Different Ma Po Tofu Recipe

 On youtube here

Only modification:  I used 2 Tbsp of my own homemade chili oil & omitted green onion since I didn't have any.

Flavor is good; could be a little more mushroom imo.

Liked the can of chickpeas to simluate the ground meat.

Egg tofu with mushroom

 SO GOOD!

Followed this youtube recipe, but omitted the shallot, included a coin of ginger, and added some snow peas in the last 2 min of cooking.  Instead of weird chicken powder, we used 1 C homemade chicken broth and 1 c mushroom soaking liquid.

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Soften 4-5 dried shitake mushrooms.  Reserve 1 cup liquid. 

*TWO* packages egg tofu, cut into 3/4" thick rounds. 

Heat frying pan 2-3 minutes on medium heat until water droplets bead (not sizzle).  Add 2 tbsp oil for pan frying.  Cook 2-3 minutes without touching it.  You can swirl them around a bit.  Check to see if bottom is browned.  Once there, flip each one over. Brown the other side.

Remove them from the heat.  Using the same oil, add 2 shallots chopped (we omitted this), added 1 coin ginger.  Add the reconstituted mushroom.  Add 3 cloves minced garlic.  (still med heat).

Add additional mushrooms. I like lighter mushrooms, oyster, enoki, or that other one.  We used buttons and I thought they made everything a bit too dark.

Add 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, add 1 C stock + 1 C mushroom cooking liquid.  Add 1/2 tsp sugar.  Add 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce.  Add in egg tofu.

Cook for 8 min over med. high heat (moderate/strong boil).  Throw in chopped snow-peas (or other veggies) in last 2-3 min of cooking.

Adjust seasoning. (Guy added more salt; I thought it was already plenty salty).

Add cornstarch solution to thicken it.  Don't make it too thick right now.

[optional] on low simmer swirl in 1 beaten egg.

drizzle 1 tsp sesame oil on top.

 

Excellent grown-up carrot pasta sauce

 This was one of my favorite things I've made in recent memory!  Such a wonderful, interesting taste!  It was a combination of these two recipes.

Sauce

1 Tbsp oil over med  or med/low heat.  Added 1 Tbsp brown sugar + 2 Tbsp white miso.  Stired vigorously to avoid burning.  Added 2 chopped shallots, turned heat lower, browned them for 5 min.  Added heaping 2 C carrots sliced thinly.  Cooked another 5 min (trying to brown them).

Added 2 C water, 2 bay leaf, 1/4 cup raw cashew nuts, juice from 1/2 lemon, 1/4 tsp salt, 10 or so grinds of black pepper.  Covered and simmered for 15 min for carrots to soften.  (remove bay leaf!!)  Blended until very smooth.

Added about 1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard and 3 Tbsp sour cream.  (the dijon and lemon are key flavors not to be left out).  blended again.

Pesto

Blended olive oil (2-4 Tbsp?) with 1-2 handfulls of flat leaf parsley, 1 fat garlic clove and 1/4 tsp salt in small "wet" food processor.

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Cooked the pasta for minimum time on package, reserved 1 C of the cooking water, and added pasta back together with sauce + 1/4 C of the water and stired around vigorously.  Let simmer for 1 more minute.

Served pasta with a dollop of pesto on top.  SO GOOD!

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For next time, I'll try the stick blender (so I don't have to use the blender).  I'll maybe go cashew nuts or sour cream but not both (not that it's bad but just to simplify).  The ratios of everything could be fiddled with. For example, I could imagine it sweeter, maybe 1.5 - 2 Tbsp brown sugar at the start ?