Cold Tofu (Hiyayakko)

Chanced upon this at a friend's place. An avid Japanese cook, she never fail to impress me with her creativity and energy. In this day and age where mothers are often busy and distracted, you hardly meet many young mothers who are dedicated to the children and kitchen all at the same time. Janet is one such gem.

Inspired by her, I went in search for the necessary ingredients to make this quick sure-won't-go-wrong dish.

Went to j-Mart at Star and bought a pack of bonito flakes. I even went as far as to call Unicurd to check out their tofu range and to make sure they are safe to be consumed raw and cold. Of course, the organic tofu would be better for anything raw I reckon. And it'd be doubly-best if I can get my hands on their Yakko Tofu. Unfortunately, they are not readily available at all supermarkets. So I settled on Extra Smooth Silken Tofu.

I like it. Boys love it. Man is cool about it (eyeballs roll skyward). Boys been asking for it and wanted more -- after they have reconciled the savory taste with a cold tofu. Took them two mouthfuls to 'register' the chill because they were half expecting a warm dish, liken a 'tau hwei'.

Here's what you'd need:

* 1 block of Silken Tofu (I used Unicurd Extra Smooth Silken Tofu)
* Spring onions (diced to small bits)
* Grated ginger (small amount; optional)
* Bonito flakes
* Soy Sauce (use a good one, Kikkomann Soy Sauce is recommended)

This is what I did:

1. Remove Tofu from the box*. Rinse and cut to size (one piece per person per bowl)

2. Place cut tofu on a serving bowl. Drizzle some soy sauce over it.

3. Place grated ginger on it, and sprinkle diced spring onions over.

4. Top with bonito flakes.

5. Serve with a sweet Japanese doll smile.


Psst psst... * ok how to do you remove tofu from box in one perfect block?!
i. Slice away the top plastic cover
ii. Run the box under running tap water, at the same time, open up the 4 sides and let water run into box.
iii. Off tap. Turn the box upside down onto your palm and lift box away from tofu. Perfect.

Crispy Pan-Fried Steamed Tofu

Time out of the house these days are spent in the smothering heat in the car. With Son3 taking his first nap soundly in the car, I am very reluctant to move or go anywhere or even, to arrange to meet any friends, lest I wake him up. With such odd pockets of time between dropping off Son2 and picking up Son1, fitting me neither here nor there, it's easier to simply 'sweat it out' and be non-commitant to any appointments.

Hence of late, I haven't been able to meet with any friends. Other than What's App-ing each other, and an occasional SMS, really, it's as though I'm living in a tiny world of my own. My car has become much like a little office to me. Equipped with iPad, books and stationery, I spent much of my time in there trying to stay connected at best I can.

What about you? How do you keep in touch with pals? Do you meet them often? Speak often? Pray together often?

Something ought to be done if I do not wish to be 'friend-less' as I age. Let me think. Let me think.

Coming back to blogging proper, what an oxymoron! Crispy and steamed. Brain fried by heat, that's why. Can't think of anything. Oh by the way, they serve this in Jumbo Seafood restaurant too, you know?!

But this is, accordingly to Man, his best all time favorite! He was full of praises as he bites and chew them. He really has a thing for fried stuff I must say. (But I'm secretly pleased. Pat on my shoulder. Way to go baby!)

Was supposed to use water chestnut. I replaced it with onions because I can't find water chestnut that day. And the sun was way toooo hot for me to venture out (speaking of which, I ought to increase my SPF coverage!)

Next time I do this again, I shall...

1. Remember to add cornstarch to the mashed mixture. Maybe because I forgot to add it this time, the end product was rather... what's the word... mmm... 'loose' (?). You know what I mean? The fried cube didn't feel 'solid'. Though the egg was to act as a binder, I think the cornstarch will help to hold it together better.

2. Keep the cooled tofu 'cake' in the fridge for a couple of hours. I find that when they are chilled, the tofu 'cake' feels tighter and is easier to fry. Less fragile. But it's tofu afterall, so still you have to handle with lots of tender, loving care!

This is a sure winner of the month. (If you happen to read this blog now, you will not see any pictures. Coz I haven't loaded them yet. But I cannot wait to share the recipe coz friends are asking... so here you go for now. Pictures akan datang.)

Here's what you'd need:

Mashed Tofu:
* 1 slice of Picnic Ham (chopped to bits)
* Carrot (shredded. I used only 1/3 of a carrot stick)
* 1/2 Onion (chopped to bits)
* Few strands of Spring onions (chopped to bits)
* 150gm Fish Paste (readily available in supermarket)
* 3 Egg Tofu (I used Fortune)
* 1 egg
* 1/2 tsp cornstarch (shall remember to add this next time!)
* Salt and pepper to taste (which i omitted)

Frying Tofu:
* Tapioca flour (for frying)

This is what I did:

1. In a mixing bowl, mix together 'Mashed Tofu'. I used a handheld electric mixer. Mix till the tofu mixture is still slightly lumpy.

2. Pour mixture into a steaming pan. I used a springform pan (those you use for baking cake with the removable base). Level the top.

3. Place into steamer and steam on medium heat for 8-10 mins, till the top is set. To check doneness, poke with a fork. Over-steaming will cause the tofu to release water I find.

4. Once done, remove pan from steamer and let 'cake' cool completely in pan. (Don't worry if it looks watery or soft. This is mashed tofu, remember? It is supposed to be soft.)

5. At this point after cooling, you may wish to either remove the 'cake' from the pan by sliding base off the sides like you would a cake, or place the entire pan in the fridge for further cooling.

6. When ready to fry, cut steamed tofu into rectangle. Prepare a plate of Tapioca flour. Heat a pan of oil (sufficient for frying) till hot, reduce fire to maintain heat.

