Aromatic coconut and udon soup

S has rediscovered udon noodles in a big way - currently, they are (almost, besides gorgonzola pasta) his favourite thing. Times have changed from when he bought a packet and they lay unused for almost a year... Last night I was heading home before him and asked for dinner suggestions. He said udon (naturally), and followed up with coconut (inspired, I think, by a soup we had at the Thai place at the end of our road the other night). I started thinking about all the lovely aromatics we had squirreled in the freezer (lemongrass, galangal, ginger...) and the tin of coconut milk I had left over from my abandoned kefir experiments, and realised it was a brilliant idea!

1 star anise
~2 tbsp chopped lemongrass
2 inch piece galangal, peeled and sliced
2 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped into matchsticks
2 dried red chillies
1-2 lime leaves (optional)
good handful of fresh coriander, chopped (stalky parts and leafy parts separated)
1 tin coconut milk
~1-2 tbsp light soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
water
hot chilli sauce
2 (single serving) packets of udon
1 small onion, peeled and sliced lengthways into bitesize pieces
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
1/2 a pack of extra firm tofu, drained and chopped into ~2 x 2 x 1 cm chunks
3 large-ish button mushrooms, trimmed and chopped into sixths lengthwise
3 smallish tomatoes, cut into sixths (or use cherry tomatoes)

Put the star anise, lemongrass, galangal, ginger, dried chillies, lime leaves (if using) and the stalky bits of coriander into a saucepan and add the coconut milk, soy sauce, and lime juice. Add ~1-2 cups of water and bring gently to a simmer. Taste for saltiness, acid, thickness/intensity of coconut milk, and add more soy sauce, lime juice or boiling water accordingly. Put in the udon, onion, carrots and tofu and bring back up to a simmer. Turn off and let sit for 10 minutes or so before checking the flavour balance again. Adjust as before, also add a few drops of hot sauce if you think it needs to be spicier. A few minutes before serving, add the mushrooms, tomatoes, and the leafy parts of the coriander. Bring back up to simmering point, check all the vegetables and the udon are cooked, turn off the heat and serve the soup. Avoid eating the star anise, the big pieces of galangal, and the dried chillies.


Really good. Quick (veg preparation the most time consuming step), and super easy / minimal washing up - just one board, one knife and one big pan (besides bowls and spoon+forks). Most of the stuff is either always in the storecupboard or basic veg and herbs. Veg could be varied (brassicas nice); as could noodles / it could be served with rice on the side instead. Lovely, warming, filling, aromatic and comforting for a cold, cold, end-of-year day.

Brown rice with sweet potato, spinach and miso-tahini sauce

This is yet another variation on something I make really often - some grain, some steamed veg (most often something green (e.g. broccoli, spinach, leeks, edamame) and something orange (e.g. carrots)), some tofu, some sauce, some herb and some seeds. It really hits the spot; I especially crave it after an aerial evening; it's quick, super simple, flexible and good.

Lindsey's photo

I have discovered ornamental sweet potatoes (thanks to M from LUrC). They were planted all around where I work and now the frost has killed the plants and they have been removed, but some tubers are still there (+some are crazy spiral shapes). I tried a few and they are tender and sweet. But I am not sure whether I should eat more - perhaps they use bad pesticides on them. Anyway, interesting - I'd never noticed them before but they are everywhere.

1 cup brown rice (used TJs brown rice, black barley and radish seed mix)
2 medium sweet potatoes, trimmed and chopped into chunks
1/8 of a large kabocha squash, chopped into chunks
generous handful of spinach, washed and torn into pieces if leaves are large
2 tbsp white miso
1 tbsp tahini
1/2 clove garlic, crushed to paste
2 in piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1-2 tbsp mirin
1-2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1/3 block firm tofu, diced fairly small
fresh coriander, chopped
sesame seeds (black or white)

Put the rice on to cook with 2 cups of water - should take 20-30 min. Meanwhile, prep the sweet potatoes and squash and put on to steam - should take 10-15 min. When the squash is done take it out of the steamer and put the spinach in - will steam in 2-3 min - take out and refresh in cold water to stop cooking before squeezing all liquid out. While you're waiting for stuff to cook you can make the sauce: mix miso, tahini, garlic, ginger, mirin and vinegar in a small bowl, taste for balance. Also prep the tofu and coriander and toast the seeds (if you like). To eat, dump your chosen proportions of everything in a bowl, mix and enjoy.


