Dinner, Japanese, Lactose Free, Pasta, Pork, Recipes

Pork and Asparagus Soba

May 18, 2023

We’re starting to harvest our homegrown asparagus spears which is one of the reasons I was drawn to this recipe. The other reason is that I love soba. Though dried soba cannot compare to fresh, it works well enough for this dish which turns out to be a real winner.

There’s not much to it, in terms of the amount of ingredients called for. However, you may need to make a quick trip to the market if you don’t have tahini or chili crisp in your refrigerator. There is a multitude of chili crisp/crunch options available these days. You can find it at Costco, the Asian food section of your local markets, or online. My current favorite is Zindrew O.G Batch from Amazon. They offer a much spicier version as well (X Batch). Though the jar says chili oil, I consider it to be a chili crisp since it has lots of crunchy bits of garlic and does not contain an excess amount of oil.

Tahini adds a rich and creamy note to the sauce. Mixed with soy sauce, rice vinegar and chili crisp, the flavor is an umami rich seasoning for the noodles and pork.

The soba is cooked briefly before adding the asparagus. It’s a one pot deal. Not having to blanch the asparagus separately saves time and dishes.

The sauce is added to the cooked pork before getting mixed in with the soba and asparagus. It’s so delicious.

Everything goes back into the pot with some of the reserved soba cooking water. A quick stir to warm everything up and it’s ready to be served with extra chili crisp or sriracha.

Pork and Asparagus Soba

Recipe by Kiyo

Servings

servings

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit magazine

Ingredients

1/4 cup chili crisp (1/3 cup if you want it spicier) + more for serving
1/3 cup tahini, well stirred
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon soy sauced divided
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
9.5 ounces dried soba noodles (1 package Hakubaku soba, or about 10 ounces of your favorite dried soba)
1 bunch (10-12 ounces) asparagus, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces (thinner spears work well in this dish)
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound ground pork
Thinly sliced green onions (for serving)
Roasted sesame seeds (for serving)

Directions

Whisk chili crisp, tahini, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, and vinegar in a small bowl. Taste and add a few extra teaspoons of chili crisp if you want it spicier. Set aside.
Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water for half the time noted on the package directions. For Hakubaku brand soba, cook for 1 1/2 minutes (no longer). Add asparagus to noodles and cook for 45-60 seconds. Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid just before the 45-60 seconds is up, then immediately drain noodles and asparagus in a colander and run under cool water to stop the cooking; reserve pot.
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pork in an even layer undisturbed, until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 3 minutes (adjust heat as needed if too hot). Add reserved sauce and cook, scraping up browned bits, 1 minute.
Transfer pork, noodles, and asparagus to reserved pot. Drizzle a teaspoon of soy sauce (or a few pinches of kosher salt) plus 2/3 cup reserved cooking liquid into the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring gently with a spoon adding more cooking liquid if needed, until noodles and meat are warm and well coated with sauce but not watery, about 1 minute (leaving the soba on the heat much longer can cause the soba to be over cooked). Taste and adjust with more soy sauce or kosher salt if necessary.
Transfer pork and asparagus to a large, shallow serving bowl. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with extra chili crisp or sriracha.

Notes

If you want to make this for two people, use half of the soba, asparagus and cooking liquid called for. I recommend making the full recipe for the pork and reserving half for the next day. It’s delicious with ramen (the dried wavy type) cooked al dente and warmed in a bit of vegetable oil seasoned with soy sauce. Mix it all together to warm up and shower with lots of green onions, roasted sesame seeds and sriracha sauce. Serve with crunchy bok choy on the side.

Dinner, Japanese, Lactose Free, Pasta, Pickles, Recipes, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tofu Ramen with Cucumbers & Chili Crisp

February 26, 2022

This ramen dish is one of our new favorites. It has tons of umami flavor that makes this dish a real stand out. The chili crisp adds a nice hint of heat and is used in the sauce and later spooned over the noodles before serving. This happens to be a vegan recipe which means that everyone can try it out. Surprise! The tofu is not bland, watery or tasteless in this dish. Even non-vegans will find it delicious.

I highly recommend the TofuXpress tofu press for those of you who eat and cook tofu often. In fact even if you cook with tofu occasionally, this handy kitchen gadget is a dream come true. You may shy away from buying it because of the price (online from $42.95) but just go for it. I have had mine for more than 10 years and never regret purchasing it. The water is pressed out of the tofu quickly so that your tofu is ready to use in 15-30 minutes. For this dish I suggest using extra firm tofu such as WildWood Organic.

Once the water is pressed out, the tofu is crumbled into small pieces before pan frying until crisp.

I prefer to use fresh ramen noodles, however, I use dried ramen when fresh is not available. If using the dried version such as Ichiban, be sure to undercook the noodles until just al dente since they are quite a bit thinner than fresh noodles.

