College Vegetarian Cooking_ Feed Yourself and Your Friends - Megan Carle [27]
Cut the tofu into ¾-inch cubes and place on a paper towel. Cover the cubes with another paper towel and gently press on the tofu to remove the excess liquid. Combine the flour and sesame seeds in a shallow bowl, add the tofu cubes, and gently turn to coat with the flour mixture. Pour about ½ inch of oil into a saucepan and place over medium-high heat until very hot. (A tiny drop of water flicked into the pan should immediately cause the oil to bubble up.) Add the tofu cubes to the pan and cook for 1 minute on each side, or until lightly browned.
Place the daikon salad on a plate and top with the fried tofu.
Cooking 101:
Daikon is a long, white radish that is less spicy than most other radishes. They are generally about 2 inches in diameter and 8 to 14 inches long. They’re available in most grocery stores, and they’re delicious sliced onto green salads or to give your coleslaw a little extra zip.
White Bean Salad
Okay, this salad is really dinner-for-one-and-lunch-the-next-day. I got the recipe from my host sister in Germany, who says that the longer the salad is in the fridge, the better it tastes. I told her that I don’t think we can tell that to college students in the U.S., because some of them will end up with science experiments! Still, you could even make a double or triple batch and keep it in the fridge for a quick lunch or to bring along to a barbecue. –M
Serves 1 (with leftovers)
½ red bell pepper
½ onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (15-ounce) can white beans
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Salt and pepper
Remove the stem, seeds, and membranes from the bell pepper, then cut the pepper into ¼-inch pieces. Peel the onion and cut into ¼-inch pieces. Place 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small skillet and add the onion and bell pepper. Cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
Place the beans in a strainer and rinse under cold water. Drain them well, then place them in a bowl and stir in the onion and bell pepper. Stir in the cider vinegar and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Eat half now and put the rest in the fridge for later.
Cooking 101:
There are a zillion types of specialty vinegars on the market today, but we try to limit ourselves to just a few. Balsamic vinegar is dark brown with a full-bodied combination of sweet and sour flavors. It is wonderful for salad dressings, sprinkled on vegetables, or in marinades. Rice wine vinegar is very pale yellow with a mild, delicate flavor that pairs well with herbs or spices. It is used a lot in stir-fries because it doesn’t alter the appearance of the food. White wine vinegar is clear and nearly colorless. It is slightly more acidic than rice wine vinegar and is perfect for spicy dishes and marinades. Cider vinegar is a light tan color and has a slight apple flavor. It works well for salad dressings and on vegetables.
Maki Rolls
Maki Rolls
It can be expensive to buy sushi, but it’s pretty cheap to make at home. And it’s nice because then you can use whatever vegetables you like, rather than settling for the standard vegetables that are in most rolls. You can use what we’ve listed here, or pick something completely different. It’s up to you. Nori (seaweed sheets), rice vinegar, sushi rice, and wasabi paste are the special ingredients to seek out for this dish. They may all be available in your supermarket or natural foods store, or (definitely) in an Asian food store. Bamboo sushi mats are cheap and handy to have if you are going to make maki sushi regularly; they can be found in most kitchenware stores these days. –J
Serves 1
1 cup sushi rice
1½ cups water
1½ teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
¼ red bell pepper
¼ cucumber
4 asparagus spears
2 sheets nori
2½ teaspoons wasabi paste
¼ cup soy sauce, or more, for dipping
Place