Fried Tofu Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Until 12 years ago our family was not particularly fond of tofu. Nobody liked the texture, there was no taste to it and dishes I made just seemed boring. All of this changed when we were invited to a friend's home in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and sampled her Asian fried tofu appetizer. We were hooked. Since then I have experimented with various spices and condiments to make tofu dishes more appealing. Below is my version of a spicy tofu salad adapted from a recipe in "The Cooking of Singapore" by Chris Yeo and Joyce Jue.

Ingredients:

Dressing:
1/2 tsp mashed garlic
2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tsp tamarind paste dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup ground roasted peanuts
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used smooth peanut butter, but you could also use the crunchy kind)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sriracha sauce
1 tsp lemon or lime juice

Salad:
1 cup shredded green cabbage
1 pound tofu, drained, patted dry and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1-2 tbsp sesame oil
3 finely grated carrots
1/2 English hothouse cucumber, thinly sliced. Take about 6 cucumber slices and sliver them. Keep separate.

• Bring dressing ingredients to room temperature.
• Measure 1/2 cup of peanut butter into a small bowl.
• Combine minced garlic, soy sauce, tamarind water, ground roasted peanuts, sugar, sriracha sauce and lemon or lime juice and mix well. Add to peanut butter and blend until smooth. Set aside.
• Heat sesame oil in non-stick frying pan and fry tofu slices until lightly browned, about 2 - 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and cut into 1/2 inch cubes when cool enough to handle.
• To assemble salad, put several cucumber slices on a plate, add desired amount of tofu cubes, spoon some spicy peanut dressing over tofu and top with shredded cabbage, grated carrots and slivered cucumbers.

Serves 4 as an appetizer.

Laap Gai Chiang Mai and a visit to Little Serow

Green Market in Bangkok 2000

I have no idea why we decided to do this on a cold and windy Saturday evening, but several weeks ago my daughter and I braved the elements and stood in line for an hour to get a table at Little Serow, a popular restaurant serving northern and northeastern Thai cuisine in Washington D.C. Since the restaurant doesn't take reservations and does not own a phone, people will stand in line up to an hour before doors open at 5:30 p.m. I am glad that I wrote down the complete address as there was no sign outside the building indicating where the restaurant was located. Only a line of 10 adults waiting patiently on the sidewalk and on stairs leading down to the basement entrance of a building alerted us that this was probably the entrance to the restaurant. We patiently stood in line, taking turns warming up in the close-by CVS pharmacy. An hour later, at 5:30 p.m. sharp, the doors opened and a hostess invited guests in, one party at a time. When it was finally our turn to walk through those doors I was completely frozen.

The hostess greeted us and ensured that we knew that the dishes served here were spicy (which we did know) and that there couldn't be any substitutions. We were then let to our table for two - a bar-height small table with two stools. Once I had warmed up a bit I looked around to take in first impressions of the restaurant. I was surprised to see how small it was (the restaurant can only accommodate about 30 dinner guests) and how minimalist the design was. It's a very functional place with unadorned mint-green walls and just a few glasses and pitchers on a shelf behind the bar.

Menu for January 18, 2014

nam prik narohk

mackerel/tamarind/khi nu chilies

tom kha pla chorn

snakehead fish/galangal/krachai

som tum o

pomelo/salted prawn/lime leaf

laap gai chiang mai

chicken/offal/lanna spices

tow hu thouk

tofu/cilantro root/peanut

phat pakaukeo

greens/salted fish/egg

si krong muu

pork ribs/mekhong whiskey/dill

The food was very good, some dishes better than others, but make no mistake, this is very spicy food. I have eaten many spicy dishes while living in Southeast and South Asia, but some of the dishes served here are extremely hot. My personal favorites were the snakehead fish soup, the pomelo and salted prawn salad and the laap gai chiang mai, a ground chicken salad.

Wouldn't it be fun to try to recreate a few of these dishes? Going through some of my Thai cookbooks and searching online, I decided to try a slightly less spicy variation of the ground chicken salad. So here is my version of Laap Gai Chiang Mai.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups ground chicken
1/2 cup chopped chicken liver
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3 slices of Thai ginger, chopped
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp finely minced lemongrass
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp lime juice
chili powder or flakes to taste - I used 1/2 tsp very hot Tian Shan pepper flakes
1 tbsp chopped coriander stems
1 chopped spring onion, green and white parts
1 tbsp chopped mint leaves
2 tbsp Jasmine rice - roasted and ground (roast the rice, stirring, in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 8 minutes, let it cool down and then grind it in a blender)
mint and coriander leaves for garnish
cabbage, Chinese radish and cucumber slices for garnish

• Prepare roasted ground rice
• Mix the ground chicken, chopped chicken liver, shallots, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice and chili powder or flakes thoroughly. Heat a wok over high heat and cook the chicken mixture for a couple of minutes until cooked through. Stir constantly to prevent burning.
• Transfer mixture into a bowl and add the coriander stems, spring onion, mint leaves and the ground rice.
• Mix everything together.
• Arrange sliced radish and cucumber on a platter. Quarter cabbage and use quartered leaves to scoop up chicken salad. The radish and cucumber slices are very refreshing!
• Garnish with mint and coriander leaves. 

