Hoisin Baked Tofu Vermicelli

A vegetarian rice noodle salad with vegetables, herbs, and sweet and salty baked tofu.

Tofu is a simple and inexpensive meat alternative.  For most cooking, my favorite is Aloha Tofu firm tofu (it's local).  Firm tofu holds its shape through many types of cooking and it absorbs sauce and marinade flavors well.  Baking tofu is a simple preparation that dries it out slightly giving it a chewy more meaty texture (texture is very important to me...I don't want it to be mushy and this way it's not).  It is a great way to replace meat and still be satisfied.

Hoisin Baked Tofu is simple & inexpensive meat alternative  [Tweet this]

I just mixed up a simple sauce of equal parts hoisin and soy sauces.  The two sauces give the tofu a dark color and a sweet, salty, and bold flavor.  It has an almost meaty flavor with less than half the calories of most meats.

Great taste w/ #halfthecalories of chicken  [Tweet this]

Hoisin Baked Tofu

Prep time: about 45 min (30 are inactive)
Cook time:  30 min
Servings:  6

Ingredients:

20 ounces firm tofu (I use Aloha brand)
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce

Remove the tofu from the pack and drain the water.  (If needed)Cut it in half crosswise so you have 2 pieces of about 1 inch thick (approximate 4x4 inch squares).

Place the halves side by side on an absorbent towel (or a couple layers of paper towel) lined sheet pan.  Cover the tofu with another towel and pan or plate and place a little weight on top (a cast iron skillet works well, or a jug of juice).

Allow the tofu to press (this squeezes out excess moisture) for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F

Then cut the tofu squares in half and then into 1x2 inch slices that are about 1/4 inch thick (none of this is exact I just guestimate).  If this doesn't make sense to you, just cut it whatever way you like I find that 1/4 inch thick pieces work best.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Mix the hoisin and soy sauces together until well combined and brush/spread on both sides of the tofu slices.

Lay the tofu slices out side by side on the baking sheet.

Bake at 400F for 15 minutes then flip each slice over and bake for 10-15 minutes longer.

Makes about 6 servings.

Serve immediately or leftovers are great cold (great addition to spring rolls)

Ingredients continued:

Bean Sprouts
Lettuce
Mint
Thai basil
Cilantro
Vermicelli rice noodles, cooked
Carrots, julienned or shredded
Green onion
Jalapenos, sliced
Hoisin Baked Tofu
Nuoc Cham

Place all the vegetables, herbs, noodles, and chicken in a big salad bowl (use as much of each as you like).  Then pour the nuoc cham over everything (I usually use a few tablespoons but use as much as you like).

Enjoy.

Other recipes mentioned in this post:

Spring Rolls

Nuoc Cham

For more vermicelli recipes check out:

Lemongrass Chicken Vermicelli

Char Siu (BBQ Pork) Vermicelli

Linked to:  2 Cup, Lou Lou Girls, TicklemyTastebuds, Wake Up, Full Plate, Freedom, Foodie Friends, Pretty Pintastic

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Chicken Green Curry Noodles

A light and flavorful, but spicy, green curry with chicken, veggies, and broad rice noodles.

Thanksgiving is almost here.  I don't know about everyone else but I'm already thinking and planning my Thanksgiving dinner.  It's difficult to plan dinner for the rest of the week because I've got turkey (and stuffing) on the brain.  This is a really simple meal that is easy to prepare, delicious, and light so you can keep plenty of room for The Big Meal on Thursday.

Beware store bought green curry paste can be quite spicy so if you don't like spice try making your own you can better control the spiciness.  Here is a Green Curry Paste recipe the ingredient list looks intimidating but it's very quick and simple to make.  You could also just serve Chicken Green Curry over rice if you don't have noodles.

Chicken Green Curry Noodles

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp oil
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1-2 Tbsp Green Curry Paste (or make your own)
1 can coconut milk
1 large zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
Rice noodles (enough for 4 servings)
Lime wedges, optional
Fish sauce, optional
Jalapeno slices, optional
Thai basil, optional but recommended
Cucumber slices, optional
Green onion slices, optional

In a large saute pan or wok, cook the chicken with about 1 Tbsp oil.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the rest of the oil and the green curry paste (you can buy green curry paste in the Asian food section of many grocery stores).  Stir and cook the paste over medium heat for about 1 minute.

Pour in the coconut oil stirring and mixing well (if making your own paste use entire recipe and what ever coconut oil is leftover--you don't need another can).  Then, add the veggies (about 2-4 cups worth anything you like is fine) and let simmer until tender to your liking.

Meanwhile, cook the rice noodles (I just guesstimate how much would be 4 servings)  according to package directions.  I found some broad noodles in Chinatown and had to use them but whatever you can find is fine.  Strain, rinse and set aside.

Once vegetables are cooked to your liking add the chicken back into the pan and allow it to reheat.

Turn off the heat and add the noodles.  Stir and toss to mix well.

Makes about 4 servings.  Serve with any of the optional ingredients you like.

Enjoy.

Linked to:  Two Cup, Lou Lou Girls, Tickle my Tastebuds, Tasty, Sat Night Fever, See Ya in the Gumbo


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Vermicelli Salad

This fresh salad uses leftover prime rib, rice noodles, and crisp lettuce and sprouts.  A great light and nutritious dinner.

 

About 5 years ago, when I lived in Houston, TX, I lived right next door to a great Vietnamese restaurant.  At least weekly (or maybe more often) my husband and I would have lunch there.  Almost every time I ordered the char siu (or barbeque pork) vermicelli.  It was a delicious rice noodle salad with lettuce, sprouts and carrots topped with char siu and an amazing fish sauce based sauce to pour over it.  Since leaving Houston I have tried desperately to remake this at home.  While my recipe may not be the same, it is very satisfying.

