Honey Tofu (or Chicken)

This was our first try with this recipe

This dish is SO tasty.

The left-overs? Equally as tasty.

Zok time: Prep time about 20 minutes, and cooking about 20 minutes

This includes the fact that he did the (currently) usual process of 2 woks, one with the chicken and one vegetarian.

The oh so tasty sauce soaks into the rice, making the left-over delicious - even cold.

The chicken and the tofu are treated the same way (of course tofu is easier since it is you know...tofu...and you can't under or over cook it- one of the reasons that it is a wonder food)

 I asked Zok how you know the chicken is cooked since it is coated with the cornflour and he said "you can tell." well, I suppose if you are a meat eater this is true.

This is for 2 people so double it if you are more.

A box of firm tofu (did you read what I said about the left-overs? yeah use the whole block)

1 egg white

1/2 c. (you can use less zok is a 'more' sort of person) Cornflour

about 1/4 c. vegetable oil (so you can re-coat your wok as you do new batches of ingredients)

small white onion, or basically whatever you consider a good amount (for me this is barely any for Zok more) cut very fine

2 carrots (the more the merrier) cut into lengthwise- not 'matchsticks' more like a skinny french fries.

Snow peas (the more the merrier) cut into squares, about the same size as you cut your tofu works well

2 heaped tablespoons of honey 

 toasted almonds (optional)

First take your cubes of tofu (or chicken if you must) and dip them into your bowl of egg white and then lightly dust with cornflour, best to shake off any excess put aside

Heat your wok and coat with a bit of oil

Stir fry your tofu in batches (or chicken)

Put them aside on something to drain (a paper towel is fine)

Reheat your wok and add a bit more oil to stir-fry your onion for about 4 minutes

add in your carrot for about 4 minutes

then your snow peas about 2-3 minutes stirring (or flipping) all continually

Make your your wok is still quite hot, and add in your honey and coat your vegetables thoroughly

Now add in your tofu (or chicken or both) and once again mix until well coated

Serve up immediately and add your toasted almonds (or not, we didn't)

Serve with the rice of your choice

 

 

Yaki-udon (Chicken optional)

The only thing that takes a lot time with this recipe is soaking the shiitake mushrooms if you are using dried ones- we used fresh because we luckily can buy them that way.

We use dried Udon noodles, which are cooked for about 7 minutes (like cooking pasta) but you need to then immerse them in cold water until you need to add them into your stir-fry

As usual our recipe is for 2 people (well Zok's two people which honestly I think is more like three)

5 or so shiitake mushrooms - thinly sliced caps only (discard the stems)

half of a mushroom stock cube

(if you use dried mushrooms you'd soak your dried shiitake in boiling water and keep about 1/8 of cup of the liquid to add into the stir fry instead of using the cube)

1 clove of garlic crushed

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1 tbl. rice vinegar 

1 tbl. sugar

1/4 cup of soy sauce (Japanese - which is lighter than some)

1 tsp. lemon juice (fresh if you can)

250 g. / .5 lb of udon noodles (fresh if you have them)

250 g. firm tofu (we fried ours as small squares and then cut them into half)

250 g. / .5 lb of chicken thigh fillets thinly sliced* (optional)

1 clove garlic finely chopped

1 small red capsicum (bell pepper) thinly sliced

spring onion thinly sliced (about 2)

1 tsp. peanut or sesame oil

(this is a good dish to add in kale, cabbage, or any Asian greens although Zok doesn't always agree to that)

First combine your crushed garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, lemon juice and mushroom stock into a large measuring cup- set aside

Cook your noodles (Fresh udon would only boil for a couple of minutes, whereas dried takes longer (Zok says 5-7 minutes and to add some olive oil to the water))

Now heat your wok on high, add about half your oil to coat (if you are going non-vegetarian you will now cook your chicken)*

Zok cooks his chicken to add in last- in a different walk (so one batch is completely vegetarian)

++Tip- If you are doubling this recipe, cook your chicken in batches, it should take about 5 minutes for each batch- cook and put aside, repeat.

If you are going veg- then start with just your oil, and add in the remaining garlic (the sliced garlic),  mushrooms, pepper (capsicum), and any other greens you choose and stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes to soften up your veg.

Add in your noodles and stir-fry for one minute

Now, add your chicken or just your tofu

add spring onion, the rest of your oil and your soy-spice-mushroom stock mixture

Just stir fry until everything seems coated 

Voila! You are done.

 

Phad si-iew

During our recent road trip through North America, Zok seems to have gotten back into a habit of eating meat- often.  Either the trip or the fact that he had some dental work done which caused him to attempt ten days of 'soft' food.  A concept that did not want to or could not grasp.

