Fried Taro-Tofu Sausage Patties

In our lifestyles today, we are realizing that eating healthy is very important not just for us individually but also to express our humanism to society. I am truly a Buddhist follower, so, when I was young, my family always reserved four days every month to eat just vegetables on those days. If we vow to eat more vegetables and less meat every day, more animal lives will be saved. However, eating more vegetables is primarily to make us healthier, calmer, and our brains more intelligent. Some studies have shown that just before animals are killed, their bodies produce more toxins, and we the consumers will put them into our bodies. Anyway, vegetables, grains, and tofu have as much albumin, fiber, or fat as meat. Therefore, I would like to introduce this recipe that will create all the protein that is necessary for healthy living and a delicious dish for the beginner like vegetarian.

Ingredients:
1 small taro root, cooked and mashed (about 2 cups)
1 small yam, cooked and mashed (about 1 cup)
1 cup cooked mung beans, mashed
1 cup cooked black beans, mashed
One 8 oz. firm tofu, drained and mashed
1/4 cup roasted sesame seeds
1 cup rough-chopped button mushrooms
1/2 cup celery chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup red bell pepper. chopped
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cayenne
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup canola oil

Directions:
In a large sauté pan, add 2 tbs oil. Sauté shallots and garlic until fragrant. Add mushrooms, red bell pepper, celery and carrots. Cook these vegetables until wilted. Let cool.
In a large mixing bowl combine, cooked taro, yam, tofu, two kinds of beans, cornstarch, green onions, cilantro, and the cooked vegetables. Season with salt, black pepper, soy sauce, sugar, and cayenne. Mix well.
Form the paste into 3 inch diameter patties. At this point, if not using all patties, they can be wrapped with plastic wrap and frozen until ready to use. Let it thaw in the refrigerator.
In a sauté pan, add enough oil to fry patties on each side for about 3 minutes or until crispy, as you like. Serve with sweet soy dipping sauce.

To make soy dipping sauce:
In a glass jar, combine 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup red vinegar, and 1 cup hot water.
Cover lid and shake well. The soy dipping sauce can be refrigerated for month. Add minced garlic and hot chili to the sauce each time served. Adjust this sauce to your own taste, but this is good as directed.