Dali Cauliflower

Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid is a favorite cookbook of mine. Beautiful pictures, and even more beautiful Southeast Asian recipes. Some, like this Yunannese one, are so simple, yet still so good. I was a little hesitant to try it since I happily haven't had boiled cauliflower in years--roasting is my method of choice these days--but I'm glad I did. All you have to do is boil cauliflower florets till they're just tender, brown some minced or smashed cloves of garlic in a little oil, add the cauliflower to that for about another minute, season with salt and serve. Couldn't be easier, right?

Vietnamese Salt-and-Pepper Tofu

I guess when part of the dish name is "salt," one should be prepared for something to be salty. I, however, was not prepared for the assault on my blood pressure. Otherwise, though, this was a great dish, loved by husband and toddler. This dish would work equally well with squid, shrimp, fish, and maybe even chicken. Savory, salty, crispy goodness. For your sake, gentle readers, I've drastically cut down on the salt measurement in the recipe below. If you want it spicier, increase the chile.















Dau Hu Rang Muoi
(salt-and-pepper tofu)
adapted from Secrets of the Red Lantern by Pauline Nguyen, Luke Nguyen and Mark Jensen
with rice, should serve at least 6, if not more

2 packages firm tofu
canola oil, for deep-frying
4 scallions, sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 small shallots, diced
1 red bird's eye chile, thinly sliced
rice flour for coating tofu, optional
1 lime, sliced, for garnish.
salt-and-pepper seasoning mix (recipe below)














Cut the tofu into squares--pick the size you like, then press with a cloth (or several clothes) to remove as much excess water as possible. Once try, if you want, coat with some rice flour (some say this will make it crispier, but I really haven't found there to be too big a difference). Fill a deep, non-stick skillet with enough oil to deep-fry the tofu, and heat it up nice and good. The tofu should take about five minutes to get crispy, golden brown. Once cooked, remove to a plate with a paper towel to collect any excess oil. Drain all but a tablespoon or two of oil from the skillet, and enjoy listening to the tofu crackle even after it's removed from the heat.

Over medium-high heat, saute the onion, garlic, shallots, scallions and chile till the onions are just starting to soften. Add the tofu to the pan and cook another minute. Sprinkle with the salt-and-pepper seasoning mix, serve with rice and wedges of lime.

Muoi Thien Huong
(salt and pepper seasoning mix)
barely adapted from Secrets of the Red Lantern by Pauline Nguyen, Luke Nguyen and Mark Jensen

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon five-spice powder

Slow-cooked Mexican Beef Stew: Worth it or Waste of Time?

I get weekly emails from Saveur.com with dinner suggestions for the week. A recent one had a Mexican beef stew that involved ripe plantains (I'm a maduro maniac!), pineapple (I've never turned down pineapple in my life), green apple (another fave), and some other good stuff. How could I resist? But there was a catch--the stew required eight hours in the oven. Could I commit? Could I remember to get it started before noon? I was up to the challenge.

Around ten, I started prepping all my fruits and veggies, but was distracted as my sister gave birth to her new son. (Congrats!) It's hard to chop and dice while getting details over the phone. So...unfortunately, my stew didn't make it into the oven till around noon. I complained to my mother about the delay, and she said I was crazy for making an eight-hour stew, "Just pop it in the pressure cooker and it'll be done in forty-five minutes."

As an aside, this is the fundamental difference in my mother's and my cooking philosophies. I (usually) view cooking as an enjoyable, relaxing activity, and I (usually) don't mind if it takes a while to pull a dish together. My mother looks at cooking as something that should be done as quickly as possible--hence her love of the pressure cooker. I admit, I use my pressure cooker from time to time. It's a godsend when I need to cook mashed potatoes and I've forgotten about it till there are just minutes left on my roast. Beans? Throw 'em in there, and they'll be done in no time. But my beef stew with all those fruits? I don't want to imagine what the pineapple and plantains would end up like. (Confession: after all the hours in the oven, the pineapple and plantains were pretty hard to identify.)

I don't think I altered the recipe at all, so follow the link to find it here. So was it worth all the hours? The husband certainly thought so. I liked it, but didn't love it. Then again, I'm not one to rave about beef stew. I found the ancho flavor to be overpowering, so next time, I might cut down on that. I might also increase the pineapple, because I wanted more of that flavor. All in all, though, it was a good, hearty meal, and a nice change from typical beef stew. I really don't think I've ever eaten anything with flavor quite like it.

Black Bean Brownies: Sacrilege or Sinless Treat?

This isn't much of a recipe...it's more of an experiment. I'm not even sure where it originated (Weight Watchers?), but my mom told me about how her friend used a can of black beans to replace the egg, oil, and water that should be added to brownie mix. I asked my mother how they tasted, and she replied, "Not bad."

"Not bad, but were they good?" I persisted.

"I mean, they were okay."

Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but I figured I'd give it a try. If I could make brownies with less fat, no cholesterol, but with added protein, iron, and fiber, maybe I wouldn't feel so guilty after devouring them. So I told my husband about the experiment...he was grossed out, but helpfully advised me not to use canned black beans that had added onion, garlic and spices. Really? I hadn't thought of that. (That's sarcasm, in case you couldn't recognize it.) I assured him that I would use plain black beans, no spices added. I don't think he was very reassured because he brought home a box of Ghiradelli Chocolate Supreme brownie mix that came with an added fudge pack...I think he thought the fudge pack would help disguise the black beans. I think the fudge pack may have lessened the integrity of my experiment--added sugar, added chocolaty goodness--but I used it anyhow.

After pouring the batter into my pan, I decided to give it a taste. First lick, not so good. I was worried. But I gave it a few more licks, and before I knew it, I'd cleared the bowl. Not so bad.

Forty-five minutes later, I cut into the brownies to find them a little sticky. The texture isn't quite the same as regular brownies, and they adhere to your teeth like you wouldn't believe--have a glass of milk handy. The flavor? Again, not quite the same as a regular brownie. There's nothing identifiably "beany" about the taste (one of my biggest peeves about substituting applesauce in recipes is that they often retain that flavor), but they taste like low-fat, healthy brownies.

The verdict? Not as good as the real deal, but better than brownies made with applesauce. A little less guilt when eating them...and, well, they're lasting longer than regular brownies would.

Black Bean Brownies
1 15.5 oz can of black beans
1 box of brownie mix

Blend the beans, liquid and all, into a smooth puree. Add to packaged brownie mix. Pour into greased 8x8" pan, and bake according to package directions.