Simply Soba

The ridiculously nice California-esque weather we've been having the last few days seems to suggest that warm temperatures and sunny skies are here to stay. You know what this means- time to bust out the flipflops, hit the pool, and let those freckles come out to play!

With spring in full bloom and summer just around the corner, I've slowly but surely been increasing my intake of warm weather essentials- frozen yogurt and salad. For froyo, the best I can do is point you in the direction of Red Mango or Costco, depending on your budget. But for salad, I offer a recipe that is easy, light yet filling, amazingly healthy, and with asian flair. Oh, did I mention, it's also vegetarian?

Seared Tofu-Soba Noodle Salad
courtesy Cooking Light

-2 packages firm tofu (abt 12 oz each)
-1/4 cup rice vinegar
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-2 TBS sugar
-1 TBS sesame oil
-2 tsp ginger, grated and peeled
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1 TBS olive oil
-lettuce (**Note: original recipe called for romaine, but I used Spring Mix)
-4 cups cooked soba noodles
-optional: chopped green onions

1. Cut tofu to slices, about 3/4 in wide, 2 inch long. Place slices in single layer on a plate, cover with paper towels. Then place another plate on top of the towels, pressing down on the slices occasionally. Let stand 20 min, drain liquid. Repeat for another 20 min.

2. While draining tofu, combine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, ginger, black pepper to make dressing. Shake vigorously. Set aside in fridge.

3. Heat olive oil in skillet over med-high heat. Add tofu slices. Cook about 5 min on 1 side, until lightly browned. Remove dressing from fridge, shake, and add about 2-3 TBS of dressing to tofu before flipping over to other side (add enough dressing to lightly coat all slices of tofu). Cook another 5 min on this side.

4. Place lettuce on plate. Next, top with soba noodles, then tofu slices. Garnish with green onions if desired. Drizzle dressing over tofu, noodles, and salad, adding more as needed.

refreshing summer salad, for omnivores and herbivores alike

sorry, poor photo quality due to phone camera :(





easy-to-assemble leftovers make for a delicious next day lunch

Best of Both Worlds

People are often surprised to find out that I'm a fob (or more accurately, a "yap," according to urban dictionary). I may not fit the stereotype, but catch me in person, and I'll gladly roll up my left sleeve and show you my mark of proof. It's too bad that society has put such a stigma on this status. I love being a fob- after all, my palate is all the more rich today because of it :).

For one thing, while my classmates grew up on Goldfish, animal crackers, and string cheese, I had all that plus the joys of dried squid, shrimp chips, and Pocky. When everyone else brought in pb&j sandwiches day after day, I could switch it up with "fuzzy pork" (rousong) between my slices of Wonder bread. Double the options, double the good times! And even now, when the fob within demands to be fed, a bowl of my mom's za jiang mien can bring me from the Alamo to the streets of Taiwan.

Za Jiang Mien

by la madre and yours truly

(**Note: because this is a home recipe, all the ingredient measurements are rough at best. follow your taste buds and adjust accordingly!)

*3/4 lb ground turkey (i prefer 93/7) or ground pork (for the less health conscious purists)

*3-4 pieces dried tofu (tofu gan), chopped

*1 cup of mushrooms, diced (Shitake preferred, but regular mushrooms at your local grocery store works as well)

*2 TBS ground bean sauce (do ban jiang)

*2 TBS sweet bean sauce (tian mian jiang)

*2 TBS oil

*2 tsp sugar

*1/3 cup water

1. Heat oil in deep pan on medium high heat.

2. Add turkey or pork to pan, breaking up any clumps so that the meat pieces are about the same size. Stir and cook until no pink is seen.

3. Next, add both sauces and sugar. Stir sauce combination evenly into the meat. Add some of the water (about 1/4 cup). Simmer for few minutes.

4. Add mushrooms and tofu. Mix well. Simmer for few minutes. If consistency of sauce is too thick, add more water bit by bit. Be careful not to over-dilute, since the mushrooms also will produce liquid as they cook.

