Gochujang Jjigae (Gochujang Stew)

I finally managed to get my hands on some gochugaru over here! Of course, much like at home, they don't appear to believe in selling it in small amounts. So now I have an entire kilo of the stuff! But oh well... I won't use all of it in the next two months, but I'll definitely use some. And now I can make more tasty things like this gochujang stew!

Photo goes here.

Gochujang Jjigae

Slightly adapted from Aaron & Calire

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. gochugaru (Korean chile flakes)
• 1 Tbsp. dasida (Korean beef stock powder)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. gochujang (Korean chile paste)
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• black pepper, to taste
• ~750g potatoes
• 1 large onion
• 5-10 mushrooms¹
• ~300g zucchini
• 300g tofu (preferably firm or medium)
• 3 green onions
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• ~450g stewing beef
• 6 c. rice water²
• 1-2 Cheongyang chile, sliced (optional)
• 1 mild red chile, sliced (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the gochugaru, dasida, sugar, gochujang, soy sauce, fish sauce, and black pepper. Mix well and set aside.
2. Cut the potatoes, onion, and mushrooms into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
3. Cut the zucchini and tofu into bite-sized pieces and set aside in a separate bowl.
4. Chop the green onions, keeping the whites and green separated. Add the white parts of the green onions ot the flavour paste.
5. Mince the garlic and add it to the flavour paste.
6. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
7. Add the beef and cook until seared on all sides.
8. Reduce heat to medium and add the flavour paste mixture. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
9. Add the potatoes, onion, and mushrooms along with the rice water and bring to a boil.
10. Cook until potatoes are just tender (~12 minutes).
11. Add the zucchini and tofu and cook until zucchini is tender (6-7 minutes longer).
12. Sprinkle with the green parts of the green onions and chilies (if using).
13. Serve with rice.

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¹ Aaron recommends 5 shiitake mushrooms, but suggests oyster, enoki, and/or white button mushrooms as possible alternatives. Given that white button mushrooms were on sale this week (but much less flavourful than some of the other options), I just used them and tossed in twice as many as the recipe called for. ^Back
2 This stew is best served with a bowl of rice. Save the water you use to rinse it before cooking and use it in this stew. If you forget, plain water is also fine to use. But I prefer using the rice water if I can. Both because it gives the stew a bit of extra starch and because... why waste it? I'd much rather use the rice water than pour it down the drain! ^Back

I had to fudge this one slightly. It was meant to be done with bananas, blueberries, soft tofu, and orange juice concentrate. We didn't have any orange juice concentrate, but we did have some nice honey Greek yogurt that needed to be used up. So I swapped that in instead. Obviously it's a very different flavour, but it still gives a bit of acidity and a bit of sweetness. Not in the same proportions and not with the same flavours, but it got the job done. And, honestly, I suspect the yogurt version is probably a bit healthier as well.

This worked out quite well. It provided something to round out the breakfast this morning, since we didn't have enough pancakes left to feed everybody. It used up some of the ridiculous pile of tofu from the fridge. And it let me easily say "sure, no problem!" when the Kidlet requested a smoothie with her pancakes this morning. And, even more importantly, Reiver and the Kidlet both seemed to enjoy them.

Banana-Blueberry Smoothie

Slightly adapted from The Big Book of Breakfast by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

• 150g soft tofu
• 3/4 c. honey or vanilla Greek yogurt
• 1/2 c. frozen blueberries
• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 c. milk

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and purée until smooth.
2. Pour into glasses and serve.

This was meant to be a mapo tofu variant, but the author had already taken a few liberties with the recipe and then I took a few more, so it's not quite mapo tofu anymore. It is, however, completely delicious! Strong recommend.

Braised Tofu with Ground Beef

Adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. soy sauce (pref. mix of light and dark)
• 1 Tbsp. shaoxing wine (绍兴酒)
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, divided
• 250g ground beef
• 300g tofu
• 1/2 c. chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp. Laoganma (老干妈)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 3 Tbsp. minced green onion, divided
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

1. Combine the soy sauce, wine, and 2 tsp. of the sesame oil and mix well.
2. Add the beef and stir to combine. Set aside.
3. If using soft tofu, boil it in lightly salted water for 5 minutes, then drain, pat dry, and press between paper towels for at least 30 minutes.
4. Cut the tofu into 1cm (~1/2") cubes. Set aside.
5. Combine the chicken stock, Laoganma, sugar, cornstarch, white pepper, and the remaining 1 tsp. of sesame oil and mix well.
6. Heat a wok over medium-high heat.
7. Drizzle in the oil and swirl to coat.
8. Add the beef with its marinade and stir-fry until just cooked through.
9. Add 2 Tbsp. of the green onion, the garlic, and the ginger and stir-fry for another minute or two.
10. Add the sauce to the wok and cook for a minute or two until slightly thickened.
11. Add the tofu and gently stir to coat.
12. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for ~10 minutes.
13. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp. green onion and serve with rice and veggies of your choice.

I really liked these noodles. The marinated eggplant was delicious! And instead of using plain tofu (as called for in the recipe), I opted to swap it out for a mix of smoked tofu and marinated black bean tofu. And I think both went very well with the overall dish.

I think the only changes that I'd make next time would be to cook the eggplant for slightly longer. And to use slightly more soy sauce and less oil in the dressing for the noodles. Oh, and I might try adding a grated carrot or two next time. It was very good as is, but I think it would be even better with a few more veggies. And grated carrot is very quick and easy to add and something that I generally have on hand.

