zen meal three

Eggplant and tofu seem to go well together, especially with asian flavors. Zen meal two was very satisfying a while back. And I wanted to make another simple wholesome meal.

Collard greens is a favorite, usually cooked up as y'abesha gomen, served with injera. This time, i wanted to keep it light and simple.

This recipe is open for variations with flavors. My flavor sauce is only one suggestion.



Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh collard greens or mustard greens, chopped
salt to taste
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Tabasco sauce (optional)

1 Chinese long eggplant, cubed
½ pkt firm tofu, cubed
1 small bundle soba noodles
1 Tbsp canola oil

Flavoring sauce:
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar (or sushi vinegar)
1 tsp kecap manis (or ketchup, or just brown sugar)
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
½ Tbsp whole black pepper, crushed
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

1. combine the flavoring sauce ingredients, stir well, set aside
2. cook the soba noodles per package directions, rinse in cold water, drain well; add a little of the flavoring sauce and let the noodles steep in it for a while
3. steam the mustard or collard greens with some salt; off heat, stir in some lemon juice and a dash of Tabasco sauce; adjust to taste
   
4. heat oil in a pan, add the tofu and some flavoring sauce, pan fry it turning the tofu cubes often to cook all sides; remove from pan and set aside
5. add the eggplant and some flavoring sauce, some water, cover and cook till eggplant is tender and done
6. assemble the tofu, eggplant and soba in a serving plate, serve the greens on the side
   

zen meal two

A soup, a grain and vegetables. Served in individual bowls. A monk's meal. A Zen meal. The beauty is not in the complexity of the recipes. It is in the realization that food can enhance spiritual growth.

I recently came across The Zen Monastery Cookbook at the bookstore, and was browsing through it, wondering at the synchronicity in my world: certain things come together only at certain times, even if I had been exposed to it long before.

The other evening, I was too tired to make a fancy meal, so I tried to make a simple meal fancy: Veggies, with mild indian flavoring, along with dosai and chutney presented in a rather unusual way, seemed to do it for us that night.

Ingredients:
for dosai:
3 ladlefuls dosai or adai dosai batter, if handy (else, rava onion dosai batter is good)
1 tsp canola oil (optional)
for chutney:
2 medium tomatoes,diced fine
3 dry red chilies, crushed fine
1 clove of garlic, minced fine
salt to taste
flavoring for veggies:
1 Tbsp Madras curry powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes (to sprinkle on top before serving)
salt to taste
Veggies of your choice- cauliflower and broccoli florets, lima beans, baby carrots, squash etc.


Preparation:

1. heat a non-stick pan and throw in the veggies with a little water, add the flavoring spices and salt, cover and steam till veggies are done; stir well, adjust sat to taste, set aside
2. heat a non-stick pan and spread the dosai batter; add oil, if needed, to make sure dosai comes off the pan without much struggle
3. in a saucepan, throw the chutney ingredients together, some water, cover and let it cook till flavors meld and the chutney is fairly thick

A splash of lemon juice and a sprinkling of dry red pepper flakes adds a nice touch to the vegetables.

Served in an inspired yet simple way, it felt like a grand and sumptuous meal that night...

zen meal one

Asian cabbage salad: people I've asked so far either love it or hate it. No gray area. It seems like an acquired taste. Maybe they have not tried a really good version of it...

I was pretty tired from work the other evening and wanted a quick yet good meal. Flavored, steamed veggies served piping hot seemed like the thing. The asian cabbage salad was left-over from the weekend and served to round out the meagre meal.

My wee one couldn't get enough of the corn and green beans. No amount of cajoling succeeded in getting her to even try the cabbage salad, though!

The cabbage salad is best when made ahead of time, say about 1-2 hours before serving, and chilled a bit in the fridge.

Ingredients
3-4 handful frozen petit green beans
2 cups frozen corn
4 cups of shredded red cabbage (or napa cabbage, or a combination of the two)
½ cup carrot matchsticks
½ cup ramen noodles, crumbled
1 tsp canola oil
water
flavoring:
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp mirin
1 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 shallot, finely diced

Preparation:

1. combine the flavoring ingredients, stir well, set aside 2 Tbsp for the green beans
2. combine the shredded cabbage and carrots in a bowl, top with crumbled ramen noodles, toss with the flavoring sauce as dressing - adding a little at a time so the salad is not soggy; chill for an hour or so in the fridge; it lasts about 4 days in the fridge
   
3. in a non-stick pan, add the oil and green beans, cover and cook till beans are cooked tender but firm, not mushy; remove lid, add the reserved flavoring sauce and sauté till it is all absorbed
4. in a separate pan, add the corn and a couple of Tbsp of water, cover and let it cook/steam on low heat till corn is done; set aside; sweet white corn seems to have a great flavor of its own, so I don't add any flavors to it in this presentation
   
5. serve green beans and corn steaming hot from the stove; round out the meal with the cool cabbage salad