Tea-Smoked Tofu and Shiitake Mushrooms with Coconut Curry and Collard Greens, Noodle Cakes, Sake & Miso Glazed Eggplant

Dinner 09/02

Tea-Smoked Tofu

Shiitake Mushrooms

Coconut Curry

Collard Greens

Noodle Cakes

Sake & Miso Glazed Eggplant

Tonight we utilized a combo of recipes that came together as a coherent meal. I'm always surprised when it does ;)

The base started with our usual collard greens/curry combo.

In a wok on med-high heat add 1 tbs. canola oil, 1 tsp. garlic, 1 tsp. ginger. Cook for 30 seconds until aromatic, then add the thinly cut collards greens and turn constantly. Cook for five minutes, until the collards are softened. Add a splash of tamari, turn to coat, cook for one additional minute. Remove from the wok and keep warm.

Next, the curry sauce that the collards are braised in was fortified. In the same wok, add 1 tsp. of canola oil and stir-fry 2 tbs. of shallots and 1 tbs. garlic until fragrant, then add 1/2 can of coconut milk, and whisk in 1 tbs. red curry paste (more or less depending on your personal preference), 1/2 of a lime, juiced, 1 tsp. of agave and a splash of tamari. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly reduced. Add the collard greens back into wok, turn the heat down to low, put the lid on the wok and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Check for seasoning.

From there we added a layer of noodle cake -- We haven't made them in ages -- we started with Bun (rice) noodles, which were cooked and tossed with sesame oil, then pan-fried using a ring mold to hold their shape -- when the first side was done (about 5 minutes) you can remove the mold and flip the noodles over to finish.

The tea-smoked tofu and shiitake mushrooms we fried in the wok as usual, splashed with tamari to finish and then placed on top of the stack.



The eggplants were cut into 1 1/2" rounds, scored with a crosshatch pattern, brushed with canola oil and seasoned with salt and pepper before being pan-fried on both sides for 3-4 minutes. Then they go in a 375°F oven for 20 minutes until cooked through. finally they were brushed with a reduction of sake/mirin/sugar/miso and glazed under the broiler for about 2 minutes per side. They truly do melt in your mouth.

Tags: tofu, noodles, eggplant, shiitake, mushroom, collard greens, curry, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666