Kimchi Jjigae with Tofu - Vegan

When you make a big bottle full of fresh kimchi , you need to use it in all kind of ways. So was thinking of making this dish but didn't had typical clay pot for this but its not going to stop me for making it. Its not like you have to use homemade kimchi , you can use store brought also. Instead of using water for more flavor use vegetable stock either one, home made or store brought. I used spicy tofu which I had it, you can use any firm tofu for this.

Ingredients :

1 block of spicy tofu cut it in strips

1 red onion cut in slices

4 bulbs of bok choy

2 cups well fermented kimchi, cut into bit size

1/2 cup kimchi juice

2 cups stock

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

for garnish, mung bean sprouts

Salt and pepper as per taste

1 tbsp. oil

Method:

Heat a thick bottom pot over high heat. 

Add oil in it and add garlic in it, when it cook for few seconds and flavor released , it add chopped kimchi in it. 

Cook kimchi for about 5 minutes on low to medium heat. 

Add bok choy, onion, tofu , stock , kimchi juice and mix it. 

Cover and cook for 5 minutes on high flame. 

Remove from heat and serve it in bowl, have it as it is or had it with white rice. 

Top it with mung bean sprouts for little crunch. 

Baked Tofu in Thai Peanut Sauce

If you like satay then you will love this. It has the same kind of sauce but with tofu and instead of stick , its in the bowl and you can have it with warm rice. By the time your rice will cook, your tofu dish will be ready. Since I am having with rice, I don't like dry dishes, I need some kind of sauce to clean the dish. So I had the leftover peanut sauce , just heat up that , add baked tofu in it and enjoy it with rice along with my eggplant stir fry. 

You can just bake the tofu and have it as it is or add it in salad or noodles. 

 

Ingredients :

1 block of firm tofu

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 tbsp. finely chopped ginger

3 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tbsp. Tamari sauce / coconut amino

2 tbsp. regular or spicy sesame oil

1 tbsp. agave syrup / maple syrup / honey

1 tbsp. Thai sweet chili sauce

if you prefer, green onions on top

Method:

Take the tofu and pressed and take out as much water as possible.

Meanwhile we can make our sauce, 

Warm the peanut butter for few seconds in microwave so its easy to mix it. 

Add ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, tamari sauce, sesame oil, agave syrup and Thai sweet chili sauce. Mix it and test the taste, adjust the seasoning as per your liking. 

Cut Tofu  in your favorite shape. Don't make it too small pieces.

Take your baking try and put the aluminum foil and oil spray on it. 

Dip the tofu in sauce and put it on baking dish. 

I did air fried my tofu at 375 for 15 minutes , turning after 6 or 7 minutes. You don't need to make it brown or crunchy just cook enough to coat the sauce.

You can do it in traditional oven also, just keep an eye so it don't burn. 

when all tofu is done, and cool it for few minutes, heat a pan and add rest of the sauce in it. 

Add water to thin out the sauce little bit, at the time of the serving add the baked tofu pieces in it and mix it and serve it immediately over rice .

Vegan Thai Peanut Curry

I loved Thai flavors for their sweet, spicy, sour taste in one bite , make lot of different kind of curries too. But when I made this peanut curry , that was it, it was easy , quick and flavorful. You need minimum ingredients with maximum flavor. I made it vegan and tofu but you can use your favorite protein in it.

I have used the vegetables I had it on hand but again you can have it your favorite vegetables too. Its a one pot meal, make the curry base, add your protein and vegetables and its done , have it with your just plain rice and your lunch or diner is ready. Peanut sauce is very easy and handy since we all have peanut butter at home and to make this curry it comes handy

Ingredients : 

To Marinate Tofu

1 block of tofu

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp. Turmeric powder

1 tsp. Roasted cumin powder

1 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Brown sugar

For the curry

3 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 onion sliced length wise

1 inch piece of ginger finely chopped

3-4 asparagus cut in pieces

few florets of broccoli

4 bulbs of bok choi, cut in big chunks

7 spring beans cut in pieces

1 cup vegetable stock

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 tsp. sugar

1 tbsp. Tamari sauce

1/2 can of coconut milk

to garnish fresh coriander leaves, fresh lime juice

2 tbsp. of oil

Method :

First we have to marinate tofu. so cut the tofu in small bite size pieces. In one plate, add all the spices from the ingredient mentioned in the  list. Add the tofu and mix it with the spices and leave it on side till we prepare the vegetables. 

Meanwhile, prepare the curry base, in one bowl, add peanut butter, stock, sugar and tamari  sauce and add little water to make paste. Warm water will help to dissolve the peanut butter

Once vegetables are ready, lets cook the tofu. Heat the pan, add 1 tbsp. of oil, add the tofu in single layer in pan and cook it from all the side and keep it aside.

For the curry, clean the pan with paper towel and add 1 tbsp. oil in it. 

When its warm, add ginger , garlic and sauté for few seconds, then add all your vegetables in it and cook it. 

Now add the peanut butter mix , tofu and mix it. 

Add coconut milk and mix it and depend upon the thickness of your coconut milk and curry, add more if needed.

Just cook till everything is incorporated nicely , taste  it and adjust the seasoning. shut it off.

Before serving add fresh lime juice and fresh coriander leaves and serve it warm with hot white rice , brown rice or noodles , what ever you like

Air Fried Crispy Tofu in Sweet and Sour Sauce

Who doesn't like sweet and sour and spicy, so why not to make this healthy dish in using Tofu in sweet and sour sauce, it has perfect amount of sweetness from maple syrup and tartness from Pineapple juice. If you don't have pineapple juice you can use lime juice too but caramelized pineapple juice gives nice brown color to the dish. To make this sauce, its just take 2 minutes and you can add it to any protein or lots of vegetable and make it, I have used tofu which I Air fried it, you can do pan fried, deep fried, what ever works with you. Take your favorite vegetables along with  it and enjoy it with plain rice. You can adjust the quantities of the sauce as per your liking. 

Ingredients for the sauce

1 cup canned pineapple juice

3/4 cup light brown sugar or maple syrup

1/3 cup rice vinegar

3 tbsp. ketchup

2 tbsp. soy  sauce or tamari sauce

corn starch slurry - 1 and half tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp. of water

Method :

Place all the ingredients except the cornstarch slurry in a pan and bring it to boil. 

Once its boiled add in slurry and cook till its thickens. 

Stir constantly to mix it. 

If you are using later, put it in air tight glass container and keep it in refrigerator, but since we are using it in this recipe I have kept it on side. 

Ingredients :

1 block of pressed tofu, cut it in triangles

Few florets of broccoli

5 Portobello baby mushrooms sliced in match sticks

1 red onion sliced in match sticks

half stick celery sliced

one carrot sliced

4 cloves of garlic sliced

1 inch of ginger finely sliced

2 tbsp. oil

Method : 

Put the aluminum foil on air fried plate, put the triangle tofu and spray it with oil.

Fry it on 350 for 15 minutes turning in between. 

You can pan fry it too or baked it in oven too.

I did air fried half and half shallow fry it. 

Once tofu is done, take it out.

heat the pan , add oil in it. 

when its hot, add ginger and garlic and cook it till its raw smell goes away , for 2 minutes on low to medium flame, make sure you don't burn the garlic.

Add your vegetables and cook it on high flame for 2 minutes. 

Add two to three tbsp. of sauce in it and mix it. 

Add more or less as per your liking. 

mix it nicely and cook it for 1 minute and done. 

Serve it hot with plain rice, I had with side of red curry too. 

You can sprinkle chopped green onions on top too.