Soba Noodle Salad with Marinated Eggplant and Tofu

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Eggplant

• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar¹
• 2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce²
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Asian eggplants, halved and sliced 1cm thick

Noodles

• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
• 2 tsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 275g soba noodles

Assembly

• 2 Tbsp. corn or peanut oil
• 375g firm, smoked, and/or dry marinated tofu (五香豆干), cut into 1cm cubes
• 1 carrot, grated (optional)
• 5 green onions, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Combine the sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, pepper, and garlic for the marinade and stir to mix.
2. Add the eggplant, toss to coat, and set aside for 1 hour.
3. Combine the sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger paste for the dressing and stir to mix.
4. Cook the soba according to package diretions³, rinse under cold water, and drain.
5. Toss the noodles with the dressing and set aside.
6. Heat a wok over medium-high heat.
7. Drizzle in the oil and swirl to coat.
8. Add the marinated eggplant and stir-fry for 5-6 minutes.
9. Add eggplant to bowl with noodles and return wok to heat.
10. Add tofu to wok (along with a little more oil if necessary) and stir-fry until crispy (~5 minutes).
11. Add tofu to bowl with noodles.
12. Add carrot (if using) and green onions and toss to combine.
13. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

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¹ I didn't have any sherry vinegar, so I substituted cane vinegar. I think apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar would also work well though. ^Back
2 The recipe didn't specify whether to use dark or light soy sauce, so I used a mix. I think I'd just use straight dark soy for the marinade next time though. That said, I think either would be fine in a pinch. ^Back
3 The recipe called for boiling the soba for 6 minutes in salted water, but the package instructions specifically called for unsalted water and only 4 minutes of cooking. We opted to trust the package over the cookbook. I would recommend doing the same for whatever noodles you end up using. Six minutes definitely would have been way too much. ^Back

I got some zucchini for another recipe recently and accidentally overshot slightly and ended up with one extra one left over. Unfortunately, a lot of the zucchini recipes that I was looking at to potentially use it up called for more than one zucchini. Eventually though, I did find a few that called for more moderate squash quantities. Technically this recipe actually wanted a yellow summer squash, not a zucchini, but I figured it was close enough. And it sounded tasty. And looked reasonably healthy. Bonus!

I made a few small tweaks: reduced the sugar; added a chile, a bit of shaoxing wine (绍兴酒), and some toasted sesame seeds; swapped out the yellow summer squash for green zucchini, and reduced the oil slightly.

I think next time I'd change the order of the ingredients slightly. The recipe calls for adding the aromatics, carrots, and bell pepper together and then cooking the onion, zucchini, and peas as a separate batch before combinging everything. I think, if I were to do it again, I'd do the aromatics separately, then add the carrots and onion, then the bell pepper and zucchini, and then the peas (and maybe a green onion). It's not a huge deal though. Either order should work fine.

Vegetable Stir-Fry with Tofu

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day

Ingredients

• 340g extra-firm tofu, cubed
• 2-3 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1 fresh red chile, minced (optional)
• 3-4 carrots, sliced diagonally
• 1 onion, sliced lengthwise
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
• 225g sugar snap peas (or snow peas), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1-2 green onions, chopped (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
• 1/4 c. chicken stock
• 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. hoisin sauce¹
• 1/2 tsp. light soy sauce
• 3/4 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. shaoxing wine (绍兴酒)
• 2 Tbsp. canola or peanut oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• ~1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Do all your mise en place and get your ingredients ready.
2. Dust the tofu with the cornstarch.
3. Mince the garlic, ginger, and chile (if using) and set aside.
4. slice the carrots and onion, place in a separate bowl, and set aside.
5. Chop the zucchini and bell pepper, place in yet another bowl, and set aside.
6. Chop the peas and set aside.
7. Combine the chicken stock and five-spice powder and set aside.
8. Combine the sugar, hoisin said, soy sauce, vinegar, and wine, mix well, and set aside.
9. Heat wok over medium-high heat.
10. Drizzle in 1 1/2 Tbsp. of the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the wok.
11. Add the tofu and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.
12. Transfer tofu to a bowl or plate and set aside.
13. Return the wok to medium heat and add the remaining 1/2 Tbsp. of oil.
14. Add the garlic, ginger, and chile and stir-fry for 30-60 seconds.
15. Increase heat to medium-high, add the carrots and onion, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
16. Add bell pepper and zucchini and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.
17. Add peas and green onions (if using) and stir-fry for 1 minute.
18. Add the five-spice powder and broth and return the tofu to the wok and cook for 2-3 minutes.
19. Drizzle in the hoisin mixture and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
20. If mixture is too dry, add a little more broth or some water. If it's too wet, cook for a minute or two longer.
21. Remove from heat and sprinkle with sesame oil and sesame seeds.
22. Serve over rice or egg noodles

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¹ We ran out of hoisin, so I made up the difference with oyster sauce. It's not quite the same flavour, but it's still a thick, sweet, umami-rich sauce, so it worked well enough for my purposes here. ^Back

I snagged some snow peas on sale the other day so this simple Asian-inspired noodle dish made sense as an easy dinner option.

I opted to quickly fry my tofu before adding the sauce, but the original recipe calls for adding the sauce to the pan/wok first and then simmering the tofu in it. Either is a perfectly acceptable option.

