Mushroom and tofu with beanthread noodles

Ingredients

• 5 dried mushrooms
• 4 pieces dried black fungus
• 1 bunch broccolini, cut into short lengths
• 250ml vegetable stock
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 5 cm knob ginger, cut into matchsticks
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced
• 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
• 100g fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 2 small, slim eggplant, halved lengthwise and cut into 1 cm slices
• 100g beanthread vermicelli
• 100g silken tofu, diced
• 2 tbsp coriander sprigs

Method

Soak dried mushrooms and black fungus in hot water for at least 30 minutes, then drain, discard stalks and finely slice. Cook broccolini in simmering salted water for three minutes and drain.

Heat stock, soy, hoisin sauce and sesame oil with ginger, chilli, garlic, dried mushrooms, black fungus, fresh mushrooms and eggplant, and simmer for 10 minutes or until eggplant is tender.

Cook noodles in simmering salted water for one minute or until just tender, then drain. Add broccolini and tofu to mushrooms and heat through. Serve with noodles and top with coriander and your favourite chilli sauce.

Yellow miso eggplant with tofu dressing

Ingredients

4 medium-sized eggplants

3 tsp dashi powder *

1 1/2 tbsp yellow miso paste

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp light soy sauce

4 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil

4 garlic cloves, finely sliced

10cm fresh ginger, finely diced

300g silken tofu

3 spring onions, sliced in rounds

* Some dashi (Japanese stock) is not vegetarian and may include fish.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220C, fan forced.

2. Place the eggplants on a baking tray and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Peel off the skin, cut the flesh into one-centimetre strips and arrange in a serving dish.

3. In a jug, add 100 millilitres of water, the dashi, yellow miso paste, sesame oil, soy and half the sunflower oil. Process with a stick blender. Pour a third of this over the eggplant strips.

4. In a small pot, not heated, add the garlic, ginger and remaining sunflower oil, then bring to medium heat. Fry for three to four minutes until just golden and fragrant, but take care - too brown and the garlic will be bitter. Drain on a paper towel.

5. Dice half the tofu and distribute it over the eggplant. Add the remaining tofu to the remaining dressing and blitz with the stick blender until frothy. Pour over the eggplant. Sprinkle over the spring onion and the crispy ginger and garlic.

Garam Masala Tofu Scramble Recipe

a splash of olive oil
couple pinches of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala spice blend
1 medium onion, halved and cut into thin slices
1/2 medium bulb fennel, cut into very thin slices
1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
12 ounces extra firm orgnic tofu, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped parsely
1/3 cup pistachios (or other nuts), chopped

Add the olive oil to a big pot over med-high heat. Stir in the garam masala, and then quickly add the onions and fennel.
Stir in onions and salt and cook until the onions soften, just a minute or two. If you have a bit more time, let them start to caramelized and darken. Stir in the cranberries, cook them for thirty seconds and add the tofu. Stir and stir to combine the tofu with the other ingredients. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and nuts. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Tofu Mii Grop / (crispy noodles)

Tofu Mii Grop / (crispy noodles)

Ingredients

1 large serve

120 g rice vermicelli
100 g Tofu puffs (deep fried puffed tofu)
1 tablespoon Big green chilli
2 Orange (for zest)
200 g Bean sprout
Bunch Spring onion (greens)
3 Shallot (for fried chips)
Bunch Coriander
1 litre Peanut oil

Method

Soak noodles in warm water for 8 mins, drain. Put the peanut oil into a cold wok, peel shallots and slice lengthways very thinly and put into cold oil on medium flame, bring up to about 120C & fry shallots until golden & remove from oil (about 6 mins from cold)
Place on paper towel to drain, these will be the final garnish for the dish
Turn temp up to get oil to 180C in preparation for noodle frying

Mean while cut the garnishes as follows:
Cut tofu into strips
Cut 1 or 2 big green chilli into 1 mm thick long strips
Zest half the orange& cut into 1 mm wide strips (keep the flesh for juicing to add to the sauce if desired)
Cut spring onion (greens only ) into match sticks
Cut coriander so you have leaves & long stems

Mii Grop Sauce

Ingredients

1 tablespoon chopped coriander roots.
½ teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic
pinch salt
50g light palm sugar
2 eggs whisked
150g preserved white or yellow soy beans pureed (yellow bean paste)
1 tablespoon tamarind extract
Juice from 3 limes

Method

Make a paste from salt, coriander root and garlic.
Fry in hot oil. Add in pureed preserved soy beans and continue frying
Add palm sugar, remove from heat and fold in eggs gradually whisking as you do. Put back on heat. The eggs will thicken but try and avoid scrambling eggs with excess heat. Add tamarind and lime juice and orange juice if desired
Pour sauce over crispy fried noodles (see Tofu Mii Grop) and enjoy.

honey and soy glazed tofu

2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp sesame oil
45og extra firm tofu, drained, cut into 2.5cm cubes
shredded rind of 1 lime

1. combine honey, soy, lime juice and sesame oil in a mixing bowl. Add tofu, toss to coast, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours
2. Thread 2 tofu cubes onto each of 8-10 presoaked bamboo skewers. Set a chargrill pan over a med heat. Cook skeweres, turning regularly for 3-4 mins, basting with remaining glaze. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle sesame seeds and rind.

Steamed silken tofu

300g silken tofu

Dressing
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
2 tablespoon sliced spring onion
2 tablespoon chopped coriander stems
2 tablespoon kecap manis (or dark chinese soy)
2 tablespoon black vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 ½ tablespoon light soy
¼ teaspoon chilli oil

2 tablespoon peanut oil
¼ cup coriander leaves
Pinch sichuan pepper (or white pepper) and salt

Method

Cut tofu into rectangular pieces. Oil the top of a bamboo steamer and place the tofu pieces in the steamer. Steam for 8-10 minutes with the lid on.

Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, set aside.

Remove tofu and drain away any excess liquid.

Heat peanut oil until smoking.

Place the tofu on a plate in a single layer, pour the dressing over tofu, then carefully drizzle with hot oil.

Garnish with coriander, sichuan pepper and salt.

Vegetable and tofu curry

1 large oinon, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 long red chilli, seeded
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup peanut oil
2 large vine ripened tomatoes, chopped
1 cup vegetable stock
375ml coconut flavoured evaporated milk
500g sweet potato
200g green beans, trimmed
375g tofu, cubed

1. In a food processor, place oinon, garlic, chilli, cumin, garam masala, coriander, turmeric and 2 tblsp of peanut oil and process until mixture forms a paste. Heat remaining oil in a large heavy based pan over a medium heat. Add paste and cook, stirring for 1 min until fragrant.
2. Add tomatoes and stock and stir until combined. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 mins until reduced slightly. Add coconut milk and sweet potato and cook for a further 10 min until sweet potato is tender. Do not boil or milk will seperate.
3. Stir in beans and tofu and stir gently. Cook for 5 mins until beans are cooked. Serve immediately with steamed rice.