Spicy Eggplant Tofu

After my two week vacation, I wanted to detox a little and get my eating habits back in order. I'm typically vegetarian 4 days out of 7 and I've definitely trying to pack lunches more often too.  I made a run to Chinatown and picked up some eggplant and tofu, among other things. I wanted something savory tasting, but not too heavy feeling, and this is what I got!

Spicy Eggplant with Silken Tofu 

1 block silken tofu

2 medium Chinese eggplant, in 1/3rd inch thick half moons

1 tablespoon sugar

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 coin ginger, minced

1 large tomato, chopped

1 large pinch red chili flakes

1 star anise

1 teaspoon gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

4 leaves basil

Optional: Cornstarch

1. Drain water from silken tofu container. Turn tofu out of container and onto a plate. Cut the tofu into 1.5 inch cubes and spread out into a single layer, gently. Sprinkle with salt (you'll use about two teaspoons). Allow water to drain from tofu for about 30 minutes.
2. Wash and cut the eggplant. In a bowl, toss with the sugar. 
3. Prep the onion, garlic, ginger, and tomato. 
4. Heat a large saute pan with two tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil.
5. Pan fry the eggplant for 2-4 minutes on medium high heat.
6. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Saute another 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.
7. Add the tomato, star anise, chili flakes, gochujang, and  vinegar. Saute 2 minutes.
8. Drain the tofu again. Add the tofu to the pan and fold in lightly, trying to maintain the shape of the tofu. 
9. Reduce heat to medium. More water will drain from the tomato. Allow to simmer off until you have a thicker gravy. You can also cheat and make a cornstarch and water slurry to thicken it. 
10. Serve over rice. 

Tofu Casserole with Lettuce

I've always called this dish tofu casserole, although it doesn't require an oven. Its not a soup, as you start with solid ingredients and add no liquid. However, due to the nature of the ingredients, the resulting dish is like a thick but fine stew, more like a chunky gravy or minced meat. My mother tends to make it with ground pork, red peppers, garlic chives, and fresh mushrooms. I adapted it for what was on hand and in my American supermarket, using lettuce, ground beef, dried mushrooms, and cucumber.

Lunch bento! <3

Tofu Casserole
Serves 6-8 (for some reason, I am incapable of making this dish in small quantities)

1 pound ground pork or beef
1 white onion, diced
4 coins ginger, julienned
5 cloves garlic minced (or tablespoon roasted garlic paste)
1 block silken tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cucumber, diced
3 plum tomatoes, diced
1 handful dried mushrooms (soaked in hot water), diced
6 leaves romaine lettuce (iceberg is fine too), diced
1 teaspoon gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
Salt or soy sauce to taste
1 teaspoon cornstarch

1. Prep all ingredients. 
2. Heat a tablespoon oil in a large pot. Cook the ground beef or pork until crumbled.
3. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic. Saute until onion is translucent.
4. Add the cucumber, tomato, and mushrooms. Allow the water to cook out (and you can prep the lettuce here if you forgot, like me).
5. Add the tofu - this is where the majority of water will exude. Allow to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Also add the gochujang and salt or soy sauce. 
6. When most of the water had cooked off, add the lettuce and turn the heat to low. 
7. Mix the cornstarch in a small bowl with a teaspoon and a half of water. Mix into a slurry. 
8. Pour 1/3rd of the cornstarch slurry into the tofu casserole and mix. Find another pocket of liquid, add 1/3rd of the cornstarch and mix. Continue to add cornstarch to thicken the stew.
9. Allow to cool and serve over rice. 

Soon Dou Bu (Korean Tofu Stew)

I shouldn't have to prove to you my undying love for tofu or soup at this point. This dish is my go to Korean order and is typically served with seafood. What makes it delectable is the extra soft tofu, the poached egg,
and the spicy broth that makes your taste buds sing. My version is plainer and you can add your own protein or perhaps some radish or greens to make it your own. I've used seaweed to bolster my veggie stock but chicken broth is just as fantastic.


Soon Dou Bu (Korean Tofu Stew)
Serves 6

1 1/2 cups rehydrated seaweed sliced into ribbons
3 ribs celery, sliced thinly
6 cloves garlic
4 coins ginger
1/4 napa cabbage, sliced into ribbons
1 carrot, in coins
1.5 tbsp spicy red pepper paste
2 tubes extra soft tofu
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg per person (get the freshest eggs for poached)

Topping:
2 scallions, chopped
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp sesame oil

1. Boil a pot of water. Use a cup of the boiled water to hydrate the seaweed (reserve the excess water for the stock, but strain first through a paper towel.)
2. Meanwhile prep all veggies as specified.
3. In a large pot, heat a teaspoon of olive or vegetable oil. Turn the heat to medium low and add ginger. Add the garlic and the red pepper paste and heat until fragrant.
4. Add the vegetables and sweat for 5 minutes until softened.
5. Add the boiling water to cover, then add the tofu. Simmer for 15- 30 min.
6. For the topping, mix all ingredients into a small bowl.
7. To serve, scoop the stew into a bowl. Crack the egg into the center, top with scallions and sesame, and wait a minute before enjoying. Serve a bowl of white rice on the side.