Serves 3-4

Vietnamese-style Udon Noodle and Beef Soup

Who doesn't like Pho, the Vietnamese noodle soup consisting of broth, meat, vegetables and herbs. I like mine spicy, so I always serve Chili Garlic Sauce and Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce on the side.

Ingredients:
Udon noodles
1 lb flank steak, sliced into strips
large pot with approximately 8 cups of chicken stock
juice of 2 limes
1-2 tbsp fish sauce
1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup spring onions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1 cup cleaned cilantro leaves
1/2 cup chopped peanuts, toasted
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
1 cup Thai basil leaves, washed and dried
Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
Chili Garlic Sauce

Prepare Udon noodles according to packet directions, drain and keep warm in a bowl with a splash of sesame oil.
Slice flank steak into strips and parboil for several minutes. Drain and keep warm.
In a large pot bring 8 - 10 cups of chicken stock to a boil. Turn down to simmer. Add lime juice and fish sauce.
Place beef, Udon noodles, vegetables, herbs, nuts and eggs into separate bowls.

To serve, reheat broth until hot and ladle into individual soup bowls. Add noodles, beef and other ingredients per taste.

Serves 4-6

Orange & Beet Salad

A few months ago I visited Le Diplomate, a French restaurant on 14th St. in Washington, D.C., for the first time. The food was excellent, particularly the Orange and Beet Salad. Below is my version of this delightful and refreshing salad.

Ingredients:
2 medium red beets
2 medium yellow (golden) beets
1 orange, cut off bottom and top to dispose flesh and cut into segments
3-4 red radishes, washed and thinly sliced
3 tbsp toasted pistachios, lightly toasted
3-4 tbsp Greek yogurt
a handful of salad greens (I like to use arugula)

Vinaigrette:
olive oil
champagne vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper

• Wash beets and cut off tops and bottoms. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake in oven at 375 degree Fahrenheit for about 1 hour or until done. Remove from oven, let cool until ready to handle and peel. Cut into wedges.
• To assemble salad, put the yogurt in the middle of a large round plate and spread a little. Place arugula on top of yogurt and around the outside of the plate. Put red and yellow beet wedges on top of arugula. Mix orange segments and radish slices and place on top of beets. 
• Pour dressing over salad and sprinkle with toasted pistachios. 

Serves 3-4 as an appetizer   

Red Quinoa Salad with Vegetables

I am not sure where the recipe came from, but this quinoa salad is delicious - easy to prepare ahead of time and - should you have any leftovers - great the next day for lunch!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups red quinoa
2 celery stalks, washed and sliced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1 1/2 to 2 cups red seedless grapes, sliced
1/3 cup currants
4 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
4 tbsp sliced almonds, lightly toasted
olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, salt and pepper for your dressing

Cook quinoa in lightly salted water for approximately 10 minutes. Drain and let cool in bowl.
Prepare and mix celery, carrots, red onion, grapes, and currants. Add to cooled quinoa.
Mix olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper, add to quinoa salad and mix thoroughly. Add chopped parsley to bowl.
Lightly toast almond slices in small pan taking care not to burn them. Sprinkle on top of salad.

Bon Appetit!

Serves 4

Russian-inspired Lentil Salad

I am a great fan of Russian ballet, so when "Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909-1929: When Art Danced with Music" opened at the National Gallery of Art in May I was eager to go and see the exhibition. For anyone interested in ballet, this exhibition is a must. Please see Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes for more information. 

In addition to the amazing exhibit featuring a large collection of costumes, film clips, set designs, photos, and much more, the Garden Cafe offered a buffet and a la carte menu inspired by the exhibition. One of the dishes from the buffet was a French Lentil Salad which I have adapted to my taste below:

Ingredients:
1 cup Puy lentils (French lentils), washed and drained
vegetable broth or water
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
3 tbsp yellow onions, finely chopped and sautéed
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 to 1/2 cup of olive oil
4 tbsp champagne vinegar
salt and pepper
several tbsp each of fresh chives and dill, finely chopped
4 tbsp feta cheese, crumbled

• Cook the washed and drained lentils in vegetable broth or water for approximately 20 minutes or until soft. Drain and put into bowl. Let cool slightly.
• Mix carrots, sautéed onions, red pepper, cherry tomatoes and add to lentils.
• Prepare a dressing of 1/4 - 1/2 cup of olive oil, 4 tbsp champagne vinegar, salt and freshly ground pepper (the amount of oil and vinegar will depend on your taste). Add to lentils salad and mix carefully.
• Sprinkle with crumbled feta and fresh herbs when ready to serve.

Serves 3-4

Fruity Red Lentil Soup

Red lentils are one of my favorite legumes - they are extremely high in protein, a good source of iron and don't require long soaking or cooking times. Their red-orange color will change to an earthy yellow during cooking.

