Beef &Tomato Mapo Tofu

Thursday Dinner

- Beef & Tomato Mapo Tofu
- Lemon & Mint Pickled Cabbage
- GBR


Beef & Tomato Mapo Tofu Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 500g beef mince
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 eggplant, cubed
• 8 cherry tomatoes
• 400g Tofu, cubed

Seasoning

• 2~3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 10g ginger, grated
• 1Tbsp Tobanjan
• 1 star anise
• 1Tbsp Miso
• 2Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp Sichuan pepper

Method

1. In a frypan, heat oil and fry garlic, ginger, Tobanjan and star anise
2. When flagrant, add beef mince
3. When beef mince is cooked, add onion, eggplant and cherry tomatoes
4. Add a cup of water, Miso and soy sauce and simmer with a lid on
5. When eggplant is almost cooked, add Tofu and continue cooking for 2~3mins
6. Add 1Tbsp arrowroot starch mixed with 1Tbsp water to thicken
7. Stir well, be careful not to break up Tofu too much
8. Sprinkle Sichuan pepper
9. Serve as is, with rice or noodles

Pulled Beef & Tofu Open Omelet

Thursday Dinner

- Pulled Beef and Tofu Open Omelet

There are reasons why I like pulled beef/pork and cook them regularly.  It is easy to make, just throw in a pressure cooker.  It is versatile, I can use leftover to create other dishes in the following days.   And it is low-carb, I know Hubby or I won't gain weight from this.  Pulled pork/beef matche my motto for cooking perfectly, that is why I cook them often.

I would call this dish "Tamagotoji" in Japanese but in English, i guess it would be an open omelet or a frittata.  Start by adding Tofu, eggplant and leftover pulled beef in a shallow casserole or a frypan.  Cook until the eggplant is soft with a lid on.  When the eggplant is cooked, add whisked eggs and put the lid back on.  Cook on low heat until the eggs are set to your liking.  Sprinkle spring onions if you have it.

Yes, it is the third consecutive days of pulled beef but I didn't feel that way.

Salmon Cakes with Creamy Dill Sauce

Thursday Dinner

- Salmon Cakes

- Steamed Green Beans

- Tofu Salad with Sesame Dressing

Seafood dinner for two days in a row!  I still don't feel like eating meat so made salmon fish cakes last night.  I drained 400g tin salmon and mixed with finely chopped (in Vitamix) onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms.  Seasoned with Miso, dijon mustard, dill, lemon zest, salt and pepper.  Shaped into round cakes then baked in 180˚C oven for 20-30mins.  Added green beans in the last 5mins.  

I always loved vegetables even when I was a little kid.  I think veggies have amazing flavours as it is.  All you need is a bit of love and care and to remember not to overcook it.  The green beans were so sweet and crunchy and juicy.  They would be a great snack and with dips.

For creamy dill sauce, I mixed sour cream, lemon juice, chopped capers and gherkin, dill, salt and pepper.  Salmon cakes were well seasoned so didn't really need the sauce tough.

Tofu Omelet

Weekend Brunch

- Tofu Omelet

I had leftover homemade Tofu in fridge this weekend which is unusual.  I usually finish eating my homemade Tofu before Friday.  

I know some people think soy products are dangerous and avoid completely.  I hear even some Japanese people avoid "unfermented" soy products.  I haven't read enough to give up on Tofu yet but will look into it.  

I made weekend omelet by mixing homemade Tofu, eggs, milk, salt and pepper, fish powder, ham, finely chopped broccoli and mushrooms.

I love crunchy broccoli in omelet.  It was nice but would have been better with fresh tomato and olives as well. 

Negi-shio Chicken Drumsticks

Wednesday Dinner

- Negi-shio Chicken Drumsticks

- Tofu Salad

Chicken drumsticks are staple at my house.  It is cheap, versatile and juicier and tastes much better than more expensive breast.

I usually buy 2kg and cook half of it straight away and marinate and freeze the other half.  It is another "go-to" meal when I don't wanna cook or don't have time (which are most of the time).  Just throw in the 200˚C oven for 20~40mins depending on the size of your drumsticks.

Negi-shio is a Japanese sauce made with spring onion, salt, garlic and sesame oil (recipe below).  It will go with any protein but commonly matched with chicken, ox tongue or pork.

Since the sauce was chunky, I stuffed negi-shio sauce in between the skin and the flesh of drumsticks and this made the chicken really moist and flavourful.  It really worked well and I will be doing the same for any marinade for drumsticks from now on.


