EGG TOFU WITH VEGETABLES

     Tofu, also called "bean curd," is a fresh, cheese-like product made by curdling fresh soy milk. It is found in different variations in the market. Silken Tofu, Firm Tofu, Egg Tofu, Deep Fried Tofu. Though of Chinese origin, the idea of healthy eating easily bought Tofu into Western countries.
     Tofu has long been the most widely used soy food in the world. In China, South East & East Asian Countries, Soy Food along with Tofu are considered as a major protein intake as that of dairy products in another part of the world. Tofu is a versatile food from both nutritional and health perspective. Tofu is a good source of protein and contains essential amino acids. It is also an excellent source of Iron, Calcium, Manganese, Selenium, Phosphorous Magnesium, Copper, Zinc and vitamin B.
      Tofu has a neutral taste and a range of consistency which makes it compatible with most of the flavours and food. Egg tofu is a type of  Tofu flavoured with egg. It is usually available packaged in the tube form. Egg tofu has a pale yellow colour due to the addition of eggs in it. Egg Tofu has a silky soft texture and a fuller, less beany flavour than silken tofu. Egg Tofu is a creamy & softer compared to Firm Tofus and has a great taste too. They are commonly used in Chinese and Asian cooking - steamed or fried, or used in soups.
    Egg Tofu can be converted into a variety of dishes. They taste great as such, dust them with some Corn Flour, Deep fry and simply serve it with Thai Sauce or prepare a hot plate of Sizzling Tofu in an Egg Base, or simply Stir Fry and add them with any Vegetable or Spinach of your choice for a wonderful combination of  Egg Tofu Recipes.

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Cuisine : Chinese, South East Asian
Course : Side Dish
Difficulty : Low
Spice Level : Low
Serves : 3-4
Author : SM

Preparation Time : 10-15 Minutes
Cooking Time : 10 - 15 Minutes

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HOW TO MAKE STIR FRIED EGG TOFU WITH  VEGETABLES

 

INGREDIENTS:

To Deep Fry:

Egg Tofu - 2 Tubes
Corn Flour - 3 Tablespoons
Oil - For Deep Frying

For Stir Frying:

Garlic - 3-2 Cloves
Carrot - 1/2
Broccoli - Few Florets
Mushrooms - a Few
Sweet Peas - 7 Nos.
Oil - 2 Tbspn
Salt - To Taste
Sugar - a Pinch

Sauce Mix:

Light Soy Sauce - 1 Teaspoon
Oyster Sauce/ABC(Kicap Manis) Sauce -1/2 Tablespoon
Water - 4-5 Tablespoons

For Glazing: 

Corn Flour - 1 Tablespoon
Cold Water - 2-3 Tablespoons

 EGG TOFU WITH VEGETABLES - STIR FRY

EGG TOFU WITH VEGETABLES

METHOD:

To Deep Fry Egg Tofu:

• Cut the Egg Tofu tube at the centre and carefully squeeze out the Tofu from the package.
• Gently slice the Egg Tofu.
• Dust the sliced tofu with Corn Flour.
• Heat oil in a Wok and deep-fry the Egg Tofu until they turn into a light golden brown colour. 
• Remove the Egg Tofu from oil and drain it on a paper towel.

Preparation:

• Clean, Wash and Slice the Carrots, Cut Broccoli into florets and snap the Sweet Peas into two. 
• Clean the Mushrooms and keep it aside(If using dry Shitake Mushrooms, soak them).
• Add all the ingredients mentioned under 'For Sauce Mix' in a bowl and mix well.
• Mix Corn Flour with Cold Water and mix well until there are no lumps and keep it aside.

For Egg Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry:

• Heat oil in a pan, sauté finely chopped Garlic Cloves until fragrant.
• Add all the Vegetables along with a dash of Salt and Sugar.
• Stir-fry on a high flame for a few minutes until the vegetables are half cooked.
• Add the fried Egg Tofu and give a quick stir.
• Pour in the Sauce Mix and cook until all the Vegetables and Egg Tofu slices are well coated with the sauce mix.
• Finally, pour in the Cornflour mix to glaze the Vegetables and Egg Tofu.
• Allow it to boil on a high flame for a few minutes.

