Tasty Tips Blog

Ma Po Tofu (meatless)

10/6/2023

This spicy dish originates from Sichuan province in China. In most Chinese American restaurants it is served with pork. My meatless version showcases the Jerusalem artichokes (aka sunchokes) that we harvest in our backyard in the fall. Be sure to prepare the wood ear mushrooms at least 4 hours ahead of cooking time. Enjoy.

Ingredients (6 - 8 servings)

⅓ cup dry wood ear mushrooms (presoaked and cleaned; see instructions below)
¼ cup sesame oil
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 roasted dried red chili peppers
2 tsp ground Szechuan pepper (divided)
2 blocks (2 lbs) fresh tofu cut into 1” cubes
3 – 4 large Jerusalem artichokes (or 1 can chopped water chestnuts)
¼ cup Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing)
2 cups chicken broth
2 T oyster sauce
1 T red wine vinegar
½ tsp white pepper
½ T Worchester sauce
1 T soy sauce
Cleaned, presoaked wood ear mushrooms
2T cornstarch mixed in ¼ cup of cornstarch in water
Salt to taste
2 scallions for garnish (chopped)

Ma Po Tofu with Shrimp Curry

Method

Soak dried wood ear mushrooms in 3 cups of cold water in a large bowl for 4 hours until they're fully rehydrated. Wash one-by-one under tap water to remove dirt hidden in the folds. Snip off tough stems, if any. Tear large ones into bite-sized pieces.
Heat sesame oil in large pan or wok on medium high heat. Add garlic, 2 roasted dry red chilis and 1 tsp Szechuan pepper and cook for 1 minute.
Add all the other ingredients in the order shown (except mushrooms, cornstarch, salt, additional Szechuan pepper & scallions)
Cook for about 30 minutes. Jerusalem artichokes should be crunchy.
Add the wood ear mushrooms with cornstarch. Cook another 2 minutes.
Add salt and 1 tsp Szechuan pepper.
Garnish with chopped scallions.

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Call of the Wild

11/30/2021

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Lobster mushrooms

Although we have stayed close to home throughout the COVID pandemic, venturing out mainly for shopping, picking up library materials and occasional walks beyond our neighborhood, we found the call of the wild irresistible this autumn. The hunt for mushrooms beckoned.

We reveled in the welcome awakening of our senses to the changes of light, texture, sound, temperature, aroma and movement over trails, logs, rocks, sand and duff. The awesome wonder of discovery in places we had never been to (or revisited) was so seductive. Though we did not have a banner year as far as mushrooming goes, we did find a few forest delights: a few pounds of lobster mushrooms, a couple of matsutakes and a pound of oyster mushrooms cropping out on a fallen tree log. We feasted on lobster mushroom risotto for Thanksgiving. The matsutake became the star ingredients in a Japanese rice dish and broth. An oyster mushroom quiche was the feature of our recent Sunday brunch menu.

Matsutake rice & matsutake clear soup with Korean bulgogi (BBQ beef) dinner

Shortly after coming to Oregon 13 years ago, we joined the Oregon Mycological Society. They sponsor field trips, hold classes and monthly meetings, host an annual Fall Mushroom Show and are a great resource for learning more about the wealth of mushrooms that are here in our midst. Great comradery, too.

Our Golden Rule for mushrooming is that we only cook with wild mushrooms that we have positively verified as edible. Today there is a wide variety of good edible mushrooms sold in local groceries and farmers’ markets. Each type has special qualities, textures and tastes. Certain mushrooms may sometimes be just the right ingredient to add to a soup, an egg dish, a stir fry, a pasta, a gravy and so much more. So take advantage of the edible fungi available to you in the market and experiment.

Below is our recipe for a mushroom quiche that uses the white button mushrooms or brown cremini mushrooms, both in the agraricus bisporus family and readily available in grocery stores. Enjoy!

