Creamy vegan chowder made with protein-packed yuba instead of clams! Packed with flavor from Old Bay seasoning, cognac and more. This recipe may look to have a lot of ingredients, but many of them are pantry staples. The creamy and flavorful end result is worth it!
5ozyuba sheets(see note) rinsed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1tbspvinegar
1/2cupchopped parsleydivided
Instructions
To prepare the cashew cream:
Rinse and drain the soaked cashews, and add them to a blender along with the cooked potato, white beans, miso, and nutritional yeast. Blend until smooth, adding a little bit of water if needed to blend. Set mixture aside.
In a soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and celery, and stir well. Cook until both are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for another 30 seconds.
Stir in the Old Bay seasoning, ground black pepper, and diced potatoes. Cook for about 2-3 more minutes, stirring frequently. Deglaze the pan by adding the cognac, stirring well, and scraping around the bottom of the pan for any stuck pieces. If you're not using alcohol, do this same thing with a small splash of the vegetable broth.
Add all of the vegetable broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and stir in the yuba pieces. Continue to cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 more minutes. Stir in the cashew cream mixture, and simmer until hot. Finally, stir in the vinegar and half of the chopped parsley.
Taste for seasoning (especially salt and/or Old Bay). Serve hot, garnished with more chopped parsley, and crackers, bread, or other accompaniments of choice.
Notes
OLD BAY SEASONING: Old Bay is a great all-purpose seasoning. It's evocative of eating seafood because of the specific spices used, but contains no fish products. If you can't get Old Bay, the next best substitute is a mixture of celery salt with paprika. If you can't get celery salt either, just use a pinch of paprika and make the recipe without it.ALCOHOL-FREE: Feel free to use white wine instead of the cognac or brandy, or even just skip the alcohol entirely and use vegetable broth to deglaze the pan.YUBA: I buy the refrigerated kind of yuba that is already hydrated. If you can only get dried yuba, rehydrate it to make 5 oz before using. If you can't get any yuba at all, baked tofu cubes or cooked chickpeas are both nice in this recipe.VARIATIONS: This recipe is also lovely with seasonal veggies added, such as fresh corn, broccoli, or asparagus. For quick-cooking vegetables, add them with the cashew cream. For anything that needs to cook longer, add it with the yuba.