The Myths about Tofu

A former student S.P. emailed me after she tried the "Stewed tofu with snow peas" recipe I posted on January 22nd with a good question: how do you make tofu dishes more flavorful? She said her husband, like my partner from the Midwest would add cheese to tofu if they can help it! It's true tofu itself has hardly any flavor but this is exactly its characteristic and uniqueness: it absorbs whatever flavor you add to it. Another thing I don't see mentioned much in recipes and what the Chinese are so particular about is "texture". To Chinese, texture is as much, if not more important than flavor. Tofu, along with bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, wood ear, just to name a few, are used and savored for their textures in Chinese cooking.

Here is a recipe which includes shrimp, ground pork for people who want to enjoy tofu without being deprived of flavor.

Stuffed Tofu with Pork and Shrimp

Ingredients:

2 boxes of firm tofu
1/2 cup raw shrimp, shelled and gutted, finely chopped
1 cup ground pork
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon rice wine
2 Tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 4 tablespoon of water,
1 Tablespoon of dry cornstarch
2 Tablespoon soy sauce
                                                      1 teaspoon of sugar
                                                      1 cup water or chicken broth(more flavor)
                                                      3 Tablespoon oil
                                                      1 teaspoon sesame oil
                                                      a dash white pepper (optional)

                                                      cilantro, green onion for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

1. Put ground pork, shrimp, salt, rice wine, 1 teaspoon of cornstarch mix in a small bowl and blend well.
2. Cut tofu into triangles and scoop out the center, add to the pork/shrimp stuffing mix. Sprinkle a little dry cornstarch inside the tofu triangle. Stuff the triangles with shrimp mix and set aside.
3. Heat the oil until hot in a wok or frying pan. Dip the triangle's stuffed side in remaining corn starch mix(save one teaspoon) before browning, this prevents them from separating. Cook with medium heat until all sides are golden brown.
4. Add soy sauce, sugar, rice wine, water or broth and white pepper if using. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add cornstarch mix (1 teaspoon corn starch, 2 tablespoon water), cook until the sauce thickens.
5. Put on a plate, drizzle sesame oil, sprinkle cilantro, green onion and serve.

Notes: Tomatoes or shitaki mushroom will add interesting and extra flavors to this dish. Add one or the other (I wouldn't use both, then it is too much flavor and we have a name for it - Chop Suey!) at step 4.

S.P. asked another good question which might interest you as well: How do you make dishes flavorful but not spicy? -  I used lots of garlic and onions (green onion for Chinese.) For Asian cooking, fermented black beans, dried shitaki mushrooms, sesame seeds and oil, Chinese rice wine, Cantonese oyster sauce, Japanese sweet wine Mirin and miso, Vietnamese fish sauce, Thai Tamarind, tomatoes, basil, lemon grass and chicken broth all enhance flavor without adding heat. Another aspect of Asian cooking I think need to be addressed is the balance between saltiness and sweetness, Asian American restaurants tend to be "crowd-pleasers" leaning too much towards the sweetness.

I'm excited that a neighbor is going to teach me how to make tofu from scratch. You might wonder why a Chinese need to lear how to make tofu from an American. Well, this is another assumption many people have - the reason I don't know how to make tofu is in Taiwan tofu is so available and inexpensive, and there are so many varieties, not just the white square in a box you see here, and they are freshly made daily. By the way, please don't ask me how to cook rice on the stove stop, I don't know because I always use a rice cooker!  Happy Chinese New Year, everyone! (February 3rd, 2011)

An Improvised Evening Well Received

" Isn't it a great joy when friends visited from afar?" - Confucius

This past Monday a couple of friends from New York paid us a spontaneous visit. We already spent the weekend in Seattle cooking, eating, and carousing with other friends. Although it was fun I felt a bit "partied out" and was looking forward to come back to the quiet woods. I was glad when Jeffrey and Brigitta agreed to drive back with us. I was hoping they might appreciate a change of scene from the cities. I improvised a Chinese dinner which Jeffrey later emailed me after they returned to New York for the recipes. Nothing pleases a cook more than being appreciated, so here they are.

