes on hand as well.

From Jenn Purnell

Photo by Jenn Purnell

Salad

• 4 lbs chicken
• lots of fresh tarragon
• lots of fresh thyme
• 1 head fresh elephant garlic
• 2 red onions
• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• 4 cups cooked mixed rice (we like Rice Select Royal Blend Texmati White Brown and Red which also has wild rice.)
• 1 head fresh celery
• 4 medium steamed zucchinis
• 2 steamed parsnips

Dressing

• ⅓ cup olive oil
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• ¼ tsp xanthan gum (sometimes corn-derived)
• Pinch ground black pepper
• ⅓ cup lemon juice – fresh squeezed

Serving

• Edible flowers (pansies)
• Fresh baby spinach

Directions:

Cook rice. Dice zucchini, parsnips, celery, onions, and finely chop the garlic. Clean and chop the spices. Dice the chicken.

Steam the zucchini and parsnips. Sauté garlic and onions in oil until soft. (Leave the celery aside)

Add chicken to garlic and onions along with tarragon and thyme. Sauté on high until outside of the chicken is white all over, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Stir every 5 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Whisk dressing ingredients together. Serve on side.

Mix rice, veggies, chicken. Serve over spinach, top with flowers. Add dressing to taste.

From Alice Enevoldsen

• 2 Carrots
• 3-5* Tbsp Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2* Tbsp Olive Oil
• Fresh Basil
• Prosciutto (watch out for weird ingredients)
• Thin-sliced Smoked Turkey (watch out for weird ingredients)
• *Measurements approximate.

Directions:

Shave the carrots into nice thickish shavings – about 2-3 inches long. Toss them with the rice wine vinegar and olive oil. Let sit for 15-20 minutes.

Separate the prosciutto and turkey into individual slices, and slice in half.

Wrap a basil leaf and 5-15 carrot shavings in a cold cut. Lay out on a pretty platter.

Eat.

From Corinne Cooley

• 3 Russet potatoes (no, really … use Russets for this)
• 5 Tablespoons canola oil
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

Before you turn on the oven, move the rack as far down as you can. Then preheat the oven to 475F. Use 4 tablespoons of oil to grease a cookie sheet. Season the pan with salt and pepper.

Cut the potatoes into fries. Soak the potatoes in the hottest tap water available for 10 minutes. Dry the potatoes completely, toss with 1 tablespoon oil, and lay out on cookie sheet. Cover with foil and tuck in tightly.

Bake 5 minutes. Remove foil.

Bake until the fries are beginning to get golden brown on the bottom (15-20 minutes). Flip – but make sure you still have only one layer of potatoes.

Bake until done – crispy (5-15 minutes).

Rotate the pan if the fries are cooking unevenly.

Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Salt.

From Jessie Branom-Zwick

• Rice or other appropriate wraps, 2-3 per person?
• Napa cabbage, ½ head, shredded
• Carrots, 3 medium, julienned or peeled
• Red/orange/yellow bell pepper, 2, julienned
• Cucumber, 1-2, peeled and match-sticked
• Green onions, 6 (stalks, not bunches)
• Jicama (if allowed), 1 non-enormous, matchsticks
• Basil (regular or Thai)
• Pink grapefruit
• and/or any other non-starchy vegetables that look good

Directions:

Roll up the goodies in the wraps. Dip in dipping sauce.

From Jenn Purnell

• 2 ½ Tbsp canola oil
• 4 cloves
• 4 cardamom pods
• 4 peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 cups long-grain rice
• 1 Tbsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 cups beef or chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar

Directions:

Heat the oil at medium, fry whole spices for a few seconds and add the onion rings. Cook until the onions are light brown. Add the rice and ground spices, cooking for a few minutes.

Add the broth and cook on low for 15 minutes.

Add the brown sugar, stirring quickly, then put the tight lid back on immediately! Cook another 15 minutes, or until the rice is done.

From Jenn Purnell

• 1/3 cup fresh mint
• 4 Tbsp lemon juice
• ½ green pepper
• 1 medium tart apple (peeled, cored, diced)
• 1 orange, diced

Directions:

Blender all ingredients.

From Jenn Purnell

• 3 Tbsp tomato sauce
• 7 Tbsp canola oil
• 2 Tbsp oat milk
• 4 chopped cloves of garlic
• 1 inch cube of ginger, chopped
• 2 ¼ lbs chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 whole cardamom pods
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• ½ green bell pepper, chopped

Directions:

Mix  tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon canola oil, oat milk, and 1 cup of water. Blend the garlic and ginger with water into a paste.

Heat the oil over medium heat, brown the chicken on all sides, but don’t do it all at once, do it in batches, setting the partly cooked chicken aside. Add all the whole spices to the oil and stir. Add the ginger/garlic paste and the turmeric. Cook, stirring, for a short time. Add the chicken, tomato mixture, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and chopped green pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn down the heat to simmer. Cook for 20+ minutes. Turn up the heat, and cook down to half.