Tahu Campur - Tofu with Bean Sprouts and Peanut Sauce

In addition to making Mie Jawa, this morning my Mom and I also made Tahu Campur (Tofu with Bean Sprouts and Peanut Sauce). Although I love the simplicity of this tasty dish, I don't think I will be making it often back in San Francisco because I rarely deep-fry things there - maybe some day when I have a bigger kitchen with better ventilation. I'm glad that I was able to make this in Indonesia.

If you feel ambitious, you can also add hard-boiled eggs, cucumber, tomatoes, boiled vegetables (cabbage, green bean and potatoes) and shrimp crackers to make a full meal like Gado-gado.

Grinding the fried peanuts and garlic.


Putting everything together.


Ingredients:
1 packed of firm tofu
2 cup of fresh (soy) bean sprouts
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1.5 cup raw peanut
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup fried shallots
1 green chili (optional)
1 cup sweet soy sauce
1/4 cup of water
peanut or canola oil for frying

Directions:

• Put the tofu between two plates and put a heavy frying pan on top for 30 minutes or so to drain the liquid in the tofu.
• Cut the tofu to 8 equal slices.
• Heat up the frying oil in a wok over medium heat.
• Deep fry the tofu slices in the oil until golden.
• Drain the fried tofu and sprinkle with a little bit of salt.
  
• Blanch the bean sprouts in boiling water for a minute or so, drain and pour on top of the chopped parsley leaves.
  

For the peanut sauce:

• Deep fry the peanuts until golden in a wok over low medium heat for 10 minutes or so.
• Grind the fried peanuts, garlic, sugar and fried shallots in a food processor until roughly chopped. I used mortar and pestle to do this (see picture).
• In a medium bowl, mix the green chili (optional), soy sauce and water together with the peanut mixture.
• The sauce should be quite watery and peanut mixture chunks.

• Serve the tofu with a side of the bean sprouts with a drizzle of the peanut sauce.

Spicy Yuba Omelet

Today at the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market, I stopped by at the Hodo Soy Beanery booth and noticed that they have tofu skin (yuba). I was surprised that they had it so I bought one to try out at home. I searched for Yuba recipes on my favorite food sites and found a great article on NYTimes on Yuba and Hodo Soy Beanery written by Daniel Patterson (of Coi) who I also saw at the Farmers' Market today (and most Saturday). I decided to follow his Spicy Yuba Omelet - adapted from Minh Tsai (owner for Hodo Soy Beanery).


Ingredients:
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon sugar
3 sheets yuba
Sriracha or other chili paste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

• In a large, shallow baking dish or rimmed plate, combine the soy sauce, mirin, sugar and ¼ cup water. Mix well and set aside.
• Spread one sheet of yuba on a work surface and draw a squiggle of chili paste horizontally across the middle. Fold the bottom third up over the middle third, then fold the top third down, as if folding a letter. Press the top down firmly. Set aside and repeat with another sheet.
• Spread out the last sheet, add chili paste and place the two folded sheets of yuba in the center, one on top of the other. Fold the bottom of the last sheet over the middle and the top over that to enclose the first two sheets. Press the package firmly, then place in the baking dish with the soy-sauce mixture. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then turn and repeat.
• Remove the yuba and drain the liquid, pressing gently to expel any excess. Place between two paper towels and press out any remaining moisture.
• Set a large cast-iron skillet or other wide, heavy pan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the yuba (if it is too large, cut in half and cook in two pieces). Cook for about 1 minute, pressing gently with a spatula to keep the yuba in contact with the pan. Flip and cook for 1 minute, then repeat until both sides are browned and crisp. Transfer to paper towels and cut into pieces. Place on a serving plate and, if desired, dot with additional chili paste.

Note:
I've been going to Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market regularly in the past few years but I've never stopped at Hodo Soy Beanery booth to check out what they have. Stupid me... This is definitely a lesson for me to be more open minded and check out new places. While checking their website, I also noticed that they also have Soy Custard (silken tofu) that they serve with ginger-sugar syrup. I wonder if it has the same taste as Kembang Tahu (Douhua). I know that I will check next time if they have it since I can't find a good one in San Francisco.

Chicken, Shrimp and Tofu in Soy Sauce

I was craving a Chinese Indonesian dish called Nasi Bakmoy - Rice with chicken, shrimp and tofu in soy sauce. However, since I was in a hurry and feeling a bit lazy, I decided to cut corners and this is my simplified version.


Ingredients:
2 chicken breast meat
2 chicken thigh meat
4 cup of water
1/4 lb of shrimp (de-shelled, de-veined and cut in half)
2 packages of medium firm tofu, cut into cubes
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
1 teaspoon of white pepper
2 stalks green onion, chopped
salt

Directions:

• Boil the chicken until cooked, cut into cubes and save some of the chicken broth
• Stir fry the minced garlic until fragrant, add in the chicken, shrimp and tofu cubes
• Add in the rest of the ingredients except the green onion and mix well carefully
  
• Add in 2 cups of the chicken broth and cook all on medium heat until the liquid reduce by half
• Add the chopped green onion in the last minute of cooking
• Serve over rice and sprinkle fried shallots on top