Everything I love at the moment seems to involve some combination of miso, sesame and ginger. This is no exception.

Pumpkin and tofu roasted with miso and thyme

At last I decided to butcher the squash (I think it was a red kabocha) I got from Drumlin the day I volunteered there way back in September. It was one of the first ones they harvested, and I was excited to eat it, but of course squashes keep well, so it had been sitting patiently in the pantry ever since. It was still in great condition when I finally got to it over the weekend. Some of it became soda bread - I had an old Delia recipe on my mind I wanted to veganise. Some I roasted with miso, tofu and thyme like this. I toasted the seeds with spices, and they came to L's birthday party with me and one of two soda bread rounds. And I still have half the squash left in the fridge!

1/4 of a large kabocha squash (about 9 oz, prepared weight)
2/3 of a pack of firm tofu, drained
2 tbsp white miso
~2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp mirin
1-2 tsp sesame oil
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp maple syrup
black pepper

Heat the oven to 400F. Wash and deseed the squash or pumpkin and cut into large chunks (don't bother peeling). Cut the drained tofu into similar sized chunks. Put both into a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients to make a smooth, viscous liquid. Pour the liquid over the chunks and mix well to coat all the chunks, with your hands or a big spoon. Transfer the mixture to a roasting tin (in a single layer), put in the oven and roast for ~45 min, until the squash is tender and all is nicely browned.


This was really delicious - the squash is tender, deep red, and very sweet and flavourful; I am really into baked / grilled tofu with sauces right now (had some good stuff at the LUrC potluck last night too).

Ginger-sesame-miso soup

We ate at Life Alive after sauna and it hit the spot - I had something ('The Fool') rich with mushrooms, kale, sesame, ginger and sprouted legumes (and udon); S had a similar beast but with miso broth. Yesterday we had planned a big dinner (East by Northeast), so I wanted something light but filling for lunch. As I biked back from aerials it was chilly but brightening, and miso soup shaped into my answer as I rode. I've made miso soup before and it's so simple it hardly warrants a recipe. But anyway, for this one I merged S's miso with my sesame-ginger and it was really fresh and delicious while still warm enough for a chilly Autumn day.

(makes enough for one person, for lunch)

3 small carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
3 inch piece of daikon radish, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups boiling water
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2-3 savoy cabbage (or other cabbage, or kale) leaves, shredded
2 inch cube of firm tofu, chopped into ~1 cm dice
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2-3 tbsp good-quality white miso
~1 tbsp shredded fresh mint (or coriander)

Put the carrots and daikon in a small pan with the water and the ginger. Bring to the boil. Boil for a few minutes, until the carrots are just starting to get tender. Add the cabbage and tofu and bring back to the boil. Turn off the heat and mix in the sesame oil and miso. Pour or dollop into a bowl, top with the mint, and eat (add more water, more miso or more sesame oil to taste).


This is amazing - a week later it's still all I want to eat. I've got S into it too, and we have made various versions, all successful - one with shredded kale, sliced turnip, sweetcorn, peas and edamame; another with noodles as well to make it even more beefy. Yum. Only thing that didn't really work was eating some cold without broth - thought it'd just be like steamed veg with some miso flavour; it turned out to be a bit peely-wally.

Breakfast scramble

We realised this morning that we hadn't had an out of the ordinary weekend breakfast any time recently.  So I volunteered to make us a tofu scramble.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 small courgette, sliced
4 mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 spring onions, chopped
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
5 courgette flowers (male), bases and stamens removed, petals chopped 
1 package extra firm tofu, drained and patted dry
1/4 tsp turmeric
1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
salt+pepper

Heat olive oil in a frying pan, then add the chopped onion and saute.  Add the garlic and saute a few minutes.  Then add the courgette and give it a few more minutes.  Next add mushrooms, spring onions, chilli, red pepper flakes and thyme and cook a few more minutes.  Then add the parsley, basil and courgette flowers and cook a little longer.  Crumble in the tofu and add turmeric, cook a few more minutes to heat through.  Finally, add balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and salt+pepper to taste.


