tofu

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Laksa – Intolerance Friendly Kitchen – Georgia McDermott

Intolerance Friendly Kitchen

**Images courtesy of Georgia McDermott**

Laksa is a spicy noodle soup that hails from South-East Asia. Traditionally, it uses prawn stock as a base, garlic and onion in the spice paste and wheat noodles to finish. This version is vegan, FODMAP friendly and gluten free courtesy of a few simple substitutions. p 253

LACTOSE FREE
GUM FREE
EGG-FREE OPTION
VEGAN OPTION
FODMAP FRIENDLY
GLUTEN FREE
Serves: 4
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes


FOR THE LAKSA PASTE:
5–6 fresh birds eye chillies, (depending on your taste for heat), seeds removed, chopped
3 sticks lemongrass, trimmed, finely grated
50 g (1 small–medium piece) galangal, peeled, finely grated
50 g (1 small–medium piece) ginger, peeled, finely grated
20 g (1 small piece) fresh turmeric, peeled, finely grated
2 teaspoons sweet paprika (optional, for colour)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

FOR THE BROTH:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5–6 spring onions, green parts only, chopped
20–30 fresh curry leaves, stalks removed
60 ml (¼ cup) vegan fish sauce
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
1 tablespoon gluten-free tamari or dark soy
1.5 litres (6 cups) water or vegan stock
400 ml can coconut milk
400 g gluten-free tofu puffs or cubed, pan-fried tofu

TO FINISH:
½ quantity (200 g) gluten-free Chinese egg noodles
100 g vermicelli noodles
1 bunch Vietnamese mint, leaves picked,
to serve
trimmed bean sprouts, to serve, 1 long red chilli, deseeded, sliced, to serve


Method

  1. To make the laksa paste, use a mortar and pestle or food processor to grind the chilli, lemongrass, galangal, ginger and turmeric until smooth. Add the paprika and oil and mix to combine.
  2. For the broth, heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Cook the spring onion greens and curry leaves, stirring, for 2 minutes or until fragrant and softened. Add the laksa paste and cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes or until fragrant. Add a splash of water if it sticks at any point. Add the vegan fish sauce, sugar, tamarind paste and tamari and stir to combine. Stir in the water or stock and coconut milk. Add the tofu, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes to allow flavours to infuse.
  3. Meanwhile, par-cook the Chinese egg noodles (1–2 minutes instead of 2– 3) following instructions on page 251. Pour boiling water over the vermicelli in a heatproof bowl and leave to soften for about 2–3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  4. Taste and adjust broth according to your preferences. Add a little extra stock or water if necessary.
  5. To serve, divide noodles between serving bowls. Ladle over the hot broth
    and finish with the Vietnamese mint, bean sprouts and chilli.

** Notes

Leftover laksa can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. I do recommend taking the noodles out if you are using the psyllium noodles ( as they tend to disintegrate if left in the liquid for long periods.)

Traditional laksa often uses both hokkien and vermicelli noodles. I’ve used a half- batch of my Chinese egg noodles and half vermicelli to make it vegan. If you prefer you can use all vermicelli to make it vegan.

Canned coconut milk often contains gums and thickeners, so read the label before buying.

If you cant find galangal, use a little more ginger and lemongrass ( around 25 g of each) p252

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Meat Free Monday: Sticky Tofu with Sweet Sesame Sauce – Brave New Meal -Bad Manners

Brave New Meal by Bad Manners, Hachette Australia, RRP $45.00, Out Now

TOFU

12 ounces extra-firm tofu

2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

2 tablespoons Maggi Seasoning* (or substitute soy sauce)

2 tablespoons mirin or apple juice

1 teaspoon chili-garlic paste or Sriracha

SWEET SESAME SAUCE

1 tablespoon toasted

sesame oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

. cup rice vinegar

. cup pure maple syrup

. cup tamari or soy sauce

2 tablespoons Cornstarch

1 Wrap the tofu in a clean towel or some paper towels and set something heavy like a pan on top to wick away any moisture. Let it get squashed there for about 10 minutes.

2 While the tofu is pressing, in a small glass, combine the tamari, Maggi, mirin, and chili-garlic paste to make a marinade.

3 When the tofu has released a lot of its water or when 10 minutes has passed, chop it up into cubes about the size of a quarter, place ’em in a bowl, and drown those bitches with the marinade. Let that sit, mixing them around occasionally, for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.

4 When you’re ready to get this shit goin’, make the sesame sauce: Grab a small glass and mix the sesame oil, garlic, vinegar, maple syrup, tamari, and cornstarch, making sure there’s no clumps. Set that aside. That’s that sauce in the photo that made you wanna cook this shit in the first place.

5 **To finish, place the white rice flour in a wide bowl and drain the marinating tofu. Throw the tofu in the rice flour and toss to coat all the lil tofu pieces in the flour.