My phad si-iew had tofu but no chicken.

Zok of course - had both chicken and tofu.

We left out the egg-but if you want to add egg, just cook it first-it should come out omelet style, and you can slice it and put it aside and just add it in at the end of your stir-frying

(This recipe is for about 2 people)

250 g or .5 lb of rice noodle thick ones which are about 2 cm or 3/4 inch

1 tbl. peanut oil

1 egg (optional)

250 g of chicken or beef (optional)

250 g (for us about half a block) of firm tofu

30 ml or 1 fl. oz of kecap manis

about a 2 tbl. of soy sauce

about a tbl. of fish sauce (this can always be switched out with any other veg. sauce to add flavor-mushroom being the most common)

150 g or 5 oz of bok-choy, gai larn (chinese broccoli), kale or leafy green of your choice

150 g or 5 oz of broccoli (I like both types in mine)

a dash of ground white pepper

Drain your noodles and set aside

If you are frying your tofu, cut it into desired shape, fry and set aside on something porous (paper towel, designated tea towel)

Heat your wok(s) over high heat, and add in your peanut oil reduce to medium, add your noodles and cook for a couple of minutes

combine all your sauces soy, fish, kecap manis (you can add water if you think the sauce is too thick, I prefer mine thicker)

Add your vegetables and white pepper

Lastly add in your tofu (and egg/meat) and stir fry it all for a couple of minutes

Serve up !

Dried or fresh: First soak them in a large bowl of boiled water (hot) completely covered so you can then separate the noodle strands. Zok likes to soak his for his entire prep. time so about 20 minutes to a .5 hour.

Zok used a second wok, and using the same sauce he cooked his chicken in a second wok, and then just added this into his portion.

Fresh Spring Rolls

Time to prepare- about 30 minutes

No cooking!

This is another recipe you can change to suit yourself.  We adjust for the amount of people, I can easily eat 5 by myself

But here is what we do:

Dried Rice paper wrappers

Dried rice vermicelli

Fresh Thai basil leaves (I admit we makes these during our Thai basil season, if you don't grow your own, you should, it is easy-peasy)

Coriander/Cilantro (optional) personally I hate it

Fresh mint leaves

Carrot cute into short thin strips

Cucumber cut into sticks

a bit of grated lime rind

If you think these are too 'dry' you can add a bit of sweet chili sauce,

we dip ours in just some soy sauce with a lot of grated ginger and we don't think you need anything else.

Many people used hard boiled egg cut into 1/6 ths.  But we quickly toast some thin tofu squares in butter, and then cut them like the carrots into matchsticks.

 Soak the rice vermicelli in a bowl you fill with boiling water for about ten minutes to soften them, and then drain them in a colander 

We use a class baking tray and fill it with warmish to almost hot water and then soak each rice paper wrapper as we use them, just immerse, soften and then spread it out on your work surface next to all your prepped ingredients and wrap them up

Basically you layout your wrapper, fill as desired (Zok puts in some chopped chillies - no surprise there...)

Then wrap them sort of burrito style, or just fold up the ends and roll them

Sort of tap down the filling as you do this

If the rice wrapper gets brittle just sprinkle it with a bit of water

That's it!

Healthy, quick and very tasty

 

 

 

Spicy Soba Noodle Soup

Spicy Soba Soup

 

There are easy ways to vary this soup.  Some recipes call for snow peas, and/or bean sprouts. Sometimes we use lemon grass instead of ginger, or we get wild and use both.

 

I love this soup, but Zok is unimpressed, and I only get it when I make it (!) or as a special request.

 

This soup always takes under .5 of an hour.

It also re-heats nicely.

 Which is why we always make it for 4, even though we are only 2.

 

250 g or 9 oz soba noodles

2-4 shiitake mushrooms (you can use dried, we usually use fresh)

2 litres (8 cups) vegetable stock- this soup is fine with one of those cubes you can get, or if you have soup stock on hand*

2 small carrots, cut into thin matchsticks

(in the photo they are short because we used small carrots from our neighbors generous garden)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 spring onions (scallions) cut in short lengths and sliced again a bit like the carrots

3 cm or 1 1/4 piece ginger cut into matchsticks (its a theme)

80 ml or 1/3 cup soy sauce

60 ml or 1/4 cup mirin or sake (cooking sake is fine)

Small diced dried pepper (seeds or no seeds depending on how hot you want it to be)

 

Your soba noodles are likely dry, so just cook them as directed on the package, and set them aside in a strainer.

If your mushrooms are dried, you need to soak them in some boiling water until soft (about 3/4 a cup for 4)

Drain them so you can slice them put keep the liquid aside.