This dinner is what I and maybe most Chinese would consider a "typical" dinner for a middle-class (the rich families will have maybe two meat dishes more elaborately prepared) family of 4: San Cai Yi Tang, three meat and vegetable dishes and a soup. If there are 5 people, then it is Si Cai Yi Tang: four dishes and one soup. This ratio is followed almost unconsciously and taken for granted at Chinese homes and restaurants. At restaurants these "set menus" (vs. ala carte) are called "He Cai". Chinese eat soup at the end of the meal; using the same bowl for rice.  I skipped the soup from this meal as I was short on time and ingredients.

Steamed Cod with Fermented Black beans, Ginger and Scallions

Ingredients:

A fillet a cod, cut to size so the pieces fit on the plate for steaming
2 Tablespoon each of thinly sliced (julienned) ginger and scallion
1 Tablespoon of rice wine
1-2 Tablespoon of fermented black beans (If you can't get these, miso works well too but it tastes completely different.) Some black beans are saltier than the other, soak them in water if they are too salty)
2 Tablespoon of oil
salt

Instructions:

1. Rinse and pat dry cod. Sprinkle and gently rub in the rice wine and salt, set aside.
2. Cut ginger and scallion into thin slices. Chop fermented black beans.
3. Bring 1/2 pot of water to boil. I used a bamboo basket that fit over a big pot for steaming , but you can adopt any Western-style steaming method.
4. Distribute ginger, scallions and black beans evenly on top of the fish.
5. Steam with medium high heat for 8 minutes. It is very important not to overcook the fish. Check the thickest part, if it has turned white, it is done.
6. During the last minute before the fish is done, heat up the oil in a small pan until hot.
7. Pour hot oil over the fish. I served the fish directly in the basket.

Steamed Cod with black beans, ginger & scallions

Stewed Tofu with Snow Peas, Carrots and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 box of firm tofu, slice into 1/4" thick pieces
A handful of Snow peas, stringed
1-2 carrots, cut into 1/2" chunks
Mushrooms, I used Enoki mushrooms because I had it in the fridge but any mushrooms will do, slice or cube
2 Tablespoons of oil
1 Tablespoon of rice wine
2 Tablespoon of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 cup of water
a pinch of salt
(Note: You can substitute 2 Tablespoons of Japanese Mirin for the rice wine and sugar.)

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan until hot, gently place the tofu pieces into the wok. Shake the wok or pan a couple of times during frying to prevent sticking. When the tofu slices are brown on both sides, move them to a small pot. Add soy sauce, salt, rice wine, sugar, water, mushrooms, carrots and simmer for about 10 minutes. If using Enoki mushrooms, add last with the snow peas as it takes no time to cook.
2. Add snow peas and Enoki mushrooms if using. Cook 30 seconds or until snow peas are crisp-tender.

Stir-fried Boy Choy

Ingredients:

A bunch of Boy Choy ( I used regular boy choy, baby coy choy, Chinese broccoli, You Choy, regular broccoli will all work.), chopped
1 Tablespoon of oil
1-2 Tablespoon of water
A dash of rice wine (optional, it is believed the rice wine keeps the green color vibrant.)
A dash of salt

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil until very hot, put the greens in the wok, add salt and rice wine, stir, add a little water and cook about two minutes more or until the white part of the vegetable is translucent.

A typical Chinese dinner for 4 (minus soup)

Stir-fried Boy Choy

After dinner we all stretched out on the sofa, full and happy like fat cats. But after some pleasant and lazy conversations  I could tell Jeffrey was starting to get a bit restless. When he jokingly said he'd eat dog treats I knew I had to come up with a desert. Chinese rarely eat deserts after meals; a little fruit sometimes. I was so thrilled to see I had one apple left in the fruit bowl. I knew just the right desert to make. Again it was something quick and easy using whatever was available - my favorite kind of cooking. It gives me great pride and joy to improvise and make our guests happy. 