I just used tofu and snow peas in my rendition of these noodles, which is exactly what the recipe called for. But I felt they could have done with a few more veggies, so I've written them up with optional onion and bell peppers here. I can vouch for this turning out a perfectly serviceable dish even without the extra veg, but I do with it would have been nicer and tasted a little more balanced with them in. I also added some lime zest, green onion, and parsley to mine (although cilantro would have been preferable). I quite liked these additions and would definitely make it that way in the future.

Noodles with Tofu and Peanut Sauce

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 170g snow peas
• 180g dried Chinese egg noodles (or 250g fresh)
• 1 Tbsp. canola or peanut oil
• 1 onion, halved and sliced lengthwise (optional)
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced (optional)
• 450g extra-firm tofu, cubed and patted dry
• 1/2 c. coconut milk
• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp. red Thai curry paste¹
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 c. vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. lime zest
• 1-2 green onions, chopped
• 2-3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the snow peas.
2. Cook for 1 minute, then strain out the peas (reserving the hot water).
3. Shock the peas in cold water, drain, and set aside.
4. Return the pot with the cooking water to the heat and bring back up to a boil.
5. Add the noodles and cook for 1 minute (or until desired doneness).
6. Drain and shock in cold water to stop cooking. Drain again and set aside.
7. Heat a wok over medium-high heat.
8. Drizzle in the oil and swirl to coat.
9. Add the onion (if using), bell pepper (if using), and tofu and stir-fry for a couple minutes.
10. Add the coconut milk, peanut butter, curry paste, sugar, broth, light soy, and dark soy and reduce heat to medium-low.
11. Simmer for ~5 minutes.
12. Stir in lime juice, lime zest, and green onions.
13. Add noodles and snow peas and toss to combine.
14. Cook until heated through (2-3 minutes).
15. Sprinkle with cilantro (if using) and serve.

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¹ For a different taste, try experimenting with different types of curry/chile paste: green, yellow, Paneng, gouchujang, doubanjiang (豆瓣酱)... so many possibilities! ^Back

I thought this looked like a nice veggie curry. I like that the inclusion of tofu gives it a bit of protein, although I think it would've been nice with a few more different kinds of vegetables in. I added an onion, but I think carrot and/or bell pepper would have been nice too.

Vietnamese-Style Eggplant-Tofu Curry

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola or peanut oil
• 680g Asian eggplant, cubed
• 1 onion, sliced lengthwise
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. red curry paste
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 (420mL) can coconut milk
• 1 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tsp. lime zest
• 375g extra-firm tofu, cubed
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Thai basil (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add eggplant and stir-fry until slightly browned (~4 minutes).
3. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for another minute or so.
4. Add the curry paste, fish sauce, coconut milk, chicken stock, and tofu and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Add green onions, cilantro, basil (if using), and lime juice.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with rice.

I ran across the suggestion of making breakfast tostadas on... some blog somewhere. It was from a blogger who focused on weight loss and had a lot of Weight Watchers recipes. This one, surprisingly, wasn't a WW recipe; it was from another food blog. I didn't end up using the recipe provided, but I took inspiration from it.

I ended up using ready-made, canned refried beans, but you could easily make your own at home if you prefer. I did make my own baked tostadas for this, but you could use store-bought tostadas if you wanted to shave a little time and effort off the prep. The store-bought ones will be more Points/calories, of course, but sometimes that's a trade-off worth making. And it should still reasonably healthy (and low-Points) overall.

You can dress these up however you like. I did mine with refried beans, tomato salsa, cherry tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, fresh cilantro, avocado, and a fried egg. You could also try fresh or pickled onions on them, shredded lettuce, various types of cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, feta, cotija, etc.), bacon, chorizo, tempeh, smoked tofu... You could swap out the fresh avocado for guacamole. Try cooking your eggs a different way (scrambled, poached, or boiled come to mind). For a vegan take, you could go for scrambled tofu in place of the egg. There are lots of options!

Breakfast Tostadas

Ingredients

• 1-2 tostadas per person
• ~2 Tbsp. of refried beans per tostada
• 1-2 Tbsp. of grated or crumbled cheese per tostada (optional)
• ~1 Tbsp. of salsa or salsa verde per tostada
• ~1/8 of an avocado, sliced or 1-2 Tbsp. of guacamole per tostada (optional)
• 2-4 Tbsp. of veggies per tostada (lettuce, tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, bell pepper, radishes, etc.)
• 1 Tbsp. of crumbled bacon, tempeh, smoked tofu, or chorizo per tostada (optional)
• 1 egg per tostada (scrambled, fried, poached, or boiled) or ~1/4 c. of scrambled tofu
• ~1 Tbsp. of chopped fresh cilantro per tostada

Directions

1. Make sure your refried beans are nice and hot.
2. Spread the beans on your tostada.
3. Top with cheese (if using).
4. Top with salsa, avocado or guac (if using), and veggies, bacon/tofu/tempeh/chorizo (if using).
5. Top with egg or tofu.
6. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

This is a nice quick weeknight dinner and it's really tasty and filling! Good on its own and over rice.

