Homemade Sweet and Sour Tofu

Sweet and sour sauce is commonly used in Chinese cuisine.  It is a sauce which mainly combines vinegar and sugar.  There are so many yummy dishes made with this sauce, like sweet and sour pork, sweet and sour fish and sweet and sour spare-ribs. 

My lovely Aunt Eva used to cook sweet and sour pork all the time when I was a child.  She loved cooking and she was a great cook.  When I was small, my brothers and I loved to visit her because we loved all of her good food and always had lots of fun with our cousins. She was kind, thoughtful, hardworking, patient and generous.  We lost a wonderful woman, mom, sister and aunt last month.  She will forever be in our thoughts.   I love you, Aunt Eva! You are loved and missed!

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serve: 2

Ingredients:

-         200g medium firm tofu (cut in cubes)

-         30g red pepper (cut in cubes)

-         35g green pepper (cut in cubes)

-         35g orange pepper (cut in cubes)

-         70g pineapple pieces

-       1½ tsp olive oil

-         2 garlic cloves (approximately 6 g, minced)

-         ½ shallot (finely chopped)

-         ½ spring onion (chopped)

-         a pinch of salt

-         a pinch of plain flour

Sweet and Sour Sauce:          

-         1 tbsp water

-         2 tbsp ketchup

-         1½ tbsp vinegar

-         2 tbsp brown sugar

-         3 tbsp pineapple syrup

-         ¼ tsp Zhenjiang vinegar

-         ¼ tsp soy sauce         

-         ⅛ tsp table salt

Thickening sauce:

-         ¼ tsp corn flour

-         ½ tsp cold water

Method:

1.	Use a piece of kitchen towel to dry the surface of tofu.  Add a pinch of salt onto a plate and put the tofu cubes on it.  Then add another pinch of salt on the tofu.  Sprinkle the tops with a small amount of plain flour.
2.	In a small mixing bowl, mix all ingredients of the sweet and sour sauce well.  Set aside.
3.	Heat a non-stick pan over low heat and add ½ tsp olive oil.  Then pan-fry all sides of the tofu to a bit golden yellow, remove and set aside.
4.	Heat the wok over medium heat and add ½ tsp olive oil.  Then add half of the minced garlic into the wok and cook for 10 seconds.  Add the mixed pepper and a pinch of salt; and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes until just tender.  Remove the pepper and set aside.
5.	In the meantime, heat the wok over low-medium heat, add ½ tsp olive oil and minced garlic.  Pour the mixed sweet and sour sauce in the wok and stir often until it boils.  Toss in the tofu and mixed pepper and stir-fry gently to make sure they are thoroughly coated with the sauce.
6.	Mix the corn flour with the cold water well.  Pour into the wok and stir-fry until the sauce is thickened.
7.	Ready to serve with rice.
	Tips for pan-frying tofu:
i.	Use a non-stick pan. I prefer using a small brush to add the oil evenly on the pan before heating the pan.
ii.	It is easy to pan-fry tofu pieces over lower heat.
iii	Leave each side of the tofu pieces alone for about 1-2 minutes. Do not turn them or agitate them in any other way. Just gently shake them to make sure they don't stick to the pan. When you see a golden crust beginning to creep its way up the sides of the slices, turn them and pan-fry another side. Add a little bit more oil if the pan seems too dry.

Chicken Salad Rolls with Japanese Sesame Sauce

This morning I met my friend at a Korean supermarket.  We talked a lot about the Bonfire night and both of us enjoyed the spectacular firework display.  She said she had barbecue lunch during the last two weekends.  She wants to have some simple and healthy food.  Then I suggested her using rice paper to make veggie rolls for her lunch.  I hope she likes them!

The weather has changed so suddenly.  I lost my appetite after I got sick for the flu since Monday.  I feel better after eating four chicken salad rolls with sesame sauce and a bowl of minced beef congee.  This is a delicious and simple recipe that came at the perfect time.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serve: 1

Ingredients:

-         100g chicken fillet

-         4 pieces of rice paper

-         ¼ tsp ginger powder

-         ¼ tsp garlic powder

-         ½ tsp light soy sauce

-         ¼ tsp sugar                                  

-         70g cucumber (finely sliced/ julienne)

-         50g carrot (finely sliced/julienne)
-         4 slices of lettuce 

-         1-1.5 cup of warm drinking water

Sauce:

-         1 tbsp Japanese sesame sauce (light)

-         1 tsp drinking water

-         ½ tsp soy sauce

-         ¼ tsp sugar

-         a pinch of white sesame seed

Method:

1.	Preheat the steamer.
2.	Season the chicken with ginger powder, garlic powder, light soy sauce and sugar for 10 minutes.  Then put the meat on the steamer tray and steam it for 8 minutes.  Take out the meat and let it cool down.  Then tear the meat into bite-sized strips and set aside.
3.	In a small mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients of sauce well.  Set aside.
4.	Place a piece of rice paper in a place with warm drinking water until a bit tender.  Divide the carrot, cucumber and the meat in four equal portions.
5.	Wrap the roll: soak the rice paper in a large plate of warm water for 10 seconds until a bit tender.  Lay the rice paper on a board or a flat surface; place one piece of lettuce, one portion of carrot, meat and cucumber in the middle of rice paper.  Then put a tea spoon of sauce on top of the filling.  Fold the bottom of the rice paper to cover the filling. Then tuck and roll the rice paper from right to left as tightly as possible.
	2 1
	4 3
	NOTE: As the rice paper is very delicate, do not soak them too longer or they will break apart. Do not soak all rice paper in advance.  It is better to soak one at a time when it is ready to be used.