Shiitake mushrooms are a big star in this recipe. They are chopped finely and pan fried with the diced shallots until nicely browned before being added to the fried tofu.

I purchased three different brands of chili crisp to see which one I liked best. There are hundreds of versions available. Of the three I purchased, my favorite is Zindrew (O.G. Batch jar). It’s on the mild heat side, but it has lots of flavor, is very crunchy, and is the least oily. There’s just a tablespoon of it left in the jar!

The crumbled tofu is pan fried until crisp on both sides. The texture of the fried tofu is pleasantly firm with a bit of chew to it.

Shiitake mushrooms are fried with diced shallots until nicely browned. These mushrooms works so well with this dish because they have a meaty texture and do not have as much water as other types of mushrooms.

The sauce is added to the tofu and mushroom mixture and quickly heated before serving. The original recipe from Bon Appetit calls this dish Saucy Tofu Noodles with Cucumbers and Chili Crisp. I found that in order to keep this “saucy” the sauce should be heated separately otherwise the tofu and mushroom mixture absorbs the sauce very quickly. Either way, it’s just delicious.

Thinly sliced quick cucumber pickles are the topping for this ramen dish. Their tartness and crisp texture are a perfect accompaniment to the savory tofu ramen.

Tofu Ramen with Cucumbers & Chili Crisp

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Adapted from Bon Appetit

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

¼ cup less sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons Chinkiang (black vinegar) or balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon chili crisp + more for serving
2 very small Keiki cucumbers or Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced into rounds
½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal or 1¼ teaspoon Morton kosher salt, divided
1 14-ounce block extra-firm tofu, water pressed out
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and finely chopped
1 shallot (2 tablespoons) finely chopped
1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 medium or 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
10 ounces fresh ramen (12 ounces for 4 servings)

Preparation

Whisk soy sauce, brown sugar, tahini, sesame oil, black vinegar, 1 tablespoon chili crisp, and ½ cup water in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
Toss cucumbers with rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal or ¾ teaspoon Morton salt in a medium bowl. Let sit, stirring occasionally until cucumbers have slightly softened, about 30 minutes. Drain and set aside in a small bowl.
Meanwhile, press water from tofu using TofuXpress or wrap in a clean kitchen towel (gather ends together) and squeeze with your hands over the sink to extract as much liquid as possible. Crumble drained tofu into a medium bowl (it should resemble cooked ground meat with some larger pieces). Sprinkle with cornstarch and 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal or ½ Morton salt. Toss with your hands to evenly coat tofu.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large (12-inch) non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Arrange tofu crumbles in a single layer, reserve bowl. Cook tofu undisturbed until golden brown underneath, about 4 minutes. Toss and continue cooking until tofu is golden brown and crisp all over, about 3-4 minutes more. Transfer tofu back to reserved bowl.
Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to same skillet and heat to medium high. Add mushrooms and shallot, and cook, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are browned and shallot is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium and return tofu to the pan. Add reserved sauce and heat for about 30-60 seconds. Remove from heat. For saucier version, heat sauce in a separate skillet over medium until just slightly reduced.
Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions. Drain and divide among bowls. Ladle tofu over noodles and top with reserved pickled cucumbers and more chili crisp. If sauce has been heated separately, pour sauce over tofu right before serving.

Appetizers, Beans, Dinner, Lactose Free, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Creamy Fresh Herb Hummus

November 24, 2019

Homemade hummus is the best. It is so easy to prepare and the end product is certainly worth the 30 minutes you spend making it. All the ingredients except for the herbs and pistachios go into the food processor. Blitz away until the mixture is as smooth as you want it to be. We enjoy eating hummus with homemade pita chips and falafel. Hummus keeps well in the refrigerator and makes a great snack for home or work.

This time around I decided to remove the skins from the chickpeas. It took me about 9 minutes to pinch off the skins from a can of beans. I didn’t mind the extra step since I enjoy spending time in the kitchen. Of course this is optional, but I found the hummus to be magnificently smooth. I came upon a curious recipe from the Minimalist Baker blog. The undrained chickpeas and garlic cloves are heated in the microwave for a few minutes making the chickpeas very smooth and creamy when blended together with the other ingredients. The garlic mellows a bit which makes for a well-balanced hummus.

When you microwave the chickpeas use a large bowl since the chickpea liquid tends to expand. I cover the bowl with plastic wrap leaving a small vent for air to escape. Once the chickpeas come out of the microwave I drain them, saving just a few tablespoons of the liquid for later. Then everything goes into the food processor until smooth and creamy. Place the warm hummus in a container and refrigerate until cool. Transfer the cooled hummus to a serving plate, add your favorite fresh herbs, pistachios, and a swirl of olive oil. Dust with cayenne pepper and serve with pita chips.

