Meal 2 Summary (Sesame Tofu, Singapore Noodles)

Well, maybe we just love every kind of food, because I have a feeling we're going to rate these meals at the top of their class.

Sesame Tofu (Adam 4.5/5; Alex 4.5/5)

This was a lovely surprise. As authentic as it gets, this recipe held true to its promises! The sauce is a carbon copy of sesame sauce you would find in Chinese restaurants. While the flavour was untouchable, the tofu needs to be fried in a better manner- suggestions welcome!

Singapore Noodles (Adam 3.5/5; Alex 4/5)

What this recipe lacked in quality it made up in quantity... holy man. So many noodles. I am going to have trouble getting up after this serious amount of food. Fullness to a whole 'nother level. The flavour was unique, very gingery. Alex said it tasted like stuff he had in restaurants, but I've never had singapore noodles before, so I can't say. Chopping the veggies took awhile, but the cooking time itself was very short. Chickpeas were an unusual addition, but added some needed protein. All in all, a great cure for the mid-week blues. 

I would suggest cooking some steamed rice to serve over the sesame tofu. I just mixed it with the noodles, which was fine, but the noodles lost some of their own original flavour in the yumminess of the sesame sauce.

Singapore Noodles

Serves: 6-8
Cook/prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:


2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced ginger
4 mushrooms
1 package dry rice vermicelli
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
2 green onions, coarsely chopped
1/2 red pepper, diced
4 small carrots, diced
1/4 Package soft tofu, coarsely chopped
1 cup chickpeas, chopped
1/2 cup peanuts, chopped
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp sesame oil

For sauce:

3tbsp Curry powder
1 tsp Thai Curry Paste (optional: can use any sort of curry paste or hot-sauce, but it will taste different depending on what you use)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
4 tsp sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil


1) Put the rice vermicelli in a large bowl and soak in boiling water. Drain noodles and set aside.
2) Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add curry powder, ginger, and garlic. Add water, soy sauce, sugar, and curry paste. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3) Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan over medium. Add remaining garlic and ginger, and fry for a couple minutes. Add celery, carrots, onions, pepper, sprouts, green onions, and mushrooms. Fry for 2 minutes. Add tofu and chickpeas and fry an additional 3 minutes until vegetables soften.
4) Mix vegetables, noodles, and sauce, adding chopped peanuts on top.

Based on this recipe

Week 1: "Chinese"/"What We Think Chinese Food Is"

Ingredients we needed to buy*:
Apples, wine vinegar, corn starch, marmalade, carrots, orange juice concentrate, bok choy, green onion, garlic, celery, tofu (one firm, one soft), bean sprouts, 3 bell peppers, mushrooms, cabbage.
Cost: $37.53

So, here's on the hit list for the week:
-Mandarin Seitan
-Hot and Sour Soup
-Sesame Tofu
-Singapore Noodles
-Steamed Buns
-Cabbage Salad
-Fried Rice


*This assumes you own basic ingredients such as salt, soy sauce, sugar, rice etc...