Tofu Stir-Fry with Thai Eggplants and Basil

Recently I went downtown on a mission- I desperately wanted to find fresh pandan leaves with which to unlock a whole arsenal of Southeast Asian recipes. I went to Chinatown following a lead from Yelp that a store just on Spadina had it- sure enough, I found not only my pandan but also galangal, shrimp-free curry paste, ridiculously cheap lemongrass and some Thai basil and eggplants. Being so elated by my discovery of the pandan leaves, I loaded up on everything that looked interesting with no regard for whether I knew how to cook it or how to get it home.

Yeah, I sometimes get overly enthusiastic about finding new ingredients to use. I'd seen Thai basil before, of course, but never the tiny green Thai eggplants. Since I love eggplant in all shapes and forms, I got a pack and decided to somewhat emulate the Thai basil eggplant I sometimes see on restaurant menus.

A different time I made this using the more readily available Chinese eggplants and fried tofu.

I can't say that I went for authenticity, though. I don't eat fish, so the ubiquitous fish sauce used in Thai cooking was out of the question. I remembered reading somewhere that one could use watered-down hoisin sauce, and while I doubted that would taste anything like the real thing, I did have a bottle of vegetarian hoisin sauce awaiting deployment in the fridge. So, until I found a better fish sauce substitute, that'd do the trick.

While it lacks fermentedness in its flavour, the hoisin does add to the savoury, slightly tangy taste of the sauce, along with some soya sauce to balance it out. I added a couple of dried peppers for heat (fresh would work well, too, but would probably be more pungent) and some garlic, and a little coconut sugar for a sweet note. The sauce isn't overwhelming to the taste of the basil, but still infuses the tofu with flavour well, which was my main objective. You can use fried or unfried tofu- I used fried tofu just recently, so I decided to go with unfried.

Lastly, I added a handful of roasted cashew pieces just because I really like cashews. They add a bit of crunch and extra protein, along with nutty flavour, but you can skip them entirely. I was very happy with how this recipe turned out, since I practically improvised the whole thing based on what was on my fridge. Served with jasmine rice, this makes a quick and delicious meal.

Tofu Stir-Fry with Thai Eggplants and Basil

For the Sauce:
3 TBSP Soya sauce
3 TBSP Hoisin sauce (I used a vegetarian one, naturally)
3 TBSP Water
2 Dried red bird chillies, crumbled into bits
2 Tsp. Coconut, palm or brown sugar

Mix all well and set aside.

For the Tofu and Vegetables:
1 1/2 TBSP Vegetable oil
225 g. (1/2 Lb.) Firm Tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes (or fried tofu)
250 g. (a bit more than 1/2 Lb.) Thai eggplants, cut into halves and quarters (or Chinese eggplants- the long and thin ones)
1 Red bell pepper, cut into thin strips (or a mix of colours)
2 Shallots, cut into thin strips
3-4 Garlic cloves, finely minced
Small bunch of Thai basil, torn into bits, stems removed
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1/3 C. Roasted cashews (optional)

Heat up 1 TBSP of oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok. Add the garlic and fry until sizzling and beginning to brown.

Add half of the sauce (look out for splattering). Add the tofu, pepper and shallots. Cook for about 2 minutes, until slightly toasted and browned.

Add the eggplants and remaining sauce. Add the remaining oil and fry for about a minute. Lower the heat to medium-low and cover, cooking until the eggplants are tender but still not falling apart. If at any point the mixture seems too dry, add another tablespoon of water.

Take off the heat and add the cashews and basil, reserving a small amount of fresh basil for a garnish if desired. Sprinkle with the lime juice (to help keep the colour bright).

Singapore Rice Noodles with Tofu

I'm not really that into take-out food... unless it's Indian. Or Thai. But I never understood the hubbub about Chinese take-out.

Maybe it's because the tastiest dishes are the ones with meat- I used to like the sweet-and-sour chicken balls, when I was a kid and didn't really question what was in them. But as a general rule of thumb, I'm not much one for fried rice and noodles, or vegetables and tofu doused in sweet and not particularly flavourful sauces. (I know that take-out by no means reflects Chinese cuisine accurately, even when the dish itself has real roots- it's got to be modified for the target customers, right? And it seems that in my area, blander is better.)

There are a couple of dishes I like, should I ever be handed a pamphlet and asked what I want to get- this is one of them. It's incredibly hard to screw up vermicelli fried in a simple sauce with vegetables and tofu, so it's always a safe bet.

When I tried this recipe for Singapore noodles, I was pleasantly surprised to find how similar they are to the take-out staple- only with a hint of British-style curry power (yum), a spice level to my taste, and a guarantee of not being cooked with any non-vegetarian stock. My noodles turned out quite brown because the only mushroom soya sauce I could find was the dark kind used to add colour to dishes. I also didn't have any cabbage on hand, so I included a double helping of bean sprouts.

Apparently, these noodles have no Singapore heritage at all- they're m0re of an amalgam of ingredients from regions of former British involvement, featuring that very vague "curry powder" I'd never use in an actual curry but that seems just right here. The only ingredient that may be tricky to find is the mushroom soya sauce, but you can always just use the regular kind.

