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Đậu Hủ Xả Ớt

Published
by
Gastronomer
on July 21, 2007
in Family Recipes, Mon An Chay, Recipe, Vegetarian and Vietnamese
. 2 Comments

Deep Fried Tofu with Chilies and Lemongrass

  • 14 ounces tofu
  • 1 stalk of lemongrass
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • Chili flakes
  • Vegetable oil

Mince* lemongrass in a food processor. Add salt and chili flakes to the minced lemongrass and combine. For extra spice, add in a generous amount of chili flakes.

Cut tofu into 6 rectangular pieces and butterfly - slice tofu down the middle three-quarters of the way through.

Stuff the tofu with lemongrass, salt, and chili flakes mixture.

Heat vegetable oil and deep fry stuffed tofu until golden on both sides. After frying is complete, strain the oil and sprinkle the remaining lemongrass on top of the tofu because some lemongrass will fall out of the tofu.

Serve warm with rice.

*Asian grocery stores often sell containers of minced lemongrass in the freezer section, which can be used here. Store lemongrass in freezer to preserve freshness.

Canh Chua Chay

Published
by
Gastronomer
on July 20, 2007
in Canh, Family Recipes, Mon An Chay, Recipe, Vegetarian and Vietnamese
. 0 Comments

Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup

  • 10 ounces mushroom vegetarian broth or vegetable broth
  • 20 ounces water
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1 leek
  • 1 can pineapple chunks (with juice)
  • Bean Sprouts
  • Firm or extra firm tofu
  • Sugar
  • Soy sauce
  • Mushroom seasoning or salt
  • Black pepper
  • Cilantro

Bring water and broth to a boil.

While waiting for the soup to boil, chop tomatoes into chunks or wedges, cube tofu, and slice leeks thinly (white part only). Once the soup is boiling, add in half a can of pineapple juice—save the pineapple chunks for later. Let the soup continue to boil for 5 minutes with a lid on.

Season the soup with sugar, soy sauce, and mushroom seasoning to suit your palette. The end result should be sour, but not unpleasantly so. My grandma likes to add a dash of vinegar to intensify the soup’s sourness. Once the soup is well-seasoned, add in vegetables, tofu, and pineapples. The exact amount of vegetables, tofu, and pineapples added to the soup is dependent on the prefernce of the cook.

Serve hot on top of rice and garnish with cilantro and a sprinkling of black pepper.

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For Canh Chua Bac Ha, add button mushrooms and slices of bac ha, also known as Upright Elephant Ears, to the above recipe.

Cà Dê Nướng

Published
by
Gastronomer
on July 17, 2007
in Family Recipes, Recipe, Vegetarian and Vietnamese
. 1 Comment

Roasted Japanese Eggplant with Scallions in a Chili Soy Sauce

For eggplant

  • 3 Japanese eggplants
  • Stovetop griddle

For sauce

  • 1/4 cup scallions
  • Vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon soy* sauce
  • Vinegar
  • Hot water
  • Chili paste

Make eggplant

On a stovetop griddle, roast the eggplants with their skins on over medium heat. Roast each side until blackened and soft to the touch, which takes approximately 15 minutes per side. The eggplants’ skin will char and may even pop, but keep roasting until the flesh is softened on all sides.

Once the eggplant has been roasted, cover with aluminum foil to cool for 20-30 minutes. While the eggplant is cooling, prepare the sauce.

After the eggplant has cooled, peel off the skin with your hands or a paring knife. The skin should peel off easily if the eggplant has been properly cooked. Cut the eggplants’ flesh into bite-sized pieces and arrange on a plate.

Make sauce

Chop a quarter cup of scallions (white part only). Sautee the chopped scallions in a tablespoon of vegetable until translucent. Spread the sautéed scallions atop the eggplant once it has cooled and arranged on the plate.

Wisk together sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, water, and chili paste to form a sauce. Add vinegar and chili paste to your liking and enough hot water to thin out the sauce. Spread atop scallions and eggplant.

Serve warm with rice.

*Fish sauce can substituted for a non-vegetarian version.

Đậu Hũ Kho

Published
by
Gastronomer
on July 13, 2007
in Family Recipes, Mon An Chay, Recipe, Vegetarian and Vietnamese
. 0 Comments

Braised Tofu with Tomatoes and Mushrooms

  • 1 container of firm or extra firm tofu
  • Vegetable oil
  • 1 leek stalk
  • 3 tomatoes
  • 10 button mushrooms
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 5 tablespoons soy sauce
  • Black pepper

Cut tofu into 2″ x 2″ cubes. Deep fry* tofu cubes in vegetable oil until golden and set aside to drain.

Cut the tomatoes into bite-sized cubes with seeds. Quarter or halve mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Slice leeks thinly (white part only). Using some of the oil from the tofu, sauté shallots until browned then add tomatoes and mushrooms and gently combine.

Season the vegetables with salt, sugar, and soy sauce. My family likes to use the Golden Mountain soy sauce brand. Cover with lid and let the vegetables sweat for 5 minutes.

Once the tomatoes and mushrooms have softened, add tofu and place lid back on—do not stir. After 3 minutes, incorporate the tofu with the vegetables and bring to a boil. Season with pepper. Let the tofu and vegetables boil for another 20 minutes.

Serve warm with rice.

*To avoid deep frying, Asian grocery stores often sell tofu that has already been deep fried.

Pecan Spice Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Published
by
Gastronomer
on June 17, 2007
in Dessert and Recipe
. 1 Comment

Several traditional southern themes — pecans, Caribbean spices, and, of course, thick, tangy cream cheese frosting — come together in this gorgeous layer cake that’s both down-home and elegant.

For cake

  • 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces and softened, plus additional for buttering pans
  • 2 3/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs at room temperature 30 minutes
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups sour cream
  • 3/4 cup pecans (3 ounces), toasted, cooled, and finely chopped

For frosting

  • 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
  • 3 3/4 cups confectioners sugar (from a 1-pound package)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 1/3 cups pecans (5 ounces), toasted, cooled, and finely chopped

Special equipment: 2 (9-inch) round cake pans (2 inches deep)

Make cake

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour cake pans, knocking out excess flour.

Sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices into a large bowl.

Beat together butter (1 1/2 sticks) and brown sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer (fitted with paddle attachment if using a stand mixer) at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and sour cream alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth. Mix in pecans until just combined.

Spoon batter evenly into pans, smoothing tops, then tap pans once or twice to expel any air bubbles. Bake until pale golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cakes comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edge of pans, then invert racks over pans and reinvert cakes onto racks to cool completely.

Make frosting

Beat together cream cheese, butter, and zest in a bowl with clean beaters at medium-high speed until fluffy 1 to 2 minutes. Sift in confectioners sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined, then add lemon juice and beat at medium-high speed until frosting is smooth.

Assemble and frost cake

Halve each cake layer horizontally with a long serrated knife using a gentle sawing motion. Put 1 layer, cut side up, on a cake stand or large plate and spread with about 3/4 cup frosting. Stack remaining cake layers, spreading about 3/4 cup frosting on each layer and ending with top cake layer cut side down. Spread top and side of cake with remaining frosting (about 3 1/2 cups) and coat side of cake with pecans (1 1/3 cups), gently pressing to help them adhere.

Makes 10 servings.

Gourmet, April 2007

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Cook’s note: The cake and frosting were prepared by The Astronomer’s talented mother Jane in Birmingham, Alabama. Assembly and consumption took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Our team effort, spanning across two states, resulted in a beautiful and delicious cake for our favorite Astronomer’s 23rd birthday.

 

 

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