NOTES:

• Can add any Vegetable of your choice in this recipe along with Egg Tofu.
• Can prepare the same recipe with Vegetables alone.
• Adjust the amount of Salt accordingly(Sauces can make your dish salty)
• Adding a pinch of Sugar while cooking will help retain the colour of the vegetables. 
• Do not overcook the Vegetables.
• Dusting the Egg Tofu with Corn flour yields crispy Tofu Slices.
• Carefully toss the ingredients during the whole process, so that the ingredients are well coated with the sauce mix and glazed well.

STORAGE:

• Store unopened tofu in a refrigerator. 
• Once opened, store it in an airtight container in a refrigerator.
• Once opened, do not store it for long(use within two days or sooner).

SAYUR LODEH

     Sayur lodeh - a dish originally from Javanese Cuisine is quite popular in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.  It is basically a Vegetable Curry like dish prepared with Vegetables like Carrot, Long Beans, Chinese Cabbage, Eggplant, Unripe Jack fruit, Fried Tofus and Tempehs in Coconut Milk.  It is usually served with Rice or with Lontong/ Nasi Impit (Steamed Rice Cake slices).  Sayur Lodeh along with rice is usually accompanied with Fish, Chicken/Beef, Squid Sambal, Boiled Eggs and Coconut Serunding.  Sambal Terasi is served separately with above dishes to add a bit of spice to this subtly flavoured curry.
        The addition of Lemon grass and the BUMBU spice mixture (basically a ground and sauteed mixture of Shallots, Garlic, Red/Green Chillies, Belacan, Candlenut, Coriander, Turmeric, Salt and Palm sugar) gives this dish a wonderful flavour and richness of Coconut Milk makes Sayur Lodeh a special dish.

Cuisine : Javanese, Indonesian (South East Asian)
Course : Side Dish 
Spice Level : Medium
Difficulty : Medium
Serves : 3-4
Author : SM

Preparation Time : 20 - 30 Minutes
Cooking Time :  20 - 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS :

Carrot - 1 No.
Long Beans - 5 Nos.
Cabbage - few Shreds
Egg Plant - 1 No.
Puffed Tofu - 4 Pieces
Firm Tofu/Tempeh - 2 Pieces
Lemon Grass - 2 Stalks
Chicken Stock Cube - 1 Cube
Coconut Milk - 1 Cup
Salt - To Taste
Palm Sugar/Gula Melaka - 1 Tspn
Lime Juice - 1 Tspn
Oil - 2 Tbspn

BUMBU SPICE MIX :

Shallots - 3-4 Nos.
Garlic - 3 Cloves
Ginger - 1 "
Galangal - a Small Piece
Candlenuts - 3-4 Nos.
Turmeric Root - a Small Piece
Dry Red Chillies - 5 Nos.
Birds Eye Chilli - 2-3 Nos.
Dried Shrimp Paste(Belacan) - 2 Tspn
Coriander Powder - 2 Tspn

METHOD :