7. Coat each piece of tofu generously with flour and fry on medium heat till golden brown. Dish up and serve immediately.

Chawanmushi

I SUCCEEDED!!!!!! Hooray!!!

I have tried to make chawanmushi all my life. But always fail. Either custard turns out dome like a cake... or too hard... or watery wet... either way, it is NEVER quite what you get from the Japanese eatery. Very frustrating.

I chanced upon this at All That Matters. And decided to give it a try. Afterall, she sounded like a Japanese, though I can not be sure. Do you know?

Anyway, like she said, the ratio of Egg to Liquid should be 1:150ml. I based it on 120ml because I had some other ingredients in there which may release water during steaming.

And most importantly, is really to watch the fire! The steamer, or rather, the water cannot be bubbling boiling hot like the way it should be when you steam a fish. Instead, the flame should be gentle and the water bubbling just slightly. So I boiled water separately in my water flask, and pour it in to fill up my steamer wok and keep it boiling further with a l-o-w flame.  And it works!!!!!!

Wahahahaha... Look at the texture. So happy! The custard really is that of a real chawanmushi. However, the taste is a bit different probably because I didn't use dashi stock. And I didn't use Shimeiji Mushroom. Instead, I used chicken breast bits and dried mushroom.

Man and boys like it, except they thought it was a bit salty. I shall remember to dilute the chicken stock with water next time, and use proper ingredients now that I know how this works! Hurray!

Maybe crab sticks,.. gingko nuts, mushroom,... Japanese fish cake,... prawns,... chicken breast... Will definitely do this again... and again!

Here's what you'd need (serves 4):

* 4 eggs
* 480ml Chicken Stock (I will reduce it further to 400ml chicken stock with 80ml water next time)
* Chicken breast fillet (sliced to strips), seasoned slightly with pepper & pinch of salt
* Some dried Chinese mushrooms (soaked, softened and cut to strips)

This is what I did:

1. In a bowl, beat the eggs very lightly. Pour in 480ml of liquid (Stock + Water, in your desired proportion). Stir and mix well.

2. In the individual cups / bowls, place in the chicken fillet and mushrooms. Sieve the mixture into the cups/bowls.

3. Cover the cups / bowls with aluminum foil (to avoid water droplets from dripping onto the custard, so as to achieve perfect smooth surface).

4. Steam on low fire for about 20mins. Check doneness by tapping the custard gently with a chopstick.

5. Once done, turn off the fire. Leave the cups / bowls in the steamer to keep warm till ready to serve.

Psst psst... 
* I have no ramekin bowls, so I steamed my chawanmushi in the typical Chinese soup bowls.
* Why only 480ml? Since ratio should be 1:150ml, then I should be using 600ml for 4eggs. So why 480ml only? Coz I had some chicken bits in there, and chicken do excrete some water when steamed. So I based it on 1:120ml. Essentially, it is said that if you only have eggs in there with no other ingredients, then base it on 1:150ml.

Steamed Tau Pok

Ever read a food blog without pictures? Guess this will be it... at least for this while. So, please bear with me. *sob

Or use square tau pok

This dish is a real easy peasy lemon squeezy. Season minced pork, add in fish paste, cut in chopped chives, stuff into halved tau pok, steam on high for 15-20 mins, serve. What's so tough?!

It's such a no brainer, I wonder if I should even post it. But it's been nagging me to! It wants to be on the blog coz it's a WINNER at my table. LOL. Really, there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't give this a try. It's healthy, it's easy, it's tasty.


Ingredients:

* Tau pok
* Minced pork
* Fish paste (optional)
* Chives (cut small)


Here's what I did:

1. Cut tau pok into half. Gently slice an opening for stuffing later.

2. Season minced pork with pepper, soya sauce, sesame oil and pinch of cornstarch.

3. Add in fish paste (half of minced pork portion)

4. Add in chives (chives is a must in this dish).

5. Stuff mixture into tau pok.

6. Lay them lying down on a steam plate, add water to the plate (ample to soak the tau pok slightly; you MUSTN'T miss this step of adding water!)

7. Steam on high for 15-20 mins till stuffing is cooked. Serve.


psst psst... Pardon me if my description is not so clear above. I have the photos in my Apple. Am trying hard to retrieve.

psst psst 2... yeah!!! I found my photos!(photos uploaded on 31 Dec '11)

Steamed Tofu with Black Bean Paste

Now, this is something really healthy, oil-free and super nutritious!

Steamed Tofu with Minced Pork in Black Bean Paste. Preparation time: 15mins, Cook time: 15-20mins


Ingredients:

One pack of rectangular Tofu (for soup / steaming)
Minced pork (2/3 portion; season with pinch of salt, pepper, corn starch)
Fish paste (1/3 portion; optional)
Spring onion (diced)
Dried mushroom (soaked, soften & diced)
Black bean mixture (1 tsp black bean paste, 2-3 spoon soup of water, sugar to taste)





 Here's what I did:

1. Mix seasoned minced pork, fish paste, spring onion, and mushroom in a clean bowl.

2. Slice tofu (as seen on picture).

3. Starting with a first layer of tofu, follow by spreading some pork mixture, then another layer of tofu, so on and so forth, ending with a layer of pork mixture.

4. Steam on high for 15-20mins.













5. In a wok, heat up oil, pan fry leftover pork mixture (if any).

6. Pour in black bean mixture and stir till hot. Mixture should be rather watery. Add more water if desired. Taste and add more sugar if needed (to counter the saltiness of the black bean paste)

7. When steamed tofu is ready, pour hot black bean mixture over. Sprinkle with some chinese parsley and serve.