Healthy Eating In A Delicious Pasta Form - Thick Cut Bacon and Lentil Ragu

Is it safe to say that lentils might be as common to Italians as rice grains to Chinese? Well, if that really is the case, then it might somewhat explains why it took me quite some effort to find organic lentils in Taiwan since the majority of the locals probably never had lentils before.

Good thing is that there's this specific company that import all sort of higher quality grains from around the world, and they have a little shop in Taipei, so I can get my hands on precious bag of lentils. However, with few more bills in exchange but I'm happy enough to finally found the ingredient needed.

Thick cut bacon and lentil ragu - 

Ingredients (about 6 servings)?

• 500 grams linguine pasta
• 250 grams lentils
• 400 grams thick-cut bacon or ham
• 1 medium celery stalk
• 1 medium carrot
• 2 medium onions
• 40 grams dried porcini mushrooms
• 8 pieces sun-dried tomatoes
• 400 grams canned whole tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• Some extra virgin olive oil
• Some salt
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 250ml dry white wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup pasta cooking water (just in case)
• Some black pepper
• Some red chili flakes
• 1 lemon (optional)

How?

Cube the thick-cut bacon or ham. Destem then dice the celery. Peel and dice the onions and carrot. Give the sun-dried tomatoes a few chops. Peel and chop the garlic cloves.

Rinse the dried porcini mushrooms then soak in room temperature water for about 20 minutes. Drain out the liquid and give the mushrooms a few chops before use in cooking.

Have a Dutch oven ready and drizzle 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Switch to medium heat and add in cubed bacon or ham. Sear till some fats rendered.

Add in cubed celery, carrot, and onion. Stir-fry and let cook for at least 10 minutes.

Then add in chopped garlic along with sun-dried tomatoes and porcini mushrooms. Mix and cook for couple more minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Cook for one minute, just a little heat to bring out that tomato aroma.

Pour in 250ml of dry white wine and everything in canned tomato. Also add 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of dried parsley, and 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary.

Bring the whole thing to a boil then add in the lentils. Mix first then pour in the chicken stock. I put 2 cups under the ingredient list, but use as much as you need in order to get like 1 centimeter above the top of ingredients. 

Adjust the heat to keep everything at a light bubbling stage. Continue to cook for 30 more minutes and make sure to stir the pot once a while.

Later on pick out the bay leaves. Give it a tasting test and see if more seasonings are needed. I added some salt during this step and used about 1 1/2 teaspoons of it along with 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of red chili flakes.

Meanwhile, have another pot of water ready. Bring to a boil and add in few pinches of salt. Cook the linguine pasta till almost al dente. Save some pasta water first then drain out the rest.

Transfer pasta to the Dutch oven and mix till blended. Check and see if you need to pour in some of the pasta water we saved earlier for better consistency.

Finally, drizzle some more extra virgin olive oil a few rounds. Give it a final mix then the ragu will be ready for plating.

You can squeeze in some fresh lemon juice right before serving, or simply have some lemon wedges on the side instead. The lemon part is more of a personal preference, in which I always love to have that kick of bright citrusy note to a hearty pasta dish.

If you can't find lentils that easily, simply substitute with other types of beans such as cannellini or chickpeas, but do pay attention with actual cooking time. You might need to shorten the time for cooking when using other type of beans or simply add in the beans a bit later. Don't want to end up with mushy beans in the end.

Extended reading:

• Pasta all'ortolana (healthy pasta with lots of vegetables)
• Zucchini and squash pasta with parsley and mint sauce
• Vegetable and meatballs pasta bake 

Deep-Fried Tofu Pouch Stuffed with Semi-Cooked Egg

There's something hidden inside the tofu pouch!? Something simple and comforting, a semi-cooked egg that is. The deep fried tofu pouch stuffed with semi-cooked egg can be a snack on its own or a good portion side dish, but I think the best is to serve as something to munch on as beer food (don't drink and drive).

Deep-fried tofu pouch stuffed with semi-cooked egg - 

Ingredients (for six servings)?

• 3 large rectangular pieces deep-fried tofu pouch
• 6 eggs

Sauce:

• 1 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Japanese rice wine

How?

Rinse the fried tofu pouches under hot water to draw out some of the oil. You can soak them in hot water too but just for a quick moment. Drain and gently squeeze-dry. Slice the tofu pouch in half and carefully open up the inner side to get two smaller pockets.

Break the egg one by one, better to break into a bowl or measuring cup first. Carefully open up the halved tofu pouch then pour in the egg.

