Make crunchy tofu- dry tofu out, add salt , pepper, sesame seeds (or panko) and soy sauce. Bake at 400 for 15-20 min
Make the peanut sauce (from America’s text kitchen)
5 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp chili crisp or more, 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, 1 tbsp ginger, 1 tbsp crushed garlic and some hot water to make creamy paste (less than half cup)
Add to noddles with veggies (I did cabbage, scallions, herbs)
The large bag of prewashed babyspinach was a revelation when I moved to the USA- spinach without the dirt, the bugs, the need to remove large veins- it was wonderful. Despite my environmental concerns- it’s been a grocery staple ever since. The Monterey farms grilled artichoke hearts are not always available, but when they are, I always buy extra and freeze them. They are fantastic. I’m all for shortcuts that taste as good as the real thing
For this pasta- prep work involves crushing and peeling 3-4 cloves of garlic and opening up packets. My favorite sauces cook in the time required to boil water and cook the pasta. This makes it a perfect lunch or weeknight dinner pasta.
First – boil some water for the pasta and in another pan, heat about a tbsp of butter – add the 3-4 crushed garlic cloves as the butter heats up. No need to peel them. Dump the entire large bag of spinach in the hot butter and wilt those leaves. Next blend the spinach, the garlic cloves with a cup of vegetable stock (I used better than bouillon- my current base of choice).
In the same pan, add another tbp of butter and brown the chopped grilled artichoke hearts. Add a glug of wine to deglaze the pan and then pour the spinach mixture back. Add the pasta to the now boiling water. Simmer the sauce for the 10-12 minutes it takes to cook the pasta. Finish the sauce with some cream and some more butter if you are feeling decadent. Taste for salt and pepper.
This tastes delicious with parmesan but I served it today topped with some dollops of ricotta, olive oil, salt and pepper.
The best pasta primavera I’ve ever had was in a small Italian restaurant (whose name I’ve forgotten) in the upper east side in NYC. The pasta was fresh, the sauce was brothy, lemony and creamy and the vegetables were delicious. It was a memorable meal. This recipe is in homage to that pasta and to all the tiny Italian restaurants in New York.
Boil water- steam or boil asparagus broken into 2 inch chunks for 2 minutes . Cook pasta in the same water. For the sauce- add 1-2 tbsp of butter, add some chopped garlic and 1-2 tbsp of capers till the garlic just starts browning. Add a cup of vegetable broth and cook for about 5 minutes till it is reduced by half. Add asparagus, a splash or two of heavy cream and 1-2 tsp of lemon juice. Toss pasta with sauce and garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese
This is a time for luxurious and delicious food. This one is comforting and the sauce comes while the pasta boils. I do like fennel with white beans, the flavor combination works well with the butter and cream. This is a no recipe recipe. Boil water, cook pasta. While that’s going on – make sauce. In 2-3 tbsp of butter, add a tsp of fennel seeds and 1-2 tbsp of chopped garlic and a tsp or so of crushed red pepper flakes. After a few minutes- add a rinsed can of cannellini beans. Cook till the beans brown slightly, add about a 1/4 cup of heavy cream, half a tsp of miso and half a tsp of vegetable base (I use better than bouillon). Add pasta and Parmesan. Enjoy
So lately I’ve watched a lot of Maangchi- a Korean lady with a fabulous youtube cooking channel. Her videos are entertaining and educational- she cooks and talks just like grandma. Of course, Korean food is not known for its vast vegetarian options so when this potentially customizable one popped up- I was all on it. These noodles are very very different texturally- they are sticky and transperant and very chewy, not unpleasantly so but it was unexpected.
I had to order the sweet potato starch noodles from Amazon but I had everything else- well mostly. Here is Maangchi’s recipe and my version follows below.
Soak: 7-8 dried shitake mushrooms in 1/2 cup of warm water for 30 minutes. Soak 8 oz of the sweet potato starch noodles in cold water for 40 minutes
Protein: I used one block of frozen tofu (defrosted and squeezed and then crumbled). Marinate with 2 tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp brown sugar and 1 tsp sesame oil for 15-20 min and fry up in a non-stick pan till browned.
Egg garnish: Beat 2 eggs with some salt and make a small thin pancake on the same non stick pan on very low heat. Cut into strips
Seasoning sauce: 1/4 cup soy sauce, 3 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp black pepper and 5 garlic cloves minced.
Now assemble and chop:
In a large pan: chop the soaked mushrooms, 8 oz of crimini mushrooms chopped into strips, 1 large onion in slices, 1 large carrot into matchsticks. Toss all the vegetables with 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 1/4 cup water.
