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.

Brussels sprouts and tofu (Plenty)

• 2 tbsp sweet chile sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 5 oz firm tofu
• 1 lb Brussels sprouts
• about 3/4 cup sunflower oil
• salt
• 1 cup sliced green onions
• 1/2 small fresh red chile, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups shiitake mushrooms, halved or quartered
• 1 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

I once bought a stalk of these from Trader Joe's with no specific recipe in mine. It basically occupied space in my fridge until I had to throw it out.

This time I was shopping for brussels sprouts and even though it probably still living in the fridge for about a week I still was able to actually use it.

I left the mushrooms out at room temperature in a sealed bag for a couple days.  Unsurprisingly much of it went bad on me.  I inevitably wish there had been more shiitakes in the dish.

Mise en place.

Browning the sprouts.

Saute the onions, chile, and mushrooms for 1 to 2 minutes.

Browning the marinated tofu.

Toasting sesame seeds.

Honestly I don't think this dish that Ottolenghi created references any specific Asian cuisine.  There's there's the Chinese-ish glaze that the marinated is reduced down to, but the cilantro is hella Southeast Asia but such a natural pairing with with the flavors in the dish.  And where in Asia exactly do they use maple syrup in their stir-fries.

If I ever make it out to London, I clearly have to eat somewhere Ottolenghi.  And St. Johns as well I guess.

Miso Soup with Bok Choy, Soba, and Broiled Tofu (FM)

• Salt
• 8 ounces soba noodles
• 1 block firm tofu
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon five-spice [freshly ground, even] or chili powder
• Black pepper
• 1/3 cup any miso
• 1 pound bok choy, stems separated and chopped, leaves cut into ribbons
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted if you like
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions [I flaked on this]
  

Mise en place.

Blanching the soba noodles.

Tofu, sliced, seasoned, and ready for the broiler.

Reserve 2 cups of pasta boiling water. Combine one with a quart of fresh water and bring to a boil. Add bok choy and cook until silky.

Whisk miso with remaining cup of pasta water and add with noodles into bok choy and cook until just heated through.

I wasn't really bowled over by the dish, but Jimmie R liked it.

Braised Tofu with Eggplant and Shitake (HCEV)

• 1/4 cup peanut oil or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn
• 1 cup sliced shitake caps (reserve stems for stock or discard) [I know Mark Bittman doesn't like dried Chinese mushrooms, but they've been a favorite of mine since I was a child so....]
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon peeled and minced ginger (optional)
• 1 1/2 pounds eggplant, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks, and salted, rinsed and dried if you like [Before executing the dish, I was considering getting Chinese takeout since I was starving so bad...  In any case, I didn't go through the whole process of correcting preparing eggplant.]
• 1 tablespoon Chile Paste, or to taste (optional) [Let's just go ahead and double that shit.]
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock or water [I used a 1/2 cup of the mushroom-soaking water and then threw boxed chicken stock in there as I seem to do.]
• 2 tablespoons soy sayce
• 1 pound tofu, cut into 3/4 inch cubs
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil for garnish (optional)
• Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish (optional) [I do have cilantro on hand at the moment, but we're not talking Southeast Asian food here.]
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds for garnish (optional) [I suppose this would've been nice, but I didn't think to do it.]
• 2 tablespoons minced scallion for garnish (optional)

Mise en place.


Shitake mushrooms over medium high in 2 tablespoons peanut oil.


Fried to a crisp.  Which isn't how I usually like them.


Lift the mushrooms out with a slotted spoon and add the rest of the oil and the ginger, garlic, and eggplant.


Fry until charred.


Add the chili paste and liquid.





Cook until eggplant is tender.  Bittman said I wouldn't need extra liquid but with the pan at medium-high and so little liquid...  I added boxed chicken broth.

Add soy sauce and tofu and heat through.  Stirring the mushrooms at the end.

