Braised Tofu and Vegetables

Braised Tofu and Vegetables

Tonight I cooked something meatless - Braised Tofu and Vegetables.  It was such a light and lovely meal!  The tofu was so beautiful - crunchy outside and moist inside.   I am trying to cut back by eating less meat and more vegetables in my diet.  Instead of eating white rice I had some spaghetti coated in a bit of garlic chilli oil.   It was a delicious combination.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

400grams of fresh regular tofu
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1 bunch of any greens like bok choy, choi sum into 10cm lengths
1 clove of garlic crushed and sliced in thinly
1 cup of mushroom slices
1 small carrot cut into slices
some water
2 tbs of light vegetarian soy sauce (or just light soy sauce)
2 tbs of vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce (or the normal oyster sauce)
pinch salt
shallots to to garnish



Method:

Cut tofu in small small squares approximately 2 to 2.5cms and transfer on a plate
Heat the oil in a work or a large heavy based pan on high
Slide or tip the tofu gently into the pan sideways with a knife (I find this easier because the oil will splatter if you place a square tofu in the oil one by one!)
Turn the tofu until its golden brown on each side and then drain on paper towel. Set aside
Pour off any excess oil from the pan and leave about 1TBS and reheat on high.
Add the garlic til golden (not burnt) and quickly add in the mushrooms and saute.  Set aside with the mushroom juices in another bowl
Add the carrots and a bit of water and cook (don't let it over cook) and then add the green vegetables.  Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, add the sauces, some water (if you want a thin sauce) and stir.   Carefully place the tofu pieces into the pan and coat with the sauce.  Add all of the vegetables and cook for a further 2  minutes.
Salt to taste
Garnish with shallots and serve immediately over hot jasmine rice (or spaghetti in my case)

Fried tofu cooked in tomato pepper sauce

I haven't been updated for a very long time due to too much work and study at the moment but since I am nearing to the end of study I have a bit more time now.  I hope everyone is well.

I have been watching Luke Nguyen for the past few months and I got to say he is the best presenter I have ever watched (compared to Poh).  Now one recipe that really caught my eye was the Fried Tofu in Tomato Pepper Sauce.  It seemed to be so easy so I had to try.  I am not a big tofu girl but after eating this I have been on tofu for at least a month and I got to say being meat free wasn't easy so I am back eating meat cause I need that protein!

Frying it was the hard bit cause I did get a few splashes of oil but at the end the cubes became nice and crispy.  It was so good without any seasoning.

This is the finished product.  I think I have went overboard simmering the sauce but hey it tasted pretty good to me.

If you would like to try this ready just hop to Luke Nguyen's site and give it ago!  It's so good with steamed rice.

Pepper Sauce Tofu Puffs with Couscous

This is something I whipped up in a few minutes.  I had left over tofu puffs in the fridge, pepper sauce from the steak (previous entry), some bean sprouts and herbs and was too lazy to make rice so made 5 minute couscous instead.    I thought it would of tasted weird but turned out pretty good!

All I did was cook the couscous in boiling water for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.  Meanwhile, I cut up the puffed tofu into slices and then added it on a hot pan with oil....stir fried it and then added in all those ingredients and voila...a 5 minute meal!  It was very tasty and filling.

I think the point to this post is that you can whip up anything in the fridge even though "you have nothing to eat".   I could of went out to Maccas but decided to make up something with leftovers which became a satisfying meal.

Vegetarian Patties / Cakes

Hi guys! Sorry I haven't updated for so long. We had a huge storm here and it cut out the telephone line and so I was net free for about 3 to 4 days! It was the most stressful days of my life lol. No jokes hahaha.

Anyway, I like to share a simple recipe to you without the meat and fat! I made these "vegetarian patties" on a Friday afternoon. I wanted something healthy, fresh and crunchy and something with flavour and I came up with this without the meat :P. I didn't use exact ingredients. Thought when I tried to form the mixture into patties it kind of crumbled a bit. I found that when I fried them in the pan it holds shape anyway and it was nice and crunchy.