This one was pretty good - S said it was the best tofu scramble he'd ever had (not that he's had all that many...).

BBQ food: watermelon salad, marinated tofu, stuffed courgettes

It was at last time to get our little barbeque dirty for the first time this season - A+R came round for a Sunday lunch grill.

I made a big, rocket-based salad, and we grilled some fruits and veggies pretty plainly: corn on the cob, long-sliced courgettes and plantains, fingerling potatoes (some with shredded, freshly-picked sage) in foil packets in the coals (these were excellent), pineapple, chocolate-stuffed bananas in foil in the coals...

I also, partly inspired by grilling at A's on Friday, decided to marinate some tofu and see how that went - I haven't tried barbequeing tofu before, envisaged it falling apart and through the holes into the fire, but it turned out really successful.  I just lobbed a whole load of things I thought would taste good together into the marinade - I feel like all sorts of variations / a simpler version would work well too.

The watermelon salad and stuffed courgettes are classics from my vegetarian days - S came back from Trado's with a big pot of good feta (a key ingredient for both). The stuffed courgettes are one of his specialities, and the watermelon salad is a favourite of his too (he has never really gone vegan, although he's been vegetarian for nearly 30 years).


Marinated Tofu

1 packet extra-firm tofu

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp white vermouth
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp honey
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp mixed chili and red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Slice the tofu into pieces about 1 cm thick and press as dry as you can manage.  Make sure to use firm tofu as this will help negate any potential breaking up / falling in problems.  Arrange in a single layer in the smallest high-sided dish you can fit them in.  I also put in some mushrooms, stalk removed and gill side up.  Mix up the marinade in a small bowl, pour it evenly over all the tofu pieces and mushrooms, cover and leave for 1-2 hours minimum (will keep like this in the fridge for a day or two).

When ready to grill, just place on the hot bbq grill.  The grill will make pretty charred lines so if you want these to look good think about when and how you move the tofu pieces around.  Done when lightly browned / slightly charred.


Watermelon Salad

1/4 small watermelon
3/4 slab of feta (or ~6 finely chopped, salty black olives as a vegan substitute)
2 sprigs of basil
2 spring onions
olive oil
salt and pepper

Peel the watermelon and slice it thinly, then into bite-sized pieces.  Arrange in a bowl and crumble the feta over the top.  Slice the spring onions very finely and add to the bowl, followed by the torn basil leaves.  Dress with extra virgin olive oil and some salt and pepper.  This made enough for 4 people to have a bowlful each.


Stuffed Courgettes

2 medium sized courgettes
1 1/2 tbsp pine nuts (or sunflower seeds)
3/4 slab feta (or marinated tofu - I'd simplify the marinade above a little but use a similar method)
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (optional)
olive oil
salt+pepper

Balance each courgette on a flat surface to see where it sits without rolling around.  The cut a window / lid along the length of the top (as you would when making a pumpkin lantern) and hollow out the insides.  Don't worry about getting every last bit out, just make sure there is a good cavity to fill and the sides and lid are still quite robust.

Mix up the remaining ingredients in a bowl along with about half the chopped-up courgette innards.  Then stuff the mixture into the cavity, making sure it is full to bursting before putting the lid back on.  Prepare a piece of tinfoil for each courgette, big enough to wrap it up securely.  Season the inside of the tinfoil with salt and pepper and olive oil, then place each prepared courgette in the middle of a piece of tinfoil and wrap up.

Cook directly in the hot coals - they are done when they give a little when poked (should take about 15 min).

baked tofu / miso asparagus

 Baked tofu from this recipe.

1 package firm tofu
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons grated or finely minced ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons mirin or other white wine
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce.

Heat the oven to 375°F.  Cut the tofu into ~10 slices and put them in an oven dish.  Mix the other ingredients, and pour them over the tofu.  Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed.

Miso asparagus from this recipe.

1 large bunch asparagus, trimmed
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
4 teaspoons white miso
4 teaspoons white wine
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Heat the oven to 375°F.  Mix all the ingredients except the asparagus together.  Spread the asparagus on a baking sheet and pour the marinade on top, mixing around a bit.  Put in the oven for about 35 min.