Use one toothpick to sew together the opening in a ziczag fashion. So in the end you'll get like a small pouch or packet for each serving. Repeat for all 6 servings.

Have a medium pot ready and add in all the ingredients listed under the "sauce" section. Bring to a boil then adjust the heat to keep at a light bubbling stage.

Transfer the pouches over with the openings facing up. It's totally fine if the pouches are slightly leaning on one side. Just remember half way through the cooking, carefully switch to the other side to ensure even flavoring. 

So once the pouches are in, cook for five minutes while spooning some of the sauces to the openings too. After that, change sides and cook for another five more minutes.

Transfer the pouches to serving plate. Remove the toothpicks, the pouchy shape should hold even without the toothpicks by now.

The tofu pouch is even more delicious after soaking in all the sauce. Not just the runny yolk, but the sauce will also get squeezed and flew out when you took a big bite in the center. Quite satisfying especially considering how easy this recipe is.

I wonder what else can I stuff inside, any interesting ideas? 

 

Extended reading:

• Hijiki and inari age onigiri 羊栖菜豆皮飯糰
• Salmon and quinoa stuffed fried tofu pouches
• Japanese fried tofu pouch and beef udon 日式豆皮牛肉烏龍麵

Gochujang and Peanut Butter Noodles for One

Who would have thought peanut butter can be used in noodles? Well, I'm not talking about the sweetened version for spreading on toast or making cookies, but the simple and basic peanut butter. Let it be smooth version or the crunchy version, as long as there's no additional flavoring involved, go ahead and use it for savory dishes too.

Gochujang and peanut butter noodles for one - 

Ingredients (one serving)?

• 1 serving flour noodles of your liking
• 1/2 skinny cucumber
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon chopped scallion
• 1/8 teaspoon grated ginger
• Some salt
• Some toasted white sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons gochujang
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon white sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

How?

Clean then julienne the cucumber. Use some salt, about 1 to 2 pinches to massage in the cucumber. Let it sit under room temperature for 10 minutes until some moisture has been drawn out.

Rinse the cucumber using drinkable water to wash away extra salt. Squeeze really dry then loosen the cucumber strips. Put aside for now.

Destem and chop the scallion, scrape then grate the ginger, peel and chop the garlic clove.

Have a serving bowl ready, add in grated ginger and chopped garlic. Also add 2 tablespoons of gochujang, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, 1 teaspoon of white sesame oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.

Prepare a pot of water to cook the noodles. Bring to a boil then add in the noodles, choose whichever shape and size, as long as you like it. Cook till desired texture, mine took about 8 minutes. 

Once ready, drain well then transfer to the serving bowl.

Mix till the noodles are evenly blended with the sauce, and no lumps from the peanut butter. Garnish with julienned cucumber, some chopped scallion, and sprinkle some toasted white sesame seeds as the final finishing touch.

The noodles was so good. In fact, I myself didn't even expect it to be packed with so much flavors. Especially the garlic that really gives it a punch in the end. I wouldn't mind the garlic breadth afterwards if my meal was that tasty.

Other similar cooking for one recipes:

• Oyster and shiso peperoncino
• Hot and sour glass noodles
• Pidan/century egg noodles 皮蛋拌麵

Chinese Meatball Stuffed Shiitake Mushrooms 香菇鑲肉

It took me a few tries to get that just about right timing for this recipe. Steaming too long then the meaty part will shrink and result in too much juice on the bottom. Steaming too short then the center part of the pork might not get cooked through.

And it varies depending on the kitchenware you use, the firepower difference, etc. Either way, I think my point is, if you're unsure how long it'll take to reach that just about perfectly cooked meatball stuffed shiitake mushrooms, just go for longer steaming time. It's always safer to have over-cooked result, plus it'll still taste delicious.

Chinese meatball stuffed shiitake mushrooms 香菇鑲肉 -

Ingredients?

• 8 big shiitake mushrooms
• 440 grams ground pork
• 8 goji berries
• 2 stalks scallion
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper powder
• Some potato starch

How?

Destem and chop the scallion. Set the ground pork into a big bowl, add 8 tablespoons of chopped scallion, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, and 1/8 teaspoon of white pepper powder. Mix till evenly blended and let it rest for 10 minutes before using.

Try to use big and thick shiitake mushrooms for this recipe, you'll be amazed on how juicy the cap will be once steamed and soaked in some of the flavored pork juice.

Slice-off the stems for the big shiitake mushrooms. Dust the inner part with potato starch, this will better help the pork to stick onto the shiitake mushrooms during steaming.