This is also an incredibly easy recipe once you have the ingredients on hand, and it comes together quickly- that makes one more dish I won't have to order out for!

Singapore Noodles
From Veggie Belly

For the Sauce:
2 Tsp. Curry powder
1 Dried red bird pepper
3 TBSP Soya sauce
1 Tsp. Brown sugar
1/2 Tsp. Rice vinegar
1 TBSP Mushroom flavoured soya sauce
3 TBSP Water

Mix all together and set aside.

For the Noodles:
6 Oz. Rice vermicelli noodles
1 TBSP Vegetable oil
1 Tsp. Ginger paste
1 Tsp. Garlic paste, or 3 finely minced cloves
1 Carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
1 Red bell pepper, in thin slices
1 C. Bean sprouts
3 Scallions, chopped
1 C. Cubed fried tofu, or regular firm tofu fried in 2 TBSP oil until golden
1 1/2 C. Shredded cabbage (I used more bean sprouts)
1 TBSP Sesame oil
Lime and cilantro, to garnish

Soak the noodles in cold water for 5 minutes and drain. Set aside.
Fry the garlic and ginger in the vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet until browned, on medium heat. Add half of the sauce.
Once the sauce begins to bubble, add the tofu, carrot, pepper and cabbage/sprouts. Sauté for 2 minutes on medium-high heat.
Add the noodles and remaining sauce. Toss with a pair of tongs to coat in sauce.
Turn off the heat. Add the sprouts, scallions and sesame oil. Serve with lime wedges and chopped cilantro.

Wheat Berry and Puy Lentil Summertime Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Pepper Confetti

I've got that summertime, summertime salad...

I just wanted to try out my recent purchase of hard red wheat berries- I also wanted to make something that looked really pretty, because although many of the best dishes are incredibly homely, sometimes you just want a dish that's prettier than you. And has an insanely long name.

So, I made a salad. One of those very nutritious, colourful ones that sells for exorbitant amounts in tiny clamshell packages at your local chain health food store. But this is far from a difficult or expensive dish to make, consisting of mostly wheat berries and puy lentils with a bit of help from red onion, dried fruit and nuts, cilantro and arugula. Oh, and the roasted sweet potatoes and bell pepper confetti. But this is a summertime salad, so most of the ingredients are at the cheapest they'll be all year.

I made a simple vinaigrette with a little lemon-infused olive oil and apple cider vinegar to give some more fruity notes, along with dried oregano, powdered coriander (one of my favourite spices) and grainy mustard. The sweet potatoes and peppers are given a kick with the addition of spicy peanut sauce, which I had an almost finished bottle of in the fridge, but you can also skip the sauce entirely and add a bit of sesame oil and salt to finish them off. I think that next time I make this recipe, I'll try a chipotle-lime seasoning... or maybe something barbequey. The options are endless.

I really thought I'd be the only one to eat this thing, but it was surprisingly popular with my whole family. Even the non-salad people, and my lentil-hating kin, loved it. My sister even told me she wished I'd made more so we could eat it for days to come- not bad for something so nutritious. It really wouldn't hurt to make a big batch- you've got a lot of vitamins, protein, healthy fats and fibre going on along with the looks and taste.

So, summertime salad. I just wanted you to know, Baby, you're the best.

Enough Lana del Rey, then. Onto the recipe!

Wheat Berry and Puy Lentil Summertime Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Pepper Confetti

For the Sweet Potatoes and Peppers:
2 Small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-2 cm cubes
1/4 Of a red bell pepper, diced finely
1/4 Of a yellow bell pepper, diced finely
1/4 C. Peanut satay sauce, or spicy Szechuan peanut sauce
1/2 Tsp. salt
1 Tsp. Oil
1 Tsp. Sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 200℃. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil, or use a baking dish. cover the bottom with the oil and add the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, until almost cooked through.

Add the pepper bits and pour on the satay sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake another 5-10 minutes, until completely tender and the peppers are a tiny bit charred.

Let cool before adding to the salad.

For the Vinaigrette:
1 TBSP. Apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP Lemon-infused olive oil (or, 1 TBSP regular olive oil plus 1 Tsp. lemon zest)
1 Tsp. German-style grainy mustard, or dijon mustard
1 Tsp. Dried oregano
1/2 Tsp. Powdered coriander
1/4 Tsp. Ground black pepper

Mix all in a small bowl.

To Finish:
1/2 C. Wheat berries
1/3 C. Puy lentils 
1/3 C. Dried cranberries
1/4 C. Golden raisins
1/4 C. Pecan pieces
2 TBSP. Roasted sunflower seeds
1/4 Of a large red onion, finely diced
2 Small sprigs of cilantro, roughly chopped (optional- parsley works too)
2 C. Arugula, preferably baby arugula (otherwise, cut it up into smaller pieces)

Cook the wheat berries in lightly salted water until tender, but still with a bit of bite. Drain and rinse with cold water. Do the same for the puy lentils- it should take them 15-20 minutes each to cook.

Let the wheat berries and lentils dry as much as possible, then pour into a bowl. Mix in the remaining ingredients, except for the cilantro and arugula. Add the vinaigrette, sweet potatoes and peppers. Add the cilantro and arugula just before serving to prevent sogginess (oil destroys the internal structure of raw leaves if you let them sit in it).