It’s really a chore to stir tahini in the container or jar that it comes in. The bottom of the container usually has solid pieces of tahini that are hard to get at. These days I just pour the entire container into a bowl and whisk away until the tahini is mixed to perfection. The thought of having to clean another bowl might discourage you but you will save a lot of frustration. It only takes a minute to wash the bowl!

Creamy Fresh Herb Hummus

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Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 can (15 ounce) chickpeas, drained with liquid reserved, skins removed (optional)
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon well stirred tahini
2½ - 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
2-3 tablespoons cold water
1-2 tablespoons reserved chickpea liquid
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
⅛ teaspoon cayenne (optional) + more for serving
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + more for serving
handful of fresh herbs
pistachios, salted and shelled

Preparation

Drain and reserve the liquid from the chickpeas. Pinch off the skins from the chickpeas
Transfer chickpeas, reserved liquid and 3 garlic cloves to a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap leaving a small vent for the air to escape. Microwave for 3½ - 4 minutes.
Drain chickpeas, reserving 2 tablespoons of liquid. Transfer chickpeas to a food processor along with the garlic cloves, tahini, lemon juice, salt, 2 tablespoons cold water, 1 tablespoon chickpea liquid, cumin, cayenne and olive oil. Process until mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. If the hummus is too thick, add water or chickpea liquid until it is the texture you prefer. Keep in mind the hummus will thicken a bit once refrigerated. Transfer mixture to a container and refrigerate until chilled.
When ready to serve, spoon hummus onto a serving plate. Place fresh herbs in the center and top with pistachios. Drizzle olive oil over hummus and sprinkle a bit of cayenne over the top. Serve with pita chips.

Dinner, Lactose Free, Recipes, Rice Dishes, Salad, Side Dishes, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Glory Bowl Salad

July 18, 2015

I bumped into a friend of ours, Lisa Tamaki, with whom I have a shared interest in cooking as well as home canning. She told me about a new salad recipe she thought I would enjoy. The dressing has nutritional yeast in it, one of my favorite foods. Lisa’s enthusiasm about the “Glory Bowl Salad” (named for a top ski bowl in Canada) made me eager to try it out right away. Thank you, thank you!

The original recipe comes from Shelley Adams who once owned Whitewater Ski Resort in Canada. This salad is one of her most requested recipes. Rachel also posted Sami’s version of this delicious salad. I followed her suggestion of seasoning the tofu with sesame oil and soy sauce before baking and it adds a wonderful flavor to the tofu. You can use almost any vegetables you want to in this salad. I opted for colorful red cabbage, crunchy snap peas, cucumbers, carrots and edamame. Don’t skip the toasted almonds. They are super in this salad. The dressing has a fantastic umami flavor due to the generous amount of nutritional yeast and soy sauce, so good you’ll be looking for things to pour it on once your salad is long gone.

I use my TofuXpress often. It presses out the water quickly. No more wasting paper towels!

It’s best to serve the baked tofu once cooled, however, you may bake it in advance and refrigerate it until ready to use. The texture won’t be quite the same (it softens once refrigerated) but it will still taste delicious. Just bring it to room temperature before serving.

Glory Bowl Salad

Adapted from Whitewater Cooks & The Conscious Dietician blog

Two generous salad bowl servings and 1 cup dressing

Ingredients

Salad Bowl:

1 cup short or medium grain brown rice

1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds (bake in toaster oven at 300° for about 5 minutes – watch so they do not burn)

1 package (14 ounce) extra firm tofu (Wildwood recommended) water pressed out

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 ounces sliced cucumber

1 ounce shredded carrot

1/3 cup cooked edamame

3 ounces snap peas

1 ounce shredded red cabbage

roasted black sesame seeds – optional

Dressing:

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 1/2 tablespoons tahini paste

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup canola oil

freshly ground black pepper

Cook brown rice according to package directions. Set aside.

Toast slivered almonds for a few minutes to crisp up.

Press out water from tofu using the TofuXpress or a clean dish towel or paper towels (weighted down). Cut tofu into rectangles about 1/2 inch thick. Combine sesame oil and soy sauce in a small bowl. Brush mixture over tofu slices, or toss to coat well. Place tofu on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes (I use my toaster oven).

Using an immersion blender combine nutritional yeast, water, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, garlic, tahini paste, extra virgin olive oil, and canola oil. Or whisk by hand until all of the ingredients are well incorporated. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.

Assemble your salad by placing the rice on the bottom of your bowl, adding the vegetables and tofu over the rice. Drizzle a generous amount of the dressing over the salad. Sprinkle toasted almonds and roasted sesame seeds over the top and serve with extra dressing.

Tahini

Pork and Asparagus Soba

Pork and Asparagus Soba

Ingredients

Directions

Notes

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Creamy Fresh Herb Hummus

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Glory Bowl Salad

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