Đậu Hũ Chiên Giòn (Crispy Fried Tofu)

This crispy fried tofu is simple and yet tasty to have as an appetizer. The bite-size fried tofu has a natural sweetness and tender center; the beautiful golden brown skin is full of hearty savory notes.

Firm tofu is best for frying as it holds its shape and browns better than other varieties. There are many brands and types of tofu in the market but not all tofu are created equally. When time allows, I would make a trip to a local tofu store to buy their fresh daily made tofu, otherwise, the next best bet is buying packaged organic tofu with the farthest expiration date from my local Costco.

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RECIPE: Crispy Fried Tofu

printable recipe

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Ingredients

2 blocks firm tofu

2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder or
2 teaspoons vegetable bouillon
2 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoons fresh minced garlic or
4 shallots, thinly sliced

4 stalks green onions, finely cut
2 tablespoons olive oil

rice bran oil, vegetable or canola oil, for deep frying

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Directions

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Preparing Tofu

Place tofu on a couple layers of paper towel or a kitchen towel. Slice tofu into bite size cubes. Remove excess moisture content in the tofu by placing another paper towel or kitchen towel (doubled over) on top and gently press out the excess water, until the paper towel is no longer drawing out much water.

When I am not feeling lazy, I take an extra step  to soak the sliced tofu in a bath of salty water (a bowl with salt and water) and allow to soak for 10-15 minutes then pat dry before frying. Using this method draws out the moisture and add seasonings, resulting in a better crust and texture. 

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Preparing Green Onion Sauce

shallots

Cut green onions. Set aside. 

Put about a tablespoon of olive oil and garlic or shallots (I prefer shallot) in a sauce pan over medium-low heat until the garlic or shallot begins to turn pale gold. Turn off the heat. Continue stirring until the color deepens.  Add chicken bouillon powder, and sugar in the hot oil and mix well.

  

shallot sauce

Pour the fried shallot or fried garlic mixture over a bowl of green onions. Mix well. 

garlic sauce

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Deep Frying Tofu

Heat oil for deep frying in small saucepan on high (oil should fill pan to at least 2 inches). To test if your oil is hot enough, dip the tip of a chopstick into the oil.  If it begins to sizzle then the oil is ready for frying.  

Blot dry tofu with a clean dish or paper towel to avoid splattering. Carefully add the tofu cubes to the pan. Don’t crowd the pan. Do not flip tofu too soon as it will break apart. Let it cook until the edges start to look brown. Flipping the tofu occasionally to prevent tofu from sticking to pan and also to ensure that all sides of the tofu are golden brown.

fresh daily made tofu

organic tofu from Costco 

Transfer the tofu to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil.

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Presentation

Place tofu on a serving plate. Drizzle the green onion sauce over the fried tofu. Mix it all up so the sauce coats the fried tofu pieces. My little one loves seaweed, so I topped tofu with shredded seaweed.  Serve while it's still warm and crispy.

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Eat well.  Stay hungry.

Gỏi Cuốn Chay (Almond Butter Tofu and Vegetables Summer Rolls)

click the picture for better image quality

There was a time that I cooked 30-days of vegan meals for my family. My husband accepted a vegan challenge and he made the whole family ate vegan for an entire month. He lost weight and his cholesterol dropped significantly without any changes to his exercise. So the benefits are there. My older daughter became addicted to vegan/vegetarian food since. Since she doesn't care much for eating meat, I have incorporated vegan meals into our diet more regularly. Here's one of their favorites: The Summer Vegan Roll - I suppose you can call it whatever depending on the season and ingredients you use. 

These light, healthy, and satisfying Vietnamese-influenced summer rolls are comprised of a hearty, crunchy textures and fresh flavors from pan-tried tofu and almond butter sauteed shiitake mushrooms, brown rice noodle, sweet and tart mango, and plenty of fresh herbs and vegetables. 

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RECIPE: Summer Rolls
make about 15 rolls

printable recipe

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Ingredients

1 block of firm tofu
8-10 fresh shiitake mushrooms
1 1/2 bell peppers, assorted colors
1 mango
1/2 English cucumber
1 bunch fresh mint leaves
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1/2 package of thin rice noodle
sesame oil
a pack of rice paper

1 package of radish sprouts, optional

for the almond butter sauce:

1/2 cup creamy or crunchy almond butter, salted or unsalted

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic, for sauce

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic, for tofu
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Directions

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Prepping Sauce

In a bowl, combine sauce ingredients except water and garlic, whisk to combine. Put aside 2 tablespoons of sauce for sauteing the tofu and shiitake mushrooms. 

In a small sauce pan, saute garlic with oil until fragrant and slightly brown. Pour the sauce and water into the garlic. Whisk to combine. Adjust those seasonings depending on your preference. The almond butter sauce becomes thick once they're off the heat and have cooled down.

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Prepping Tofu and Shiitake Mushrooms

Shiitake Mushrooms - Most of the mushrooms shouldn’t be soaked in water and wash as they absorb lots of water. You just need to wipe well with cloth or paper towel. If you want to wash them, make sure to dry well or lightly squeeze each one to extract the excess water before cooking.

