Glazed Tofu With Cucumber Salad Food

STIR-FRIED CUCUMBER WITH TOFU

Steps:

• Place cucumbers in a bowl, add 1 teaspoon salt, and gently massage the pieces. (This helps to release some of the water.) Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes until the cucumbers are slightly wet and pliable to the touch.
• Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients with 1 tablespoon water.
• Prepare the stir-fry: Heat a wok or a large skillet over high. When smoking hot, add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the tofu, season generously with salt and pepper, and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes until the tofu is partly golden. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Wipe the wok or skillet clean, and keep off the heat until the cucumbers are ready.
• Drain the cucumbers and rinse under cold running water. Drain well, then pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
• Heat the wok or skillet back over high heat. When hot, add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add the garlic and allow to sizzle for just 10 seconds, then toss in the cucumbers, stir-frying for 2 minutes. Return the tofu to the wok and toss well.
• Add the sauce and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the cucumbers look glossy. Taste and season well with salt and white pepper. Top with scallions and sesame seeds, and serve with rice, if using.

PERFECT GRILLED TOFU

Steps:

• Wrap tofu in a clean dish towel and weight it with something heavy such as a large can; leave it to drain for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix together remaining ingredients in a bowl.
• Cut each piece of tofu crosswise into 6 thick slices and put it all in a baking dish. Pour marinade over tofu, turning to coat, and chill, covered, turning occasionally, at least 30 minutes or up to 48 hours. Longer is better, but shorter is totally fine.
• Preheat a gas grill on high heat (450 degrees F to 650 degrees F) 10 minutes, then reduce heat to medium (325 degrees F to 375 degrees F)--or do whatever the equivalent is if you're using charcoal. Oil grate.
• Transfer tofu from marinade (letting excess drip off and reserving marinade) to grill with a spatula. Cover grill and cook tofu, turning once, until well browned but before grill marks get black, 10 to 15 minutes total. Transfer tofu to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
• Bring reserved marinade to a boil in a saucepan and boil until it reduces to about 1 cup, about 2 minutes. Pour over tofu and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

CUCUMBER AND TOFU SALAD

Steps:

• Slice the cucumber into very fine julienne strips.; salt lightly, then place in a colander and cover with a plate and small jar of water to act as a weight. Set aside for 10 minutes to drain, then knead lightly, rinse, and pat dry.
• Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes. Brush a small frying pan with the oil, heat over medium heat, and saute the tofu for 5 minutes until golden. Allow to cool and combine it with the cucumber.
• Combine the dressing ingredients in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil, then cool to room temperature.
• Toss the salad in the dressing just before serving and heap in small mounds in the centers of 4 deep bowls. Garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

MING'S SESAME TOFU AND CUCUMBER SALAD WITH SOY SAUCE EGGS

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together vinegar, soy, tahini, sesame oil, and sugar. Drizzle in canola oil to emulsify. Season. Toss with scallions, tofu, mushrooms, and cucumbers. Check for flavor. Plate salad and garnish with wedges of soy sauce eggs.
• Soft boil the eggs to the just-coagulated stage, and placed immediately in cold water.
• Tap eggs gently all over to cover with cracks.
• Add the eggs to pot filled with 1 cup soy sauce and 1 cup water (enough to cover 6 eggs), 1 slice of ginger, and half teaspoon of five-spice powder. Simmer over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, then let steep for another 1/2 hour.
• Crack open the eggs and peel them, then slice into wedges.

GLAZED CUCUMBERS WITH DILL

Steps:

• Peel the cucumbers, halve them lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Slice into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the cucumbers. Pour in 1/4 cup water, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the cucumbers are tender but not mushy, about 5 minutes.
• Stir the in dill and season with salt. Serve hot, with slices of pumpernickel bread and additional butter.

GLAZED HENS WITH CUCUMBER-CANTALOUPE SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Season the hens all over with salt and pepper, place on a rack in a roasting pan and roast 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the chili sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, olive oil and 2 teaspoons salt in a measuring cup to dissolve the sugar. Set half of the mixture aside in a bowl for the salad. Baste the hens with some of the remaining dressing, then rotate the pan and continue to cook until the hens are golden and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 160 degrees F, about 20 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice the cantaloupe and shallot. Peel the cucumber, then halve lengthwise, seed and thinly slice. Toss the cantaloupe, shallot and cucumber with the reserved dressing. Divide the salad among plates. Use kitchen shears to cut each hen in half and place one half on each plate. Drizzle the pan juices over the hens and salad.

CRISPY TOFU WITH SWEET & TANGY GLAZE

Steps:

• Slice the tofu into desired size, about 3/8" thick.
• Heat canola oil in the non stick skillet over medium heat and fry the tofu slices for 2-3 minutes on each sides until they get golden brown. They should be crispy on the outside but soft inside.
• Meanwhile, in a small ball combine soy sauce, ketchup, sugar, mustard, vinegar, chilly sauce, chilly powder, garlic, sesame seeds and set a side.
• When tofu slices are fried, transfer them on to another plate, keep the skillet on the medium heat.
• Add the soy sauce mixture into the hot skillet and let them bubble and thicken for about 1-2 minutes.
• Return the fried tofu slices back into the skillet with sauce and tossed them well. Transfer them on the serving plates and sprinkle chopped green onion on top. Serve warm and enjoy.
• Notes: I usually blot the tofu slices with paper towel to avoid oil splash when I add to the hot skillet and it also helps to create crispiness.