Sriracha Crispy Tofu with Taiwanese Pickled Cabbage | 醬香脆皮豆腐配台式高麗泡菜

附中文食譜

Nearly half a year since my last visit to Taiwan, I feel a sudden pang of craving for the island's renowned street food. Topping the long list of must-haves when food-crawling through Taipei's legendary night markets is the "stinky tofu" - deep-fried, fermented bean curd whose mouthwatering, funky stench seduces even from streets away. In my opinion, the stinkier the tofu the better - in which case Hong Kong's own version may sometimes prevail - yet, its scarcity and inflated prices these days make them more of a distant memory.

A major difference between the two is the additional accompaniment of pickled cabbage typically served alongside stinky tofu in Taiwan. Sweet and mildly sharp with notes of garlic and chili, the pickled vegetables give a refreshing crunch that not only balances out the lip-burning sensation of tofu fresh off the fryer and the heat of chili sauce, but also relieves the greasiness (and guilt). The pairing is so perfect I sometimes wonder if one can equally enjoy stinky tofu without pickled cabbage. Ditto that with any deep fried foods, for that matter.


Drawing inspiration from the popular Taiwanese street snack, the following recipe is a simple take on crispy tofu shallow-fried and then dressed in a sticky sweet and spicy Sriracha sauce and served with crunchy pickled cabbage. Both firm and extra-firm tofu would suit the dish brilliantly, although the former may lend even more of a silky texture underneath the crispy, golden shell. For the best results, it is essential to press and drain the tofu to extract as much liquid as possible. It may sound tedious, but I promise it is easy and will worth every effort.

Warning: this is a jar of vegetables you will NOT want to put down!

The crunchy Taiwanese pickled cabbage - perhaps as important as the tofu itself - can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to weeks. With so few ingredients, it is so simple and so addictive it can stand on its own as a snack throughout the day or even make a great aperitif. My first batch was gone within just a couple of days!

What you'll need...
Taiwanese Pickled Cabbage
1 small head cabbage
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 cup rice vinegar*
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bird's eye chili, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, shredded or thinly sliced

Note: Alternatively, use white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar, or a combination of both.

Sriracha Glaze
2 tablespoon water
3 tablespoon Sriracha (or to taste)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon yellow bean sauce or miso paste
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce

Crispy Tofu
1 block (450 g) firm or extra-firm tofu
1/3 cup cornstarch
Pinch of white pepper and salt
2 tablespoon oil for shallow frying

Taiwanese Pickled Cabbage

1. Remove and discard the outer layers of the cabbage. Working your way down to the core, peel and roughly tear each layer of leaves into bite-sized pieces. Place in large bowl or zip lock bag and sprinkle evenly with coarse salt and give the contents a good toss. Set aside for one hour, giving it a stir or shake every 20 minutes or so.

2. In a saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, and salt on medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Turn heat off. Tip in shredded carrots, chili, and minced garlic and set aside to cool.


3. Drain the cabbage and rinse in running water to remove salt. Press leaves gently and drain as much water as possible. Place leaves into a large pickling jar, pour in vinegar mixture and ensure that the cabbage is completely submerged. Otherwise, top up with more vinegar. Store in refrigerator and the pickled cabbage will be ready in as soon as just half a day!

Sriracha Glaze

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Crispy Tofu

1. Press and drain: on a plate, sandwich tofu block in between layers of paper towels and top with another plate. Weigh it down with heavy cans or books for at least 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Cut into chunky cubes.


2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together cornstarch, white pepper and salt. Add tofu cubes and toss well to coat, shaking off any excess. Heat oil in pan and fry the tofu cubes until all sides are golden and crispy, about 4 mins each side. Drain tofu on paper towels.

