Recipe Review from 1/23/09

Uff. It was a long week on the road - previous weekend was a 5 hour drive to southern Minnesota for a one day drill for the Husband and a 4 hour drive mid-week to Fergus Falls for Ivy's funeral. Plus two late nights for my Monday/Thursday yoga classes. Dinners by necessity were leftovers, but I did manage to squeeze in one new recipe that turned out pretty darn good.

Crispy Tofu Pad Thai (Ckng Lght Jan/Feb 09, pg 94) 4.0
I love Pad Thai, but my conundrum is peanuts and peanut butter are often used in making it (I detest PB.) However, this version had only peanuts and those are easily left off. I also did two other modifications: I subbed udon noodles for the rice noodles because I didn't want to buy a 12oz pkg. Come to find out a 6 oz pkg of udon noodles makes a butt-load of noodles, but those are easily used as leftovers. I like the nuttiness of the udon noodles over the gelatinous rice noodles. And I skipped the fish sauce. I don't make Asian dishes very often and I detest buying sauces only to have them languish in the fridge or pantry for years before I end up tossing them. I'm sure some background flavor was lost, but the over all dish still turned out really good.

The Husbands only comment was it was a tich too spicy for him. I thought it was about perfect. Enough zing to give me a slight case of the sniffles, but not enough to totally overwhelm the flavor of the dish. I'd make this again - good for dinner and as leftovers for lunch.


Crispy Tofu Pad Thai
Plant-based proteins like tofu and peanuts are abundant sources of protein.

Yield
4 servings

Ingredients
1 (12.3-ounce) package reduced-fat, firm tofu, drained
1 tablespoon cornstarch
6 ounces flat uncooked rice noodles
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts, chopped
4 lime wedges
Preparation

1. Place tofu on several layers of paper towels; cover with additional paper towels. Let stand 30 minutes, pressing down occasionally. Cut tofu into 1/2-inch cubes, and toss with cornstarch.

2. Prepare noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well; set aside.

3. Combine ketchup, sugar, fish sauce, and Sriracha. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu to pan; sauté 7 minutes or until golden. Remove tofu from pan.

4. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan. Add eggs and egg white; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from pan. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in pan. Add noodles; cook 3 minutes. Stir in ketchup mixture; cook 30 seconds. Add egg mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring often. Remove from heat; stir in onions and cilantro. Place 1 cup noodle mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each with 1/2 cup tofu and 1 1/2 teaspoons peanuts. Serve with lime wedges



This also wraps up new recipes for January. Total count was 10; making:
Vegetable Burgers CL Annual 09
Three Bean Chili CL Annual 09
Double Mushroom Pizza CL Jan 09
Whole Wheat Pizza Crust Culinary in the Country Blog
White Winter Vegetable Stew CL Jan 09
Gnocchi with White Beans and Chard Eating Well Jan/Feb 09
Buttermilk Oven-Fried Chicken CL Jan 09
Crispy Tofu Pad Thai CL Jan 09
Sugar-Cured Salmon, Charcuterie, M. Ruhlman