Tag: main course
General Tso’s Tofu
General Tso’s Tofu
General Tso’s chicken is said to have originated in NYC in the early 1970s from Hunan style American Chinese cuisine, named after the Qing Dynasty military leader. When seen in American Chinese restaurants, you typically will get chunks of battered and fried chicken breast tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce.In this particular recipe, I decided to go for a more healthier option and used tofu. This dish is really easy to make and tastes so much better than what you’d get at a Chinese take out. You can easily control the spice level by adding more or less chili oil. This dish can even be made vegan if you replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1 brick firm tofu
- 3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
General Tso sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tsp sambal chili paste
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp chili oil with chili flakes
- 6 dried thai chilis
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Use firm tofu.
- Wrap in several layers of paper towel.
- Weigh down with another plate plus something no more than 3 lbs for 20 minutes. I use my favorite cookbook, The Joy Of Cooking.
- Cut tofu brick in half horizontally.
- Flip the cut side up and cut those horizontally.
- Cut these pieces into six.
- You should have 24 pieces when finished. Take another piece of paper towel and dab any extra moisture.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 3 tbsp of cooking oil. Add the tofu. Cook for 4-5 minutes a side, until brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
- In the same skillet, drain the oil and wipe clean. Over medium heat, add the chili oil, dried Thai chilis, and garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
- Mix together the soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, sambal, chicken stock, and cornstarch. Add them to the skillet, reducing the heat to medium low. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the fried tofu.
- Cook for 1 more minute, making sure that the tofu is evenly coated with the sauce.
- Serve with steamed rice. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Chilaquiles Verde
Chilaquiles Verde
Chilaquiles is a very popular Mexican breakfast dish. It involves frying corn tortillas, then cooking them in a salsa, either green or red. The chilaquiles are then topped with Mexican table cream, queso fresco, and cilantro. The chilaquiles can be accompanied by beans, fried eggs, or even shredded chicken. I’ve made this dish on top of crumbled chorizo before, which is even better!In this recipe, I decided to use salsa verde since I made so much of it. Everything in the recipe is self explanatory. The only thing I would recommend is frying the tortillas in multiple batches to avoid overcrowding in the pan. If you don’t, the chips will absorb the oil and not become crispy.
Servings: 1
Ingredients
- 4 corn tortillas
- 2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
- 1 cup salsa verde
- 2 fried eggs
Garnish
- queso fresco cheese
- Mexican table cream
- cilantro
- pickled red onion
Instructions
- Cut the tortillas into 8 pieces per tortilla. In a skillet, add 1 tbsp of cooking oil over medium high heat. Cook the tortillas in 2 batches, about 3 minutes a side.
- Drain the tortillas on a paper towel.
- In the same skillet on medium heat, add another tbsp of cooking oil. Add in the salsa verde. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add in the tortilla chips, making sure that they are evenly coated on each side with the salsa verde. Cook for 2 minutes.
Creamy Pork Lengua
Creamy Pork Lengua
This is a great Filipino recipe that is considered a delicacy and is served on special occasions. This dish is typically made with either pork or beef tongue. When using pork tongue, Filipinos will use a can of corn in this. If using beef tongue, the corn is substituted with mushrooms. So either way, it will be similar to adding tongue to cream of corn or cream of mushroom soup. Sounds like a win-win to meThe pork tongue is prepared in my Instant Pot. If using beef tongue, pressure cook for an hour. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can boil the tongues on the stove top for 2 hours. Once the tongue s finished cooking, let rest until the tongue is completely cooled off. This will make peeling off the skin and slicing a lot easier.Serve this creamy lengua over steamed rice or mashed potatoes.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 3 pork tongues
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 3 tbsp butter
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 1 cup tongue broth
- 1 can corn drained
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In your Instant Pot, add the pork tongues, chicken stock, and peppercorns. Cook for 40 minutes on high. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, the tongues can be boiled on the stove top for about 2 hours.
- Once done, let the tongues rest until they are completely cooled off. Peel the skin from the outside of the tongue. Slice into 1/4″ thick pieces. Save 1 cup of the tongue broth.
- In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add in the onions and garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the tongue slices and soy sauce. Cook for 2 minutes a side.
- Stir in the corn. Cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add in the evaporated milk and tongue broth. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 7 mutes, or until the milk thickens.
- Stir in the heavy cream. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Serve over steamed rice.
