24 Jan 2011 No Comments
Bok Choy With Soft Tofu and Glass Noodles
Some call it stir-frying. Others call it fighting the system. How relaxing was it to do an hour along with a half of Jhivamukti (first time), move the chairs back, pull out the good ol’ induction burner, and make the ideal wintry, post-yoga meal? Yoga guru Shira and I wanted something soothing, ideally with lots of broth and leafy greens. Despite the bagel brunch I’d attended the other day (where a minimum of a couple of pounds of lox had been consumed), my Chinese side was itching for a bowl of rice. Where was FOOG at a time like this, when he will make me stir-fried vegetables or whole fish the drop of a hat? At times like these, I’m forced to turn out to be my own father, even though the following recipe is really a total bastardization with the type of stir-fry hard money lenders he would make. Because I don’t have the luxury of multiple burners, a one-wok (one-pot) meal was in order. I had a huge bunch of bok choy just waiting to be consumed, a jar of plump, freshly peeled cloves of garlic sitting within the fridge (a cook’s greatest friend), and an whole drawer of dried Asian treats like mushrooms, noodles, and dried shrimp. This in addition to a block of so-called “soft” tofu, which I discovered out, to my dismay, is totally various from silken tofu, which would be much much better for this dish. Without some plan of action, I started. Unorthodox, maybe, but mushrooms, tofu, and glass noodles found themselves into this stir-fry, together with huge quantities of vinegar (surely this is dishonoring my ancestors). It turned out to be one of those days exactly where the Cooking Gods are merciful, and with just a spoonful of cornstarch, microdermabrasion machines the broth started to be a savory gravy, full of soft mushrooms and slippery vermicelli. The ginger and garlic added just the right amount of pungency to what would certainly be a boring dish. We set the table with my favorite octopus plates. We filled our bowls with freshly steamed brown rice and an obscene amount of greens. Chili paste, obviously, was served on the side. How can anybody question that food is nourishment when you eat a meal that makes you feel satisfied on a lot of levels? And considering the whole video camera stabilizer process took location inside a seven-foot space, there was some thing magical about it. Ingredients: 1 huge bunch bok choy; A two-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into matchsticks; 3 cloves garlic, sliced; 2 TBSP metal detector peanut oil; 1 package soft tofu, sliced into one-inch squares; 2 bunches glass noodles; 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, soaked in boiling water and sliced; reserved mushroom-soaking water soy sauce; salt and pepper; Chinese black vinegar; 2 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in water. Optional: sesame oil or sesame seeds. If essential, chop the bok choy stems into bite-sized pieces and set aside, since the leaves will cook down a lot faster. Separately soak mushrooms and glass noodles in hot water. Drain the noodles when softened but not too soft. Reserve the mushroom water for cooking. Heat 2 TBSP peanut tankless water heaters oil over high heat. When it is smoking, add the garlic and ginger, stir-frying quickly until golden and fragrant. Turn down the heat. Turn the heat back up and add the bok choy stems and sufficient with the mushroom cooking water so that they do not stick, plus maybe a TBSP of soy sauce. Bring to a bowl and then turn down. Cover until the bok choy stems are just slightly crunchy. Turn the heat back up and add the greens, the remaining of the mushroom broth, along with a wholesome dose of vinegar. Keep stir-frying till the leaves fit easily inside the wok. Then add the mushrooms and noodles. Stir-fry to ensure that the noodles are distributed throughout (but try not to break them). Slowly add the corn starch mixture to ensure that the sauce is slightly thickened with out being gloopy. Taste for additional soy sauce and vinegar. Add the tofu and gently distribute into the stir-fry. Maintain the heat fairly high so everything gets hot. Taste once more and serve over rice and chili paste on the side.