3. On a plate, spoon Sriracha glaze over crispy tofu and top with a heap of pickled cabbage. Enjoy hot! 
 

《醬香脆皮豆腐配台式高麗泡菜》

世界杯深宵夜市小食！每次遠赴台灣夜市，總是鍾情香氣撲鼻、熱辣辣的臭豆腐，拌上香辣醬和清甜爽脆的高麗泡菜，實在味力無法擋！來不及飛台灣，不如自家製 — 不「臭臭」的脆皮豆腐同簡易台式泡菜！

台式高麗泡菜
椰菜                    1 小顆（約 600 克）
粗鹽                    1 湯匙
糯米醋               250 毫升（可用白醋或蘋果醋）
砂糖                    170 克
鹽                        1/4 茶匙
蒜瓣                    4 瓣（剁碎）
指天椒                1 隻（切片）
甘筍                    1 小條（刨絲或切薄片）

1. 椰菜除去外層較髒的葉子，內層的葉子撕成片狀，均勻撒上粗鹽，靜置 10 分鐘後用手拌勻，其後每 15-20 分鐘輕輕翻動一次，待葉子出水及微軟後即可。椰菜最多鹽醃一小時，以保其爽脆和避免過鹹。
2. 靜置椰菜同時，把醋和砂糖煮滾，待砂糖溶化後熄火。加入甘筍絲、蒜末和辣椒放涼備用。
3. 鹽醃過的椰菜用涼開水沖洗一遍，瀝乾水分。放入玻璃容器中，再倒入糖醋，蓋上蓋子，放入冰箱半天以上既可食用。

備註：注意糖醋必須淹過椰菜，不足必須再添加。
取用泡菜一定要用乾淨不含油污及不含水的器具，否則容易變壞。

是拉差甜辣醬
開水                      2 湯匙
是拉差辣椒醬    3 湯匙（份量隨個人辣度喜好）
蒜瓣                      3 瓣（剁碎）
豆醬或味噌         1 湯匙
砂糖                     1 湯匙
生抽                     1 茶匙

1. 把所有醬汁材料拌勻煮溶，再作適當調味。   

脆皮豆腐
硬豆腐                 1 磚（約 450 克）
生粉                     40 克
白胡椒和鹽       適量
煮食油                2 湯匙

1. 豆腐先加壓出水：豆腐用吸水紙包著放在碟中，上方再蓋上盤子，以重物（如罐頭）加壓 30 分鐘或以上，內部水分便會流出。出水後用吸水紙抹乾豆腐，並切成大小一致的小塊。
2. 生粉、白胡椒和鹽拌勻。豆腐粒沾粉後下鍋煎炸至金黃色，每邊約四分鐘。盛起後用吸水紙吸取多餘油分。
3. 脆皮豆腐上淋上是拉差甜辣醬，再配上一堆爽甜高麗泡菜，即成！

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Bae-Chu Kimchi: Traditional Korean Napa Cabbage Kimchi | 傳統自家製韓國泡菜

附中文食譜

Kimchi - the national dish of Korea and staple side dish on every Korean table - needs no formal introduction. Recognized long for its range of health benefits, this fiery, fermented vegetable side dish is rooted in tradition. Among the hundreds of kimchi varieties in Korea, the Napa cabbage variety, also known as pogi kimchi or tongbaechu kimchi, is the most iconic and common and is generally referred to by the catch-all name, kimchi.

Nowadays, one can easily skip the seemingly labor intensive process of making kimchi and purchase kimchi sold in jars or vacuum packs in supermarkets, but there is something irreplaceable in old-fashioned, authentic homemade kimchi.

Great kimchi starts with good, fresh Napa cabbage!

As with almost anything homemade, you get to tweak and customize.
And it's not just how spicy or mild you want your kimchi to be. Various salted seafood is used in kimchi to add a depth of flavor and to aid in the fermentation process. Whether it is salted shrimp, squid, or dried fish, the complex pungency of seafood is truly irreplaceable in kimchi. But if you are like me who is allergic to crustaceans, omit the shrimps and go with dried pollack and even anchovy paste for the unmistakable essence of the sea.

