So here's the recipe. By the book, and with my modifications [in brackets. Including potentially patronising detail for those who are inept]:
500g tofu, diced [or why not use meat if you're a whiner like Reto? Although he did say that he didn't think the tofu was at all offensive in this recipe. Or maybe what he said was that if he's going to be forced to eat tofu it may as well be in this form where it's practically delicious, rather than marinated in soy and ginger which he hates]
Veggies, cut into thin strips [the official version says 1 small carrot, 1 red capsicum, 2 spring onions. I used 1 large carrot, half a zucchini, half a capsicum, a brown onion and some green beans, and I also rejected their authoritarian advice on how to cut them. Despots]
200g shiitake mushrooms, sliced [I used dried ones, which I soaked for 10 minutes or so in warm water then sliced]
1 T (tablespoon) groundnut oil [whatever that is]
1T sesame oil [I used canola oil instead of both of these oils. I also reject all oil measurements because I like to think I know better than some moron recipe]
300mL water
3T cider vinegar
2T brown sugar [Switzerland has apparently voted against brown sugar. I used raw sugar]
2T tomato paste
soy sauce to taste [a splash]
1T cornflour
300g fresh diced pineapple [I used tinned. Also note that I hate pineapple, which is a large part of my anti sweet-and-sour stance. The fact that Reto loves it may be a part of his S&S stance. He also likes ham and pineapple pizzas, which means that we very rarely share]
Marinade:
4T groundnut oil
50mL sesame oil [again with the canola for both oils]
75mL soy sauce
4T brown sugar [again with the raw sugar]
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2cm fresh ginger, grated
1T tomato paste
Mix all the marinade ingredients together, then bung in the tofu and leave it to marinate overnight [note this step before you decide to make it for dinner tonight].
The next day, take the tofu out of the marinade, keeping the rest of the marinade for later. Fry the tofu in some of the oil until it's all golden and delicious, then take it out and set it aside for the time being.
Saute the veggies in a bit more of the oil. Add the marinade, water, vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste and soy sauce. Bring it all to the boil then stir in the cornflour to thicken it a bit [it might be best to stir the cornflour into some water before adding it, to minimise the chance of it turning all lumpy and annoying]. Bung in the pineapple and tofu and heat until it's heated.
Then eat it. With rice. Then tell me how super I am. I mean, how super it was.
And here's some balloons. Awww
6 comments:
I'll have to give this one a try!
By the way, to make brown sugar you use the ratio of 1 tablespoon molasses to 1 cup of white sugar. Mix thoroughly and presto -- brown sugar!
mmm, that's making my mouth water. what the hell is groundnut oil anyway?
Groundnut oil? No idea. Maybe if you find nuts on the ground .. and then you grind them ...
Lazy! It took me all of 5 seconds to find out what a groundnut was, though I kind of guessed beforehand anyway.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut
I think it would be worth using peanut oil rather than canola because it's delicious, but seems overkill to use 2 different types of oil.
surely peanut is the more common term? why would anyone call it a groundnut?!
i made this the other night and can attest that you are indeed super, robyn. like you, i've never been a fan of sweet and sour or of hot pineapple, so this recipe is a revelation. i'm also generally crap at asian dishes, so it's good to have found a reliable recipe.
i used white wine vinegar instead of cider vinegar, substituting it almost 1:1, but next time i think i'd use a bit less.
i used common or garden mushies instead of shiitakes, cos i'm a cheapskate.
i also accidentally used plain flour instead of cornflour. oops! so the sauce was a bit runny.
but all in all, yummo!
have you left on your honeymoon yet? have a wonderful time!
I actually think the sauce could do with being a bit runnier than the recipe says, anyway. or maybe a bit more plentiful. Hmm. And I used half shiitakes and half normal mushies when I made it. I like shiitakes, but when they're dried ones I think they taste a bit too much like dirt. Or maybe dust.
We leave on our honeymoon tomorrow! Looks like it's going to be freezing (apparently the forcast for Oslo when we arrive is about 15 degrees, and for Stamsund it's 9 or 10 degrees). I had better see the northern lights!
Post a Comment