Apple Oven Pan Cake 

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoon butter

1/4 brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 apple, peeled and sliced

3 eggs

1/4 salt

1/2 cup each flour and milk

1 Tablespoon each fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat over to 425 degrees. Melt butter in a cast-iron pan or ovenproof pan over hight heat. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, stir to combine and add apple. Cook about 3 minutes or until apple just starting to soften.

2. Use a blender, food processor or a whisk and a bowl, blend eggs, salt, flour and milk until smooth. Pour egg mixture into the pan and bake until puffed and brown, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice and powdered sugar.

I told our guests this quick desert would taste so much better using our own fresh apples and eggs. I hope they will come visit again when they can harvest flowers, fruits, vegetables, fresh eggs themselves. I think that would be a very nice experience.  

Crabs with Green Peppers and Black Beans

Ingredients:
Serves 2

1 large crab, cleaned, drained, pat dry and cut into pieces (I separated the legs and left the body halves whole)
peanut oil, 2 cups and 3 tablespoons
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1/2" chunks
1 tablespoon each, ginger, garlic, green onion, black beans, chopped
1 tablespoon of hot chilly pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons of corn starch
Sauce: 1/2 cup of water, 1 tablespoon rice wine, 1 teaspoon each of sugar and salt

Instructions:

1. Heat 2 cups of oil in a skillet or wok until hot. Dip the crab pieces cut-sides into the corn starch, shake the access and fry about two minutes each side. Set aside on a big plate, let them drain over paper towels.  (Be aware that the crab pieces will "scream" when they are fried - wouldn't you? This recipe is not for the faint-hearted.)

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a clean skillet or wok. Stir-fry the ginger, garlic, green onion and black beans until fragrant about 30 seconds. Add crabs, green pepper and sauce. Lower the heat and cook 3-5 minutes until sauce is thickened, pepper tender and crabs cooked through.

3. Serve immediately with lots napkins.

Ballsy Crabs- Spicy Good

Ingredients:
Makes about 8 Balls

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon jalapeno, minced(more if you like it hot)
1/2 red or green bell pepper
2/3 cup of corn
1 teaspoon each of cumin and  paprika
a dash of cayenne pepper and white pepper

3 cups of crab meat

1 egg white

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon cilantro
Zest of 1 lemon
salt and black pepper
1-1/2 cup of Panko (Japanese Bread Crumb)

1. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet with medium heat, saute onion, garlic, jalapeno, bell pepper corn and spices until tender, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix crab meat with egg white, mayo, salt, black pepper, cilantro, lemon zest and cooled vegetable mix. Gently combine with a fork.

3. Put Panko on a plate. Form crab mix into 2" balls in your hand and carefully roll them in the Panko, carefully lay them 1" apart on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Sprinkle more Panko on top and gently pat it down. This step takes great care as the crab balls tend want to fall apart. They are not as ballsy as they sound.

4. Bake until golden brown on the top, about 20 minutes.

They can be enjoyed as a warm appetizer, put one or two on a lettuce leaf and sprinkle with lime juice or a dollop of mayo. Wrap two in a warm burrito skin with your favorite garnishing, or eaten as a crab burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo and mustard. I've not yet try putting them in Udon noodle soup like Tempura. I bet that will work. In fact I'm going to try that for lunch! Stay tuned.

Fettuccine Crab La Vodka

I first tasted this recipe a few years ago on Frost Island; a tiny, sparsely-inhibited and little-known island in the San Juan's.  C got a crabbing license on Monday, 8 years after living by the coast.  Now our fridge is taken over by crabs. Other good crab recipes, anyone?