I stumbled on the asparagus recipe and it seemed like a great idea as S has been super into miso and to a lesser extent asparagus recently.  And the tofu one was just an afterthought as I had some tofu that needed eating and hadn't tried baking it before.  Actually, in the end I liked the tofu much better - didn't think the miso texture went all that well with the asparagus, but the tofu was dead tasty - the sweetness from the honey, saltiness from the soy and gentle fire from the ginger went really well.

Sesame Tofu with Fried Lettuce

I came across this tofu recipe the other day and mentally filed it under simple, interesting and potentially tasty.  Tonight I felt like making it.

1 box firm tofu (about 16 oz)
~1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
a few drops hot sauce
2 tsp veg oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 head Romaine lettuce, rinsed and roughly chopped

Slice the tofu into 8 thin, square-ish slabs. Spread the sesame seeds on a plate, then press all sides of the tofu slabs into them to coat them.

Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan on medium heat.  Place the tofu slabs in a single layer in the pan and fry for 5-10 min on each side, until lightly browned.

Add the soy sauce and hot sauce, turn the tofu squares over, and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Transfer the tofu squares to a plate (leave stray sesame seeds in the pan).

Add the veg oil and the garlic to the pan and cook for about 30 seconds, until golden.  Add the chopped lettuce and cook for few minutes until slightly wilted but still with some bite.


Excited to stumble across the Moosewood recipes - I heard of the place a while back but never thought about looking them up online.  We ate it with some cold soba noodles (with sesame, lime, spring onion and coriander).  So into fried lettuce right now.  I appreciated the lack of prep in this tofu recipe: just tofu straight out of the packet and sesame seeds/oil.  It was great - good balance of crispy edges, toasty sesame seeds and firm tofu texture in the middle.

Chard frittata

Similar story to the courgette flowers - S bought some chard from the farmers' market / I remembered a recipe I'd seen on ppk for chard frittata.  We came back from a morning swim at Walden Pond, feeling a bit peckish...

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 bunch of red chard, rough stems removed, chopped well (about 4 cups)
2 teaspoons dried oregano / used a mixture of fresh basil and dried thyme
1 pound firm or extra firm tofu
1 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce (use tamari if gluten free)
1 teaspoon wet mustard (dijon or yellow, whatever you got)
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
several dashes fresh black pepper
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Preheat a large heavy bottomed pan over low-medium heat. Add the oil and the garlic and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light amber in colour.
Add the chard, oregano and and turn the heat up to medium high. Saute for about 5 minutes, until chard is completely wilted.
While the chard is cooking, squeeze the tofu over the sink to remove a little of the water. Crumble and squeeze it in a large mixing bowl, until it has the consistency of ricotta cheese. Add the remaining ingredients to the tofu and mix well. When your chard is ready, mix it into the tofu. Taste for salt.
Lightly grease an 8 inch pie plate and firmly press in your frittata mixture. Bake for 20 minutes, until firm and lightly browned on top. Let cool for about 3 minutes, then invert onto a plate and serve.


It came out very tasty - the chard taste really shone through - but rather falling apart - more like a tofu scramble than a firm frittata.  It did turn out, and looked quite nice.  Perhaps because I used a Pyrex dish to cook it?  Or because it was quite a big bunch of chard?  Anyway, if I did it again I might not bother with the oven, and just add the tofu mix to the pan and heat that way.  It was my first use of nutritional yeast, which was another reason I fancied trying it - I bought some a while ago but it was weirding me out a little as I don't really know where it comes from.  Think it tasted quite good - bit cheesy, quite strong.

Polenta + olive oil crackers / spiced carrot and tofu spread

Broken piece of cracker with carrot stuff

I came across these recipes for crackers by Dan Lepard in the Guardian.  Although S was away this weekend and I therefore had to rein in my cooking tendencies through lack of willing tummies, Sarah from the lab next door had a barbeque on Sunday and I decided this was a good enough opportunity to make some crackers.

I liked the look of both recipes, but decided to go for the olive oil / polenta one, as a) I am quite into polenta right now (and also just cracked open a huge tub of honey I bought for some unknown reason that made sense at the time), b) they are more naturally dairy/egg-free - I'm always using olive oil, marg not so much, and c) it would have been silly to do both... right?


