Collard Greens with Coconut Curry Sauce, Tea-Smoked Tofu Squares, Deep-Fried Rice Balls and Braised Bok Choy

Dinner 11/10

Collard Greens with Coconut Curry Sauce

Tea-Smoked Tofu Squares

Deep-Fried Rice Balls

Braised Bok Choy

A riff on a house favorite recipe, putting all the elements in a bowl instead of our usual method of plating...

Portion a block of extra-firm tofu into 16 squares and smoked it with oolong tea for 20 minutes. Then stir-fry the tofu in the wok with a little splash of tamari at the end of cooking. Set aside.

(We also added a few shiitake mushrooms -- totally optional)

In the same wok, cook the bok choy. Cut the bok choy in half and rinse. Over med-high heat, add 1 tsp. of canola oil to the wok and sear quickly on both sides. Add a splash of tamari and water, turn to coat the bok choy and reduce the heat down to low and put a lid on to cover for 5-7 minutes. Set aside.

Make fresh rice, save a little for the bottom of the bowl and form the rest into golf-ball sized pieces and deep-fry for 30-45 seconds at 375F. Set aside.

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, make the curry sauce 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.

To assemble, start with a layer of the fresh rice, add the collard greens and tea-smoked tofu, fried rice and braised bok choy. Pour the hot sauce from the wok over everything and serve.