Kimchi, Beef, and Tofu Soup

Cook's Country December/January 2021 (recipe card)

Ingredients

• 450g ground beef
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 15mL grated fresh ginger
• 120mL (½ C) mirin
• 500mL water
• 750mL home-made chicken stock
• 750mL kimchi, drained and coarsely chopped
• 60mL (¼ C) kimchi brine
• 225g firm tofu, cut into 1cm cubes
• 30mL soy sauce
• 4-6 green onions, thinly sliced
• 15mL toasted sesame oil

Directions

1. In a large pot, cook ground beef over medium-high heat until the moisture has evaporated and it is browned, 8-10 minutes.
2. Add ginger and cook until fragrant, ~30 seconds.
3. Stir in mirin and deglaze.
4. Stir in water, chicken stock, kimchi, kimchi brine, tofu, and soy sauce.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the flavours are blended, ~15 minutes.
6. Remove from heat, stir in scallions and oil, and serve.

Phool Gobhi Paneer (Cauliflower Paneer)

This relatively dry curry is easy to make and offers a pleasing contrast of textures. It is especially good served over rice with a bit of pigeon pea broth on the side (or just poured over top). I also cooked up a simple corn curry to accompany it which made for a very nice vegetarian dinner.

Phool Gobhi Paneer

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small or 1/2 a large cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2-4 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies, minced
• 225g paneer, cubed and fried¹
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. Punjabi garam masala

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the cauliflower and turmeric and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the water, cilantro, and chilies and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for ~10 minutes.
6. Add the paneer, tomato, salt, and garam masala, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes.
7. Serve with rice, flatbread, and/or dal of your choice.

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small or 1/2 a large cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2-4 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies, minced
• 225g extra-firm tofu, cubed and fried or extra delicious tofu
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. Punjabi garam masala

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¹ The Indian grocery near me sells bags of cubed fried paneer in the frozen food section. I often like to keep a package on hand as it makes curries like this super quick and easy. ^Back

This is a very filling & protenacious ramen recipe; I find it works best as a large lunch on days when you've forgotten to eat breakfast and are planning on a light dinner. It works best with spicy ramen, like fire noodles or shin ramyun.

Sundubu Ramen

Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

• 2 green onions, sliced, whites and greens divided
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• some pork, thinly sliced
• ramen
• ~180g soft tofu
• 1 egg
• black pepper

Directions

1. Sautee garlic, green onion whites, and pork in oil
2. Add 400mL water, seasoning powder, and flakes, and bring to a boil
3. Add noodles and soft tofu
4. Break in an egg and add some black pepper
5. Cook to desired tenderness (~2 minutes) and garnish with green onion greens.

I've never been a big fan of steamed buns. I always felt like buns really needed to be baked to be any good. Steaming them just seemed sad. But TF really likes steamed buns, so I figured I'd give this recipe a try. And it turns out that homemade steamed buns are actually really good! I loved these! I felt like they needed some sort of sauce since the filling didn't have much umph, but the buns themselves were really, really delicious.

Steamed Vegetable Buns

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

Filling

• 450g baby bok choy
• 8 fresh shiitake mushrooms¹
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 115g 五香豆腐干 (five-spice dried tofu)
• 1 tsp. light (regular) soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt²

Dough

• 3/4 c. warm water
• 1 tsp. instant yeast
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 tsp. oil, divided
• 280g all-purpose flour
• 20g cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda

Directions

Filling

1. Prepare an ice bath.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add half the bok choy. Cook for 10 seconds, then quickly transfer the bok choy to the ice bath. Repeat the blanching process with the remaining bok choy.
3. Once the bok choy has cooled completely, drain it, squeezing out as much water as possible.
4. Finely chop the bok choy. (A food processor is helpful for this. I don't have one, so I did it by hand.)
5. Finely chop the mushrooms.
6. Heat a wok over medium heat.
7. Drizzle the oil into the wok.
8. Add the chopped mushrooms to the wok and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.
9. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
10. Finely chop the tofu and set it aside.
11. Return the the chopped bok choy and pour off any liquid that has accumulated. (This will prevent soggy buns!)
12. Add the mushrooms and tofu the the bok choy.
13. Add the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, white pepper, and salt and mix to combine.
14. Cover and chill while dough is being prepared.

Dough

1. Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Stir in 1 Tbsp. oil.
3. In a separte bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda and mix to combine.
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.
5. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet, working from the centre outward.
6. Once the flour has been mostly incorporated, turn the dough out onto your work surface and begin kneading.
7. Knead for at least 10 minutes. The dough should be very smooth and supple. If it is lumpy, uneven, or tears, keep going!
8. Shape into a ball and place in a bowl.
9. Brush the top of the dough ball with the remaining 1 tsp. of oil. Cover and let at room temperature for ~1 hour.

Assembly

1. Once fully risen, turn out and knead for a few minutes to deflate and remove gas pockets.
2. Divide dough into 30g portions³.
3. Round each piece of dough and cover with plastic wrap to stop it from drying out.
4. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it out into a flat disc ~8cm in diameter, thinner on the edges and thicker in the middle.
5. Place a spoonful of filling in the centre of the disc.
6. Holding the bun in the palm of one hand, being pleating the edges. Once you've worked all the way around, keep the last pleat pinched and work your way around again. Twist and close until the bun is almost completely closed. There should still be a small open hole at the top, but it should be mostly closed and neatly pleated.
7. Place each bun on a square of parchmentpaper (5-6cm squares work well).
8. Place place the buns (on their parchment squares) into a steamer. Be careful not to crowd them.
9. Cover and let rise for ~20 minutes.
10. Make sure there is sufficient water in the bottom of your steamer and bring to a boil over high heat.
11. Once water is boiling, reduce heat to medium. Steam for 10 minutes.
12. Turn off heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Do not remove lid during this time!
13. Remove cooked buns from steamer and get the next batch ready to go. Each batch much start with cold water.
14. Serve hot.
15. To reheat, microwave for one minute or steam for 6-8 minutes.