Ingredients:
Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 if serving with a soup or salad

2 cups of fresh crab meat, shelled and picked well
1/2 small onion, minced
2-3 cloves or garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup of good vodka
1/2 cup of chicken broth
1/2 cup of heavy cream
Salt and Pepper
Fresh basil
1/2 pound of Fettuccine or Penn

1. In a skillet, melt butter and heat olive oil with medium heat, add onion and garlic, saute until translucent.
2. Add vodka and continue heating with medium heat until it reduces to half.
3. Add crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, bring to a boil and simmer.
4. Cook pasta according to the instruction, minus a couple of minutes because it will continue cooking in the sauce later.
5. Add cream to the simmering vodka tomato sauce and let it thicken to your liking, if it is too watery, add a table spoon of tomato paste.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Put drained pasta into the sauce, add crab meat, gently turn and evenly coat with a tong. Once the pasta and crabs are heated through remove the skillet from stove.
7. Serve with fresh chopped basil on top.

Baked Tofu

Ingredients:

A packet of extra firm tofu.
Marinate:
2 Tbsp of soy sauce
2 Tbsp of Sesame oil
1 tsp of Chinese Five Spice


Instructions:

1. Take the tofu out of packet, rinse with cold water, pat dry, place tofu on a big flat plate and put another big plate on top. Put a heavy object on top to squeeze out the extra liquid. Leave it for an hour.

2. Pat dry tofu again and cut into 1/2" thick slices with a sharp knife.

3. In a small bowl mix soy sauce, sesame oil, and Chinese Five-Spice. Brush the mixture evenly on the tofu, hold the tofu gently in the palm of your hand, brush the top, sides and bottom. Lay the coated tofu in a container in layers. Cover and leave in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. Turn occasionally.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking oil and lay the marinated tofu slices in a single layer 1/2" apart. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden.

There are many ways to enjoy the baked tofu, my favorites are:

1. Cut the baked tofu into 1/2" strips, sprinkle soy sauce, sesame oil, chopped green onion and cilantro. We love spicy food so I usually add a dash of hot chili oil. Chinese usually eat this as an appetizer or as a side dish for noodle soups, rarely as a main course.

2. Cut the baked tofu into 1/2" strips or cubes, stir- fry either with broccoli, or/and red bell pepper, beans, the possibility is endless. Since the tofu is already cooked, add last just to heat through and to coat with the spices you add and the juices from the vegetables.

3. Spicy baked tofu bean paste noodle sauce - I will post the recipe shortly. "Zha Jiang Mien" is the Chinese name for noodles with a sauce made with minced pork, baked tofu, soy beans and bean paste - it's a very common and popular street food in Taiwan.  But the quality depends on how it's prepared, and the difference is like using Spaghetti sauce from a jar or making your own with fresh ingredients.

East Meets West Fried Rice

East Meets West Fried Rice - There is no such thing called the "Wrong Rice"

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 eggs

3 Tbsp oil

3 cups of leftover rice

Small piece of smoked salmon, cubed

1/4 onion, chopped

2 green onion

2 Tbsp of carrots, chopped

2 cups of broccoli

A dash of kosher salt, white and black pepper

1 tsp of soy sauce

1. Scrambled the eggs in 1 Tbsp of oil. Cook until it's almost done but still a little runny. Set aside.

2. Saute the onion and green onion in 2 Tbsp of oil until fragrant about a minute, add the vegetables and a little water(1/4 cup more or less), cook until the water evaporates and the broccoli is crunchy but still has some bite to it, about 3 minutes.

3. Add rice, smoke salmon, scramble eggs, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Mix well and stir constantly until rice is heated and coated evenly with the soy sauce. Use the spatula to break up clumpy rice and the eggs into smaller pieces. Adjust the flavor if needed.

