Tag: Chinese
Five Spice Pressed Tofu
Five Spice Pressed Tofu
Tofu has become my most recent obsession. My former Meat team employees will be giving me such a hard time once they read this because in my previous career as a butcher, I talked mad shit about tofu and the people that ate it. So did the rest of my team. I promoted this type of ignorance, without ever really trying tofu. This was a butcher’s mentality. How very wrong and close minded I was. Fast forward to 2+ years later. Man, do I fucking love tofu. This is a great way to prepare it without any frying. The point of pressing is to squeeze out as much moisture as possible before braising it to add the five spice flavor. So firm or extra firm tofu is what you will want to use. The tofu will get it’s dark color from the dark soy sauce.After the braising the tofu is then baked in the oven to dry up the liquid. While it is optional, I added toppings to the tofu squares. In the same braising liquid, I added sliced mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and chopped up the ginger that was currently in there. I simmered the toppings for 10 minutes to get them infused with the liquid. Then the last 15 minutes of baking, I evenly distributed the toppings on each of the tofu squares. After they have been baked, the toppings get slightly caramelized.These tofu squares can be eaten as an appetizer or as a main course. If you aren’t going to put the toppings on, the tofu can be used as a meat substitute in various stir fries and other dishes or be eaten cold. The pressed tofu will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 2 blocks extra firm tofu
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
- 1/4 cup shaoxing cooking wine
- 1/2 tsp five spice powder
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 5 slices ginger
Toppings (optional)
- 2 button mushrooms sliced into 4 pieces each
- 2 shallots sliced in half horizontally
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 5 ginger slices from the tofu simmer minced
Instructions
- Wrap the tofu in either cheese cloth or multiple layers of paper towel. Place on a rack on a baking sheet.
- Place a cutting board or another pan on top of the tofu. Weigh down with something heavy, like a gallon of water, cast iron pans, etc. Press the tofu for 4 hours.
- When the tofu is done being pressed, cut each brick into either 2 or 4 pieces.
- In a medium sized pot, add all of the ingredients except the tofu. Bring to a boil.
- Add the tofu and reduce to medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. The tofu should always be submerged on all sides.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a bak9ng sheet with parchment paper. Place each of the tofu squares on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While the tofu is baking, add the topping ingredients into the same braising liquid that the tofu was in. Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes, until the toppings turn the color of the liquid.
- Take the tofu out of the oven. Flip to the other side. Take 1 slice of mushroom from the braising liquid and place on the top of each of the tofu squares. Then evenly distribute the rest of the toppings from the braising liquid to the tofu. Bake for another 15 minutes.
- When finished, the tofu should be free of an liquid. The toppings slightly caramelize.
Peking Roast Chicken
Peking Roast Chicken
I must say that this chicken turned out absolutely beautiful, as well as delicious. They dark soy sauce and the honey give it that reddish color from the caramelization. While this chicken looks like it is super fancy and took a ton of effort to make, it is quite simple. It does require marinating in the refrigerator overnight. Other then that, it’s really just about basting the chicken with the oil from the drippings for the first hour of cooking; then basting with the glaze the last 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 4-5 lb whole roasting chicken
Marinade
- 1/2 cup lght soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp five spice powder
- 6 slices ginger
Glaze
- 2 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Mix together the marinade ingredients.
- Add the marinade and roasting chicken to a gallon sized ziplock bag. Marinate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Let the chicken rest on a rack at room temp for 30 minutes. Fold the wings behind it’s back. Put the ginger slices inside of the chicken’s cavity.
- Pour any of the remaining marinade into a small pot with 2 tbsp of honey. Cook this on medium low heat for 10 minutes until thickened. This will be our glaze.
- Roast the chicken for 20 minutes. Take out of th oven. Baste the chicken with the oil that drips out pit at the bottom of the pan. Do this every 20 minutes for the first hour of cooking.
- The chicken should be a golden brown after the first hour of cooking.
- Brush the chicken with the glaze. Do this every 10 minutes for the next 30 minutes. You should have 3 layers of glaze on the chicken by the time it’s finished.
- When the chicken is done, it should have a dark red color to it.
- Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
Ground Chicken Bowl
Ground Chicken Bowl
This is a healthier version of the Chinese ground pork rice bowl, but with ground chicken. Ground chicken is lower in fat and higher in protein. The vegetables you can use in this dish are quite versatile. Bok choy, mushrooms, carrots, green beans, peas, cabbage, etc, are all great substitutes.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 1/4 tsp five spice powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp garlic minced
- 2 tsp ginger minced
- 12 oz ground chicken thigh
- 1 cup snap peas
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 fried egg
- 4 basil leaves torn
Instructions
- Mix together the soy sauce, cooking wine, five spice powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Heat up cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in the garlic and ginger. Sauté for 1 minute.
- Add in the ground chicken. Break up the clumps. Cook for 6-8 minutes.
- Stir in the sauce, water, and snap peas. Simmer until the sauce thickens.
- Add in the bean sprouts the last 2 minutes of cooking.
- Put over steamed rice or noodles. Top with a fried egg. Garnish with torn basil leaves.