At some point I though, "Whoa, I'm basically cooking in the same style of food that I ate growing up more or less every day."  Even if my mom never crisp-fried shitakes to my knowledge.
The people at work thought it smelled amazing, but rarely do I encounter a recipe that's truly my thing.
Didn't become a fan of cooking shitakes in this way.

Braised Tofu with Peas in Curried Coconut Broth (HCEV)

"This dish features a classic Indian techniques for making a deep-flavored 'gravy.'"--Mark Bittman
Indeed, I found the technique similar to what is according to reviewers on Amazon is the best restaurant-style Indian cookbook The Curry Secret by Kris Dillon. Maybe I would find the technique in Pushpa Bhargarva's From Mom with Love, the most highly rated authentic Indian cookbook, but I've yet to cook out of it. Read it cover-to-cover, but I think when it comes to Indian food I only like it the non-authentic way.

• 3 large onions, quartered
• One 28- or 35- ounce can tomatoes with their liquid
• 2 tablespoons garam masala or curry powder, or to taste [I suggest adding cayenne to taste as well. Though now that I read one of the variations I realized I could've used the dried red chiles I have around but never use]
• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds firm to extra firm tofu
• 1 1/2 cups peas (frozen are fine; defrost in cold water and drain)
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, either made from scratch or canned (about 1 can plus a little water)
• Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish [Maybe when I own a cilantro plant again]

The recipe as requested by Will R.:

1. Combine the onions and tomatoes in a food processor and purée; depending on the size of your machine, you may have to do this in two batches. Put the oil in a deep skillet or broad saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the onion-tomato mixture, along with some salt and pepper and the spice mixture, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it thins and becomes saucelike, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the tofu and peas and cook for about 5 minutes, until the tofu swells slightly and the peas are tender, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust the seasoning, garnish with the cilantro over rice.
   

Mise en place. Minus the two onions I had Dan L. buy. I bought me red onion (I didn't specify) which I groaned over a bit but the dish didn't fail.


Had already processed the onions and tomatoes a bit before remembering to take a photograph.


Not perfectly smooth, but I assumed it was good enough.


Simmering them until they become thin and sauce-like. I don't think this really happened.
I also neglected the fact that I should have added the garam masala in at the beginning.


Adding the tofu, peas, and coconut milk and cook for five minutes.


On top of brown basmati rice. Both Dan L and my roommate Adam W said it was quite spicy. But that's how I like to do things here.

Rolled Kaled with Tofu and Fermented Black Beans (HCEV)

• about 8 large kale leaves, washed (or collards, mustard greens and chard. I've been using chard because they consistently have large leaves at the moment.)
• about a pound of tofu (preferably baked, pressed, or panfried [I've gone with baked which is as easy and 1-2 pounds of tofu baked at 350 degrees F for 1 hour]
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup sake or mirin (Honestly I don't think sake has a place here) or water
• 1/2 cup fermented black beans
• soy sauce and dark sesame oil to garnish

Pretty, pretty rainbow chard. I didn't even glance at my other options when I saw this at the Whole Foods in Central.

Chopped chard stems nestling with the "minced" garlic. Bittman claims that he only goes so far to finely chop the stuff. ATK believes garlic pressing is the way to go (which is what I do when I cook ATK). I read at least a couple of times that pressing bruises or muddies or whatevers the flavor of garlic. But then again I'm also told that prep of garlic and onion right before use (like when it goes in the pan and not 30 minutes before) is the only way to get the optimal flavor from these ingredients. What the hell you say? I've read too much cooking literature, but I still refrigerate tomatoes even though that destroys cell walls and loss of flavor.


Wikipedia:

Mise en place ( literally "putting in place") is a French phrase defined by the Culinary Institute of America as "everything in place", as in set up. It is used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the ingredients (e.g., cuts of meat, relishes, sauces, par-cooked items, spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other components) that a cook will require for the menu items that he or she expects to prepare during his/her shift.

Resting on a bed of Trader Joe's Tri-Color Quinoa.