4. Divide the rice into two bowls and serve hot.

I've made fried rice numerous times, mostly without meat or fish, usually when there was nothing else to eat! Last night I stumbled on this recipe also as the last resort. I had nothing planned and the idea of having fried rice for dinner seemed depressing! Then I remembered I bought a small chunk of smoked salmon at the Chimacum Farmer's Market. It was wild line-caught Alaskan salmon from Cape Cleare Fishery. If you are like me who still consider smoked salmon a luxury item, now you can exhale, it only costs $5. You actually don't want to use too much salmon as it is nicely salty and flavorful, too much can be, well, "too much". You can use chives instead of green onions if it's more available, or just pluck the green stalks from the onions in the yard like I did. Now comes the most exciting part - the rice! I never used Basmati rice before but that was what I had for leftover. Again, like what I wrote in "Accidental Mango Salsa" - the best recipes come from accidents! I discovered Basmati is the best for making fried rice because it doesn't stick and stays in shape when heated. Besides it's nutty undertone compliments the salmon's smokiness.

I want to sound like a wise old Chinese woman with sage advices- "no, no, no use short-grain rice, no make the mistakes I made. Aiya, you learn, foreign devils." But wait a minute, who's talking? Who just wrote, "My best recipes often came from accidents?" There is no such thing called the "wrong rice" in the world of creating fried rice! So go ahead, use whatever you have, create your own master piece, and share with the world.

Accidental Mango Salsa

Those of you who enjoy cooking probably have this happen to you - you create something wonderful by accident. In my mind there are two kinds of cooks - the scientist who follows recipes to a T; and there's the artist who finds whatever is in the fridge. I was a scientist when I had disposable income which allowed me to buy gourmet ingredients however obscure and costly, and even if I only used them once it was worthwhile for impressing my friends. Now I'm turning into a starving artist by default! I usually don't have a recipe in mind, I look at what is available and try to create something decent and healthy out of it - necessity is the mother of invention.

It was a warm May afternoon yesterday and I had been working in the yard all day, so slaving over a hot stove in our West-facing kitchen didn't seem very appealing. There was some turkey leftover that needed to be consumed quickly as we had been living off it for a week. We bought it at QFC around last Thanksgiving for 29 cents a pound. So there was cold turkey and burrito skins - a no brainer. And I was delighted to discover I had all the components for a fresh salsa (okay, I admit I don't have my own vine-ripe tomatoes); store-bought tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, lime, garlic and red onion Then I noticed the Manila Mango and the avocado I bought on sale also needed to be consumed before they became too ripe. I have used mango before but I think the secret is to use the right kind of mango. I don't know about you who live in other parts of the country or of the globe, but in Washington buying mango is a crap shoot. Once I bought a whole box at Costco (by the way, I quit Costco six months ago and I haven't suffered withdrawal); most of them were not edible. This is the big green and red Mexican variety. This mango I used is the smaller, oblong golden Manila mango which I bought at Central Market in Poulsbo, 3 for $5. And the avocado which I only splurge when it is a dollar each at the QFC.

Accidental Mango Salsa

Serves 2 (2 burritos each and some extra for chips)

2 ripe tomatoes, cored and seeded

jalapeno, cored and seeded (I used a whole one because it was also going soft!)

3/4 cup loosely packed cilantro

2 cloves of garlic

1 Tablespoon of red onion or green onion

1 Tablespoon of lime juice

1 ripe Manila Mango

1 Teaspoon of olive oil

1 Teaspoon fresh oregano (optional)

Salt and fresh-ground black pepper

Chopped everything up, add lime juice, salt, pepper and olive oil, let it sit in room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Viola. Add the usual suspects to your pan-warmed burritos, such as sour cream, shredded cheese, lettuce, crumbled corn chips (this really adds a nice texture to the burrito), and a dash of hot sauce (Cholula Original is our new favorite) if you like it hot and spicy like we do.

