Tofu

ChapaDragon (Homemade Chajangmyun w/Seaweed and Steamed Tofu)

Date: April 23, 2013
Author: BeyondNFinity™
Categories: Noodles, Tofu, Vegetables
Comments: 3 Replies

The Simple Late Night Snack Becomes A Meal

I LOVE noodles almost as much as I LOVE rice with kimchi, some soup, greens, and some kim.  MMM, did I mention sushi and French cheesecake? I just love to eat really good food.

One really late night (early morning), a Korean program called THANK YOU was brought to my attention. The first time I watched it in Korean from beginning to end, understanding about eighty percent of it. I’m not fluent in Korean, yet I’m starting to really understand it more. The second time I watched it, there were subtitles which let me know that I had correctly interpreted eighty percent of the show.

During my late night viewing of THANK YOU, I became hungry and wanted a snack. Yet, I did not want to stop watching the show. One of the stars who goes by the stage name of G DRAGON, decided to prepare a meal for the other stars on the show. He was making a very popular dish in South Korea called CHAPAGURI. It is a cross between CHAPAGETTI and NEOGURI instant noodle dishes.

He began boiling noodles and chopping veggie seasonings like onions and chillies. I cringed as I watched him using the knife, I was afraid he’s cut himself. Once he drained most of the liquid, added the flavor packets, noodles, onions, and chillies; the dish looked quite appealing. Until the other stars mentioned that it was salty. Not his fault of course, instant anything tends to have lots of sodium for flavor and for preservation.

He also made a second dish called GYERANJJIM or steamed egg. The stars told him that it was not seasoned enough. Someone had the idea to mix the two together to basically create a new dish – CHAPADRAGON.

As I watched the stars eat, ideas on how to make the dish not be so salty, take great, and vegan! I stuck with making it as he did except I did not use the flavor packets and the steamed eggs became steamed tofu – DUBUJJIM. Which you can try the recipe for here.

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ChapaDragon (Homemade Chajangmyun w/Seaweed Steamed Tofu)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 1 med onion (1 cup), halved and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup ice cubes
  • 1/4 cup black soybean paste
  • 2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 heaping tablespoons minced ginger
  • 1 tablespoon miyeok or wakame
  • 1 1/4 cup water
  • 1 red chile, diagonally thinly sliced (optional)
  • 1 green chile, diagonally thinly sliced (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon gochujang (optional)
  • 8 ounce ramyun or ramen noodles
  • 1 quarter piece cucumber, julienne

Instructions

    Vegetable Flavorings
  1. Prep all vegetables.
  2. Set aside.
    3. Noodles
  3. Boil noodles according to package instructions in a saucepan with a pasta insert.
  4. Lift cooked noodles from liquid.
  5. Pour out liquid.
  6. Set noodles aside.
    7. Preparation
  7. Using the same saucepan, add onions.
  8. Stir constantly to keep onions from burning until onions brown slightly.
  9. Slowly add ice and continue stirring. *Be careful of steam.
  10. Add black soybean paste, garlic, ginger, miyeok or wakame. Stir.
  11. Add chilies and/or gochujang.* Stir.
  12. Add water to create a sauce.
  13. Simmer for 5 minutes.
  14. Add noodles, stir, remove from heat.
  15. Place in bowls. Top with cucumbers and chillies.
  16. Serve.

Notes

Depending upon how much heat you like, you can add the gochujang and the chillies. Or you can leave out the gochujang and use the chillies as garnish.

https://www.beyondnfinity.com/chapadragon-homemade-chajangmyun-wseaweed/

 

 

 

 

Farewell Vegan Mofo: Smothered Cabbage and Tofu/Korean Radish and Green Beans

Date: November 7, 2012
Author: BeyondNFinity™
Categories: Tofu, Vegetables
Comments: Leave a reply

It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye

 

It has been such a blast doing Vegan Month of Food again this year! I love vegans, plant based eaters/supporters, animal loves and omnivores alike. I suppose I love everybody. What I desire is to show as people as I am able that being vegan isn’t cardboard and sawdust tasting. It is my desire to educate as many as I can, as well as remind as many as I can from all over the world of some of their veggie roots.