Negi-shio Sauce Recipe

2 Spring onions (white and green parts), finely chopped
1 Garlic, grated
1tsp Salt
1Tbsp Sesame oil
Juice of 1 Lemon
1Tbsp White sesame seed, toasted
a pinch of Pepper

GBR Sushi Rolls

Tuesday Dinner

- Sushi rolls (tuna, spam)

- Osuimono soup (lettuce, okra)

- Homemade Tofu with red sauce

Carb dinner last night, ran out of meat.  I only make sushi rolls once or twice a year.  I should make more often since I'm a proud Japanese but it is such a hassle, definitely don't wanna make it for a large group of guests.  There are so many elements to making sushi rolls (see below).  I guess it could shortcut if I used smoked salmon or flavoured tin tuna.

1. Cook rice
2. Make Japanese omelet
3. Cook tuna with soy and ginger 
4. Fry Bacon or Spam
5. Cut cucumber
6. Make sushi vinegar
7. Make sushi rice
8. Roll
9. Cut
10. Eat

Germinated Brown Rice (GBR) is the only brown rice I eat these days.  It's super easy to prepare.  Simply rinse and soak brown rice in plenty of water and leave it in room temperature until germinates, usually takes 1~3days.  Change water once or twice a day.

Once germinated, I rinse it again and leave 5mm of water above rice then cook in a pressure cooker for 25mins (start counting when you turn the heat on).  

GBR is easier to digest and stays moist when refrigerated like white rice.  I won't make sushi with normal brown rice.  It will be too dry and hard to eat without microwaving it the next day.  If I don't have GBR prepared, I will just use white rice.

Osuimono soup is a clear Dashi broth.  I just use Dashi pack and add whatever odd vegetables or protein I have in hand.

I made red sauce for Tofu by mixing soy sauce, garlic paste, Korean chilli powder, spring onion, roasted white sesame seeds and sesame oil.

I cooked too much again, didn't need Tofu.  Forgot how Sushi is so filling, 8 pieces per person will be plenty.

Tofu Salad with Tahini Dressing

Wednesday Dinner

- Tofu Salad
- BBQ

I made Tofu salad to take to a BBQ last night.  The salad is made with leafy green salad mix, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, shredded carrot and Tofu.  Tofu and sesame seeds go well together so I made Tahini dressing by whisking together tahini, Mentsuyu, honey and vinegar.

Mentsuyu is a soy sauce based condiment with tons of umami and this flavour is what makes Japanese food.  It is very common in home cooking and can be used for a noodle soup base, a dipping sauce for tempura, braising fish, meat or veggies, salad dressings etc.  You can find Mentsuyu at any asian grocers or supermarket but I make it because it is so easy to make and tastes better.

Mentsuyu (Makes 650ml)

Ingredients

• 40g Dried Bonito flakes
• 15g Dried Shiitake mushrooms, torn to small pieces by hand
• 10cm square piece Kombu seaweed, torn to small pieces by hand
• 472g Soy sauce
• 400g White wine

Method

1. Add all the ingredients in a pot and stir 
2. Cover and leave for 12~24hrs
3. Simmer until the alcohol is burnt off for about 5mins
4. Strain with a mesh strainer
5. Strain again with a fine mesh tea strainer (optional)
6. Pour through a funnel into a sterilised bottle
7. Store in fridge

Pulled Beef and Tofu Open Omelet

Tuesday Dinner

- Pulled Beef and Tofu Open Omelet

- Zucchini Salad with Pesto

- Japanese-style Chicken Liver with Crackers

What to do with leftover pulled beef?  I usually cook with Tofu to stretch it.   I can make 3-4 servings with just 1-2 servings of meat.  I made super easy open omelet this time.  I had zucchini salad in fridge so I didn't even use a knife last night.  Dinner in 15mins! That's the stuff I like.  For zucchini salad, I just mixed sliced zucchini with pesto and lemon juice.

Open Omelet with Pulled Beef and Tofu Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1~2 servings of leftover pulled beef or any other protein
• 300g Tofu
• 4 eggs
• Soy sauce to taste

Method

1. Heat leftover pulled beef and tofu (scoop large pieces using a spoon) in a fry pan
2. Once bubbling, add beaten eggs then put the lid on
3. Reduce heat and cook till the eggs are set
4. Add a dash of soy sauce or other condiments to taste

Japanese-style Chicken Liver Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 250g Chicken liver
• 2Tbsp Soy sauce
• 10g Ginger
• 5g Honey
• 1 small onion, sliced

Method

1. Cut liver into bite-size pieces. Remove white fat.
2. Rinse liver pieces under running water until the water comes out clean
3. Boil liver pieces for 1min
4. Rinse with cold water
5. Heat soy sauce, ginger and honey in a small pan
6. Add prepared liver pieces and place onions on top
7. Cook covered until all the liquid in the pan is reduced