Veggie Ma Po Tofu

Ma Po Tofu is a vegetarian dish found on P. F. Chang's menu and probably on the menu of most popular Chinese restaurants. I have never had it and did not even know what it looked like. So, when B suggested I make it, I was kind of nervous. I researched it on the web, built up the courage and this is what we had for dinner tonight.

1/2 package of extra firm tofu

1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets

1/4 onion, chopped

5 mushrooms (portobello is what I used, but shitake would probably work well), quartered

1.5 tbsp corn starch

1 cup vegetable stock

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp chili garlic sauce

1 tsp garlic paste

1. Prepare the tofu by draining all of the liquid from package. Lay out a few paper towels on plate. Place tofu on paper towel. Place a few more paper towels on top. Place another plate on top as well as some sort of weight, such as a skillet or a few canned items. Let rest for atleast one hour before cooking.

2. I used one half of the block. (The other half I froze for later use.) Cut the tofu block in the center, and then into small cubes.

3. Heat up about 3 tbsp oil in wok or wide nonstick skillet. Braize the tofu on all sides. Place on paper towel to drain out excess oil. Meanwhile, combine the corn starch with the soy sauce, chili garlic paste and 1/3 cup stock. Keep aside.

4. With whatever oil that is left in skillet, I added 1/2 tsp garlic paste. Let it sizzle for about 30 seconds, then added the onions. Stir fry for one minute. Remove from skillet.

5. Heat up 1 tsp oil in skillet. Add 1/2 tsp garlic paste and let is sizzle for 30 seconds. Stir fry the mushrooms for one minute. Then, remove in same plate as onions.

6. Heat up 1 tsp oil in skillet. Stir fry the broccoli for one minute and remove onto plate with other vegetables.

7. In now empty skillet, add the reserved corn starch mixture you made in step 3 along with the 2/3 vegetable stock. Mix together until sauce thickens. Add more water if you prefer a thinner consistency.

8. To the sauce, add the vegetables and tofu and mix for 2 minutes.

9. Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onions. Serve with a wedge of lime, crushed honey roasted peanuts and Chinese sauce (see recipe below)) on the side. We also served with brown rice.

Chinese Sauce:

3 tsp garlic chili sauce

1 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp vinegar

Combine the ingredients together. Serve as condiment with your favorite Chinese dish.

Imagine my surprise when B found this dish to be almost perfect. He complimented me on the fact that I actually stir fried the veggies, instead of steaming, like I usually do. "You need the veggies to be crunchy, not mushy," he says. The spice level was also great. The one thing that could be changed was that the sauce came out too thick. To remedy that, I will reduce the amount of corn starch to less than 1 tbsp. The other thing I would change (or add) is 1/2 tsp black bean sauce (or douchi) that is usually added to this dish. I did not have it on hand. Other than that, this recipe is one I will definitely include in "the cookbook"!

Spicy Kung Pao Tofu

Picture to be posted soon ..
(An Asian delicacy consisting of fried peanuts, marinated tofu and vegetables served with noodles or brown rice)

Instead of Kung Pao Spaghetti, I made Kung Pao Tofu on a bed of brown rice a few days ago. This meal requires much more preparatory work than anything else. The day before cooking, you will need to “press” the tofu. Fancy word for squeezing the water out of the tofu. Then setting the tofu on a plate covered by another plate so that the rest of the water is drained out. Refrigerate overnight. The rest is pretty simple.

½ pack of extra firm tofu, “pressed” and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons Chinese vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon ginger root, chopped fine or ginger paste
1 cup honey roasted peanuts
4 green onions, chopped 1 inch long
1/2 cup broccoli florets, steamed
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1/4 each Green and red bell peppers, cut to julienne strips
1/4 onion, cut into julienne strips
Handful of dry red chilies

1. Atleast one hour before cooktime, marinate tofu with 1 tablespoon each rice wine, cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil and lime juice.
2. In another bowl, mix remaining rice wine, cornstarch and soy sauce with sugar, sesame oil and vinegar for the sauce. Set aside.
3. In nonstick skillet, spray some Pam. Cook the tofu until crisp. Remove cooked tofu in plate to cool.
4. While tofu is cooking, boil water in steamer and steam the broccoli florets for 5 minutes.
5. In the same skillet as the tofu, heat 2 tbsp sesame oil over medium heat. Add ginger, dry red chilies and peanuts; cook for about 1 minute.
6. Add to pan, the green onions and chopped veggies. Cook for another minute. Add the tofu and steamed broccoli, and toss it all together.
7. Finally, add sauce; cook and toss again.
8. Serve the Kung Pao Tofu garnished with green onions over steamed brown rice or noodles.

The taste was excellent. The only thing that we would change is the consistency. B found it too thick, and that was because of the corn starch. Next time, I would reduce the amount of corn starch and make the Kung Pao a little thinner. Other than that, this one is another winner.