I have been deeply touched by those who reached out to me and humbled at how difficult this entire process of composing recipes considering that I don’t measure anything. I basically eyeball and dump how ever much I believe she go into the dish. With that being said, I offer two recipes that can be used as banchan or side dishes.

The first dish is simply Smothered Cabbage and Tofu.

 

 

 

I took from my Cajun roots and simply smothered cabbage with baked tofu that’s seasoned with onions, garlic, ginger, and black pepper. Smothering is basically cooking an ingredient in it’s juices. Cajuns tend to do a lot of smothering basically Koreans do the same thing in a faster amount of time simply because their cuts of meat are cut smaller as well as there’s high heat involved in stone pots.

The second dish is Korean Radish and Green Beans.

 

 

 

 

This is just a simple sauté of Korean radish and green beans seasoned with red bell peppers and gochujang. Both recipes also have been kissed by soy sauce or tamari and sesame oil.

 

 

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Farewell Vegan Mofo: Smothered Cabbage and Tofu/Korean Radish and Green Beans

Ingredients

    Smothered Cabbage and Tofu
  • 1 package extra firm tofu, drained
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 small cabbage, chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 1 cup onions, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2-inch piece ginger, minced
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
    • Korean Radish and Green Beans
  • 1 small Korean radish, peeled and thinly sliced into squares
  • 1 pound fresh or frozen green beans
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon gochujang (red pepper paste)
  • 1 small red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions

    Smothered Cabbage and Tofu
    Tofu
  1. Preheat oven to 425.
  2. Drain and rinse tofu. Slice tofu into 1/4-inch pieces then into squares.
  3. Place tofu onto a lightly oiled baking sheet.
  4. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip halfway through the baking process. Set aside.
    5. Cabbage
  5. Heat pot to medium-high.
  6. Wash cabbage. Cut in half and cut out core. Cut into bite-size pieces.
  7. Place cabbage into the pot with water, onions, garlic, ginger and black pepper.
  8. Cook until cabbage becomes limp or about 15 minutes.
  9. Add soy sauce or tamari, sesame oil, and tofu. Cook 5 minutes more.
  10. Serve.
    11. Korean Radish and Green Beans
  11. Wash, peel and slice Korean radish 1/4-inch square pieces.
  12. Place radish into pot with water, green beans, gochujang, and diced red pepper.
  13. Sauté for 10 minutes.
  14. Add soy sauce or tamari and sesame oil continue to cook for 5 more minutes.
  15. Serve.
https://www.beyondnfinity.com/farewell-vegan-mofo/

 

Tofu Vegetable Pie

Date: November 3, 2012
Author: BeyondNFinity™
Categories: Mushrooms, Tofu
Comments: Leave a reply

Let Them Eat Pie!

 

There are times when which tend to be most of the time that I need to make something that I don’t have to stand over. Or involved constant attention. Something that I can throw together quickly and walk away for at least thirty minutes.

All that’s needed to do is scramble some tofu with onions, garlic, ginger, bell peppers, maybe some celery if you like,  and  mushrooms. Enhance those natural seasoning flavors with some umph — gochujang or black  pepper. A splash of soy sauce or tamari. Add some leafy greens to the mixture placed into a lovely pocket of filo. Serve with a salad of fresh goodness and you are set to have a great evening of television viewing, book reading, whatever delights your soul!

 

Also, you can add other vegetables like the basics of onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic. Then add ginger, carrot, and shiitake mushrooms. If you really want to go wild once you’ve added you greens of choice, you can add some sea vegetable or some black olives. Add some turmeric not only for color yet for it’s medicinal uses. One popular way is for the treatment of arthritis.

Sweet potatoes and Korean radish can even be included in this dish. The possibilities of ingredients are endless and making this one of the most versatile meals anyone could possibly prepare. The mixture is then all bundled up in filo. Really the filo can be changed out for another vegetable like zucchini or eggplant thinly sliced.