Eat it straight, as a banchan, or get creative: a batch of kimchi opens up infinite culinary possibilities

Making kimchi is like a mini science project.
Admit it, you were religiously watering and watching your beansprouts grow as an elementary school kid. Making kimchi from scratch is so much more fun than that. You get to get in and dirty, watch it ferment, and reap the benefits of all that effort in as short as a few days as it ripens!

You are participating in an age old tradition. 
Aside from adding a human touch to what you eat, making homemade kimchi allows you to experience hands-on the wisdom, knowledge, and tradition passed down from grandmother to mother, mother to daughter, generation after generation for centuries in Korea. As I made my own kimchi in my kitchen, I could almost hear the stories and laughter shared among women who gather for gimjang, where enormous quantities of kimchi is prepared communally to last through the harsh winter. Try it, you'll know what I mean.

A major bucket list item gets checked off.
Making kimchi, nevertheless, is not a once-in-a-lifetime event. It only gets better with practice!

Don't attempt to leave the gloves out!

After much research and trial, my recipe is based loosely on Korean American Chef Esther Choi's recipe which has been passed down from her grandmother. I have modified certain steps in preparation to make it simpler for home cooks. Apple or pear puree is added for a nice tinge of sweetness, whereas Korean dried pollack adds immense depth of flavor to the kimchi.

It's fall... kimchi making season! So get them gloves on and let's make some!

What you'll need...
1 head of Korean Napa cabbage, cut lengthwise, quartered
5 tablespoons rock salt
70g of Korean dried pollack (bugeochae), shredded
1 medium daikon radish (1lb), cut into 2-inch matchsticks
1 small carrot, cut into 2-inch matchsticks (optional)
1 bunch of scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces

Seasoning:
1 small apple or nashi pear, peeled and cored
2 inches fresh ginger
1 head of garlic
1 small onion
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup anchovy sauce (I used the filipino Bagoong Balayan)
1/4 cup lance fish sauce, or Thai fish sauce
3 tablespoons salted shrimp (saeujeot)*, chopped
2 tablespoons glutinous rice flour
1 cup Korean red chili pepper flakes (gochugaru), or more to taste
*Note: for a crustacean-free version, substitute salted shrimp with anchovy fillets or paste.

Prepping and salting the Napa Cabbage

To split a Napa cabbage in half, cut a slit in the base of the cabbage up to a third of the total length of the cabbage, gently pull the two halves apart. Repeat for each half to quarter the cabbage.


Add 1 1/2 cup of water inside a basin, dissolve 2 tablespoons of rock salt, wet the quartered Napa cabbage inside the basin and sprinkle salt between each layer of leaf. Let rest for at least two hours, turning them over every 30 minutes.

Rinse each quarter well under running water to remove the salt. Squeeze out excess water and let drain in a colander.

Making the rice gruel

In a small saucepan, add the rice flour and 2 cups of water over medium heat. Whisk constantly. Cook for 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Set aside to cool.

Making the seasoning paste

1. In a blender, blend together the apple, onion, garlic, and ginger with the mirin.
2. Soften the dried pollack with some lukewarm water. Drain.

3. In a big bowl, combine the rice gruel, apple mixture, daikon radish, carrot, scallion, dried fish, and the rest of the seasoning ingredients and massage everything well to become a paste.

Bringing everything together

Bring the drained cabbage quarters into the mixture and spread the paste onto every single leaf. Tightly pack the kimchi into jars or containers with fitted lids or cover tightly with plastic. 

Allow the kimchi to sit in room temperature for at least two days, or longer for a stronger flavor. The warmer and more humid the environment is, the faster the kimchi will ferment. Store in refrigerator once the kimchi begins to ferment and use as needed. Refrigerating slows down the fermentation process, which makes the kimchi more and more sour as time goes on.