Cut mushroom into slices. It looks a lot in volume at beginning, but it will shrink to about half the size after they're cooked.

Tofu - drain the tofu and thoroughly pat dry with a kitchen towel or a paper towel.  Slice tofu in half thin.

Cut tofu into 12 strips.

Place tofu strips on a paper towel or a kitchen towel to keep them dry.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Add tofu to the skillet and fry until all sides of the tofu are brown. 

When I make a double batch, I use the pancake griddle to fry the tofu.

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Sauteing Tofu and Shiitake Mushrooms

Use the same skillet to cook a tablespoon of garlic with sesame oil until fragrant. Add mushrooms into the skillet, mix it well. 

Cover and keep cooking until they shrink, soften, and become golden brown. Add fried tofu and the almond butter, stirring to coat. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce is absorbed. Remove from heat and let it cool down.

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Cooking Noodle

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Noodle and rice paper can be purchased at any Asian market for a lot less.  For convenience, I sometime get them both at BelAir market.  The brown rice noodle and rice paper made of brown rice are from Belair.

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add noodle and cook according to the package directions.  Rinse, drain and set aside.  

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Prepping Vegetables

Bell Peppers - cut into long thin strips.

Cucumber - peel some of the rough outer skin of the cucumber then cut into long thin strips.

Mango - peel the mango skin, cut mango into strips.

Cilantro and Mint - wash, shake it to remove excess water.  

Radish Sprouts - cut them at the roots.  Discard the roots.  Wash and set aside.

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Assembling Summer Rolls

Pour water in a shallow bowl for dipping the rice paper. You can also find the rice paper holder/water bowl at most of the Asian markets for a few bucks.

Immerse a rice paper in water until wet on all surfaces, give it a shake to remove excess water, then transfer to a plate. Place a small amount of desired fillings in the center. 

Roll the front edge of the wrapper over the filling away from you.

Fold the right and left sides over toward the center.
Roll it away from you once, then add radish sprouts at the edge of the roll for presentation then continue rolling into a tight roll.  

brown rice paper

Cover the roll up with a plastic wrap to keep them moist and fresh. Repeat until all fillings are used up.  

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Presentation

Serve summer rolls with almond butter sauce. Add a dash of sriracha sauce to the almond sauce for some spice.

When time is pressing, I would serve summer rolls as a self serve style. I simply lay everything out on the table and let everyone wrap their own roll.

Enjoy!

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Eat well. Stay healthy.

Đậu Hũ Dâu Tây (Strawberry with Soft Silken Tofu in Yuzu Dressing)

Thank you everyone for your prayers, emails and messages of support and care during my absence from the blog and FB. April was a difficult month for me and my family as my dad passed away. It was difficult to be in the right mindset to blog given the circumstances. It's sad thinking of his passing, but at the same time I am happy for him, knowing that he's free from our physical limitations. The part about grieving that has helped me the most is realizing that there's life to be lived and what my husband has shared with me about resilience:

Never stop loving, never stop living

Never stop learning, never stop earning

Never stop growing, never stop giving

I want to dedicate this post to my dad. He was a vegetarian for many years until he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's that took away his memory and eventually bodily functions.

This strawberry with soft silken tofu is a delightful and healthy appetizer dish. It's seasoned with a savory yuzu citrus dressing, topped with the nutty, chili oil with crunchy garlic.  The shiso leaves that are garnished in this dish add a pleasantly mild minty, gingery taste, lending depth to the flavor. 

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RECIPE: Strawberry with Soft Silken Tofu in Yuzu Dressing
Printable Recipe
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Ingredients

1 block of soft silken tofu, available at Costco

a few fresh strawberries

shiso leaves, available at Japanese or Korean market

yuzu citrus dressing

crunchy garlic in chili oil sauce

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Directions

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Preparing Strawberries

Cut strawberries in any shapes you prefer.  I cut mine in heart-and flower shapes.  Set aside.

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Preparing Tofu

Cut tofu in half. Cut each half into squared slices.

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Preparing Shiso Leaves

It's always nice to be able to pick the shiso leaves in my vegetable garden whenever I need it for my dishes. Shiso plant is so easy to grow but it's quite expensive to buy the shiso at the market. I used to pay $2 for a bunch of about 6 leaves.  If you are interested, you can find the seeds at your local Japanese market.

Cut shiso leaves in half. Cut leaves the same size as tofu pieces.

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Assembling Strawberry Tofu

Where I live is surrounded by farmers.  I can spot fruit stands, cows, horses, fresh chicken eggs signs all around.  When the strawberry season comes, my family would make a mini trip to pick up some fresh, delicious strawberries. 

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Gently stack together a piece of shiso leaf between the tofu and strawberry.

Garnish tofu with crunchy garlic chili oil.

Gently pour the yuzu sauce on the bottom of the tofu.  Add a few drops of chili oil onto the sauce. 

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Presentation

Scoop up each piece of tofu with the strawberry and some sauce with a spoon and enjoy.

Eat well.  Stay healthy.