 

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Tofu Vegetable Pie

Ingredients

  • 1 cup onions, chopped
  • 1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 cup carrots, diced
  • 2 gloves garlic, minced
  • 1 package extra-firm tofu, drained and crumbled
  • black pepper to taste
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari, divided
  • 2 cup kale, sautéed
  • 12 sheets phyllo dough
  • 2 tablespoons vegan margarine melted

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
    2. Kale
  2. Wash, de-stem and chop into bite-size pieces.
  3. Water sauté half the onions, garlic and kale for 5 minutes or until wilted.
  4. Set aside.
    5. Tofu
  5. Heat skillet to medium-high.
  6. Water sauté celery, bell pepper, remainder of onions, and carrots for 3 minutes.
  7. Add mushrooms, garlic, tofu, and turmeric. Sauté until there isn't anymore liquid from the tofu.
  8. Stir in kale. Set aside.
    9. Phyllo
  9. Lightly oil a pie plate with a touch of vegan margarine or oil to prevent phyllo from sticking.
  10. Overlap the 12 sheets of phyllo in pie plate.
  11. Spoon in tofu mixture into pie plate.
  12. Fold phyllo dough over tofu mixture. Lightly brush phyllo with mellted vegan margarine.
  13. Place into oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until phyllo is golden brown.
  14. Serve with salad and roasted vegetables.
https://www.beyondnfinity.com/tofu-vegetable-pie/

 

 

 

Vegan Mofo #30 Korean Cabbage Soup (Baechu Doenjangguk)

Date: October 30, 2012
Author: BeyondNFinity™
Categories: Soup, Tofu, Vegetables
Comments: Leave a reply

BRRR! Must Get Warm! Soup!

 

This is one of those times where soup will hit the spot. One of the best soups that many Koreans consume is cabbage soup. It’s such a quick simple soup. You can make it in less than thirty minutes, while a pot of rice is bubbling away.

Cabbage soup isn’t served in restaurants, it’s a tried and true Korean wife’s go to soup. A great favorite of Koreans everywhere. The liquid used in this soup is traditionally the rice water from during the rice cleaning process. That water has starch so it helps to thicken it without adding flour. Some wives use anchovies or beef broth as a base. Well, because this is a vegan soup, we will not be using neither one of those ingredients.

 

Instead just having cabbage, garlic, and doenjang, I chose to also add carrots , gochhujang and tofu to the mix. I don’t have childhood memories of Korean cabbage soup like most Koreans do because I didn’t grow up Korean. I grew up in Louisiana where we do have our own cabbage soup as well due to the Germans and the Cajuns. We eat just as much cabbage in Louisiana as the Koreans do. As a matter of fact a lot of the ingredients used in Korean cooking are very similar to ingredients used in Louisianian cooking. That will be for another day. For now, enjoy this wonderful mama’s homemade soup.

 

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Vegan Mofo #30 Korean Cabbage Soup (Baechu Doenjangguk)

Ingredients

  • 1/2 medium napa cabbage, chopped
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 4 tablespoons doenjang (soybean paste)
  • 1 teaspoon gochujang (red pepper paste)
  • 2 tablespoons brown rice flour
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 package of tofu, drained and cubed
  • 5 cups water (or 2 1/2 cup water + 2 1/2 cup vegetable broth)

Instructions

  1. Cut napa cabbage in half, save the other half. Cut into bite-size pieces.
  2. Wash and dice carrots. Mince garlic.
  3. Add cabbage, carrots, garlic, brown rice flour, doenjang, and gochujang to a pot.
  4. Sauté on medium-high until both paste blend into vegetables.
  5. Drain, rinse, and cube tofu. Add to the vegetable mixture along with the green onions. Stir.
  6. Add water or vegetable broth.
  7. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 20 minutes.
  8. Serve.
https://www.beyondnfinity.com/korean-cabbage-soup-baechu-doenjangguk/

 

 

 

Vegan Mofo #17 Tofu Vegetable Stir-Fry

Date: October 17, 2012
Author: BeyondNFinity™
Categories: Tofu, Vegetables
Comments: Leave a reply

This is the dish that I call my signature dish only because a great picture was captured due to how well it turned out and the flavor was AMAZING!