The Seven Sisters Clams

It is the clamming season! My partner and a neighbor have been going to the Seven Sisters Beach near the Hood Canal Bridge to harvest clams. I've been itchy to try this recipe for years because it reminds me of home. This dish to seafood restaurants in Taiwan is like burgers and fries to American diners. When we first moved to the Northwest I was excited about the prospect of cooking and eating more fresh seafood. One would think it was a realistic expectation considering we were moving from the landlocked Midwest. I have been greatly disillusioned. Not only the store-bought and restaurant-served seafood are not fresh most of the time, the prices are unaffordable for us volunteers of simple living to eat regularly. And the kicker is unless you go to the top restaurants which we can't afford, your choices are pan-fried, deep-fried and battered-fried! What is the difference? The seafood we've enjoyed the most has been gifts from friends and neighbors who were the actual fishermen; salmon, tuna, crab, oysters, and even dog fish once. (It makes great miso soup,) Now clams! If you are going to steam the clams, instead of using lots of butter for dipping, try mixing soy sauce and rice vinegar in 1: 2 ratio and minced ginger. Try it, you would like it, I guarantee it.

Ingredients:

15-20 medium clams*

1 Tbsp of green onion, ginger, garlic, red chili pepper

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 cup of basil

2 Tbsp oil

* I let the clams sit in natural salt water for a day or two to get the sand out. Before cooking I brush-cleaned the shells and let them sit in regular clean water while I prepared the other ingredients.

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a wok or skillet until hot. Add green onion, ginger and garlic, stir-fry 30 seconds until fragrant.

2. Add clams, soy sauce, sugar, stir to coat, continue cooking with medium heat until all the clams are open. Add a little water if needed, usually not necessary as there will be enough juices from the clams.

3. Add basil, cook for one minute and serve.

This dish can be served as an appetizer or a main dish for two with vegetables and rice.

Bon Appetite or should I say "Itdakimasu" - "I humbly receive" as my Japanese friend Mayu and Yuko would say before meals.

Reminder: Before you start digging, you need to apply for a license and follow the rules published by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

What has "Eggplant & Basil" got to do with World Peace?

In Taiwan eggplant with basil is considered a typical Hakka cuisine. It is believed that Hakka people were originally nomads from Northern China who migrated to southern provinces of Guangdong, Jiangxi and Fujian in the 17th century, and later on to overseas including Taiwan. About 20% of Taiwan's population is of Hakka descent, many settled in Hsinchu where I grew up. The rest of Taiwan's population consists of aborigines, Taiwanese and mainlanders. I belong to the mainlander group who has only been in Taiwan for four generations. My parents evacuated from China in 1949 led by the Nationalist government who lost the civil war to the Communists. The aborigines, Taiwanese and Hakka have been in Taiwan centuries earlier than the mainlanders and enjoyed their own language and cultural heritage. The Nationalist government, as the ruling class and occupying forces usually do, imposed their might, superiority and culture on the occupied. But despite of 40 years of political, economic and cultural oppression good food transcended all boundaries; Taiwanese and Hakka cuisines have shared as much, if not more, popularity as mainland (Canton, Hunan, Sichuan, Shanghai are the better known ones)cuisines in Taiwan. This "food equality" makes me hopeful that when it comes to food - We are One People. You might be wondering about the lack of mentioning of the aboriginal food culture. Well, that will be another day and a very long story.

Eggplant with Basil

Ingredients:

3-4 Chinese eggplant, cut in 2" strips or 1" rounds

1 cup loosely packed basil

1 cup of oil

1 Tbsp chili bean sauce (less if desired)

1 tsp minced green oion, garlic and ginger

1 tsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp sugar

Directions:

1. Heat 1 cup of oil in a wok or frying pan until hot, add eggplants and stir-fry until all pieces are coated with oil. Cook for a couple of minutes with high-medium heat, then turn down the heat to very low and cook the eggplant until very soft. This might take 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

2. Take out the eggplants and drain. If there is excess of oil left, pour into a small bowl or jar for other use.

3. Heat 1 tbsp of the drained oil until hot. Add chili bean sauce, green onion, garlic and ginger, stir-fry about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add drained eggplants, basil, soy sauce and sugar, heat through and serve.

Try it and let me know how it turns out. If you enjoy it invite someone who sees the world differently than you, share it and see what happens!