My recipe below was inspired by an Armenian red lentil soup from "Please to the Table: The Russian Cookbook" by Anya von Bremzen and John Welchman. My variation includes grated ginger, baby spinach leaves and dried cherries which add a little tartness to the soup.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 1/2 cups dried split red lentils, thoroughly washed
5 cups chicken stock (use vegetable stock for a vegetarian version)
3 medium-size ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper
1 cup baby spinach leaves, washed
1/4 cup dried cherries (or to taste)
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley for garnish

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, garlic, grated ginger and chopped apricots. Stir and saute for about 10 minutes. Take care not to burn the onions and garlic.
• Add the lentils and chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes. The lentils will turn yellow and start falling apart. 
• Stir in the tomatoes, cumin, thyme, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.
• If you like a smoother taste, puree half of the soup in a food processor and return to the pot. You can skip this step if you prefer a slightly thicker soup. 
• Add the lemon juice, dried cherries, baby spinach and check for salt and pepper. Simmer another 3-4 minutes. 
• Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Serves 4 - 6

Panzanella

Looking for a recipe to take advantage of the sun-ripened tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers now available at the Farmers Market? Try Panzanella, a Tuscan bread salad, which is easy to prepare and can be served as a light main course for lunch or dinner. Many recipes call for the bread cubes to be soaked in the dressing, however, I like my sourdough bread cubes to be lightly toasted to add crunch to the salad. In the photo you will see that I added some goat cheese (I had a little bit left from a previous dish) to the salad just before serving.

Ingredients:

4-5 medium heirloom tomatoes
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 English hothouse cucumber
1 small red onion
1 tsp drained capers
three slices of sourdough bread
Olive oil, balsamico, salt and pepper
fresh basil leaves to taste

• Cut tomatoes and peppers into chunks. Peel, quarter and seed cucumber. Cut into chunks as well.
• Dice enough red onion to make 4 tbsp.
• Mix vegetables and drained capers in salad bowl.
• Whisk together olive oil, balsamico, salt and freshly ground pepper, and pour over salad.
• Cut sourdough bread into cubes, place on a baking sheet and toast lightly at 350 degree Fahrenheit.
• Tear up basil leaves and gently fold with bread cubes into salad.

Serves 3-4 as a light meal.

Spicy Red Lentil and Bulgur Soup

This is one of my favorite recipes for red lentil soup. While visiting Istanbul in April 2010 my daughters and I attended a cooking class at Cooking Alaturka (http://www.cookingalaturka.com/). This English-language cooking school is run by Eveline Zoutendijk who together with her chef Feyzi introduces novices and experienced cooks alike to Turkish cuisine. It is a very hands-on experience - we prepared a five-course meal starting with a spicy red lentil soup, followed by zucchini patties with herbs and cheese, green beans in olive oil and lamb stew in tomato sauce on smoky eggplant puree. For dessert we served walnut-stuffed figs in syrup. 

We spent several hours preparing the five-course meal, then sat down at a nicely set table and enjoyed the fruits of our labor complemented by a nice selection of wines. 

Spicy red lentil and bulgur soup with dried mint and red pepper (serves 6)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups red lentils, washed, plus more water for boiling
1tbsp butter and 1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp dried mint
1 tsp Aleppo pepper (a Turkish flaked red pepper which is a bit oily and has a slightly damp texture)
1/2 - 1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 - 1 tbsp bellpepper paste (if you can't find the paste add an additional 1/2 -1 tbsp of tomato paste)
4-5 cups fresh chicken stock or water (Add only 4 cups of stock if you like a thicker soup. You can always add more stock if desired).
1/4 cup coarse bulgur

• Cook lentils in a medium-sized pot with water for about 15 - 20 minutes until they fall apart (ensure that lentils are covered by at least 3/4 inch of water). Skim off any foam from the surface as lentils are cooking. When ready, drain lentils and set aside.
• Melt butter with the oil in another pot which should be large enough to hold the soup. Add 1 tsp all-purpose flour stirring constantly to make a light roux. Add dried mint, Aleppo pepper and the tomato and bellpepper pastes. Stir mixture constantly so that it will not burn. 
• Add cooked lentils and chicken stock or water. 
• Bring soup to a boil. When boiling, add bulgur and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 10 - 15 minutes.

Serve with lemon wedges and extra Aleppo pepper on the side.

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Alaturka

Cantaloupe and Yellow Peach Gazpacho

A refreshing light summer lunch or a nice addition to a summer brunch.

Ingredients:

1 ripe Tuscan cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1" pieces
2 ripe yellow peaches, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped red onion or shallot
1/2 English hothouse cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 to 2 teaspoons salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup water (as needed)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
fresh mint leaves

Puree cantaloupe, yellow peaches, red onion, and salt in a blender until smooth. Add a bit of water if the gazpacho is too thick for your taste. Slowly add the olive oil and season with freshly ground pepper and additional salt as needed. Serve chilled gazpacho topped with thinly sliced mint leaves.

Serves 4

Inspired by Cantaloupe Gazpacho - Bon Appetit July 2013