One part I have not mastered is making the barbeque pork.  I have a few recipes I want to try but usually I buy char siu ready made from Chinatown.  This time I topped my salad with leftover prime rib.  Any meat or tofu is good.

I get all of the ingredients ready and in individual containers so when ready to eat everyone can make their own salad.  This could be fun for a dinner party just set everything up as a salad bar and let friends just walk through and make their own salad just the way they like it.  You could even have different types of meat or meatless options.  Here is what I use.

Vermicelli Salad

Ingredients:

Meat (leftover prime rib), sliced
Lettuce, any type you prefer
Sprouts
Rice noodles, cooked
Nuoc Cham
Mint leaves, torn
Thai basil leaves, torn

In a bowl, (the wider and deeper the better) add a handful of lettuce and a handful of sprouts.  Next, top this with the cooked rice noodles (for most noodles boil enough water to cover, then add the noodles and turn off the heat.  Let the noodles sit for 10 minutes in the hot water until soft.  Then, drain and rinse with cold water) I use a handful.  Last, add the meat, pour on about 2 Tbsp of the Nuoc Cham, make sure to add plenty of carrots (the carrots absorb the flavors of the sauce and taste so good.  My favorite part) and sprinkle on some mint and basil.  Stir to mix everything together and eat.

 An important component that makes the vermicelli so good is the sauce.  I have tried all kinds of recipes and the closest I have found so far is Nuoc Cham from finecooking.com  (I made a few tweaks of my own).  It has a good balance of salty, sweet, spicy and sour.

Nuoc Cham:

1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 limes (2 Tbsp lime juice)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp fish sauce (you can substitute soy sauce or Braggs liquid aminos for vegan/vegetarian option)
2-3 bird chilies, sliced small
1 tsp sriracha (a chili and garlic sauce)
1 carrot, julienned (about 1 cup)

Heat the water in the microwave for about 1 minute and add the brown sugar.  Stir until the sugar dissolves.  Then, squeeze in the juice from 2 limes (you could also just use bottled lime juice although, I think fresh tastes better).  Next, add the minced garlic, fish sauce, chilies, and sriracha (you could just use the srircha and use more or less based on your own preference, but I find it missing with out the separate garlic and chilies too.  I did not have any chillies so I just used more sriracha this time).  Finally stir in the carrots (you can also use cilantro or green onions and these lend their own flavors, but carrots are my favorite.  I actually bought a food processor just to julienne carrots. It makes the process much easier and I use them for a lot of recipes.  I use the processor for many other things, but this was the main justification for the purchase).  The sauce is best if made ahead of time and allowed to sit for a few hours or even overnight.



This is just a basic guideline.  You can use any meat you want or no meat at all.  You can use any vegetable you like sometimes I add cucumbers, dikon and even some crushed peanuts for crunch.  The variations are endless and it is a quick meal to prepare.

Enjoy.

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Rice Noodle Stir Fry

This easy stir fry was made using leftovers and some Thai flavors.  It was quick and made with left over cabbage, carrots, and barbeque pork.  A very tasty last minute meal.

A few days ago, in China Town, I found brown rice noodles.  They were very thin and I have never tried brown rice noodles, so I picked them up.  Since I had them on hand I used them in this recipe.  They were very good and supposedly more nutritious than regular rice noodles.  The noodles only took a 5 minute soak in cool water before they were softened enough to add to the stir fry, so it was great not needing to boil any water, and it's fun to use something different.  Here is my recipe.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1/2 head red cabbage, sliced
3 carrots, julienned
1/2 red onion, sliced
about 2 cups BBQ pork, chopped bite sized
1 Tbsp dried shrimp soaked in 1/4 cup water (optional)
1/2 package rice noodles, about 100 grams

Sauce:

1 Tbsp fish sauce
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 lime, juiced
2 Tbsp brown sugar
minced fresh or dried chilli to taste (optional)

As usual prepare everything and have it ready to go, when stir frying things move fast.  Begin to heat a 12 inch skillet, or wok over medium-medium high heat.  While pan is heating start the noodles soaking in a large bowl of tap water. When the pan is hot add about 1-2 Tbsp oil (I used veg.) and toss in the ginger and garlic. Cook while stirring for about 1 minute until it becomes fragrant then add the veggies.  Cook until vegetables begin to soften (a few minutes more) then add the drained, soaked noodles and shrimp and their soaking water (if using).  The noodles will have softened a little but will continue to soften in the stir fry.  Add the sauce and pork, at this point I added about 1/2 cup more water to help mix the noodles around.  When using noodles, I find it hard to separate them and get them mixed with the other ingredients.  So I used 2 forks to help pull the noodles apart and mix them with the other ingredients.  This is ready to serve when the liquid is mostly absorbed and the ingredients are mixed.  Makes 4 servings.

This turned out so delicious.  I love the basic Thai flavors of fish sauce and lime juice.  I did not have fresh ginger for this recipe but I remembered I had some frozen so I used that and it was perfectly fine.  The fish sauce and oyster sauce add great flavor, but I realize not everyone keeps them on hand.  You could use more soy sauce, or other flavored sauces, but if you like to make stir fries I encourage you to find some it adds such wonderful flavor.  This is very versatile, you can use any combination of vegetables you have on hand, or any meat, chicken or beef would be fine in this recipe.  You could also use tofu and make it vegetarian.  This is the joy of stir fries, they can use up just about any left over you have.  Be creative and enjoy.

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