Text 25134, 122 rader
Skriven 2009-06-20 23:19:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av MICHAEL LOO
Ärende: Re: gaggity 716
=======================
-=> Quoting Michael Loo to Jim Weller <=-

 ML> If you like cucumbers and zucchini.
 JW> Which I do.
 ML> Gaggity gag.
 JW> I just knew you would say something like that!

 ML> I'll eat cucumbers if pickled in any way and zucchini
 ML> if fried and served with skordalia. I'm not quite
 ML> (quite) so hard line as I pretend.
                                                
Those are the two tastiest ways, without doubt. I rarely cook
cucumbers but they are a common enough ingredient in my salads, cut
into spears for crudity platters and also sliced in cheese
sandwiches. I also like the Russian way, which you would no doubt
find abominable: sprinkled with salt, pepper and vinegar and then
slathered with sour cream or yogurt. 
 
 JW> I do not dislike eggplant as intensely as
 JW> you do the dreaded zuc but it is not my favourite veg.

 ML> How about fried and served with skordalia?

Or a tomato sauce.

Fried is good, especially with egg wash and cracker crumbs. I also
like ratatouille-like dishes where they play a minor role.

Speaking of vegetables I just formatted a bunch of stuff from
Andrea Nguyen's blog archives at vietworldkitchen.com/blog. lot's of
light summery dishes.

MMMMM-----Meal-Master - formatted by MMCONV  2.10

     Title: Pressed Tofu Stir-Fried With Chinese Celery
Categories: Vietnamese
  Servings: 4

    1/2 ts sugar
    1/4 ts black pepper
      2 ts chile oil (use flakes) or
           chile garlic sauce
  1 1/2 TB light (regular) soy sauce
      2 ts sesame oil
      3    squares of brown pressed
           tofu, thinly sliced (1/8
           inch thick)
      1 bn Chinese celery (3/4 pound)
      2 TB canola or peanut oil,
           divided
      2    cloves garlic, finely
           chopped

One of my favorite meat substitutes is pressed tofu. Viet cooks
typically deep-fry tofu for use in vegetarian dishes. But for my
low-calorie purposes these days, pressed tofu – made by pressing
firm tofu until it is dense like cooked chicken breast – is a better
option. Sometimes called “baked tofuö. Slice it thinly and eat it
raw, put it into sandwiches, or do a simple stir-fry like this one
that combines the mild flavor and chewy texture of the tofu with the
assertive, crunchy qualities of Chinese celery. 

White or brown variety? Select the brown variety, which has been
cooked with soy sauce and often times, five-spice powder. It has a
lovely meaty flavor. The white pressed tofu is kinda uneventful and
too rubber band like. Health food stores carry flavored pressed tofu
like teriyaki but I generally stick to the basic flavor at Asian
markets.

Soft, medium (regular) or hard? Either soft or regular is texturally
nicer than the hard kind (too rubbery).

This is nothing but my riff on a Vietnamese favorite, beef
stir-fried with Chinese celery. Purchase Chinese celery at Asian
markets. Aim for fresh, bright green bunches that nice fragrance.
Chinese celery resembles long, super skinny regular celery. There
are many leaves like flat-leaf parsley; use it within 2 days of
purchase. If you don’t have Chinese celery, use regular celery,
thinly slicing it; blend in some celery leaves (try a 1:4 ratio) for
a strong celery flavor. This is a vegan preparation but you can
certainly combine fish sauce and soy sauce in the seasonings for the
tofu. 

1. In a bowl, combine the sugar, pepper, chile oil, soy sauce, and
sesame oil. Taste and adjust the flavors for a
salty-sweet-spicy-nutty finish. When satisfied, add the pressed tofu
and toss to coat well. Set aside.

2. Trim the celery of its root ends. Snap off about half of the
large leafy tops. Then cut the stems into 2-inch lengths. Put into a
colander and rinse under lots of cold water to remove dirt and other
bits. Rinse and then drain thoroughly. Set aside.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet or wok over
medium-high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry for about 15 seconds,
until fragrant. Add the tofu and toss to combine. Let the
ingredients sear for 15 seconds or so before flipping and
stir-frying for about 30 seconds to heat through. Transfer to a
plate. 

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and then stir-fry the Chinese
celery for about 3 minutes, until softened a bit and about one-third
of the original volume. Add the tofu back, combine, and stir-fry for
30 to 45 seconds more to heat through. Taste and adjust the flavors
(perhaps a sprinkling of salt or sugar), and then transfer to a
serving plate. Serve with lots of rice. 

From: Andrea Nguyen, vietworldkitchen.com/blog


MMMMM-------------------------------------------------

Cheers

YK Jim


... "As soon as we got married I realized 2 can live as cheaply as 6."

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