So, I went about the business of preparing this dish for the simple reason that I was craving it and I wanted to celebrate the creation of my mini business cards with this image on the back. Why cards you say? It is my intention to reach as many people who are open and willing to be open to learning about the vegan lifestyle. what it can do for you, and how you can comfortably live it.

Now, I am not about forcing anything on anyone. I am here to do my part as other vegans are doing to educate those seeking help in learning and living the vegan lifestyle.

That is what I desired to do last year and for some time now. Yet, I am terrible at selling myself. That’s what happens when an artist has to sell oneself. I am great at motivating, inspiring, and empowering everyone else, just terrible at being that same champion for myself. When I’m near food, great food and ingredients. I can easily throw a dish together just by starting the prep process and before I know it, a dish is created. I’m intuitive in that way of how I prepare dishes. Which brings me to this dish again.

This recipe has onion, carrots, green  peas, garlic and ginger, to name a few. As well as cranberry sauce or puree, tofu, and tamari. Once you get all the prep done, this dish goes really fast.

 

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Vegan Mofo #17 Tofu Vegetable Stir-Fry

Ingredients

  • 1 14 or 16 ounce package extra-firm tofu, cubed
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
  • 1/2 cup onions, diced
  • 2 carrots, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup red bell peppers, diced
  • 1 cup frozen green peas
  • 2 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 green onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup cranberry puree
  • 2 tablespoons tamari
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions

    Tofu
  1. Drain, rinse, squeeze gently and cube.
  2. Place tofu cubes on a slightly oil baking sheet.
  3. Bake at 450°F for 20 mins.
    4. Vegetables
  4. Heat skillet, wok, cast iron regular or enameled skillet to medium high.
  5. Add 1 Tbsp vegetable broth. Add more vegetable broth as needed to prevent sticking.
  6. Add onions and ginger. Stir fry for 3 min.
  7. Add carrots, bell peppers, frozen green peas, and garlic. Set aside 2 Tbsp green onions. Add remainder of green onions. Stir Fry for 3 more mins.
  8. Add cranberry sauce and tamari, along with black pepper. Cook 1 min.
  9. Serve with rice or noodles of choice.
https://www.beyondnfinity.com/tofu-vegetable-stir-fry/

 

 

Vegan Mofo #12 Korean Baked Tofu with Spicy Sauce

Date: October 12, 2012
Author: BeyondNFinity™
Categories: Tofu
Comments: Leave a reply

Wonderful Side Dish

This Korean dish is usually pan-fried or steamed tofu topped with a lovely spicy sauce. I chose to bake it to lessen the amount of oil used.

Tofu or dubu as the Koreans call it is quite popular in Korea. It is used in many dishes all over Korea. When I shop at my local Korean market – Woo Sung Oriental Food Mart – sometimes they have already in house prepared containers of this dish that i snatch up right away. Yum!!!

 

 

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Vegan Mofo #12 Korean Baked Tofu with Spicy Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 package of water packed tofu
  • 4 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons of agave
  • 2 teaspoons red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 teaspoon jalepeno, diced
  • 1 green onion or scallion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions

    Tofu (Dubu)
  1. Drain and remove tofu from packaging.
  2. Slice into 10 pieces or slabs.
  3. Place on a lightly oiled baking pan.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes.
    5. Spicy Sauce
  5. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, agave, diced red bell pepper, diced, jalepeno, green onion, and sesame seeds to a bowl.
  6. Mix.
  7. Set aside.
    8. Presentation
  8. Once tofu is ready, place five pieces of tofu one slightly over the other onto a plate.
  9. Spoon on some of the spicy sauce over top.
  10. Serve with rice.
https://www.beyondnfinity.com/korean-baked-tofu-with-spicy-sauce/