Combine your vegetable stock in a pan (we use a large sauce pan) with the mushrooms, the extra mushroom liquid, carrots, garlic, spring onion and ginger. (This is when you'd also put in other options like snow peas)

Bring to a soft boil, then reduce to a simmer

Usually about 5 minutes softens your vegetables.

Now add your bean spouts (if you are inclined) more importantly add your mirin and soy sauce, (and pepper if desired)

Get your bowls, put in the wanted amount of noodles in each, and then ladle the soup mixture over the top.

Easy!

 

*I have a vegetarian soup stock recipe up if you want to search for that.

 

 

 

 

 

Pineapple with Cashews and Fried Tofu or Chicken

Zok and I first had this dish on vacation in Phuket.

When Zok first made this, he always hollowed out the pineapple to use it as the dish, however we don't do that generally anymore.

It is easier to just chop up all of the excess ingredients for the compost (feed the worms!) all that once.

Oddly of course this for us is a Christmas time dish as pineapple comes in season, and we make Chi-chis to drink while trimming the tree.

As this is basically a stir-fry, the cooking time is only about 10 minutes.

Sometimes we have just Tofu, or if there are meat eaters around that feel tofu isn't enough, Zok cooks up some chicken in the small wok, to add it in.

This is technically for four people-of course if you are a couple (as in two) you can just estimate how much you want to eat.

Prepare your rice in a rice cooker (if you don't have a rice cooker, you need a rice cooker)

Fry your tofu in small squares/and set aside with your other prep.

*Remember that stir fry is ALL about the prep.  cut and tidy all your ingredients ready to all be at hand and ready to put into the wok quickly.

1/2 cup of raw cashews

2 tbl. oil (Zok uses peanut for this dish)

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 large onion, cut in large chunks (or small, sneaky chunks if someone like me is eating and doesn't want to actually see any onion)

2 tsp. chopped red chillies (omit this for a less spicy dish)

1/2 red capsicum, chopped

1/2 green capsicum, chopped (Zok uses 2 full small ones, I just put the capsicum I don't want to eat back onto his plate when he isn't looking)

2 tbls oyster sauce

1 tsp fish sauce (you can switch out these for vegetarian sauces if you have a strict veg/vegan around)

1 tsp. palm sugar (or brown)

2 cups chopped fresh pineapple (it needs to be fresh the canned is already so soft it will deteriorate when it is being stir-fried)

2 spring onions chopped

2 tbls shredded coconut toasted (as a fancy garnish)

Roast the cashews on an oven tray for about 15 min. at 180 c or 350 f until golden (or cheat and just use already roasted ones)

Heat oil in your wok and first stir fry your garlic, onion and chillies over medium heat for 2 minutes 

Increase heat to high and then stir-fry your capsicum, when they are just about done, add in your sauces, sugar, pineapple and tofu and thoroughly toss for about 2-3 minutes coating everything evenly.

Add your cashews and quickly toss-

Have your assistant scoop out the already cooked rice and add your stir fry over the top

Garnish with spring onion and coconut as desired

If you are adding in chicken- add it pre-cooked after you have dished out the tofu-version to your vegetarian friends.

Tips!

Why not make a nice blended Pina Colada or Chi-Chi with your extra pineapple?

Oil-clean cans are commonly found at Asian markets, so you can clean and store you oil to use more than once.

 

 

Mee Goreng or Zok's version of Mee Goreng

1 brown onion, chopped finely

2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

2 red chillies, seeded and finely chopped (or not* says Colleen)

2 cm aka 3/4 in. of fresh ginger grated

60 ml or 1/4 c. oil (Zok would mention here you want an oil that can take the high heat and not burn away so Sunflower is better than Peanut)

350g about 12 oz. of Hokkien noodles, gently pulled apart

A package of firm Tofu first fried then cut

4 spring onions

1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks

1 tbls. kecap manis

1 tbls. soy sauce

1 tbls. tomato sauce

extra spring onions, to garnish 

Combine chopped onion, garlic, chillies, and ginger into a mortar and pestle (or use short bursts in a food processor)

pound until ingredients are paste-like (you can add a bit of oil if needed)

Set this aside.

In your wok use about 1 tbls. of oil  and stir fry your noodles until they are plump and warmed through. Place them in a covered bowl when done to keep them warm.

Add another tbls. of oil to your wok and stir-fry your paste mixture until golden.

Add your carrots, then your tofu

(Stir-frying all the while)

and then your kecap manis, soy and tomato sauces

Spoon the finished mixture over your noodles.

Notes:

You could at the tofu step substitute some sort of meat- you know- if you are in to that.