Crispy Tofu with Shrimp Squares

I like this dish a lot. In fact I made a bit more and freeze some of it up so the next time I wanted to eat this all I have to do and take it out of the freezer and fry them up. You must be thinking why I like to freezer most of my food rather than eating them fresh. Well, I don’t cook everyday especially our Asian type of food and when I do I usually cook a bit more and freeze them up so I can have it anytime I want. It is usually dishes that freeze well like rendang, curries, stew, soup, curry puffs and etc. So now you know why I need two fridges when there are just two of us ha ha..

Anyway, back to this dish. My mom used to make this dish for us. When I called her last week on her birthday I asked her how to make this dish and she told me roughly what she put in it. I gather all the ingredients and made this the following day. The squares turn out really well. They were crispy on the outside, nice and moist on the inside.

Agedashi Tofu

Agedashi tofu is a simple Japanese way to serve hot tofu. Soft or firm tofu is cut into cubes, is lightly dusted with potato starch or cornstarch and then deep fried until golden brown. It's then served in a hot tentsuyu broth made of dashi, mirin, and shoyu (Japanese soy sauce), and topped with finely chopped green onions and bonito flakes.

Ingredients:

1 block soft tofu
Some potato starch
Some cut green onions
Some bonito flakes

Lontong or Kuah Lodeh/Mix Vegetable in Coconut Broth

I made this dish during Hari Raya (Eid Ul Fitri) gathering last September in New York but only managed to post it now just in time for MFF - KL and Selangor. This dish is a must during that time and it is usually serve with pressed rice or Nasi Impit. There are many version of Kuah Lodeh, different states have different ways of preparing this wonderful dish, some can be dryer, some a bit on the soupy version, some in pale yellow color and some more on the reddish side. I learned making this dish from my friend Zuliah’s mom many years ago and have been making it pretty often since I love vegetable curry. I added a bit more chili to it as I like the gravy on the reddish side.

 

Thai Panang Curry with Beef and Tofu

Being a Malaysian I love food that are spicy and will strong flavors and curry is one of them. I must have them at least once a week if not I will crave for it. I like making most curry paste from scratch if I can find the time and ingredients but if I am crunching for time I will just use the readymade paste. One of my favorite brands is Mea Ploy and it is from Thailand. I will usually keep a tub of it in my fridge so I can use it if I want to cook something quick. They do have a few types of curry paste but I prefer their Panang curry. They are really good and with great flavors. I used beef this time and they do take bit of time to cook them but if you prefer chicken you can always use it. This dish is great to be serve with some savory rice.

Nyonya Style Fried Noodles

I cook noodles very often as it is something that I will eat for lunch when I don’t want anything elaborate. This is something that I will cook for Diana too for her lunch in the office. This is a little bit different from the traditional Chinese fried noodles. It has some blended chilies, dried shrimps, lemongrass and fermented bean paste in it. It brings a great aroma to the fried noodles.

Ingredients:

400 gram yellow noodles – wash and drain
1 piece chicken breast – sliced thinly
15 shrimps – peel and deveined
2 cups bean sprouts
2 pieces fried tofu – cut into small cubes
1 small bunch Chinese chives – cut into 1” length
Some cut red chili for garnish

Mee Rebus/Noodles in Sweet Potato Gravy

This mouth –watering mee rebus (in English, Mee rebus is literally translated as boiled noodles) is a popular dish among Malaysian and Singaporeans. It is a noodles dish served with thick sweet potato gravy and garnish with prawn fritters, fried tofu, hard-boiled egg, bean sprout, julienned cucumber etc. I made this some time ago with the leftover prawn fritters that I made perviously and decided to use it up for this dish but if you don’t want to make any fritters you can always replace it with blanched shrimps or cooked chicken.

Ingredients for the gravy:

4 shallots
3 cloves garlic
1” ginger
4 tbsp dried shrimps – soak in water for 15 minutes
6 red chilies – remove seeds
2 stalk lemon grass – remove the outer layers and cut small

Blend all the above into a smooth paste.

Stuffed Tofu/Tahu Sumbat

This is one of Malaysian favorite snacks. Famously known as Tahu Sumbat or fried tofu stuffed with vegetables. It is usually sold by the road side stalls especially during the Ramadan month or fasting month. There are usually served with sweet and spicy chili sauce but some like it with peanut sauce.