Egg Fried Silken Tofu

One of my favorite dishes at a local Malaysian restaurant is the "jia chang dou fu" or the "house special tofu." It is a silken tofu, fried, then topped with a pork and mushroom sauce. I really could have cared less about the sauce - the tofu was why I came! If I had known how easy it was to make, I definitely would have tried sooner! I modified my recipe from a Korean recipe for Tofu Fry or Dooboo Boochim.

Egg Fried Silken Tofu
Serves 4, 15 minutes

1 block silken tofu
2 eggs
1 scallion

1. Open the tofu container and drain any excess water. Sprinkle salt over the top and then slice the tofu into pieces about 2 inch by 2 inch by 1 inch. Allow to sit and leech out more water for at least 30 minutes. 
2. Scramble the eggs in a bowl.
3. Heat a saute pan with 1/3rd of an inch of canola or vegetable oil. Allow to get very hot so that when you drop a bit of egg in, it fries and sizzles. Then reduce temperature to medium high so that you don't burn things too fast. 
4. Using a spatula and chopsticks, lift out a section of tofu. Pat dry with a paper towel, taking care to wipe off excess salt and draw out more water. 
5. Dip the tofu pieces in the egg, being careful to only put enough tofu in the bowl so each piece stays flat and unbroken. Coat evenly in egg, drain off excess egg, then place in pan to fry.
6. Fry each side for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Then redip the tofu in egg and fry the other side. 
7. When golden brown on all sides, remove from the pan and place on paper towels to drain the extra oil off. 
8. Serve with scallions and soy sauce. Enjoy quickly - once the outside isn't crispy, its not as good.

Hiyayakko! Cold Tofu with Scallions

Quick, cool, and fresh! Hiyayakko is a cold Japanese tofu appetizer which literally takes only a minute or two to make. Ideally, its made with fresh tofu - I'm just going with the soft kind in the plastic box from Chinatown :) Feel free to mix up the seasonings and experiment!

Hiyayakko - Cold Tofu Salad
Serves one as a small entree or two as an appetizer

1/4th of a tofu block, soft or silken preferred (makes 6 2x2 inch slices)
1.5 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp grated ginger
dash of sriracha or paprika
1 scallion/green onion, white only, thinly sliced
sesame seeds

1. Drain and slice tofu and scallions.
2. Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and sriracha in a small dish. Spoon over the tofu.
3. Top with scallions and sesame seeds. TADA!

Tofu Stew

It was a cold day in New York. The wind whistled around corners and down alleys, chilling everything to the bone. After hours of frozen fingers and florescent lighting, there was only one hope:

Tofu Stew. Something so hearty, so full of stuff, so hot - it works miracles.

Yesterday we left our heroine with a big pot of chicken stock. What that really amounted to was 3 servings of pure chicken stock (as in clear, and with no stuff, about 1.5 cups each) and 3 servings of "stuff." In my opinion, the "stuff" is the best. Its all the leftover meat from the bones, the veggies, and the junk at the bottom of my hard work in a pot. The stock went in the freezer, the "stuff" to the fridge (if you freeze it, the veggies will only get mushier). Today's tofu stew uses 1.5 cups of "stuff."

Tofu Stew - 1 serving, 1.5 bowls

1.5 cups of "stuff" which is mostly the soup veggies and chicken meat, with just enough broth to cover it.
1/3 block of silken tofu (I'm a big fan of silken. I told my boyfriend if he didn't like silken, we can't get married, that's how much I love it)
2 leaves napa cabbage
3 button mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon of salt
dash of pepper

1. Heat up your "stuff" in a soup pot.
2. Slice open the tofu package. There will be a lot of water in the package, so do this by the sink. Pour some of the water out and spoon out the tofu into the soup. (Doesn't need to look pretty). Leave the rest of the water, so the remaining tofu stays moist. If you don't, you get firm tofu :(
3. Cut the cabbage into inch long slices horizontally. Slice the mushrooms.
4. When the tofu and stuff is simmering happily, toss in the sliced veggies - these only need about 3-5 minutes to cook. Add more water if it isn't enough to cover everything in the pot.
5. Taste test! Add salt and pepper as needed. Tofu and veggies do exude a lot of water as well as absorb all the seasonings in the "stuff" so you will need more!
6. Enjoy!