How to remove tofu from the box

From the day I got “promoted” to be the family’s “chief chef” (as mother-in-law was no longer staying with us), I have been calling my mother more often than before to consult her on cooking-related matters. I felt so fortunte that she provided me with a 24/7 phone support service. Thanks a lot, mom!

Nowadays, we love to exchange ideas and tips on how to improve our cooking skills. On one occasion, she asked me what is the best way to remove tofu from the box. And, I happily shared with her a technique which I came to regard as the perfect technique. Subsequently, I was surprised to find out that my technique didn’t actually work for her.

When I was back in Penang for holiday last December, she told me that she had found an even better technique. At first, I was quite skeptical about it. But, after watching her demo and trying it out on my own, I was totally convinced that her method is indeed simple and 100% fail proof. Even my hubby scored 100 marks on his first attempt!

Now, let me share with you my mother’s “5 simple steps to remove the whole tofu perfectly from the box”. Below is the demo done by my hubby. Try it out to see whether it works on you. If you have better tricks, do share with me!

Step 1: Trim off the edges of the box with a pair of scissors. Peel away the plastic paper.

Step 2: Make a small incision at the side between the tofu and the wall of the box. Let slow running water sip into the incision. Repeat this step for each side. With sufficient water, the tofu will float up by itself.

Step 3: Cover the box with a plate, tray or anything with a flat surface.

Step 4: Flip it over.

Step 5: Now you can remove the box easily and get the "perfect-looking" tofu for your cooking!

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Fried shallots

Out of all the cooking methods, deep-frying is the least preferred cooking method for me. Why? Besides health reasons, I want to minimize my cleaning job. But this doesn’t mean I am totally rejecting deep-frying food. I don’t mind to eat it once in a while if it is done by others. Hehehe!

This fried shallot is the only deep-frying dish in my entire recipes. I made it on a weekly basis as I need the flavoured shallot oil for tossing my blanching vegetables. It also added extra flavour to some dishes in my cooking ie steamed silky eggs and steamed minced meat. The method I used is simple, not messy and still can produce crispy golden brown shallots to be used in my cooking. The key point is TIMING!

Ingredients:
Shallots (peel and slice) – But don’t slice it too thin as it will turn to dark brown easily
Oil (I use extra light olive oil that is suitable for deep-frying)
1 long wooden chopstick (used for cooking)

Methods:
1) Heat up a small sauce pan. Make sure it is dry. Otherwise water and oil will create a “symphony” in the kitchen.
2) Pour oil inside and let the oil heat up first. The amount of oil used depends on your own requirement but do not exceed half of the sauce pan. It provides some rooms if the oil splashes.
3) When oil is hot (not steaming hot), put your shallots in. Deep-frying under medium heat (adjust the heat if needed)
4) Start stirring occasionally using the chopstick. This is the most crucial time that you need 100% undivided attention to monitor the shallots. It may take a while for the shallots to change colour (approx 10-15 mins – depending on the amount of oil and shallots you use)
5) Once the shallots start to change colour, turn off the heat immediately. The heated oil will continue to fry the shallot. Stir occasionally until it reaches the desired colour (light or darker brown – up to your own preference). Refer to pic below.
6) Drain the fried shallots using a strainer. Keep the oil aside and let it cool down.
7) Pour the fried shallots on a kitchen towel to absorb the oil. When it is cool, store it in an air-tight container. Try to consume it within a week. I personally do not keep the fried shallots separately. When the oil is cool, I will pour the fried shallots back into the oil and keep them together in a small ceramic container (refer to pic below).

Tip: You may also add a pinch of salt as suggested by this mommy. (I personally have not tried this method.)

You may use fried shallots in the following recommended recipes:
a) blanching vegetables (broccoli)
b) yam rice
c) steamed silky eggs
d) steamed minced meat with mixed vegetables
e) steamed mashed beancurd and fish paste 老少平安

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Broccoli - How to blanch

“What is your favourite vegetable?” “BROCCOLI!!”
That’s the immediate response I always get from my son. The strange thing is he enjoys eating broccoli using his fingers. Maybe it is really a “finger lickin’ good” vegetable!

When I first started to make my own baby food, I read about broccoli is one of the high-nitrate vegetables (besides beets, cabbage, carrots, celery, spinach etc) which should not be fed to babies in large quantities. The naturally occurring nitrates in these vegetables can change to nitrites, which bind iron in the blood and make it difficult to carry oxygen. This can make breathing become difficult and the skin to turn blue. As a health freak mommy, I prefer to boil/ blanch broccoli to remove this potentially harmful nitrates. Since then, it has become a personal preference in my cooking. Besides broccoli, I also boil/ blanch other green leafy vegetables because it is the simplest, easiest, fastest, healthiest and tastiest way as compared to other cooking methods. As long as my family doesn’t file a “complain”, I will try to keep my cooking as simple as possible.