Ingredients:

3 pieces firm tofu – cut in half diagonally into 2 triangles
Half cucumber – julienned
A small carrot – julienned
A handful of bean sprout – removes the tails and blanched briefly

Fried Tofu with Szechuan Pepper and Salt

I am a sucker for any salt and pepper dishes. If we dine out and I see in on the menu I will definitely order it. Most of the restaurant here will prepare it with pork, calamari or shrimps but for today I am doing it with tofu. These dishes are not difficult to prepare. Basically you just deep fried the main ingredients and sprinkle it with salt and Szechuan peppercorn mixture. As for the Szechuan pepper all you have to do is dry roast it over medium heat on a heavy-based pan until it begins to ‘pop’ and aromatic. Cool it down and then grind it into powder with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. I usually make more of it and store it in an airtight container.

Ingredients:

1 block of firm tofu – cut into 1” cubes
½ cup of cornstarch
Salt to taste

Tempeh in Honey Lime Sauce

I found tempeh at one of our supermarket here a few years ago and I’ve been cooking with it ever since. Beside the regular organic soy bean tempeh, I am able to get the 3 grains, wild rice, flax seeds and garden veggie tempeh. I tried all of it but I still prefer the good old soy bean kind. Tempeh is basically fermented soy bean cake. You can cook sambal shrimp, or vegetable curry with it. They are a great source of protein especially for those who are on Vegetarian diet. This recipe is from HomeKreation-Kitchen Corner and she used Anchovies for this dish but I replaced it with Tempeh.

Tofu in Creamy Sauce

This dish is similar to Fish in Creamy Sauce but instead of fish I replace it with tofu. I think tofu taste so much better than the fish as the tofu absorbed all the nice flavor of the butter, milk and curry leaves. This is a great vegetarian dish and goes really well with rice.

Ingredients:

1 block of firm tofu – cut into 1” square
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Yong Tau Foo/Stuffed Vegetables

Yong tau foo (酿豆腐) is one of my favorite foods from back home. It is a popular dish in Singapore and Malaysia and literally translates as 'stuffed tofu’ with fish paste. Soy products like tofu, deep fried tofu puffs and bean curd sheets are often used and vegetables like okra, bitter melon, chilies, sweet peppers and eggplant are common choices too. These stuffed tofu and vegetable pieces are pan fried and usually serves in clear broth or simmers in bean paste sauce.

I don’t make this dish often because it is labor intensive. Whenever I make this, I will make a bit more so I can freezer some of it. . During our Malaysian ladies monthly gathering we decided to make some since there are a few of us to help out. We are able to buy ready made fish paste here so it makes life so much easier for us. All we have to do is add some ground meat, spring onions and some seasonings into it and the paste is done. Here are some of the pictures I took to share it with you.

Ingredients for fish paste:

1 pound fish paste
½ pound ground pork or chicken
3 spring onions – cut small
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp white pepper
Salt to taste

For Stuffing:

4 pieces of tofu
1 big piece of beancurd skin
1 packet of tofu puffs
10 ladies fingers
1 eggplant
1 bitter melon
10 sweet peppers
6 red or green chilies

Sauce:

2 tbsp of fermented bean paste
2 tbsp oyster sauce
3 cloves garlic – chopped
2 ½ - 3 cups of water or chicken stock
1 tsp of cornstarch + 3 tbsp of water
sugar to taste

1. In a mixing bowl, mix all the fish paste ingredients together and mix well and set it aside.
2. Prepare ingredients for stuffing. Wash all the vegetables. Trimmed okras and make a slit in the center. Slice eggplant, sliced the bitter melon into rings and discard the seeds. Stuff it with the paste.

3. For the chilies and sweet peppers, trimmed the steams, make a slit and try to discard as much seeds as possible. Stuff it with the paste.



4. Cut the tofu into triangles, make a slit in the center, wash and squeeze out all the water from the tofu puffs and cut into two, cut the bean curd skin into 4” x 5” pieces. Stuff it with the paste.



