Last weekend, my friends were amazing enough to spend a few hours slaving over the stove to show us how to turn some marinated tofu, twisty mushrooms, and obscure greens into a good solid Taiwanese meal. Although the Asian way of cooking tends to be...throw a bunch of things into a pan until it looks right, I tried to turn a few of our creations into recipes (All are eaten over sticky rice, by the way). Here they are (Photo credits go to my awesome photographer roommate ;)
Tofu Appetizer:
This recipe uses this kind of tofu:
Boil tofu for one minute or so
Slice into strips
Arrange it nice and fancy on a platter and drizzle with sesame oil. Garnish with ginger, cilantro, and Asian hot sauce.
Squash with Thai Basil:
Cube and steam hard winter squash until it is just starting to soften
In a separate pan, sauté garlic, 1tsp brown sugar, and salt to taste in vegetable oil
Add steamed squash, 3 tbsp oyster mushroom sauce, and a little water
After a couple minutes, add about 3/4 cup fresh chopped basil
Tofu and Mushrooms in Brown Sauce:
Soak dried black mushrooms in hot water until soft
Sauté garlic, 1 tsp brown sugar, soy sauce, and the mushrooms in vegetable oil
Remove mushrooms from pan and place in a bowl
In bowl of mushrooms, add ½ c water, 1 tsp sweet potato starch, 1 tsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp sugar
Sauté cubed firm tofu in pan (add more oil) until golden
Add mushroom mixture to pan with tofu and cook until heated through
Greens..Taiwanese Style:
You can use all kinds, including bok choy, yam leaves, cabbage, spinach, or any other sautee-able greens.
There's lots of variation for cooking…but generally sauté them in veg oil and salt (You can also add a little brown sugar, garlic, or fresh ginger)
At the end, you can add sesame oil or oyster mushroom sauce
Here's the Resulting Feast!