Kung Pao Tofu

Kung Pao Tofu is one of the versions of Chinese take-out Kung Pao Chicken. This recipe is a light and vegetarian dish that I have made a habit of eating. The recipe uses the same method to make Kung Pao Chicken, and the sauce consists of dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, vinegar, dry sherry, and Thai dry red chili, depending on your tolerance of spiciness. Because this is a stir-fry dish, the firm tofu is best to use for stir-frying. The firm tofu will hold the shape, so it won’t fall apart over high heat. Let's get on making Kung Pao Tofu.

Ingredients:

One 14-ounce package firm tofu

Marinade ingredients:

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs cooking wine

1 tbs cornstarch

Kung Pao sauce ingredients:

1/3 cup vegetable broth

1/4 cup light soy sauce

1 tbs dark soy sauce

2 tbs black vinegar or regular vinegar

2 tbs cooking wine or dry sherry

1 tbs honey or brown sugar

1 tbs cornstarch

Vegetables:

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 cup white onions, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 scallions (separate the white and green parts)

Other ingredients:

One 2-inch piece of ginger, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 medium scallions (chopped, white and green parts separated)

2 medium zucchinis (quartered and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch cubes.

2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 tbs lightly salted peanuts

2 tbs peanut oil

Directions:

Place tofu on a tea towel or paper towels. Cover with another towel and gently press tofu to get rid of excess water. Transfer to cutting board, flip on its side, and slice in half lengthwise. Flip it back over to lay flat on the cutting board and cut into bite size pieces.

Place cut tofu in a medium size shallow container so that the cubes can lay in even layers. Add the marinade ingredients over the tofu and gently mix well. Let sit for 1 hour.

In a medium bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and mix well (add 1 tsp sesame oil if you would like at this point).

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large deep skillet or wok over medium heat. Carefully add the tofu.

Pan-Fry the tofu for 8-10 minutes, flipping every minute or so to brown all sides. Transfer to a plate.

Add remaining oil to the pan; then add the ginger, garlic, white onions, and white part of scallion. Sauté for 30 seconds.

Increase heat to high, and add the bell pepper. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring until slightly cooked; then add the tofu and sauce. Add roasted peanuts, and make a quick stir. 

Cook, stirring often, to combine for 2 to 4 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

To serve, sprinkle green parts of scallion greens on top, and serve immediately over cooked rice.

Easy No-knead Baguette

Vietnamese people love a baguette, which is a loaf of French bread. If you have eaten at a French restaurant, it’s likely you have tried this iconic bread. Simply put, a baguette is a long, thin loaf of French bread that is characterized by a crisp crust and chewy center. The ingredients are pure and simple, consisting of water, flour, salt, and yeast. A homemade baguette is special treat. However, making baguette at home is time consuming, and the method of baking requires a steam bath, which means a good oven and follow a good technique. I have tried many times to make baguette at home from the most complicated method to a mild one. Finally, I learned some no-knead bread recipes on YouTube and realized that making baguette using the no-knead method is an easy one. Better yet, this recipe requires only a few ingredients. The only hard part of this recipe is your patience, which I do not have, but with the results of this recipe, I think it is worth the time spent.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour

1 package active dry yeast 

3/4 cup to 1 cup water

1 tsp salt

2 tbs sugar 

1 tbs olive oil, coconut oil, or melted butter 

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. 

Make a well in a center of the flour and pour the water into the center of flour.

Use a wooden spoon to mix the flour until there is no trace of flour powder, and then add the oil.

The dough should be quite wet and sticky. Cover with a towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Every 15 minutes, dampen your hands with flour and fold the dough. The way to fold the dough is to pick up a piece of dough, lift it up, and fold it down to the other corner. 

After the folding method is done, cover the dough and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours or until double in size.

Punch down the dough, cover the dough, and let it rise a second time.

To prepare the baguette, do the following:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove dough from the mixing bowl, lightly dust the countertop with flour, and place the dough on the countertop.

Generously flour your hands and form dough into the baguette shape (about 12 inches long), or you can divide the dough into a smaller loaf. Cover the dough, and let it rise for the third time.

Before the rising time is done, preheat the oven to 450°. Place a large bowl of water at the bottom of the oven to create a steam bath. The steam bath is crucial to make a good baguette.

Fill a spray bottle with water to keep the baguette moist during the baking process.

Score the top of each baguette with a very sharp knife. Spray the baguette with water.

Place the baguette in the oven and spray the oven quickly with water and bake for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, quickly open the oven and spray the oven again with water. Bake for another 15 minutes.

If you do not want to eat all the baguette on the same day, then bake the baguette in a little less time.

The baguette can be frozen and pre-baked again each time you would like to enjoy it.