5. Heat up some oil in a frying pan, pan fried and sears all the stuff vegetables and tofu’s until lightly browned. Remove and set it aside. (at this stage you can freeze some of it for further use)
6. In the same frying pan, remove most of the oil and leave about 2 tbsp in it. Stir fry the chopped garlic until fragrant and lightly brown. Add in the black bean paste. Stir fry until fragrant and add in the chicken stock.
7. Add in the oyster sauce and bring it up to boil. Add in all the seared ingredients. Bring up to boil and simmer for a few minutes. Add in some sugar to taste. Taste it first as you might need to add some salt to it. Add in the cornstarch and cook until sauce thickens. Remove and serve warm.

Note: I didn't add any salt to this dish since the bead paste and oyster sauce give this dish enough of saltiness.

Spicy Fried Noodles/Mee Goreng

Every since I saw this noodle dish at 3hungrytummies I’ve been thinking about it. Since coming back from Malaysian I’ve been craving for something from back home. I went to the Asian supermarket in Philly with my good friend Choy and gather all the necessary ingredients for a quick fix of my craving. So here is my version of the Mee Goreng. It was pretty similar to my previous Mee Goreng Mamak . I used the sambal that I made earlier to fry this.

Ingredients:

8 oz of yellow noodles (1/2 packet) - wash
10 shrimps – peeled and deveined
1 small piece of fish cake - sliced
1 tomato – cut into small wedges
2 piece of fried tofu – cut into ½” cubes
A small bunch of mustard green – wash and cut into 1” length
2 shallots – sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic – chopped
¼ cup water


Seasonings:

3 tbsp of sambal
2 tsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat up a wok, add in about 3 tbsp of olive oil. Sauté garlic and shallots until fragrant and lightly brown.
2. Add in shrimp, tofu, tomato and fish cake. Stir-fry for a minute, add in the sambal, and the rest of the seasonings. Mix well.
3. Add in the noodles, stir well. At this stage you can add a bit of water and the vegetables. Cook and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes. Check seasonings.
4. Dish out and serve warm.

Mapo Tofu

After all the festive eating it is time for some simple home cooked dish. Tofu is pretty bland and I always find way to boost up its flavor when I cook them. I learned about Mapo tofu dish only when I came here to the US. Mapo tofu is a famous dish in the Chinese restaurant here. It's a well-known dish from the Sichuan province of China. This dish is actually easy to make at home.

Ingredients:

1 block of soft (not silken) tofu – drained and cut into ¾” cubes
1 chicken breast – finely chopped (ground pork or beef)
2 cloves of garlic – chopped
1” ginger – finely grated
½ cup of chicken broth + ½ tsp of cornstarch
2 tbsp of hot bean paste
2 tsbp of soy sauce
½ tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder
½ tsp sesame oil.
Some thinly sliced green onions (garnish)
1 red chili - cut into small cubes (garnish)
Salt to taste

1. Heat up about 2 tbsp of oil in a wok or frying pan. Stir fry the meat until no longer pink. Add in the garlic and ginger and stir fry until fragrant. It will take about 2 minutes.
2. Lower down the heat and add in the hot bean paste, stir fry for a minute and add in the chicken stock. Add in the soy sauce, tofu and bring it up to simmer. Check seasoning.
3. Turn off the heat and add in the sesame oil and Sichuan peppercorn powder. Stir gently until well mixed.
4. Dish out and garnish with chili and spring onions.

P/s I will be flying back to the US today. See you back there.

Salted Egg Yolk Tofu

The first time I tried this dish was when I went back to Malaysia early this year. Cooking with salted egg yolk is very popular at the restaurant there. They will cook crab, prawns and also chicken in it. For today I am trying to re-creates this dish using tofu. The tofu is pan fried until crispy on the outside and still soft on the inside. The richness of the salted egg yolk complements well with bland taste of tofu. Delicious!!

Ingredients:

3 pieces of firm tofu -cut into 1” length
¼ cup of corn flour
1 tsp of salt
½ tsp pepper

Sauce:

1 tablespoon butter
2 cooked salted egg yolks, mashed
3 tbsp of milk
4 bird’s eye chilies, sliced finely
4-5 curry leaves (optional)
1 tsp chicken bullion
1 tsp sugar


1. Cut the tofu and drain dry on paper towel. Combined corn flour, salt and pepper in a plate. Mix well. Dust the tofu with the corn flour. Heat a bit of oil in a frying pan and pan fried the tofu on both side until lightly brown. Dish out and drain the oil on paper towel.
2. Remove any access oil from the frying pan. Melt the butter and add the curry leaves and chilies. Stir fry until fragrant and add in salted egg yolks and milk. Stir rapidly in a circular motion until well mixed. Add in chicken bullion and sugar. Mix well.
3. Add the tofu and coat well in the mixture. Dish out and serve warm.