Polenta and olive oil crackers

25g uncooked polenta or coarse cornmeal
1 tsp honey
50ml olive oil
300g plain flour, plus more for rolling
½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt

Pour 75ml boiling water over the polenta, stir and leave to swell for five minutes. Stir in the honey and oil. Tip the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl, add the polenta and about 50ml cold water, and mix to a dough. Knead for 10-15 seconds, until smooth, then wrap well and leave for 15 minutes, to make it easier to roll. Pinch off walnut-sized balls of dough (about 30g), roll very thinly into slipper shapes and lay on a tray lined with nonstick paper. Brush with water and bake at 200C (180C fan-assisted)/390F/gas mark 6 for 10-12 minutes, until golden and crisp.  Made about 24 (more than the quoted 15).

They worked like a dream - super simple, dough rolled out really nice, cracky and texturally exciting.  Pleasant, slightly salty taste perfect to eat with cheese or with something else...  Like?  This was the next question - decided I should make something to go with them to take to the BBQ.  Was liking a firm tofu / za'atar mash-up as a combo, so ran with that...


Spiced carrot and tofu spread

Half a pack (~8oz) firm tofu
3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tbsp za'atar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
pinch cayenne
small piece garlic (~1/5 clove)
salt and pepper
~ 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey

Prepare the carrots and put them in a steamer.  Steam for 10-15 min until a fork goes in easily.  Put into a blender with the rest of the ingredients.  Pulse until fairly smooth, but stopping before it is completely homogenised - felt like a slightly lumpy texture would be more appealing.


Crackers and spread both went down well at the party, including with S+C's baby Lenora (who is nearly 1 and has 8 teeth) - confirming the concern I felt when prepping the spread that it was a bit like babyfood (quite yummy babyfood though!).

Black pepper tofu

This is by Yotam Ottolenghi, from the Guardian.  I made it for the first time a while ago and it was good, if very very spicy.  That endorphin-triggering, intense heat.  Addictive, I guess - I seem to be wanting more...  This time I decided to reduce the heat by leaving out the chili and just using the black pepper: it's still hot, but not so mouth-blowing.

Serves four.
800g firm, fresh tofu / 200g
cornflour, to dust the tofu
Vegetable oil, for frying
150g butter / use veg oil ~ 2tbsp
12 small shallots (350g), peeled and thinly sliced / 1 medium onion
8 red chillies, thinly sliced / none
12 garlic cloves, crushed / 3 , finely chopped
3 tbsp chopped ginger / 3/4 tbsp
5 tbsp crushed black peppercorns / 1 1/4 tbsp
3 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) / 3/4 tbsp sweet chili sauce
3 tbsp light soy sauce / 3/4 tbsp
4 tsp dark soy sauce / 1 tbsp
2 tbsp sugar / 1/2 tbsp
16 small, thin spring onions, cut into segments 3cm long / 3 medium sized, cut into slivers

Cut the tofu into 3cm x 2cm blocks and toss them in cornflour, shaking off the excess. Pour in enough oil to come 0.5cm up the sides of a large frying pan, and bring up to frying heat. Fry the tofu in batches in the oil, turning the pieces as you go. Once they are golden all around, and have a thin crust, transfer to a paper towel.

Remove the oil and any sediment from the pan and put back in 2 tbsp of veg oil. Heat and add the shallots/onions, (chillies), garlic and ginger, and sauté for about 15 minutes on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the contents of the pan are shiny and totally soft. While you wait, crush the peppercorns, using a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder. They should be quite coarse.

When the shallots/onions and (chillies) are soft, add the soy sauces, sweet chili and the sugar, stir, then stir in the crushed pepper. Warm the tofu in the sauce for about a minute, then add the spring onion and stir through. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Ate it with boiled basmati rice and yellow peas.


I made various substitutions because of not having the right ingredients etc, but it still came out very tasty.  Considering doing it with the addition of some sweet pepper instead of chilis another time - I do feel like it misses an element of taste without the chili somehow.  Still really good though (and not as scary).  Made enough for two.  Would consider frying the rest of the tofu and keeping it to make something else the next day (this amount was half a regular-sized packet of tofu), as frying like this is so stinky and gross.