6 Heat a large skillet over medium heat with the oil. Use a slotted spoon to get the coated tofu out the extra flour and into the hot pan. Toss the tofu around in the pan until all the pieces have a coating of oil. Cook the pieces on as many sides as possible for at least 1 minute or till light golden brown. When most of the tofu looks good, toss in the shallot and ginger and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir the teriyaki sauce around to make sure everything is incorporated, then pour it over the tofu in the hot pan.

7 You’re almost done, so don’t get lost in the sauce now. Cook, stirring frequently, to coat the tofu as the sauce thickens up, 1 to 2 minutes. When the sauce looks nice and thick and all the tofu is coated, remove from the heat.

8 Serve just like this or top it with some cilantro, green onions, or sesame seeds to really flex on the terrible takeout you usually settle for.

**TO FINISH

. cup white rice flour or cornstarch

2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as peanut or safflower

1 shallot, diced

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

Optional garnishes:

Chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, or sesame seeds

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Vegetable and Lentil Tabbouleh:CSIRO Low Carb Diet – Quick and Easy -Grant Brinkworth & Pennie Taylor 

CSIRO Low Carb Diet –  Quick and Easy 

Grant Brinkworth & Pennie Taylor 

Pan Macmillan Australia

RRP $34.99

Vegetable and Lentil Tabbouleh

400 g firm tofu, sliced

4 zucchini, thinly sliced diagonally

640 g fresh vegetable and lentil salad

250 g cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems and leaves finely chopped

¼ cup (60 ml) fat-free Italian dressing

 

Preheat the chargrill plate on a barbecue to medium–high.

Add the tofu and zucchini and cook, turning occasionally, for 5 minutes or until golden and just cooked. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Season with freshly ground black pepper and serve.

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Pumpkin and Tofu Tangine – CSIRO Low Carb Diet – Quick and Easy -Grant Brinkworth & Pennie Taylor 

CSIRO Low Carb Diet –  Quick and Easy 

Grant Brinkworth & Pennie Taylor 

Pan Macmillan Australia

RRP $34.99

Pumpkin and Tofu Tangine

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon harissa seasoning

300 g peeled, seeded pumpkin, cut into thin wedges

600 g firm tofu, cut into 2 cm pieces

2 zucchini, cut lengthways into quarters

1 x 500 g packet frozen broccoli and cauliflower rice

 

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, deep non-stick frying pan over high heat.

Add the harissa, pumpkin, tofu and zucchini and cook, tossing, for 2 minutes.

Add ½ cup (125 ml) water. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large non-stick wok over high heat. Add the broccoli and cauliflower rice and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until heated through and starting to crisp up.

Divide the rice and tofu tagine evenly among shallow bowls and serve.

 

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Post Script: Real Delicious – Chrissy Freer

Nutrition and flavour are not sacrificed when making any of these recipes.

Real Delicious Cover

Real Delicious

Chrissy Freer

Murdoch Books

ISBN: 9781743365960

 

Description:

Whatever happened to eating real food? In a world of fasts and fads, whirlwind diets and mealtime anxiety, isn’t it time we took back the joy of eating real, whole food and enjoyed the good health, energy and glowing vitality that can go with that? We only need to look at the increasing incidence of diabetes, food intolerances, allergies and digestive irritations and disorders to see that whatever it is we’re doing to our food, it’s not agreeing with us…In Real Delicious, Chrissy Freer will show you how quick, easy, satisfying and invigorating it is to cook and eat real food. These are simply delicious recipes to share with family and friends for your whole life…Eat real, eat well and love it!

 

 

My View:

This recipe book matches my cooking/eating preferences exactly! Give me real food any day – meals made with fresh produce, made with flavour and encompassing ingredients from the wide spectrum available to us – nutrition and flavour are not sacrificed when making any of these recipes.

 

The book is helpfully divided into chapters –

Grains

Legumes

Meat and Tofu

Eggs, Seeds and Nuts

From the Vegetable Patch

From the Sea

From the Dairy

From the Orchard

 

The recipes are easy to follow and easy to make – successes are guaranteed. What I love the most aside from the helpful descriptions/discussion regarding ingredients/nutrition under each chapter and the chapter dedicated to From The Vegetable Patch (this was always going to be a favourite for me) is the design and layout of the book; beautiful images (I love to see how a finished recipe should look /be presented) and ingredients are listed in order of use in the recipe. I cannot emphasis how important this listing of ingredients is – so many times this experienced home cook has made the mistake of getting almost to the end of a recipe to discover I have missed something out /or I am out of step with the addition of the ingredients – it make so much sense to list the ingredients in the order of their use – why don’t all cook books follow this simple rule?

 

This is the book to have on your recipe shelf!