5. Serve over noodles with chilled pickled cucumber (recipe below).

Pickled Cucumber

family recipe (again, rough measurements)

*1 large cucumber or 2 smaller ones, seeds removed, diced

*1 tsp salt

*1.5 tsp sugar

*1.5 TBS rice vinegar

*1 piece of garlic, roughly crushed

1. Mix cucumber with salt and sugar, making sure all pieces are well coated.

2. Add vinegar. Mix evenly.

3. Throw in garlic.

4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hr.

tangy flavor nicely complements

ah, a taste of childhood.

Snack Attack... Chinese- style!

my first day in the MICU, and i had the afternoon off! what better way to spend the extra hours than in the kitchen? :) i decided to try out a scallion pancake recipe- link included below. (sorry, too lazy today to type out instructions :P)

http://appetiteforchina.com/recipes/chinese-scallion-pancakes-photo-photo-recipe

**note: this recipe requires yeast. and the water: flour measurements are definitely off. i had to add a lot of extra flour to get the dough to be the right consistency. but she does provide pictures, which helps

no rolling pin? no problem! improvise with any round-ish surface you have in the kitchen... (i used a beer glass hahaha)

final conclusion: major props to chinese moms who do this on a regular basis!


if you want to try a recipe without yeast, this is from my good friend, joanna:

Scallion Pancakes

1. mix 3 cups flour with 1 cup flour

2. add 1/3 cup cold water and mix til even

3. knead on lightly floured surface until you have smooth ball o'dough

4. let dough rest 30 mintures

5. chop scallions into 1/8" pieces while you wait

6. take dough and form log 2-3 inches in diameter

7. cut log into 6-8 equal pieces

8. take one piece of dough, round than flatten in lightly floured surface

9. roll dough until about 1/16" thick

10. put 1 tsp oil on top, spread evenly

11. sprinkle layer of salt on top then a layer of chopped scallions

12. roll up pancake with scallion side on inside

13. once you've rolledup pancake, take one end of the roll and wrap around the other so it makes a circle (similar to a cinammon roll) (tuck end under so it doesn't unravel)

14. put piece of saran wrap over them and let rest for 30 minutes (so oil can absorb into dough more)

15. roll them out after 30 minutes, flatten with palm first, then roll into round pancake until 1/8" thick

16. put about 1 Tbsp oil in frying pan and fry on medium high heat

let me know which you like better!

Relocation Station

so i've officially moved into my new apt, and it is niccccce. so nice that even a scrub like me gets excited thinking about decorating. i was actually looking at some art for the walls today... but alas, after cutting the rent check, i will not be buying art for awhile.

i did get to initiate my kitchen tonight by making lettuce wraps found a great recipe on cooking light... quick, easy, tasty, and healthy!! made some modifications with preparations (see below). i added about 1/2 of a regular onion and some cooking wine to deepen the flavor. also used thai satay sauce instead of peanut butter (haha, need to save my precious PB for sandwiches and frozen bananas!! :D) and it worked out great. highly recommend this recipe for all those pfchang/ pei wei fans out there!

Crispy Ginger-and-Garlic Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

1 (20-ounce) package lean ground turkey
1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms (i just used regular mushrooms since i live in SA)
1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (i definitely put more... but i like gingery stuff)
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 head iceberg lettuce, separated into leaves

Preparation (modified by me... follow at your own risk!)

1. Cook turkey in skillet about 5 minutes, stirring until turkey crumbles and is no longer pink. (I added a bit of the ginger and onions here and some wine). Remove meat.

2. In same skillet, add onions, ginger, garlic, and all the sauces and cook, stirring constantly for a few minutes. Add mushrooms and water chestnuts to the mix. Stir a few more minutes.

3. Then add turkey back in and mix well! Cover and cook for a few minutes on med-low heat. Uncover and stir again.

4. Serve on lettuce leaves. And if you want to really impress, serve on a bed of vermicelli.

Okay, enjoy the recipe folks! Time for me to estudiar EKGs... tears in heaven. :(