Ingredient:
Broccoli (I prefer Australian broccoli)
Oil (I use extra light olive oil)
Salt & sugar (optional – I will skip it if I use Australian broccoli)
Light soya sauce/ oyster sauce (I prefer Lee Kum Kee superior light SS because it is less salty)
Fried shallot oil
Fried shallot (I will do another posting on how to make my "perfect" fried shallot. Stay-tuned!)

Method
1) Cut broccoli into small florets. If the floret is too big, cut into half. Wash thoroughly, rinse and soak for 10-20 mins
2) Bring water to boil in a cooking pot.
3) When the water is boiling, add some oil, salt and sugar. Put the broccoli and let it boil in the pot without lid until fork-tendered.
4) Drain the broccoli with a strainer or colander immediately to avoid the broccoli from turning colour.
5) Toss with fried shallot oil and light soya sauce/oyster sauce. Garnish with fried shallot.

Tips:
1) To retain the bright hue in broccoli after blanching, you can use "shocking method" - It is done by noobcook in her stir-fry broccoli dish and further illustrated at Allrecipes.
2) I noticed that the water used to cook pasta/ noodles can also produce the same results as step (1). Has anyone tried it before?

This is my entry for Weekend Wokking (secret ingredient for this month: BROCCOLI), hosted by Wiffy of Noobcook. The dealine is 30 Nov but she is still accepting entries until she publishes the round up on 3 Dec. So do hurry and join the fun. For more info and rules, check it out here.

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How to make "smooth & springy" fish paste

Fish paste can be used in different cooking methods. Eg, boiling (fish ball or yu wat 鱼滑), steaming (with beancurd 老少平安, otak-otak）, stuffing (yong tau fu 酿豆腐）, pan-frying or deep-frying (patties, fish cakes).

My mother-in-law is an expert in making fish paste. She learnt the techniques by watching her neighbour doing it since she was a child. I enjoyed eating those dishes she made using homemade fish paste but never put an effort to learn the techniques. When I started my own cooking, I missed her homemade fish paste a lot because those commercial fish paste (in term of taste and texture) is nothing up to her standard. I tried to make it on my own but it was a failure. During her current visit, I had asked her to demonstrate the techniques in making "smooth & springy" fish paste.

STEPS-BY-STEPS ON MAKING "SMOOTH & SPRINGY" FISH PASTE:

- We used spanish mackerel fish (ikan tenggiri or kau yu, 鲛鱼）. For beginner, try to get a small size fish (approx 600g) as it is easy to handle. Choose one with some dots on the skin.


- Remove head and all the internal organs. Clean the fish and pat dry. Slice both side of the fish. Retain the fish bone to make fish stock in future.


- Use a spoon to scrape the flesh (include those flesh on the bones).


- This is the flesh from scrapping.


- Prepare 1 tsp salt


- Sprinkle 2/3 tsp salt and dash of white pepper powder on the flesh


- Add water to the remaining 1/3 tsp salt


- Use the back of the knife to chop the flesh evenly. If you notice any fish bones, remove it from the flesh. Otherwise don't blame me if anyone gets choked by the bones.


- Add the salted water during the chopping process. A little bit at a time. You will find that the flesh will become sticky and make the chopping getting harder. Continue to add the salted water as and when required.


- At this stage, my mother-in-law was tired and I took over. I used my hubby's "coffee presser" to do the chopping. You can either continue using the knife or a hand grinder.


- When the fish paste is evenly chopped, wet your hands, make a ball and start "throwing" the whole fish paste. HA HA! Time to "de-stress". But make sure you throw it right back to the target (chopping board) and not elsewhere. "Throwing" is the most critical part in achiving a "springy" fish paste. Do pay more attention! Don't laugh.


- Can you see "all the hidden stress"? (Just joking). Add 1 tbsp cornstarch and some water into the paste and knead until well combined.


- If you wet your hands and apply a layer of water on the paste, you will see that the texture is shiny, moisture, soft............ "the more you practice , the more you will know" - Advise from my mother-in-law.


- Divide the paste into a few portions (according to your personal preference), keep it in a container and store it in the freezer.


- Boil water and cook 2 tsbp fish paste to test the taste.

Ingredients:
600g spanish mackerel (kau yu)
1 tsp salt
Dash of white pepper powder
1 tbsp constarch
water (iced or tap water) for mixing the paste

Other useful tips to note:
-Make sure the chopping board is not used for ginger before hand.
-It is better to chop the fish paste on the floor with some newspaper underneath.
-Add enough water to reach the consistency and softness you want. Fresh fish needs more water.

If you like fish paste, try these recipes:
- pan-fried patties
- stuffed taufu poks (beancurd puffs)
- steamed egg rolls with fish paste (1)
- steamed egg rolls with fish paste (2)
- steamed mashed beancurd and fish paste (1)
- steamed mashed beancurd and fish paste (2)

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