Cooking for Two - Bruce Weinstein [37]
1 medium carrot, peeled and minced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons peeled, mincedfresh ginger
Vegetable oil for the steamer
8 ounces firm tofu, drained
1 teaspoon arrowroot or cornstarch
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon rice vinegar (see page 12)
1. Place the mushrooms in a medium bowl and cover with the boiling water. Set aside to soak for 20 minutes.
2. Skim off and reserve ¾ cup of the soaking liquid from the bowl. (The liquid may be sandy—if so, strain it through a colander lined with cheesecloth.) Drain the mushrooms and discard the remainder of the liquid. Stem the mushrooms, then clean the caps of any residual sand by running your fingers over the gills while holding the mushroom cap under running water. Thinly slice the caps and set them aside.
3. Whisk the reserved soaking liquid, soy sauce, Shao Shing, red chili paste, and sugar together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
4. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Swirl in the peanut oil, then toss in the scallions, carrot, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry for 1 minute, or just until the scallions soften. Pour in the soy sauce mixture, stir well, then bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, place the tofu and sliced mushroom caps in an oiled bamboo steamer set over a pot half full of simmering water, or in an oiled vegetable steamer set over 1 inch of simmering water. Cover and steam for 6 minutes. Remove the tofu from the steamer. Be careful—the steam can burn your hands and the tofu is quite fragile. Transfer the tofu block to a cutting board and cut it into 1-inch cubes. Set aside along with the steamed mushrooms.
6. In a small bowl or teacup, whisk the arrowroot and water until well combined. Whisk this into the saucepan with the simmering soy sauce mixture, just until thickened; stir in the cubed tofu, the steamed mushrooms, and the rice vinegar. Cover the pan, remove from the heat, and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
NOTE: Red cooked tofu is traditionally made with dark soy sauce, an aged condiment available in most Asian markets and in the Asian section of some gourmet stores. You can also use regular soy sauce, or even low-sodium soy sauce. In any event, do not use the confusingly named “light soy sauce,” a very pungent, ketchup-like sauce.
VEGGIE BURGERS makes2 large patties
Similar to falafel, these burgers are made with chopped vegetables, but are bound together with rolled oats rather than chickpeas. Allow the burgers to rest for at least an hour before frying so that the oats become sticky enough to hold the vegetables in place. Serve the patties on hamburger buns with tomato, lettuce, ketchup, or mustard; in pita rounds, with shredded lettuce and a creamy salad dressing; or simply on their own, with chutney and mustard on the side.
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
2 medium scallions, thinly sliced
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon rolled oats (do not use quickcooking)
1 small zucchini (about 4 ounces), thinly sliced
1 small carrot, shredded
1½ tablespoons tahini (see page 54)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or 1 teaspoon dried Parsley
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup flour, plus more for your hands
1. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Swirl in 2 teaspoons of the oil, add the scallions, and cook for 2 minutes, just until soft. Scrape the scallions and any oil into a food processor fitted with the chopping blade or into a large blender. Add the oats, zucchini, carrot, tahini, parsley, soy sauce, mustard, and pepper. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. The recipe can be made in advance up to this point; store the covered mixture in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
2. Place the flour on a large plate; dust your hands with flour as well. Form the vegetable mixture into two large, thin patties, 4 inches in diameter and about ½ inch thick.