Vegetable Manchurian

Tonight I wanted to cook something I have never tried to make before. This recipe has been lingering around for a while now. One of the reasons I have not made it is because it is fried, and we are limiting our fried food intake to Saturdays. I finally decided to build up the courage to just make it. The recipe is thanks to my sister, Smita. With a few minor touches of my own, here goes ...

For Vegetable Dumplings:
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup corn starch
1/4 tbsp sugar
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp soy sauce
Oil for deep frying

For Gravy:
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1 onion, chopped finely
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped finely
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup corn starch
Salt to taste
Chopped cilantro for garnish
Chopped green onions for garnish

1. Shred cabbage and carrots. Then add all of the above ingredients listed under "Dumplings" in bowl. (all except the oil)
2. Squeeze out any water and form small balls with mixture.
3. Deep fry the vegetable dumplings and drain out the excess oil into paper towel. Keep aside.
4. Make gravy by heating a little oil in pan. Add the onions, ginger paste and garlic paste and sautee for few minutes.
5. Next, add the bell peppers and sautee until soft.
6. Mix the corn starch with water and mix to form a thin paste.
7. Add the salt, corn starch paste and soy sauce next. Stir well and let cook for about 5 minutes.
8. Finally, drop the dumplings into the gravy one by one and let the whole pot cook for 2-3 minutes.
9. Garnish with chopped cilantro and/or chopped green onions and serve hot with Chinese Noodles or Chinese Fried Rice.

We were not that hungry so skipped the rice and noodles. Overall, the Manchurian tasted great; however, the dumplings were not held together as well as they should have been. I will figure out a solution to that problem. Otherwise, this recipe is pretty easy and was made in no time at all. Enjoy!

Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice

For your Chinese tastebuds, here is the recipe for the vegetable fried rice that we served along with Chili Paneer.

1 cup brown rice, uncooked
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
1 tbsp green chili-ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp pepper powder
2 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp vinegar
1/4 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

1. Wash and drain rice.
2. Heat up 1 tbsp oil in pan. When hot, add in the rice and stir fry for few minutes until all the grains are covered with oil.
3. Add a little salt and 3 cups water (because cooking brown rice; if using white, only need 2) and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, close lid and let cook for about 20 minutes. Allow rice to cool down. Then fluff up the rice so it remains separate.
4. Heat oil in skillet. Add the green chili-ginger-garlic paste and stir fry. Then add the carrots, peppers and onions and stir fry until they are a little soft. [You can also add chopped cabbage and green beans. If using green beans, you would have to add the green beans first, and then add other veggies.]
5. Add in the cooked rice along with soya sauce, vinegar, a little sugar, salt and pepper powder. Mix well.
6. Serve hot with paneer chili or stir fry veggies.

Unfortunately, the rice did not turn out well. I am not sure whether it was because I use brown rice or if it was because I did not fluff up the rice. The vegetable fried rice turned out too sticky.

Paneer Chilli

The people of Northern India consume alot of Paneer. Any time we eat out at restaurants, most of the vegetarian menu is filled with some form of paneer starter or entree. It's okay to eat it occasionally, but I do not think I am game yet for eating it almost every single day.

The past couple of times I have made paneer at home, it turned out pretty good. The one thing that we wanted to change was to shallow fry the paneer pieces before adding to pan. Today, I made a drier version than usual just to experiment with. It will be served with Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice (See recipe in next post.)

200 gm paneer, chopped in cubes
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 green chilies, chopped
2" piece ginger, grated
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp paneer masala
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp ketchup
1 tsp soya sauce
Salt to taste
1 tbsp corn starch
Chopped cilantro for garnish

1. First, cube the paneer and shallow fry both sides of the paneer cubes in 1 tbsp oil in skillet. Drain and remove fried paneer from pan. Keep aside.
2. Using remaining oil, add the chopped green chilies, ginger, and garlic to pan and stir fry for 20 seconds. Then add the onions and saute until golden brown.
3. Next add in the bell peppers and close lid to cook until bell peppers are soft.
4. Add in the ketchup, soya sauce and dry spices and close lid to cook.
5. Finally, add in the paneer cubes. Mix well to make sure all cubes are evenly coated with spices. Add a splash of water. **
6. Mix the corn starch with 3 tbsp of water to form a thin paste. Add the paste to the gravy to thicken the sauce up, cover lid, and continue to cook on medium flame for about 3-4 minutes.
7. Garnish with lemon juice , chopped green onions and chopped cilantro, remove from heat and serve hot.

** If you prefer your chili paneer to have gravy add about 1 1/2 cup tomato sauce or 3-4 tomatoes and add in Step 5.

I was sick and was not in the mood to eat dinner,. While I was eating my toast, Bhavnesh enjoyed the paneer chili. He said that it turned out alright. He prefers the original way I made it - Tangy Paneer.