• Soak the Dry Chillies in hot water for 15 minutes.(can de-seed them, if you prefer the curry to be less spicy)
• Dry toast belacan and candle nuts in a very low flame until fragrant for few minutes.
• Grind all the ingredients mentioned under 'Bumbu Spice Mix' along with the soaked dry chillies, to a smooth paste.
• Trim and Crush the lemon grass, (Just use the white part).
• Cut Firm Tofu into triangles and Tofu into small cubes and marinate it with salt and turmeric powder for about 5- 10 Minutes.
• Deep or Shallow fry the marinated Firm Tofu and Tempeh and keep it aside.
• Cut the Puffed Tofus into two and keep it aside.
• Clean, peel and cut Carrots into small pieces.
• Trim and cut Long beans into 1" long pieces.
• Shred Cabbage and keep it aside.
• Cut Eggplants into pieces and leave it aside in mildly salted water until use.
• Heat oil and saute the ground 'Bumbu Spice Mix' until fragrant.
• Add the bruised Lemon Grass Stalks and fry for a while.
• Saute the spice mix until aromatic and oil separate from the paste.
• Add the Vegetables along with Chicken stock Cube and 1/2 a cup of Water.
• Cook this in medium flame until vegetables are cooked.
• Add Salt, Palm Sugar and mix well.
• Pour the Coconut Milk and boil it in low flame.  
• Add the Puffed Tofu pieces, fried Firm Tofu and Tempeh and leave it in low flame for few minutes.
• Drizzle Lime juice, give a quick stir and switch off the flame.
• Garnish it with shredded kaffir lime leaves.
• Serve hot with steamed Rice or Lontong.

NOTES :

• Adjust the number of Chillies to suit your spice level.
• Can add any vegetable of your choice in this recipe.
• Can use Chicken stock instead of chicken stock cubes.
• Adjust the consistency of the dish to suit your preference.

Discover the Delights of a simple Chinese Style Lunch Menu

    Welcome to a delightful journey through a simple yet authentic Chinese lunch menu! In this post, let me guide you through a mouthwatering spread of traditional dishes that are sure to satisfy your cravings for Chinese cuisine. From fried rice to succulent sweet & sour chicken, each dish is bursting with flavour and easy to prepare. So, let's roll up our sleeves and get cooking!

MEE GORENG MELAYU - FRIED NOODLES MALAY STYLE

     Mee Goreng Melayu/Fried Noodles in Malay Style is one among numerous recipes and styles of Mee Goreng Recipe. It is as versatile as it is spelt, Mi Goreng, Mie Goreng but solely depends on where it originates. This Mee Goreng Melayu Recipe is slightly different from the Hokkien Mee, where they use Dark Soy Sauce as the base.  But in Malay style Mee Goreng Recipe they widely use Sambal(Chilli Paste) along with some Sauces to enhance the flavour. When you are in a mood for simple cooking then this recipe is a wonderful choice.
     A trip to the grocery store is usually incomplete without a pack of Hokkien Mee/Mee Kuning - Yellow Egg Noodles. And when my daughter is back home, I make sure to prepare Mee Goreng/Bihun Recipes. Or at least we end up with Instant Mee Goreng Packets. 
     Mee Kuning/Yellow Noodle - It is usually thick, round and yellow in colour. They are fresh, soft medium sized Egg Noodles.  We can find them at the Asian Grocery Stores in the refrigerated Section or at wet Markets.  Fresh Mee Kuning is prepared with Wheat Flour, Palm Oil & Salt.  I always feel that even the Mee Kuning Packet is Oily. While I was mentioning about this during a random talk, my friend Santhini suggested me to blanch it twice. This way some of the extra fat, coating the Noodle is removed, at least to an extent.
      You can always substitute it with any other dried Noodles variety. Dried Egg Noodles, commonly marketed as Chow Mein Noodles are one best alternative for this Yellow Noodles, even Spaghetti can be used to prepare this Mee Goreng Melayu. Cook the noodles as per the instruction and then use it in the recipe.

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Cuisine - South-East Asian, Malaysian
Course - Main
Spice Level - Moderate
Difficulty - Medium
Serves - 3-4
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 20-30 Minutes
Cooking Time - 20-30 Minutes

HOW TO COOK MEE GORENG  MELAYU - FRIED NOODLES MALAY STYLE

INGREDIENTS :

To Garnish :

Bean Sprouts - Handful
Sawi(Mustard Greens)/Choy Sum/Bok Choy - Handful
Spring Onions - few

Serving Suggestion :

Lime Wedges
Extra Sambal Tumis
Fried Onions/Bawang Goreng

For SAMBAL TUMIS RECIPE, Click here...