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¹ I didn't have any fresh shiitakes so I just rehydrated a few dried ones. My dried mushrooms were quite large, so I only used six. ^Back
2 I'd be tempted to leave out the salt and add in a teaspoon of dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, or hoisin sauce next time. The filling was good, but I feel like it really needed something to give it a bit more presence. Of course, adding one of those dark sauces would probably have a negative impact on the aesthetics. They blanched bok choy is lovely and vibrant in this version. But I think I'd be willing to sacrifice some aesthetic value in the pursuit of better flavour. Just something to keep in mind if you're after something very pretty. ^Back
3 The original recipe called for making 14 equal portions. This worked out to ~40g of dough per bun. I did this, but when I made a second batch the next day, I found 30g portions much easier to handle. So I would actually recommend making more smaller buns (18-19) vs. a smaller number of larger ones. ^Back

红烧豆腐 (Braised Tofu)

I was tired and not very on the ball for dinner last night, so I turned to the "Quick & Easy" category on the Woks of Life blog. We had a block of tofu in the freezer and a bunch of veggies in the fridge, so I decided to give a modified version of this braised tofu a try. I think it would've been better with the snow peas and bamboo shoots that the original recipe called for, but I had to roll with what I had available. I ended up using some frozen broccoli, peas, and corn to make up for the missing snow peas and bamboo shoots. The recipe below reflects the original vegetable combination, but there is some wiggle room.

红烧豆腐

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1 1/2 c. chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. shaoxing wine
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 400-450g firm tofu
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms (or equivalent reconstituted dried mushrooms)
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 c. snow peas
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 1/4 c. bamboo shoots, sliced

Directions

1. Mix the cornstarch with the water and set it aside.
2. In a large measuring cup, combine the stock, oyster sauce, sesame oil, soy sauces, wine, and sugar and set it aside.
3. Heat wok over medium-high heat.
4. Drizzle in the oil.
5. Add the tofu in a single layer and cook for ~1 minute.
6. Flip the tofu and cook for another minute or so.
7. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
8. Add the mushrooms and the stock mixutre and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
10. Add snow peas, carrot, bell pepper, and bamboo shoots and cook for ~1 minute.
11. Whisk the corn starch mixture to make sure it's well-combined and drizzle it into the wok.
12. Cook until sauce thickens.
13. Serve over rice.

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Variations

Vegetarian/Vegan Version

• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1 1/2 c. vegetable stock
• 1 Tbsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. shaoxing wine
• 1/2 tsp. raw sugar or agave syrup
• 400-450g firm tofu
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms (or equivalent reconstituted dried mushrooms)
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 c. snow peas
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 1/4 c. bamboo shoots, sliced

I was hit by a sudden craving for Chinese food last night. The problem with getting such cravings these days is that I've been spoiled by good home cooking. Ordering Chinese take-away always sounds great in my head. And I know it always used to taste great. But these days I tend to find it a little lacklustre. I mean, all the Americanized deep-fried sugary things are still... well, deep-fried and sugary and that does hold a certain appeal. But anything that doesn't come with a crunchy coating and/or a sticky sauce tends to be a little disappointing to me these days.

So, instead of ordering take-out, I turned to the Woks of Life blog in search of inspiration. I settled on their vegetable lo mein recipe as it looked like it'd be fairly quick and easy to prepare and also had enough veggies that I figured I could turn it into a one-wok meal. I ultimately ended up using dried thin white noodles for this dish. I think that probably technically makes it chow mein rather than lo mein, but I'm not sure.

I was about to say that I'd be tempted to bump up the veggies next time, but I just realized that the reason we had so many noodles for the amount of veg is that I forgot to account for the weight of fresh vs. dried noodles. No wonder it seemed like so many noodles! I guess I should seek out the fresh noodles next time. Whoops!

Vegetable Chow Mein

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 scallion, sliced, green and white parts separated
• 125g mushrooms², sliced
• 150g five-spice dry tofu (五香豆腐干), sliced thin
• 1 bell pepper, julienned
• 1 carrot, julienned
• At least 2 c. of other vegetables: snow peas, bean sprouts, napa cabbage, bok choy, choy sum, mustard greens, etc.
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. boiling water
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/8 tsp. five-spice powder
• 450g fresh white or lo mein noodles¹
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 Tbsp. shaoxing wine

Directions

1. Chop all the veggies and tofu and set them aside. The garlic, white parts of the scallion, and mushrooms can all go in the same bowl/buffer. The bell pepper, carrots, and tofu can go together. And any remaining veggies (minus the green parts of the scallion) can go into a third bowl to wait. The green parts of the scallion should be kept separate and used as a garnish at the end.
2. Dissolve the sugar in the boiling water.
3. Combine the sugar-water with the soy sauces, sesame oil, and five-spice powder and set aside.
4. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, set aside.
5. Heat wok over high heat.
6. Add oil and swirl to coat wok.
7. Toss in mushroom mixture and stir-fry for a minute or so. Nudge the heat down a little if needed, but the veggies should be cut very thin and the wok should be very hot and everything should cook fast. This is why you prepped everything in advance!
8. Add the carrot-pepper combo, give it a quick toss and then drizzle in the wine and cook for another minute or so. If the wok seems too dry, toss in some water (or a bit of mushroom soaking liquid if you're using dried mushrooms).
9. Add the remaining veggies and stir-fry for 30-60 seconds.
10. Quickly loosen the noodles by running them under some warm water and then toss them into the wok.
11. Give the sauce mixture a quick stir and pour it in.
12. Mix and toss the noodles to combine everything and coat them in the sauce.
13. Top with the green parts of the scallion and serve with hot sauce and/or chili oil.