Mushroom Quiche

Ingredients

1 pre-made pie crust (We prefer Wholly Gluten-free brand.)
1 lb cremini or button mushrooms
2 – 3 T olive oil
½ sliced red pepper
4 oz Swiss or Emmenthaler cheese (We prefer Trader Joe’s soy cheese as a lactose-free alternative.)
3 eggs
½ cup milk (We prefer whole lactose-free milk.)
½ cup plain yogurt (We prefer lactose-free Green Valley Organics brand.)
½ tsp thyme
1 tsp black pepper
¼ tsp salt
Nutmeg (a pinch)

Making the Quiche

Mushroom & pepper layer

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and bake pie crust for 15 minutes. Allow baked pie crust to cool on wire rack until it reaches room temperature. Tips: Prick crust with fork first, then cover pie crust with parchment paper and place pie weights on top before baking. Also, set pie crust in a larger pie pan if available to prevent spillage of quiche mixture in oven.
Slice mushrooms thinly and then sauté with olive oil in frying pan. Mushrooms will give off water. Cook until water evaporates and mushrooms become brown. Add pepper slices and sauté another minute. Finally stir in thyme and black pepper and remove from stove.
After pie crust is cool, add cheese to the bottom of the pie shell.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Use egg beater or wire whisk to mix together eggs, milk, yogurt, salt and nutmeg.
Spread sautéed mushrooms over cheese layer.
Pour egg mixture on top of mushroom layer. Tip: Use a pie protector shield to prevent crust from burning.
Bake quiche for 35 minutes or until toothpick shows no liquid when quiche is pricked.
Remove from oven and enjoy while still hot.

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Curry Puffs

12/21/2020

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have spent the year at home: walking in our neighborhood, gardening, teaching online, stepping out to shop only as needed (always wearing masks) and cooking up a storm. We have a standing Happy Hour once a week via Zoom with some good friends. But drinking on an empty stomach is not a great idea. So, our favorite go-to Happy Hour snack has become Curry Puffs. Now we keep a stash in the freezer for snacking at other opportune times. During this holiday season, we hope you’ll enjoy them, too.

PART ONE: VEGETABLE CURRY

Ingredients for Vegetable Curry

¼ cup vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 shallots, chopped finely
1½ tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp mustard seeds
1½ tsp ground fenugreek
1½ tsp ground cardamon
1 T curry powder
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp dried red pepper flakes
½ tsp garam masala*
1 cauliflower head (about 1 pound) cut into 1-inch florets
1½ pounds boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tomatoes, chopped
½ cup chopped cilantro
½ cup water
1 tsp salt
16 oz frozen peas
1 – 2 T olive oil

* Garam malasa is a blend of various ground spices used to accentuate Indian dishes. There are many varieties of masalas that accentuate a particular flavor. The one we make uses cinnamon stick, green cardamom pods, cloves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and black peppercorns. There are many garam masalas readily available in local markets as well as online recipes. Stored well, they last for a long time.

Cooking the Vegetable Curry (yields about 3 quarts)

In a wok or large frying pan, heat oil over moderate heat. Add the garlic and shallots and stir for a minute. Next add of the spices and stir for another minute or so.
Add potatoes and ½ cup of water, and stir. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring. (Potatoes need more time than cauliflower to cook.)
Add the cauliflower and tomatoes, ¼ cup of cilantro, stir and bring to a simmer. Cook covered on low heat for about 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
Do a taste test. Add salt and adjust seasoning, adding any of the spices in Step 1 to your liking.
Add the peas and the rest of the cilantro. Cover again and cook for 2 minutes.
Depending on the mixture, you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil to bind the mixture.
Let the mixture cool to room temperature (or refrigerate overnight) before making the pastry puffs.

