Asian-Inspired Experiments

Tea-cured eggs and tofu

For whatever reason, this cold and dark month we having been craving Asian flavours. Perhaps it is the weather, or more likely, inspired by our Christmas present to ourselves; the new Fuchsia Dunlop book called “Invitation to a Banquet“.

The book is fascinating and we are working through it very slowly, savouring each chapter. One aspect that Fuchsia makes clear is that Chinese food is very misunderstood; for example most meals will have a balance of flavours, textures and ingredients, and when people feel unwell it is usually because they haven’t thought about this balance when ordering.

We are trying to bring this theme into our cooking, and also trying not to destroy the flavours of the underlying food but enhance them with Chinese flavours.

Experiment number 1: tea-cured eggs and tofu

We made a broth with a combination of black tea and various aromatics; star anise, soy sauce, sugar, cinnamon, bay leaves, and szechuan pepper. We marinated a block of tofu in one half of the broth, and marinated boiled eggs in the other half (after cracking the shells of the boiled eggs).

After 24 hours we were very curious to see the result, and prepared a dinner of rice, pak choi and peppers lightly fried in ginger and a touch of mushroom sauce, and then lightly warmed through the tofu and added the tofu and eggs to our bowl. The result was a light and tasty dinner!

The tofu took more of the flavour than the eggs but both had a delicious hint of tea broth slightly tickling our tongues! Beautiful – and not heavy either!

Tea-cured tofu
Tea-cured tofu

Experiment number 2: Szechuan-spiced fried tofu, broccoli in a ginger and mushroom sauce served with a chilli and soy dressing

We really enjoyed the subtlety of the ginger fried pak choi and wanted to apply the same method to other greens. So we steamed some long-stemmed broccoli in the microwave and then gently stir fried it with lots of fresh ginger and a touch of mushroom sauce.

We wanted some protein, so out came the tofu. First, we lightly dry-fried and ground about a teaspoon of Szechuan pepper. Next, we added the ground pepper to a couple of tablespoons of cornflour and a teaspoon of sugar. Then we diced the tofu, lightly patted it with a kitchen towel to absorb a bit of surface liquid and coated the tofu in the cornflour mixture. The tofu was then fried in a very shallow amount of oil, until it started to become slightly golden and crusty.

For the dressing, we mixed a bit of spicy chilli oil with soy and just a pinch of sugar.

Then we served it all together with some brown rice – delicious!

Szechuan-spiced fried tofu, broccoli in a ginger and mushroom sauce served with a chilli and soy dressing
Szechuan-spiced fried tofu, broccoli in a ginger and mushroom sauce served with a chilli and soy dressing

Experiment number 3: cheese and kimchi okonomiyaki

Now, this one is not particularly balanced! So not really following the principles mentioned by Fuchsia…but tasty anyway! And a Japanese comfort food classic!

We are still working through our beautiful kimchi, and had a brainwave one night when trying to think what we could make with whatever we had in the cupboards and fridge. We have okonomiyaki sauces from a prior experiment, so then it became quite easy to prepare!

We made a batter with eggs, flour, dashi and a bit of seasoning, thinly sliced up some cabbage and fried it, added grated cheese, kimchi and the batter to the pan, and let it cook through. Once cooked we added our various okonomiyaki toppings and then we were done!

It was pretty filling so someone had part of theirs for leftovers the next day…!

Cheese and kimchi okonomiyaki
Cheese and kimchi okonomiyaki

An improvised salad dressing, or a lunch-time hack

Salad bowl with yogur dressing

I brought a salad to the office on Friday, which is not unusual. But I was in a rush in the morning and didn’t prepare the little container with the dressing (olive oil, vinegar, salt).

As I started cycling towards the office, I expected / hoped / vaguely remembered that the office kitchen had some bottles of these.

Imagine my sheer horror when, hours later, I turn up at the kitchen and… nope. There was nothing of that. There was sugar, marmite, sriracha (hot sauce), salt, pepper, other random things… but absolutely no olive oil or vinegar.

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Plato de verano (“Summer’s dish”)

Plato de verano (Summer's dish)

When it gets hot in Spain we avoid eating hot food and turn our attention towards things that are eaten cold. You might have heard about gazpacho or salmorejo!

Then there is the “plato de verano”, which literally means “summer’s dish”. It’s not a unique recipe, but a way of describing “something somewhat substantial that you eat cold”. It depends on the cook and whatever is available on the day.

My recipe provides a good balance between sharpness, oiliness, savouriness, softness and crunchiness so that it’s a pleasant and refreshing thing to eat, but without having to bite too much (too much effort if it’s very hot).

¡Buen provecho!

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Leek and broccoli risotto

Leek and broccoli risotto

I signed up to a “British vegetable box”, and what that translates into these days is: a lot of leeks, carrots and potatoes.

It’s a fun challenge to come up with new recipes (new to me, I suppose!) to use them in different ways.

So after I made a leek and potato soup (a Devvers classic), I devised a leek, carrot and potato fritatta, and then… a leek and broccoli risotto for Sunday lunch, because Sundays should be for rice dishes!

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Dukkah

A jar of home made dukkah

Having this in your kitchen will not literally change your life… but it will be quite close because you’ll want to add it to almost everything!

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