 

METHOD :

• Shred the Cabbage and Cut it into thin strips. 
• Peel, Wash and Cut Carrots into thin strips.
• In the meantime, heat a small frying pan with Oil and shallow fry the Fish Cakes/Tofu. Keep it aside.
• Beat the Eggs slightly with a pinch of Salt and Scramble it. Keep it aside.
• Shallow fry the Chicken Pieces with a pinch of Salt until they are cooked.
• If using Yellow Noodles, dip them in hot water for a few minutes.  Drain and discard the water.
• Allow it to drain in a Colander.
• Finely chop the Garlic Cloves and fresh Red Chillies and keep it aside.

• Heat Oil in a Wok, Saute finely chopped Garlic CLoves and Red Chillies until garlic turns aromatic.
• Add Sambal Tumis, Chicken Stock Powder and ABC Sauce/Dark Soy Sauce and give a quick stir.
• Saute it on a high flame for a few minutes.
• Add shallow fried Fish Cakes/Tofu, Chicken Pieces and Carrots.
• Cook this for a while.
• Add blanched Yellow Noodles and gently mix all the ingredients until well combined. 
• Mix until all the ingredients and Sauces are well coated to every Noodle strand.
• Cook on a high flame for about 2-3 MInutes.
• Finally, add shredded Cabbage, shredded Sawi/Choy Sum, Spring Onions and a handful of Bean Sprouts(Taugeh).
• Immediately switch off the flame.
• Serve Mee Goreng Melayu hot along with Bawang Goreng(fried onions), a wedge of Lime and an extra serving of Sambal Tumis.
• Just before eating squeeze the wedge of Lime.

 

NOTES :

• Ensure that the Sambal & Sauce mix is not watery while adding the blanched Noodles, it can make Mee Goreng Melayu Soggy.
• Adjust the spiciness to suit your spice level.
• Can substitute Sambal Tumis with fresh Sambal Paste.  Saute it well until fragrant and follow the rest of the steps for the recipe.
• I have used fresh Yellow Noodles(Mee Kuning) in this Mee Goreng Melayu Recipe.
• Adding Sugar is purely optional.
• ABC Sauce(Kicap Manis) on its own gives out a bit of sweetness to the dish. Adjust accordingly.
• Can also add Prawns instead of Chicken pieces or can use both in your recipe.

CHINESE VEGETABLE & CHICKEN STIR FRY

    I love to cook the local way, the Malaysian Style, Thai, Chinese, all greatly influenced by my 15 years of living in Malaysia -the Food Haven. I am amazed by the simplicity of the dishes and all the more what I love about cooking Chinese food at home is, It is rather easy, and we can incorporate it in no time.

    This Chinese Style Vegetable & Chicken Stir fry is quite similar to the Vegetable Stir Fries, and the only difference is that we add some boneless Chicken pieces along with it, which gives an overall fullness to the dish.

    All the more, these recipes are inspired from the Chinese Restaurants we dine at, in Malaysia.  Initially, when we used to dine at such places, we loved to try different Stir-fries. Stir-fries with Veggies, stir-fried vegetables with Tofu or Chicken or Sausages. Veggies like Eggplants, Brocolli, Long Beans Stir fried  Stir-fried Greens like Baby Kailan, Bok Choy, Napa Cabbages Kang Kung etc., The introduction to these recipes gave me a new way of cooking and combining vegetables, egg, meat, salted fish, shrimps, or tofu into these stir fries.  And also these recipes gave me a total new revelation to cooking vegetables, the way it has to be, retaining the colour, texture, and nutrition.

    Chinese Style Vegetable & Chicken Stir Fry is a quick & easy Chinese dish, with a simple addition of seared Chicken pieces into it.  This style of cooking vegetables & chicken together adds a whole new dimension to the all plain vegetables.  