Fried Tofu with Spicy Toppings

Sorry for not updating my blog for such a long time. I just got home a few days ago and now my kitchen is back in action again.

I cooked this tofu dish for Diana and myself. Both of us love tofu cook in any ways. It is healthy and great source of protein and we can eat it everyday. This is a great dish to eat with rice especially the crispiness of the Tofu with the spiciness of the topping. Try it, and I'll bet you'll get hooked to it!

Ingredients :
3 pieces of firm tofu
Half red pepper - julienne
Half yellow pepper - julienne
Half carrot- julienne
6 medium size shrimps - clean and chopped
1 small onions
1 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of chili paste
1/2 tsp of sugar
3 tbsp of soy sauce
some spring onion for garnish

1. Heat oil in a pan and fry tofu till it gets golden brown. Remove from heat, drain the oil on paper towel and keep aside. Remove the oil from the frying pan leave about 1 tbsp.
2. Add in garlic and onions and stir-fry for a minute and add in prawns, peppers and carrots. Stir-fry for a few seconds and add in the chili paste.
3. Continue to stir-fry for a few seconds and add in the soy sauce and sugar. Stir until well combined and pour it over the fried tofu.
4. Garnish with spring onion and serve warm with rice.

Steamed Tofu with Minced Meat and Mushroom

I cooked this tofu dish for our quick lunch before taking Diana to the aiport. I used silky tofu and the topping is just some miced chicken, mushroom and carrots. A simple dish yet delicious!

Ingredients :

1 piece of silky tofu
3 oz of ground chicken meat
10 white button mushroom - sliced thinly
1 small carrots - cut into small cubes
2 spring onions - cut small
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of soy sauce

1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup of chicken stock + 1 tsp of cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste

Marinate for chicken

1 tbsp of oyster sauce
1 tbsp of soy sauce

1. Marinate the meat and set aside for 15 minutes.
2. In a steamer, steam the tofu for about 5 minutes. Remove the excess water and set aside.
3. Heat up the oil in a pan. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the meat and carrots and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add in mushroom, stir fry for a minute, add sugar, soy sauce and pepper and immediately stir in the chicken stock. Bring it up to a boil and cook until sauce thicken. Check seasoning.
5. Pour the sauce over the tofu and garnish with spring onions and serve warm.

I am submitting this dish for Weekend Wokking . This month’s star ingredient is mushrooms and is hosted by Marija of Palachinka .

Tofu Salad With Peanut Sauce

I just love tofu cook in anyway but not Carlos. He still can't understand why I would eat something so tasteless and soft :) Since tofu is tasteless I will always find ways to jazz it up with bright and bold flavor. This is a simple salad with a touch of spiciness and it's really good for anyone who is a vegetarian or you can even serves this as an appetizer.

Ingredients :

2 pcs of firm tofu
1 cup of jicama - julienned
1 cup of cucumber - julienned
1 cup of carrot - julienned
1 cup of beansprout

Peanut sauce :

3 tbsp of crunchy peanut butter
2 tbsp of sambal Oelek (more or less)
1 clove of garlic - chopped
2 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar
3/4 cup of water (more or less)
2 tbsp of sugar (more or less)
salt and pepper to taste

1) Dry the tofu in a paper towel and fry it in hot oil until crispy and golden brown. Drain the oil on paper towel.
2) In a small saucepan, heat up a tablespoon of oil and stir fry the garlic until lightly brown. Add in sambal Oelek and cook for a few second.
3) Add in lemon juice, water and then peanut butter. Stir well until the sauce thicken and boil. Add in sugar, salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
4) Cut tofu into bite size pieces and mixed it with all the vegetables and drizzle peanut sauce on top and serve.

Note : If the sauce it too thick for your liking you can add more water to it.