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¹ Remember to reduce the quantity of noodles accordingly if starting with dried noodles! ^Back
2 Cremini, shiitake, oyster, or king oyster. If you don't have any fresh mushrooms, feel free to rehydrate a few dried ones and use them instead. ^Back

I was looking for something easy and tasty to make for dinner last night. I figured I'd end up making some sort of legume curry. I stumbled across this TexMex-looking recipe in the "contemporary curries" section though and figured I'd give it a go.

I had to make a few substitutions, but managed to stick mostly to the recipe. I used whole wheat flour torillas instead of corn ones. And I baked one large stack in a pie plate rather than doing several smaller ones on a baking dish. I also ended up using crumbled tofu in place of the ground turkey. I cooked it with a bit of stock, soy sauce, and ghee to give it a flavour boost. And I had to use a mix of guajillo and California chilies since I didn't have enough guajillos on hand. And, of course, I halved the salt as usual. Everything else stayed the same.

The recipe didn't call for garlic, but I would be inclined to add some next time. TF also felt like the sauce could've used a little boost. It had a nice gentle heat and beautiful colour with some good smoky flavour, but I don't think it was as well-rounded as she'd hoped. I'm wondering if adding just a touch of amchoor or apple cider vinegar would help with that.

Indian Spiced Taco Pie

Adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Sauce

• 12 dried guajillo chilies, stems removed
• 3 c. boiling water
• 2 tsp. dabeli masala
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. amchoor or 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar (optional)

Filling

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 450g thawed frozen tofu, pressed and crumbled
• 1/4 c. stock (chicken, beef, vegetable, or mushroom)
• 1/2 tsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. ghee
• 2 c. cooked black beans
• 2 tsp. dabeli masala
• salt, to taste¹
• 1-2 fresh or frozen green Thai chilies, chopped

Assembly

• 3 large (25-30cm/10-12") tortillas
• shredded cheese
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 scallion/green onion, chopped (optional)

Directions

Sauce

1. Place dried chilies in a bowl with the boiling water. Use a pot or similar to weigh the chilies down so they stay submerged. Set aside for 20 minutes.
2. Reserving the soaking liquid, remove the chilies from the water and place them in a blender.
3. Pour 1/2 c. of the soaking liquid into the blender and purée.
4. Place a fine mesh seive over a pot and pour the puréed mixture into the seive. Stir and mash it around to force as much through the seive as possible.
5. Swish out the blender with the remaining soaking liquid and pour this through the seive as well, ~1/2 c. at a time. Being sure to stir as mash to continue working material through the seive.
6. Once all the liquids have gone through the seive, discard the pulp and bring the sauce in the pot to a boil.
7. Stir in dabeli masala, salt, and amchoor/vinegar (if using).
8. Remove from heat and set aside.

Filling

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add onion, garlic, tofu, stock, and soy sauce and cook for ~10 minutes.
3. Add ghee to pan and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
4. Add the beans, dabeli masala, salt, and chilies and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and set aside.

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Grease a 23cm (9") deep dish pie plate.
3. Place a tortilla in the bottom of the pie plate.
4. Scoop some of the filling onto the tortilla and spread it into an even layer.
5. Top with cilantro and cheese.
6. Place a second tortilla on top and repeat the layers of filling, cilantro, and cheese. (You will have some filling left over.)
7. Place a final tortilla on top of the pie. (Trim the edges to make it slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the pie plate if necessary.)
8. Ladel ~1 1/2 c. of sauce over the pie and top with a bit more cheese.
9. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes.
10. Sprinkle with cilantro and green onion (if using).
11. Serve with rice and/or salad.
12. If desired, make a second pie with the leftover filling and some more tortillas and cheese.

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¹ Iyer's version of the recipe uses turkey rather than tofu and doesn't call for the stock or soy sauce. He calls for 1 tsp. of coarse sea salt. I swapped in tofu, but used homemade stock with very little salt, so I opted to add 1/2 tsp. of salt to my filling. If you're using commercial stock, you may wish to reduce the salt further. ^Back

I've done moo shu pork before, but this is the first time I've tried moo shu vegetables. My pancake technique still needs a lot of work, but the veggie filling came out great. And, honestly, if you don't feel like making the pancakes, it's still delicious served over rice with a bit of extra hoisin sauce.