【 傳統自家製韓國泡菜 】

材料：
韓國旺菜  1 棵
粗鹽  5 湯匙
韓國鱈魚乾  70 克
韓國大根蘿蔔  1 磅
甘筍  1  枝
大蔥  數棵

泡菜醃料材料：
蘋果或梨  1 個
薑  2 吋
蒜瓣  6 個
洋蔥  1 小個
味醂 60 毫升
鯷魚露  60 毫升
魚露  60 毫升
韓國蝦醬  3 湯匙*
粘米粉  2 湯匙
韓國辣椒粉  100 - 120 克
*備註：如有對貝殼類海產敏感，可以罐頭鯷魚或鯷魚醬代替蝦醬。

旺菜出水做法：
1. 於旺菜底部切一刀，用手把旺菜輕輕撕開兩半，再分為共四份。
2. 於大盤裏加入一碗半清水及 2 湯匙粗鹽，沾濕旺菜，再於每片葉之間灑上剩下的粗鹽，硬的部份多灑一點。
3. 完成後待其軟化出水，每半小時翻轉一次，共約 2 小時。
4. 徹底洗去鹽份，輕輕擠去多餘水份，晾乾備用。

米漿做法：
於小鍋裏加入粘米粉和兩碗清水用中火煮至糊狀，期間不停攪拌。熄火晾涼。

泡菜醃料做法：
1. 大根、甘筍切絲，大蔥切段。
2. 韓國鱈魚乾搣成絲，加入少量清水待其軟化。
3. 蘋果/梨去皮去芯切粒，加入薑、蒜、洋蔥和味醂打成蓉。
4. 於大盤子裏加入大根、甘筍、大蔥、蘋果/梨蒜蓉、鱈魚乾絲、蝦醬/鯷魚、鯷魚露、魚露、米漿和韓國辣椒粉，用手拌勻所有醃料再作調味（謹記帶手套啊！）
5. 加入旺菜，並於每片葉之間塗滿醃料至完全覆蓋。
6. 完成後把泡菜放在玻璃盒或陶瓷煲內，加蓋封好。
7. 放在室溫發酵 2 天後放入雪櫃，泡菜會繼續慢慢發酵。隨時享用！

備註：
－ 泡的時間越長味道越酸，泡菜汁中培養出來的各種益生菌也更多。
－ 較成熟的泡菜最適合煮食泡製出其他菜式。
－ 調味很隨意，亦視乎材料原來的質素及味道。調味可加亦可減。

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Chef Esther Choi: http://www.foodparadisetv.com/food/vlogs-clips/the-best-korean-kimchi-recipe/

Korean-style Grilled Pork Wraps with Assorted Leaves (Ssam)

My recent short visit to Seoul had gotten me a quick fix on all things barbequed, fiery hot (so sadistically hot I nearly Poughkeepsied in my pants the morning after), coated and deep fried. No visit to Seoul - or anywhere else for that matter - is complete without a detour to the supermarkets, where fresh produce and meats compete in sheer variety with a mind-boggling array of all things preserved and pickled.

My favorite section of all Korean groceries is undoubtedly what I dub the "ssam bar" (sounds familiar, New Yorkers?) - a misty, self-serve cooler where shoppers arm themselves with a pair of tongs and pick away from a dazzling assortment of lettuces and leaves sold by weight. Here you will find stacks upon stacks of the intensely fragrant perilla leaf, distinct with its grassy notes of anise and liquorice, that are larger, rounder, flatter, and with a less serrated edge than its Japanese counterpart, shiso. While some of these greens require cooking, most are destined to be consumed fresh, enveloping a morsel of sizzling hot samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly) and a range of toppings.

My craving for Korean food hardly subsided by the time I returned home to my penthouse kitchen. Stocking up my fridge with fresh groceries from Korea, I began to plan for a power lunch for the following day. I needed something quick and hassle-free, and something to stave off my craving before I head to work. And so I 'cheated' by using a store-bought kalbi marinade, marinated some antibiotic-free pork shoulder overnight, and whipped together an improvised ssamjang the next day.