    But the secret behind perfect Chinese Style Stir Fry is the techniques you need to follow to get it right.  Keep in mind that the vegetables in the stir-fry should retain the colour, crunchiness, and freshness of the vegetables.  When perfectly done, this Chinese Style Vegetable & Chicken Stir Fry is going to be lustrous, gorgeously beautiful, presenting itself with a cornucopia of colours with a remarkable texture.  I love this stir-fry whatsoever.

CHINESE VEGETABLE & CHICKEN STIR FRY

    Just follow these simple tips and techniques for perfectly cooked Vegetable & Chicken Stir-fry.

VEGETABLES:

    As we need to stir-fry the vegetable in one quick movement in a high heat, it is always advisable to keep all the needed items ready side by side.  First clean, peel & cut the vegetables and when it comes to the Vegetables which you can add into this stir-fry, I mostly use Carrots, Mushrooms, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Capsicums & Snow peas. Can add Baby Corn too. If using mushrooms, use varieties like Button Mushrooms, Crimino Mushrooms, Shitake, or Oyster Mushrooms.  Small Beech or Bunapi Mushrooms also suits well for Vegetable stir fries.

BLANCHING THE VEGETABLES:

    Then I blanch the vegetables before stir-frying them.  Blanching shortens the time required for stir-frying.  And also the vegetables are cooked half way, retaining the shape & colour.  Then, while stir-frying, the idea is just to mix them up with the sautéed garlic and the sauces on a high heat.  This way the Stir Fry turns out to be perfectly cooked through, retaining the texture, colour, and all the more the nutrition. Once the Vegetables are blanched, you can straight away go with the stir-frying process.

    Then mince the Garlic, Cut the Onions into big pieces and then thinly slice the bird's eye chillies.  Well, I do add a Bird's eye chilli into this Stir Fry.  After all, the taste buds of Indian ethnicity asks for a bit of heat in everything.  You can totally skip it in this recipe.

SEARING THE CHICKEN:

    Well, any Chinese restaurant style Chicken recipes, habe an extremely tender and silky texture.  Soft & Succulent Chicken pieces.  The secrfet behind this velvety texture is that, most Chinese Chefs "treat" the chicken with baking soda.  Baking Soda removes the "meaty" odour and also tenderizes it at the same time.

    Searing a Chicken/Meat is a simple cooking technique where the meat is tosses in hot oil (a litlle amount just to coat the pan) until the colour changes.  This method changes the chemical composition in the meat creating an intense flavour and develop a perfect texture.  And the main point is that they are not deep fried.

SAUCE:

    The next step is to get the sauce ready.  The idea of a sauce in a stir-fry is to add taste and flavour into the bland vegetables.  So you can get easy with the type of sauce you use.  Commonly Oyster Sauce is used along with seasoning like salt, sugar and a dash of white pepper powder.  I love to add the popular locally available ABC Sauce, which is a sweet thick soy sauce with caramelized palm sugar in it. Alternatively, can add Dark Soy Sauce.  I have added the Corn Flour slurry into the sauce mix.  So, you do not need to add ‘cornflour slurry’  during stir-frying.  Corn flour slurry glazes & gives a sheen to the stir-fried vegetables. 

STIR-FRYING:

    Then, the stir frying - keep in mind, you need to stir-fry in a high heat, in quick movements.  Sauté, the garlic, Onions, bird's-eye chillies, briefly sauté the Capsicums & then pour in the sauce and cook for a few minutes, then add in all the vegetables and mix it well in quick movements over a high flame.  Once the sauces all coated and the vegetables are glazed, switch off the flame and serve immediately.

 

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Cuisine – Chinese; Southeast Asian
Recipe Type – Stir Fry
Spice Level – Low
Difficulty – Easy
 Serves - 2–3
Author – SM

Preparation Time - 15–20 Minutes
Cooking Time - 5–10 Minutes
 

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HOW TO MAKE CHINESE VEGETABLE & CHICKEN STIR FRY