For about 8 small Vegetarian Patties you will need:

• 1 medium sized potato washed and peeled
  
• 2 medium carrots washed and peeled
  
• 1 zucchini washed and peeled
• pinch of salt and pepper
• pinch of cumin and some paprika
  
• 1 egg
• 1 to 2 cups of bread crumbs
• olive oil

Method

1. Firstly wash all your vegetables and grate them into a large mixing bowl.
2. Then squeezed out excess liquid from the vegetables. Squeeze as much as possible to prevent it from being too wet and hard to form patty shapes.
3. Then season with salt, pepper and paprika and cumin. Taste accordingly.
4. Add the egg and mix through the mixture. This will help stick the veges together and make it easy to form the patties.
5. In a fry pan add the oil and wait til it heats. Sprinkle bread crumbs over a large plate for coating the patties.
6. Form the mixture into small shaped round patties and coat generously though the bread crumbs
7. Lay the patties into the fry pan and fry each side until golden brown
8. Repeat process until mixture is all used up
9. You can cut them into quarters and serve them with salad
10. Enjoy :)
    

Ann's Vege Noodle Soup

A few months ago I brought my very own Vegetable Noodle Soup to work. I thought it looked quite bland but hey it tasted really really good! The corn, mushrooms, cauliflower and the carrots I only used in the soup tasted really sweet and warm to the tongue. When I finished heating the soup with the noodles one colleague of mine goes "Oh that looks so simple but it looks so good! No wonder why you are so skinny!!!". I looked over what she was having - it was a microwavable Aussie meat pie. And I thought "that is why you are a bit fat? lol". She asked "How did you make it?". I said "Um just chucked the spare veges I had all in with water with a pinch of salt and pepper". That is how easy and simple it is and so healthy for you cause there is no fat or oils!


What you will need:

• 2L - 3L of water
  
• 1 cob of corn
  
• 1 carrot chopped thinly however you like (the thinner the quicker it will cook)
• 1 cup of cauliflower chopped in quarters
• 1 cup of mushrooms sliced
• 4 pieces of rice stick noodles cooked and drained
  

Method:

1. First have a pot of boiling water (2 litres to 3 litres depending how much soup or broth you want).
2. With the corn, shuck it and then under running water remove as much of the silk. then break or cut into half. When the water is boiled put the corn in gently. It will take about 10 minutes plus to cook depending how soft you want your corn to be. I like my corn soft.
3. Then take the corn out with tongs or chopsticks. Be careful because it's really hot! Place it on a plate
   
4. Now place the carrot and cauliflower into the corn broth and then the mushrooms. Add the salt and pepper. Taste it accordingly to how you want it. For me about half a teaspoon of salt is enough. Cook for about 10 minutes.
5. While the vegetables are cooking - cook the noodles in boiling water until soft and then drain well. Place them in individual bowls.
6. Then with the cooked corn cut the kernels off the sides and place it with the vegetables.
7. Finally the vegetable soup should be ready! All you have to do now is ladle the soup and vegetables over the noodle bowls
   
8. Enjoy!

Pickled Stuff

I made this earlier in the year hence the date on the jar :). This is called "Do Chua" or in English 'pickled stuff'. It is well known to be found in banh mi thit sandwiches! Yum Yum. It's often made with daikon but i don't like them...





Making pickled carrots is quite easy. All you need is carrots, vinegar, salt and sugar! The recipe should be adjusted according to how much you want to make depending on the size of the carrots.

The pickled carrots lasts for months and months in the fridge so don't worry it will not go off. I finished that jar (above) in August this month - a long time! However, you will find that the crunchiness is not as great as in the first 1 to 2 months.

The recipe I used was from www.vietworldkitchen.com. I just didn't use the daikons but about 2-3 more carrots for this depending on the size of the carrots.

Do Chua (Pickled Carrot and Daikons)
www.vietworldkitchen.com

Makes about 3 cups

• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
• 1 pound (about under 1/2 kg) daikons, each no larger than 2 inches in diameter, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons plus 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup lukewarm water

Place the carrot and daikons in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt and 2 teaspoons of the sugar. Use your hands to knead the vegetables for about 3 minutes, expelling the water from them. They will soften and liquid will pool at the bottom of the bowl. Stop kneading when you can bend a piece of daikon so that the ends touch but the daikon does not break. The vegetables should have lost about one-fourth of their volume. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water, then press gently to expel extra water. Return the vegetables to the bowl if you plan to eat them soon, or transfer them to 1-quart jar for longer storage.

To make the brine, in a bowl, combine the 1/2 cup sugar, the vinegar, and the water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the vegetables. The brine should cover the vegetables. Let the vegetables marinate in the brine for at least 1 hour before eating. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. Beyond that point, they get tired.