PART TWO: CURRY PASTRY

Ingredients for Curry Puffs

4 packages frozen Pepperidge Farm pastry sheets
1 egg, whisked

Making the Curry Puffs

Defrost the pastry puffs. (Overnight in refrigerator is okay.)
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Cover at least cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Lay the pastry sheets out on a cutting board and cut the sheet into 9 squares (like a tic-tac-toe board).
Spoon about 2 tsp of vegetable curry into each square. (Try not to overstuff, otherwise the filling will leak out as it bakes.) Fold each square over into a triangle and crimp the edges.
Place the squares on the parchment paper and use a brush to egg wash the top of each triangle.
Place in hot oven and bake for about 20 minutes until golden.
Place baked curry puffs on cooling rack and repeat steps 1 to 8 until all pastry dough is used.
Any leftover vegetable curry can be used as a side dish or frozen in containers for making more curry puffs in the future.

Cut squares

Filling squares

Baking on parchment paper

Note: You can freeze the curry puffs in a freezer bag. First lay them out separately on a tray or pie pan that will fit in your freezer. After they are individually frozen, place them in a larger freezer bag. That way you can enjoy them for snacks or a party. To serve, thaw them out first and then place them in a 350ºF oven for about 10 minutes until they are nice and hot.

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Sambal Tauco (Sundanese style miso paste)

10/26/2020

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Fermented foods are a great source of probiotics because they contain live bacteria which support gut health for most people. The Indonesian cuisine I grew up on has many different types of fermented dishes, including tempeh (made from compressed soybeans) and many types of acar (pickled vegetables). But one of my favorite go-to dishes is steamed vegetables served with sambal tauco, a delicious dipping sauce made with miso — another fermented soybean product. Homemade sambal tauco is easy to make and so much more flavorful than what you can buy on the shelves of Asian markets. It can also used for barbequing fish or adding into stir fries. Enjoy making this exciting, savory sauce in your own kitchen.

Key ingredients for sambal tauco

Ingredients:

2 shallots, finely chopped
2 fresh tomatoes, finely diced
2 sliced chili peppers (adjust spiciness to taste, preferably red chili, can substitute with other chilies, as well as other forms of chilies, i.e., dried chili or chili paste)
4 T red miso, coarse texture
1 stalk of lemongrass, cut to 3-inch pieces and smashed
2 Asian bay leaves
5 kaffir lime leaves
3 T Indonesian sweet soy sauce (may substitute soy sauce with a with dash of molasses and brown sugar)
2 T cooking oil (canola is good to use)

My favorite brand of red miso

Processing:

Heat the cooking oil on medium heat and put in the shallots with the chili peppers to cook for about half a minute.
Next put in the tomatoes, lemongrass, bay leaves, and kaffir lime leaves. Mix well and cover to cook for two minutes.
Open the cover, put in the miso and soy sauce. Mix well, cover again and cook for another two minutes or until all the tomatoes blend well to form a paste.
Cool the paste before putting it in a jar to store in the refrigerator. (It should be good for a month or more if there is no surface contact with oxygen).

Grrilled fish with sambal tauco, wrapped in banana leaf

Using the paste:

You can use sambal tauco to dip steamed vegetables (e.g., Chayote, carrots, green beans, cabbage, kale, and spinach) and raw vegetables (e.g., cucumber, Asian miniature eggplants, celery, and lettuce). Serve the steamed vegetables and sambal tauco with freshly cooked rice.
You can smear sambal tauco generously over a fish (e.g. salmon, halibut, etc.) and wrap it in a banana leaf for barbecuing.
You can also use the paste as the main ingredient to make any stir fry vegetables (vegan style) or you can mix it with tofu or another protein that you may wish to add to the vegetable dish.

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Author's Note

My Tasty Tips Blog is my way of sharing my passion and knowledge for making delectable creations to nurture you and those with whom you break bread. As you learn more about the tricks of the trade you will become more confident, more efficient, and more creative in putting together simple, healthful gourmet meals in your own kitchen.
— Chef Surja Tjahaja

Tasty Tips Blog

Ma Po Tofu (meatless)

Call of the Wild

Curry Puffs

Sambal Tauco (Sundanese style miso paste)

Author's Note

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