www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaopKzmapsg

But, never fear!  I’ve written the recipe out in complete detail for you here. I hope you’ll try it. It turned out pretty darn well, if I do say so myself.

Coconut Curry Tofu Over Rice Vermicelli

2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece of ginger, sliced into thin medallions
1 can light coconut milk
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
1 yellow onion, peeled, halved, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
4 4-inch pieces of lemon grass (white part only)
4 fresh water chestnuts, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds (or 1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon hot chili oil (more or less, depending on your preference for heat)
1 teaspoon salt
10 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
10 ounces dried rice vermicelli

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sliced ginger. Cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Add the can of coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Add the scallions, onion slices, lemongrass pieces, water chestnuts, curry powder, salt and hot chili oil. Simmer for ten minutes. Stir in the tofu and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add more salt to taste, if necessary.

Meanwhile, cook the dried rice vermicelli according to package instructions.

Drain the rice vermicelli and transfer to a shallow dish. Spoon the tofu-curry mixture over the vermicelli and garnish with additional chopped scallions. Serve immediately.



This is one of those salads I’ve made for years without an official recipe.  You can throw it together with just about any crunchy vegetables you have on-hand and it’s pretty forgiving: You can leave out a thing or two, or add something new, and it still tastes fantastic.  It’s just the kind of  salad I like to keep in the fridge in the summertime: cool and hot, spicy and sweet.  And cubed tofu gives it enough protein to make it a meal.  (You can substitute  half a pound of cooked chicken breast or shrimp, if you prefer.)

The best part is that this salad gets better after a few days.  The vinegar dressing soaks into the rice noodles, and the chili oil gets deep and hot.

Salad

1.5 ounces Maifun rice vermicelli* (about 1/4 package)
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into matchstick-size slivers
1/4 English cucumber, peeled and sliced into matchstick-size slivers
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, coarsely chopped
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded green cabbage
7 ounces firm tofu, diced into 1/2 inch cubes

Dressing

1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon Asian chili oil*
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil*
1 tablespoon sugar
juice of 1/2 lime

Place the rice vermicelli in a medium bowl and cover with scalding hot tap water.  Cover the bowl with a towel and let soak for at least 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables, washing and trimming thoroughly before chopping.  Drain the noodles and transfer to a large bowl.  Add  the chopped vegetables (carrot through cabbage) and the tofu cubes and toss gently to combine.

In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients and whisk thoroughly.  Pour over noodle mixture and toss until thoroughly coated.  Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow the flavors to develop.  Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and serve cold.

*Check the Asian food aisle at your local grocery store, or an Asian market if you have access to one.

Tip: If you plan to serve this at a party or any other situation in which you are concerned about presentation, fold in the chopped mint at the last minute.  The acidity in the dressing will wilt the mint and turn it black after a few hours in the fridge, which while not harmful doesn’t look terribly appetizing.

If you like the Vietnamese-inspired flavors of this salad, be sure to check out this recipe for fresh spring rolls with shrimp, mint, and cilantro.  Another summertime favorite…

Ingredients
(makes 4 rolls)

4 rice paper wrappers*
12 cooked shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 cup cooked rice vermicelli*
four sprigs cilantro
four sprigs mint
1 carrot, medium-julienned
1/2 cup sliced green cabbage
6 cups scalding-hot water in a shallow dish or pan

Have all ingredients washed and prepared. Soak one rice paper wrapper in the hot water for 15-20 seconds or until softened. Remove from the water and lay flat, blotting with a paper towel to remove extra moisture if necessary. Place three shrimp down the middle of the wrapper, and top with one sprig each of mint and cilantro. Add about 1/4 cup o the cook rice vermicelli, plus the sliced cabbage and carrot.

Fold the two edges of the rice paper that are closest and farthest away from you toward the middle, then roll the wrapper around the filling from one side like a burrito. The wrapper is sticky when softened and should hold together on its own.

Repeat with the other three wrappers and remaining ingredients. Serve with soy sauce or another dipping sauce of your choice. (I use store-bought Thai peanut sauce, garnished with a drop of Asian chili-garlic sauce and a cilantro leaf.)

*Rice paper wrappers are pictured at right and can be found in the Asian food section of your grocery store. Rice vermicelli should be on the same shelf. Rice noodles cook about a thousand times faster than wheat noodles, so follow the package instructions carefully.

One tip: Make sure you have everything washed, peeled and chopped before you start cooking. The French call this “mise en place,” which basically means “have your act together before you fire up the stove.” (Literally, it means “everything in its place.”)

We start with peanut oil because peanut oil has a high smoke point, which is the temperature at which an oil starts to smoke and burn. This will allow you to heat your pan to an extremely high temperature so that your veggies cook quickly without getting mushy. Veggies in a good stir fry should retain some of their raw snap.

Sesame oil, Chinese five spice and fresh ginger give this stir-fry a distinctly Asian flair.

Tofu Veggie Stir Fry with Orange Ginger Sauce

1/4 cup peanut oil
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup cauliflower florets
1/4 head purple cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, thick-cut julienned
1 small onion, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 serrano chile, minced (optional)
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
1 tomato, chopped
4 large leaves green chard
2 heads baby bok choy, leaves separated
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
kernels from 1 ear corn
12 oz medium tofu, cubed
6 ounces orange juice
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch
3 tablespoons water

Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large heavy-bottomed pan until very hot. Add the next seven ingredients, broccoli through the minced chile. Pour the sesame oil and soy sauce over the vegetables as they cook. Sprinkle the mixture with Chinese five spice. When the carrots and broccoli have started to soften slightly, add the next six ingredients, tomato through tofu. Cook a few minutes longer until the greens start to wilt. Add the orange juice and sugar. Continue to cook until the vegetables are tender.

Combine the corn starch and water in a small dish, stir until the corn starch is dissolved. Add the corn starch mixture to the stir fry, stirring constantly until the sauce starts to thicken.

Season with salt and pepper flakes to taste, and serve over cooked rice. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.