Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Daikon with Crisp Tofu (FM)

• 1 head bok choy (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 block firm tofu (about 1 pound), cut into 1/4 inch slices and patted dry
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 or 2 fresh hot chiles (like jalapeno or Thai), seeded and minced
• 8 ounces daikon radish, cut into 1/4 inch coins
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce, or to taste
• Black pepper

Mise en place.  Bok choy is separated with the stems cut into 1-inch pieces and the leaves cut into wide ribbons.

Pan-frying the tofu.

Cook the onion, garlic, ginger, and chile for about 1 minute over medium-high heat.

Add daikon and bok choy stems until they begin to lose their crunch.

Add leaves and about 1/2 cup water.  Cook until stems and radish are both fully tender.  Daikon will generally turn translucent at this point.

Return tofu to pan, stir in soy sauce, and sprinkle with black pepper.

Very straightforwardly Asian, one of those occasional dishes that remind me of the food I ate growing up.  Because I think soy sauce, garlic, and ginger was probably the main backbone of those stir-fries.  I really enjoy bok choy but don't cook it much.  I'm not sure I've ever dealt with it before.
The first head wilted dramatically after 48 hours in the fridge.  Even though the plastic-wrapped packages of baby bokchok I eventually used were labelled with a sell-by date of 12/21.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the dish.  I used a habanero chile even though it's a little out of place.

Stewed Beef with Turnips (Lucky Peach 5)

Danny Bowien, "Cooking What Chinese People Eat"

• 4 lb beef tongue
• 2 1/2 lb honeycomb tripe
• 3 lbs bone-in short rib
• 1 onion, unpeeled
• 1 carrot, split in half
• 1/2" piece ginger, smashed
• 1 1/2 lbs pork bones
• 1 large sheet kombu
• 1 bunch mustard greens
• 1/2 package soft tofu
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 1 large daikon, peeled and sliced into 1/2" rounds
• white vinegar
• kosher salt
• vegetable oil
• cheesecloth
• parchment paper

Peeling the beef tongue.  This recipe marks my first time working with both tongue and tripe.

All the meat arrange on a parchment-line baking sheet and sprinkled heavily with kosher salt.  Refrigerate overnight.


Soak tripe in cold water with a splash of white vinegar for a half hour.  Then thoroughly scrub the tripe against itself under cold water.


Burning the outer layers of the onion off over an open flame.  Apparently a common step for the Vietnamese noodle dish pho as well.  I sort of remember my mom doing this.
I kind of remember this dish in general, but according to my mom, that's a false memory.


Day 1 mise en place.


Browning the short ribs and tongue.


Place the meat, cheesecloth bundle (bay leaves, carrot, onion, ginger), kombu and enough cold water to cover everything by an inch (or in my case, as much water as I can get it without overflowing).  Cook for 3 hours.


Add daikon and cook until everything is fork tender.


Day 2 mise en place.


Cook mustard greens in a quart of the reheated meat broth for 30 minutes.  Then add cilantro and tofu.


The meat is supposed to be served in a separate bowl from the vegetables and broth, but I was simply too lazy for this.  If I was able to find red jalapenos I would have made the accompanying fermented salted-chili condiment, but I ate the dish as is.
The dish is very simply flavored and austere which isn't necessarily the direction I usually find myself going in.  It was interesting to work with ingredients like tripe and beef tongue.  I'm pretty excited to work with beef tongue in a Mexican taco sense.  Soon...