Braised Soft Tofu (Bean curd) with Thai Basil (Meatless Recipe)

Tofu (Japanese: 豆腐 or とうふ; Chinese: 豆腐), also called bean curd, is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is a component in many East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu that has been processed in some way. Tofu has a subtle flavor and can be used in savory and sweet dishes. It is often seasoned or marinated to suit the dish.  Please click  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu for more info on tofu.

 My family likes to eat tofu and I used to cook it regularly.  As for this braised tofu, the recipe just created out of what I can find in my fridge! You can add any ingredients that you like and it's still yummy.

Ingredients :

- 4 blocks of soft tofu (cut)

- 2 tomatoes (cut into wedges)

- a handful of shredded preserved mustard head/Spicy Szechuan Mustard (soaked)

- a handful of fresh Thai Basil

- 3 cloves garlic (crushed)

- oil

- water (add more water if you want extra sauce)

Seasonings : (to taste)

- 1 tbsp miso

- salt
- a dash of sugar

Method :

1)  Heat oil in a pan and lightly pan fry tofu.  

2)  Add garlic, tomatoes and shredded preserved mustard head.

3)  Lightly stir and mix well.  Then, add miso.

4)  Add water and braise over medium high heat.

5)  When it is almost done, add salt to taste, sugar and fresh Thai basil.

6)  Stir and mix well.

7)  Serve with steamed rice.

This dish is suitable for vegetarians and you can just omit the garlic for religious purposes

Or if you are just going for a meatless meal, this is just a perfect dish

Hope you like this simple yet healthy tofu dish

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Mich of Piece of Cake at this post.

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Turmeric Eggplant Rice (Meatless Recipe)

A very simple rice which is easy to be prepared and at the same time healthy and nutritious too.  I had no intention to cook this.  While looking through my fridge, I saw that I still had some brinjals/eggplants and lemongrass.  So, just took out the brinjal and beginning to wash it. As for the lemongrass, I had wanted to use it for a simple stewed chicken.  Oh gosh, I realised that the chicken meat was still in the freezer, ah....  At the spur of the moment, it crossed my mind that in order to make life easier for me, I decided to cook Fragrant Eggplant Rice , the one that I had posted earlier but wanted to have it different.  

So, this is the result of this simple one-pot rice meal!

Ingredients :

- 3 cups of rice (I used brown rice)

- water (the usual measurement  as per your rice cooker model, but less about 1/2" of water)

- 3 brinjals (washed and cut)

- 4 stalks of lemongrass (washed, slit and bruised)

- 1/2 tbsp of turmeric power

- 3 cloves garlic (crushed)

- 1 thumb size ginger (crushed)

- 1" cinnamon stick 

- 1 star anise

- 1 tbsp of ghee/butter (I used ghee)

- salt (to taste)

Method :

1)  Wash rice.  Add water but less about 1/2" of  water of  the usual measurement; depending on the model of your rice cooker.

2)  Add all the ingredients except brinjals and butter.  Stir and mix well and press the cook button; the usual way you cook your rice.

3)  When the rice is just about to cook (just before the cook button signal), add in the brinjals.  Continue cooking or keep warm for about half an hour.

4)  Then, add butter.  Stir and mix well.  Add extra salt if necessary.

5)  Serve warm.

This one-pot meal is great when you are busy but still prefer to have home-cooked food than take-away.

Quick, simple, healthy and nutritious meal

Have a wonderful day and cheers :)

I am submitting this to Back 2 School Event by Kachuss Delights

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Sweet Fragrant Mint Omelette (Meatless Recipe)

As I was flipping through my old collection of recipe magazines (which have been collecting dust, hehehe...), I happened to see a very simple omelette using mint leaves.  I have never tried mint omelette and was telling myself why not give this a try as mint is a very healthy herb and moreover I have homegrown mint leaves.

This recipe is adapted from Y3K (33) pg 9 with some modifications.

As mentioned in the Y3K, mint leaves have medicinal properties especially for those who are prone to have 'windy stomach'.  However, too much mint leaves may cause your dish to taste bitter.  So, don't be 'greedy' ok?

My version or amendments are in red.  Adjust or add any ingredients according to your taste or preference.

Ingredients :

- 50g mint leaves/daun pudina (I used a handful)

- 2 eggs (6 eggs, beaten)

- 1 tomato (cubed)

- 3 fresh Swiss button mushrooms (sliced)

- some oil

Seasonings : (to taste)

- 1/2 tsp salt

- some soy sauce

Method :

1)  Mix all the ingredients together except soy sauce.

2)  Heat some oil in a wok and pour in the egg mixture.

3)  Flip over when the omelette has set.

4)  Fry until both sides are golden brown.  Turn off the heat.

5)  Drizzle some soy sauce to taste.  Stir and mix well. 

Serve.

My children don't like mint leaves but surprisingly they love this mint omelette!  They are asking me to cook this omelette again!!!

Isn't this a good idea to get your children to start eating mint leaves????

I am submitting this to the Little Thumbs Up "Egg" event organized by Bake for Happy Kids, my little favourite DIY and hosted by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out.

This post is also linked to Cook-Your-Books #3 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

I'm also linking this post to September 2013 Cooking With Herbs Blog Challenge hosted by Lavender and Lovage.

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Fragrant Snake Gourd Egg (Meatless Recipe)

Previously, I had posted a dish on Snake Gourd (Pudalankai) Stir Fried with Salted Egg and the benefits of snake gourd.  As such,  I am not going to brag on its benefits here as I don't want you to get bored with my grandma's stories.  Just click at the link on Snake Gourd (Pudalankai) Stir Fried with Salted Egg if you want to know more about the goodness of eating snake gourd.

This dish is slightly different as I added curry leaves and turmeric powder to the dish. Besides  that, I used the leftover salted egg white from my previous Sha Zui Fish with Salted Egg Yolk.    Frankly speaking, it's so much better than the previous Snake Gourd (Pudalankai) Stir Fried with Salted Egg and my girls love it very much :)

Ingredients :

- 1 snake gourd (halved and use a spoon to scoop out the seed, sliced)

- 3 eggs (beaten with a dash of salt)

- 1 mashed hard boiled salted white eggs (you can used whole salted egg.  I only used the whites as it was the leftover from previous dish)

- 1 tbsp dried shrimps (washed and finely chopped)

- 1 tbsp garlic (finely chopped)

- 2 sprigs of curry leaves

- 1 tsp turmeric powder

-  a dash of Chinese cooking wine (optional)

- soy sauce (to taste)

- Ghee oil for frying

Method :

1)  Heat some ghee oil in a pan and saute garlic and dried shrimps until fragrant.

2)  Add sliced snake gourd and stir fry for a few seconds.

3)  Push aside the snake gourd and pour in beaten egg.  When the egg is about to set, scramble it and mix it with the snake gourd and stir fry.

4)  Add turmeric powder and stir well.

5)  Then add mashed salted egg white and curry leaves.  Continue to stir fry until aromatic.

6)  Turn off the heat and add a dash of soy sauce and Chinese cooking wine to taste.

7)  Stir and mix well.  Dish up and serve.

This is a very healthy and yummy dish.

It would be more flavourful if you add some red chilies or bird eye's chilies.  I had ran out of chilies and just made do with whatever is available.

Hope you like it.  Do enjoy :)

I am submitting this to the Little Thumbs Up "Egg" event organized by Bake for Happy Kids, my little favourite DIY and hosted by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out. 

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