Moo Shu Vegetables

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
• 1/4 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 3 1/2 Tbsp. oil, divided
• 1 1/2 c. julienned carrot
• 125g 5-spice dried tofu (五香豆腐干), julienned
• 6 fresh¹ shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1-2 Tbsp. water (optional)
• 1 1/2 c. julienned celery
• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 leeks², julienned
• 1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 1 recipe Mandarin pancakes

Directions

1. Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, and white pepper and set aside.
2. Heat wok over high heat and add 1/2 Tbsp. of oil.
3. Add the carrots, stir-fry for 90 seconds, remove from pan and set aside.
4. Add another 1/2 Tbsp. of oil to the wok and stir-fry the tofu for 90 seconds. (It may stick a bit, just do the best you can.)
5. Remove to tofu from the wok and set it aside. (It can be combined with the carrots at this point.)
6. Add another 1/2 Tbsp. of oil along with the mushrooms.
7. At this point, I like to add a Tbsp. or two of water to the wok, cover it, and let the mushrooms steam for about a minute before continuing with the recipe. I find that this helps the mushrooms cook nicely -- I really hate undercooked mushrooms -- and also helps to lift any stuck-on tofu bits off the wok so they don't burn while you cook the rest of the ingredients. This step is optional. Do whatever works best for you.
8. Stir-fry the mushrooms, uncovered, for 1-2 minutes, then remove them from the wok. (They can also be combined with the carrots.)
9. Add another 1/2 Tbsp. of oil to the wok and cook the celery for 90 seconds. Remove from wok and set aside with the other cooked ingredients.
10. Add another 1/2 Tbsp. of oil to the wok and stir-fry the bell pepper for 90 seconds. Once cooked, it can also go with the other cooked ingredients.
11. Add the last 1 Tbsp. of oil to the wok along with the garlic and leeks and cook until the leeks have wilted (~2 minutes).
12. Return all the cooked ingredients to the wok and stir to combine.
13. Drizzle the Shaoxing wine around the edges of the wok and pour in the sauce.
14. Stir-fry for ~1 minute.
15. Serve with Mandarin pancakes (or rice) and extra hoisin sauce.

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¹ I didn't have any fresh shiitakes on hand, so I just used cremini mushrooms instead. I think that reconstituting dried shiitakes would also work well, although that would give a different texture. ^Back
2 The original recipe only calls for one leek, but my leeks were pretty small. I think it would be fine with only one small leek, but two is better! ^Back

Mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐) is a well-know, popular dish from Sichuan province. It's fully of spicy umami goodness. This is not that dish, but it's definitely in the same family. If you like mapo tofu, but you'd like something that's a bit quicker to make and contains even more garlic, then this is the dish for you!

Like mapo tofu, this recipe calls for a small amount of ground meat. I wanted to keep things vegetarian, so I replaced the meat with some minced black pearl oyster mushrooms. The author of the original recipe notes that either oyster or king oyster mushrooms would likely work well for this purpose.

Spicy Garlic Tofu

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 10-12 cloves garlic, sliced
• 120g oyster mushrooms, minced
• 1 small onion, quartered and sliced
• 4-6 Tbsp. water, divided
• 2 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine (绍兴酒)
• 1 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
• 1 Tbsp. spicy bean paste (辣豆瓣酱)
• 1 1/2 c. vegetable stock
• 1/4 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 450g extra firm tofu, cut into 2cm cubes (or 1 recipe extra-delicious tofu)
• 1 scallion, chopped

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add mushrooms and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add a bit of water, 1-2 Tbsp. at a time, if the wok seems excessively dry. This shouldn't be needed if using ground meat, but will likely be necessary with the mushroom version as they'll soak up all the oil.
4. Add onion, increase heat to high, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add Shaoxing wine, hoisin sauce, and bean paste and cook for 30-60 seconds.
6. Stir in vegetable stock, pepper, sugar, and sesame oil and bring to a boil.
7. Combine cornstarch with 2 Tbsp. of the water to make a slurry and stir it into the wok.
8. Once sauce has reached desired consistency, stir in the tofu and cook until heated through.
9. Sprinkle with scallion and serve over rice.

It takes a bit of time to get your eight treasures ready but, once you've got all the prep out of the way, it goes really fast. I appreciate the use of garlic as a vegetable rather than a seasoning here. And I think the use of Szechuan spicy bean paste and black bean Laoganma works very nicely too.

I made a few substitutions for my version. I swapped out the edamame for sweet peas. And I used rehydrated dried mushrooms instead of pork. I kept the peanuts in, but I'd be tempted to try it with cashews next time. I think I'd prefer their slightly softer texture.

Chinese Eight Treasure Stir-Fry

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 1 c. cubed spiced dried tofu (五香豆腐干)
• 1 c. diced carrot
• 3/4 c. dried shiitake (Chinese black mushrooms), rehydrated and quartered
• 2 bulbs/heads of garlic, large cloves cut in half
• 1/2 c. dried shrimp, rinsed
• 1 c. raw peanuts
• 1 c. diced pepper (hot or sweet according to your preference)
• 1 c. frozen peas
• 2 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine (绍兴酒)
• 2 Tbsp. Szechuan spicy bean paste (辣豆瓣酱)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. black bean Laoganma
• 3 Tbsp. oil, divided

