Teriyaki Tofu ｜照燒豆腐

The tofu in this recipe can be from silken to extra firm.  It depends on your preference.

Ingredients:

1 box Firm Tofu

1/3 cup Corn Starch

4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil (for frying)

Ingredients for Teriyaki Sauce:

3 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce

4 tablespoons Brown Sugar

2 tablespoons Mirin

1 tablespoon Cooking Rice Wine

3 tablespoons Water

1/2 teaspoon Corn Starch

Direction:

1. Mix the sauce ingredients together; set it aside.

2. Cut the tofu into 1 cm slices.

3. Pat dry the water from the tofu with paper towel.

4. Coat each slice of tofu with some corn starch.

5. In a non-stick pan, add vegetable oil.  Heat it up over medium heat.  Carefully add the tofu slices and fry them until they are slightly golden and crispy outside; about 5 minutes.

6. Flip the tofu over and fry the other side for about 3-4 minutes, or until they are crispy.

7. Reduce the heat to low.  Add the teriyaki sauce and allow it to cook until it is slightly thickened.  Transfer the tofu and sauce to the serving plate immediately.

8.  Sprinkle some scallion on before serving if desired.

Lemon Spaghetti

Lemon and spaghetti are surprisingly tasty and refreshing.  This pasta is my family's favourite and we love to pair it with roasted chicken.  Good quality olive oil is highly recommended in this recipe because it can change the flavour dramatically.  If you are fond of a little spicy, sprinkle a generous amount of black pepper on top before serving it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 handful of Spaghetti

6 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 Lemon of zest and juice

Sea Salt to taste

Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

DIRECTION:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper; set aside.

2. Bring a big pot of water to a boil over high heat.  Add salt; the water should taste similar to sea water.

3. Add spaghetti and cook according to the package until it is el dente.  Turn off the heat.  Drain well and return the spaghetti back to the pot.  Add the olive oil mixture and gently mix to coat.  Serve with roasted chicken or steak.

Roasted Yam and Swiss Chard Salad with Pomegranate and Feta Cheese

Yam is one of the common ingredients we use in our salad starting in late fall.  They are sweet, comforting, abundant and inexpensive.  To add a more complex note, you can always add pomegranate, cheese, or even dried fruits in it.

Roasted Yam Ingredients:

2 Sweet Yam, peeled and cut into chunks

4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1/2 teaspoon Curry Powder

1/2 teaspoon Cumin Powder

1 teaspoon Onion Powder

1/3 teaspoon Salt

Salad Ingredients:

1 Pomegranate, shelled

2 cup Rainbow Chard, torn into bite size

1/4 cup Feta Cheese

Dressing Ingredients:

4 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Agave Syrup

Direction:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.  In a small bowl, toss together the yam ingredients until the yams are well coated.  Place them in the oven to bake until golden and slightly crispy outside; about 25 minutes.

2. Arrange the salad ingredients on a serving plate; set aside.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and agave syrup; set aside.

4. Once the yams are roasted, remove them from the oven to cool.  Top them on the bed of salad green and drizzle the dressing over; serve immediately.

Easy Cold Somen | 簡易冷素麵

Cold somen is a light dinner that my family like to enjoy in the hot days.  The noodles take only a few minutes to cook and you will spend the most preparation time on grating daikon and slicing scallion.  To make the meal even simpler, I used the store bought soba dipping sauce instead of making my own.  Within 20 minutes, this chilled somen is ready to be served.

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 bundles Somen (Soba)

3 Scallion, thinly sliced

20 gram Ginger, grated

1 Daikon, peeled and finely grated

Store bought Soba Dipping Sauce

DIRECTION:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add about a teaspoon of salt.  Add somen and cook according to the package; about 2 minutes.

2. Drain the somen.  Run it under cold running water until it totally cools down; drain it again.

3. To serve, combine the dipping sauce with some scallion, daikon, and ginger.

Rapini and Grapes Salad with Strawberry Jam Dressing

Rapini has a similarity to baby kale.  It is slightly bitter and tender.  If you are a kale or arugula person, you will probably enjoy rapini salad.

Rapini goes really well with dressing that is acidic and sweet, so I often mix it with balsamic vinegar or add many different kinds of berries in it.  But it is the end of the summer season now and the berries are getting expensive and less flavourful.  I suddenly thought of the strawberry jam I made last summer.  All I did is to whisk the strawberry jam with the same amount of sunflower seed oil for the dressing.  It tastes fantastic.

INGREDIENTS:

5 stalks Rapini, cut into bite size

1/3 cup Grapes

1 handful of Brazilian Nuts

1 handful Cranberry Berries, dried

1 small handful Chia Seed (optional)

DRESSING:

2 tablespoons Strawberry Jam

2 tablespoons Sunflower Seed Oil

DIRECTION:

1. Combine the salad ingredients together.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.  Spoon it on the salad green.  Serve. 

Cilantro Chutney

If you have a whole bunch of cilantro left from another recipe, you can use it to make this lemony chutney.  This chutney is very delicious when paired with chicken, white fish, and baked potato.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Cilantro, leaves and stems

1/2 inch Ginger, peeled and cut into pieces

1/2 Lemon, juice

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

3/4 teaspoon Cumin Powder

1/3 teaspoon Salt

DIRECTION:

1. In a food processor, add all the ingredients.  Blend until it is well incorporated.  This chutney can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days.

DIY Candied Orange Peel

The key of making bitterness-free orange peels is to remove all the pith that's attached to the outer skin, and making sure to boil them twice before simmering them in syrup.  My son and my husband always love these orange peels, and my son even tried to smuggle some to his best friends in school.  Recently I brought some to my work to share with my colleagues, and they all told me how much they enjoy them.  They didn't think you can make these at home.  Yes, for sure you can, and it is very straightforward.

INGREDIENTS:

Orange Peels (about 10 oranges)

Sugar (equal weight of the pithed orange peels)

Water

DIRECTION:

1. With a small knife, carefully cut off the pith.  This white pith will give the candied orange peels bitterness.

2. Put the pithed peels in a small pot.  Fill the pot with water just enough to cover the peels.  Bring it to a boil and then discard the water.  Repeat the boiling process again; drain well.

3. In the same pot, add sugar of equal volume to the orange peels.  Fill the pot with water just enough to over the peels.  Turn the heat to low and simmer the peels for three hours, or until the peels are bright orange colour and slightly translucent.  Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and leave it over night.

4. The next day, line up the orange peels on parchment paper without overlapping them.  Allow them to totally dry.  Keep them in an air-tight container.  You can snack on them as they are, or sprinkle them on muffins, cookies, or cakes.