Grilled Sorted Vegetables with creamy turmeric sauce

Oh! Today is Monday, another green Monday!  I love cooking more with turmeric after watching a BBC program about Alzheimer's disease and how to keep our brain healthy.  According to lots of research, turmeric benefits to our health a lot such as pain reliever, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cancer-preventative.  It can also lower cholesterol and protect the cardiovascular system.  I love its favor and color.  This recipe is easy and absolute mouth-watering.  If you like, you can add your favorite veggie to make it more colorful like green pepper and red pepper.

Ingredients:

-         150g cauliflower (washed and chopped)

-         150g carrots (washed and chopped)

-         150g button mushrooms (washed and chopped)

-         70g baby corn (washed and chopped)

-         1000 ml water

-         ¼ tsp salt

-         ¼ tsp olive oil

-         1 slice of white cheese (chopped)

Sauce:

-         10g butter

-         10g plain flour

-         ¼ tsp turmeric powder

-         50 ml skimmed milk  

-         150 ml coconut milk

-         ¼ tsp sugar

-         ½ tsp salt

Method:

1.	Preheat the oven to 160°c.
2.	Boil 1000 ml water in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add olive oil and salt in the sauce pan, bring the cauliflower, carrots, button mushrooms and baby corn to the boil, then reduce the heat and cover.  Simmer for 6-8 minutes until tender.  Drain the vegetables and place them on a ceramic dish or a baking tray with foil.  Set aside.
3.	Meanwhile, melt the butter in small non-stick pan and add the plain flour over a low heat.  Using a wooden spoon to mix the butter with the plain flour until smooth.
4.	Add turmeric powder inside the flour mixture and mix it thoroughly.  Then add skimmed milk and coconut milk, stir frequently to ensure mixing well.  After seasoning with sugar and salt, keep stirring for 3-5 minutes over a low heat till the sauce is thickened.
5.	Spoon the sauce over the vegetables.
6.	Topped with chopped cheese and grill for 6-8 minutes until the cheese is melted and the topping is golden.

Stir-fried shiitake mushrooms with Tofu

My friend is one of the founders of a social enterprise called ‘Green Monday’ in Hong Kong.  The project has been run since 2012.  When I met him in Hong Kong in a restaurant a few years ago, he firstly introduced his concept to promote having a ‘green’ meal once a week in order to protect our environment.  The project is successful after running for a few years.  It is highly supported by the government and the catering industry. 

As I am getting old, I have started to think more about what I eat. I have begun having one ‘green’ meal once a week.  It is good to health and I feel happier after forming this habit.  I am used to having ‘green’ either at lunch or dinner every Monday because Monday is the first working day.  It is easy for me to plan my meals.  Hope you will be one of the fans of ‘Green Monday’.  I will post more recipes of making 'green' meals later.  Welcome all of you to make comments and share the photos of your dish.

Preparation time:

                            -         20 minutes (for using dried shiitake mushrooms) or

                            -         10 minutes (for using fresh shiitake mushrooms)

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serve: 2

Ingredients:

-         210g firm tofu (diced in cubes 2cmL x 2cmW x 1.5 cmH)

-         45g carrot (sliced)

-         50g fresh baby corn (sliced)

-         4 dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked and quartered)

-         90g button mushrooms (quartered)

-         ½ spring onions (finely chopped)

-         1 slice of ginger (sliced)                          

-         ¼ tsp table salt                             

-         1 tsp olive oil

-         ½ tsp sugar

-         1 tsp light soy sauce

-         1 tsp bean sauce

-        700g water

Thickening Sauce:

-         1½ tsp cold water

-         1 tsp corn flour

Method:

1.	Clean the dried shiitake mushrooms, trim and discard the stems. Add hot water and mushrooms in a bowl. Soak the mushrooms up for 20 minutes until they become soft.  Using dried shiitake mushrooms can give a more fragrant flavor.  Fresh shiitake mushrooms can be used instead of the dried shiitake mushrooms. For fresh shiitake mushrooms, just clean, trim and discard the stems; and quartered.
2.	Heat a non-stick wok over a medium heat and add oil. Add garlic and ginger, stir-fry about 30 seconds.  Then add the soaked shiitake mushrooms, salt, sugar and 150g water. Cover and simmer for 8 minutes.
3.	Toss the baby corn, carrot and add soy sauce in the wok and stir-fry for another 5 minutes.
4.	In the meantime, add button mushrooms, tofu, bean sauce and   50g water.  Stir-fry gently for a further 5 minutes.
5.	In a small mixing bowl, stir corn flour well with 1½ tsp cold water to prepare the thickening sauce.
6.	Add the spring onion and pour the sauce in the wok and stir-fry for 1 minute.
7.	Ready to serve with rice.