Directions

1. Prep all your treasures and get them ready to go by the wok.
2. Combine wine, bean paste, sugar, sesame oil, and Laoganma to make a sauce.
3. Heat wok over medium heat.
4. Add 1/2 Tbsp. of oil and swirl to coat the wok.
5. Add tofu and stir-fry for ~2 minutes.
6. Remove from wok and set aside.
7. Add another 1/2 Tbsp. of oil and the carrots.
8. Stir-fry for ~2 minutes.
9. Remove from wok at set aside. (You can combine it with the tofu at this point if you like.)
10. Add another 1/2 Tbsp. of oil and stir-fry the mushrooms for 2 minutes.
11. Remove from wok and set aside. (The mushrooms can also go with the carrots and tofu.)
12. Add 1 Tbsp. of oil to the wok and stir-fry the garlic for ~1 minute.
13. Add the (rinsed) shrimp and stir-fry for a few seconds.
14. Add the peanuts and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes.
15. Add the (bell or hot) pepper and stir-fry for ~1 minute.
16. Add the peas and stir to combine.
17. Return the cooked ingredients (tofu, carrot, and mushrooms) to the wok and stir to combine.
18. Add the sauce and continue to stir-fry until most of the liquid has evaporated.
19. Serve over rice.

I was in a very noodle-y mood this week. In addition to making a giant double batch of Chinese "Bolognese", I also put this rice noodle dish into my meal plan for the week. It uses rice noodles rather than wheat noodles so that makes it completely different! ...Right?

The original recipe called for chicken, but I decided to do some substitutions to make it vegetarian. Tofu is normally my chicken substitute of choice, but I was already planning a bunch of tofu dishes for this week, so I opted for tempeh instead to mix things up a bit. Especially since the Kidlet is apparently off tofu now. I think seitan would also work for this, but I didn't really feel up to making seitan this week and I wasn't sure the canned stuff I've got hanging out in the pantry would be harmonious flavour-wise.

The tempeh worked out okay. I think I'd tweak the marinade a little bit next time though to compensate for the fact that it's not actually chicken. I think it'd do well with a little bit of garlic and paprika added to the marinade and maybe a bit of extra oyster sauce as well. These changes are reflected in the recipe below.

Tempeh Mei Fun

Adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

Noodles

• 200g rice vermicelli
• hot water, for soaking
• 1 tsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce

Tempeh

• 200g tempeh, cut into strips
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 2 tsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
• 2 tsp. Shaoxing wine
• 1/4 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1/8 tsp. 5-spice powder
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder

Assembly

• 2 (2mm thick) slices ginger, julienned
• 70g shallots, sliced
• 40g carrot, julienned
• 150g cabbage, shredded
• 3 scallions, halved lengthwise and cut into 5cm pieces
• 3 Tbsp. oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. water (optional)

Directions

Noodles

1. Place noodles in a bowl and pour hot water over them to cover.
2. Allow to soak until softened (2-5 minutes depending on how hot your water was).
3. Drain and toss with oil and soy sauce. Set aside.

Tempeh

1. Combine tempeh, cornstarch, water, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, pepper, 5-spice powder, garlic power, paprika, and onion powder and mix to evenly coat the tempeh.
2. Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.

Assembly

1. Make sure all your veggies are prepped and ready to go, this goes fast once you start cooking!
2. Heat wok over high heat.
3. Add 3 Tbsp. of oil to the wok and swirl to coat.
4. Add the ginger and tempeh and stir-fry until heated through (1-2 minutes).
5. Add the shallots and cook for 10-30 seconds.
6. Add the carrots and cabbage and stir-fry for 30-60 seconds.
7. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper and stir to combine.
8. Reduce heat to medium and stir in noodles and scallions.
9. If you'd like the noodles a bit softer, add 2 Tbsp. of water, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 1 more minute.

Easy Vegetarian Pad Krapow (Thai Basil Stir-Fry)

This was another Woks of Life find and it was a good one! Extremely tasty and incredibly easy. It comes together in just a few minutes and is very flexible in what protein you use. I used some chopped up mysterious deep-fried tofu slices I found at the Asian gorcery store. The recipe author used chicken-flavoured seitan. I think shredded jackfruit would also work well texture-wise, but it is sadly lacking in the protein department. Tempeh, TVP, or mushrooms might work okay, although I don't think they'd be as good as the tofu or the seitan.

Sadly the Kidlet did not enjoy this one. She tolerated it, but only liked the soft bland tofu interior and avoided the crispy, saucy exterior bits. (Which was pretty much the opposite of what I was expecting, to be honest.) That said, TF and I both loved it! And, especially given how unbelievably easy it is, I think we'll be making this again (despite the Kidlet's objections).

Vegetarian Pad Krapow

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. vegetarian fish sauce or 1 additional tsp. light soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. oil
• 1-3 fresh serrano or Holland chilies, sliced
• 1-2 fresh red Thai chilies, sliced
• 5-6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 3 shallots (or 1 red onion), halved and sliced
• 250g protein of choice (seitan, tofu, mushrooms, tempeh, TVP, etc.)
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 bunch holy/Thai basil, stemmed and rinsed
• juice of 1/2 a lime

Directions

1. Combine the sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and fish sauce (or additional soy sauce) and set aside.
2. Heat wok over high heat.
3. Add oil and heat for 30 seconds or so.
4. Add both kinds of chilies, garlic, and shallots and stir-fry for a minute or two.
5. Add protein and stir-fry until it's warmed up and gets a little colour on it. (Probably another minute or two.)
6. Pour in the sauce and stir/toss to combine.
7. When pan seems dry (shouldn't take long over the high heat), pour in the water and deglaze the pan.
8. Add the basil and continue to stir-fry until wilted.
9. Remove from heat and drizzle with lime juice.
10. Serve over rice.