Scoop out some pork mixture and form into a meatball in your hands, maybe do a few slaps back and forth in between both palms to draw out some trapped air inside. Then gently press down the meatballs onto the inside of the mushroom cap.

Make a gentle dent in the center of the meatball then "mount" one goji berry for each meatball.

Prepare the steaming cookware that you're familiar with. Arrange the stuffed shiitake mushrooms tightly together so it won't flip or tilt during the steaming process. Once all checked, steam for 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the stuffed mushroom and how well-cooked you would like it to be.

Once ready, remove from the steamer and transfer the stuffed mushrooms to serving plate if needed.

You can see from the images here, this batch of meatball stuffed shiitake mushrooms was cooked just about right without much overflowing juice on the bottom. However, if you do steam it longer and got some juice instead, like around 30 minutes, simply remove the stuffed mushrooms to the actual serving plate, then we'll make a good use of the juice.

Pour all the juice to a small pot and turn to medium heat. Aim for a bit bubbling in order to reduce the juice a bit. Towards the end, switch to lowest heat. Have some potato starch and water mixture ready, add to the reduced juice to thicken the consistency just a wee bit. Pour that sauce on top of the meatballs. A few more steps than usual but it'll make the final result even more tasty.

Extended reading:

• Fiery stuffed bell peppers in Asian sauce 超辣青椒鑲肉

Braised Tofu in Vegetable Stock and Sansho Powder

The most common braised tofu dish I would say is soy sauce based. Like darker brown color with heavier aromatics from the seared garlics, scallion, and usually red chilies. Today I'm cooking up a different version, slightly leaning towards Japanese style. Somewhat more elegant with gentle flavors from the vegetable stock and aroma from the distinct sansho powder (山椒).

Braised tofu in Vegetable stock and sansho powder - 

Ingredients?

• 1 box/400 grams semi-firm tofu
• 1 box/220 grams ground pork
• 2 eggs
• 300ml vegetable stock
• 1 stalk scallion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons Japanese tsuyu
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sake or rice cooking wine 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper powder
• Some olive oil
• Some potato starch and water mixture
• Some sansho powder

How?

Destem and chop the scallion, separate the white and green parts. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Drain out the liquid from the tofu box. Hand-tear the tofu into irregular medium size chunks.

Have a pan ready and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Just a wee bit of oil will do. Switch to medium heat and wait till the surface gets hot. Add in torn tofu and slowly sear till slightly golden. Carefully flip to the other side and sear till colored too.

The searing part will take a while and we don't want to rush this process. However, it should take no longer than 10 minutes, so be more patience there. Once all nice and colored, scoop out for later use.

Meanwhile transfer the ground pork to a bowl and add in chopped scallion whites and chopped garlic. Also add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of sake or rice cooking wine. Mix till evenly blended. It's like a quick marinate, remember to let the pork mixture sit under room temperature for about 10 minutes before cooking.

So back to the pan we used earlier for the tofu, check and see if more oil is needed once the tofu has been removed. Pour in 1 more tablespoon of oil max. Add in ground pork mixture and stir-fry till about 70% cooked-through.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of white pepper powder, 2 tablespoons of Japanese tsuyu, and 300ml of vegetable stock. It should be a bit watery here, probably more liquid than you would expect normally in a braised tofu recipe.

Transfer seared tofu back and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to keep everything at a medium boiling stage for couple more minutes.

Now change to low heat. Add 1/4 teaspoon of sansho powder and mix. Prepare some potato starch and water mixture in a small bowl. Pour that mixture to the pan while giving the whole thing a gentle push or swirls to prevent lumping. 

Turn-off the heat and wait a short moment. While waiting, break two eggs in a bowl and beat them. Pour the beaten egg to the pan and use a spatula to push the mixture outward gently a few times. 

Do not over-mix it, otherwise the beaten egg can appear cloudy on top. But even like that, it won't really affect the final taste by much though, so don't get too stressed if the look wasn't up to expectation. 

Transfer the tofu dish to a final serving plate or bowl. Sprinkle some more sansho powder on top and garnish with some of the chopped scallion greens.

It has to be sansho powder and cannot be substitute with black or white pepper powder. It's the unique lemony and bright citrusy aroma that gives this tofu recipe a unique edge. 

However, I suppose Taiwanese "magao" pepper will also do the trick. Magao pepper is also lemony and citrusy, but slight stronger than the sansho pepper, so use less if swapping the sansho to magao pepper.  

Other tofu recipes:

• Egg dipped tofu in savory tomato sauce
• Steamed tofu and egg with ground pork toppings 肉末豆腐蒸蛋
• Tomato egg and tofu soup 番茄雞蛋豆腐湯