Below is my recipe for a fast and basic Korean-inspired ssam, or lettuce wrap, that also makes good use of my homemade Pink Pickled Radishes (click for recipe). I have also only recently discovered a way of lining my almighty Panini Grill to eliminate cleanup. So if you've got one just like mine, this delicious meal is practically ready in under 10 minutes with hardly anything to wash. Scrubbing down the beast is a thing of the past!

To Prepare...

Same results, zero mess!

1. Cut pork shoulder or collar into bite-sized morsels. Marinate for at least 30 min or overnight in pork kalbi marinade.

2. Preheat Panini Grill, line with aluminium foil, carefully folding in the edges to contain any runoff while grilling. Place marinated pork on grill, top with another sheet of foil, then press and leave to grill until fully cooked. Alternatively, use a griddle or a heavy skillet.

3. In the meantime, prepare ssamjang, which is a thick, spicy-savoury paste typically used with grilled meats in lettuce wraps in Korean cuisine. Either use a commercially produced ssamjang or make your own. I improvised with mixing miso paste with a dallop of Gochujang and a dash of sesame oil - super shortcut, and close to the real thing!

4. Check that pork has begun to caramelize and is cooked through. Build your wraps with pickled radishes, a sizzling chunk of pork, a tiny clump of ssamjang, and finish off with toppings such as micro sprouts for a cool contrast to the flavorful pork and a boost in phytonutrients!

Note: you can also add rice to make this a ssambap. Simply layer on a clump of rice and you've got a well-rounded meal!

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Pink Pickled Radishes

On a recent visit to the groceries in Los Angeles, I dove towards a basket full of locally grown radishes as if it were a quarry of precious gems. Indeed, these glistening rubies of the earth would be so rare back home that they'd only be found with a preposterous price at the up-market C!tySuper as foreign imports. Without much thought I snatched a bunch of these gems for just a dollar. For the record I did suppress a little victory dance.

The hue of these radishes enthralls me. Not crimson, not magenta, but a distinct shade of red in between that contrasts starkly with its cool white flesh. Its crisp pepperiness makes radishes an interesting addition to salads and meats, but pickling them makes them all the more fun for anything that deserves a pickle. A sandwich, a lettuce wrap, a taco... or simply straight from the jar. Experiment with different herbs when preparing this pickle. Some recipes call for tarragon, or bay leaf. I find that thyme imparts a delicate layer of flavor without overpowering; I'm using thyme also partly because my thyme plants are at their prime this season!

To prepare...
Radish (I used 6 medium sized ones)
3/4 cup of distilled white vinegar (or white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
3/4 cup of water
2 tablespoons of honey (or agave nectar for vegans)
2 teaspoons of sea salt
1 clove of garlic, peeled
10 black peppercorns, roughly crushed
1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)

 1. Wash and gently scrub radishes and trim off the stalks and roots. Slice into thin rings using a fine knife or a mandolin.

2. In a saucepan, bring the water, vinegar, honey and salt to a boil until completely dissolved. Turn the heat off and set aside.

3. Pack the sliced radish into a sterilized jar. (Blogger Karon Grieve provides an excellent resource on Larder Love on how to easily sterilize jars. I opt for the oven method.)


4. Pour the pickling liquid over the radishes. Add the peppercorns, garlic clove, and herbs if using. Muse at the jar as the mixture gradually turns into a lovely pink hue!


5. Cover with lid and let cool. Place in the refrigerator once cooled. The pickled radishes will be ready overnight and keep well for several weeks, although they are most fresh and crisp for about 5 days after pickling.

Note: If you let the garlic clove hangout too long in the jar, the radishes will take on a very strong garlic flavor. If all you want is a touch of garlic, remove the clove after one day.

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