Add 8 oz baby spinach on top- do not mix, snip the soaked noodles with scissors (this is impossible prior to soaking) and lay on top- do not mix. Pour seasoning sauce over this (yes- do not mix). Add a tight fitting lid and cook for 10 mintues on moderate heat. After 10 minutes – stir well and cook for another few minutes till the water is almost all absorbed by the noodles.
Decant into a large serving platter, add tofu and egg strips. Add 1 tbsp of sesame oil and 1 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds.
Serve with sriracha if you wish.
This is a riff off a NYT recipe and is a true no-recipe recipe. It’s creamy, nutritious and delicious. The pasta water, the chickpea water and actual cream all make this a very luxurious dish.
Soak one cup of chickpeas for 8-12 hours and pressure cook for 15 minutes. Strain the chickpeas but keep the water.
In 2 tbsp of butter, add 1 tsp of cumin seeds and 1 tsp of fennel seeds. After they sputter, add the chickpeas and toast on mod-high heat till browned in part.
Add 3-4 cloves of finely chopped garlic and 5-6 oz of spinach. Add salt and pepper and 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Thin out using some of the chickpea water.
Add cooked pasta of choice, add Parmesan cheese. Thin with pasta water if needed. Add red pepper flakes if you wish
I like stir fries – they are a fun, easy way to experiment with new flavors and textures.
This one needs a few speciality ingredients but I found all of them in my local Whole Foods
I tackle the stir fry prep first divided into veggies, protein, flavorings and garnish. This recipe is inspired from a Bon Appétit article
Veggies; half a small cabbage cut into big 2 inch or so cubes
Protein: Andrea Nguyen from Viet world kitchen talks up frozen tofu a lot – so I tried it. Freeze and defrost a block of firm tofu – it changes the texture amazingly – the water just drains out. Then crumble tofu into 1 inch or so jagged crumbles
Flavorings: 1 tbsp ginger, 1 tbsp garlic, the whites of 6 scallions and 1 tsp vegetable oil
Garnish: the greens of 6 scallions and 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Sauce: 1/3 cup mirin 1/3 cup soy sauce 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar and 1 tsp (or more) of sambal olek , 1 tbsp sesame oil
Boil a pot of water- add udon (14 oz) and cook according to package directions but a minute or two less. Cool immediately and drain
In a very hot non stick pan- add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and cook the cabbage (tossing frequently) till charred in places and soft. Remove cabbage to udon bowl
In the same pan, add 1 tbsp vegetable oil and add the crumbled tofu with 1 tbsp corn starch just shaken over it. Cook over high heat till tofu is browned
Make a hole in the center, add the flavorings. Cook for 30 sec and then toss with tofu
Add cabbage, udon and sauce- coat noodles with sauce
Add garnish and serve with additional sambal olek
This is fairly nutritious and made about 5 servings for us (dinner and lunch the next day)
This post should be titled- an homage to brown food which is so delicious and so nourishing yet so un-instagrammable that it isn’t even funny 🙂
This is modified from a recipe that Tejal Rao wrote about in the NYT from a brilliant English chef called Jack Monroe who has a ton of vegan recipes on his website.
Using a rich french sauce to liven up an everyday beans and pasta dish- it is brilliant
Boil 1 15 oz can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans with 4 and half cups of vegetable stock for 15-20 minutes (I used better than bouillon base) . Add 1.5 cups of any small pasta and cook till pasta is slightly more than al dente – this is comfort food, you don’t want super chewy pasta
Meanwhile- make the beurre blanc. Add half white wine and half white vinegar enough to make up 3/4 of a cup. Add to a small saucepan with 5 tbsp butter and 1/2 an onion diced fine (about 3/4 cup). Cook on gentle heat for 15 minutes or so till the onions have softened.
Add to beans, top with copious amounts of black pepper, red pepper flakes and parmesan. This ia comfort food at its finest
From Umami Girl :
Sauce:Mix 1 shallot minced, 1 tsp ginger,1 tsp garlic, 1/4 cup chunky peanut butter, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 2 tbsp shallots, 1 tsp sriracha, 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Add to 1 lb of spaghetti boiled in salted water.
Top with 3 sliced scallions and protein (I did egg)
Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fennel seeds, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 2 dried red chillies
Add 1/2 an onion, sauté till softened, add 2-3 minced garlic cloves, add a large can of tomatoes puréed
Cook for 20 min, add 1 cup of cooked chickpeas
Toss with pasta, red pepper flakes and feta crumbles 
Delhi Girl Meets Food 