Quinoa and Bean Salad with Basil Balsamic Dressing

P126

Bought some gorgeous homegrown basil from Koreatown and had some leftover quinoa from last night's dinner. Result was a quick and healthy lunch salad. Will definitely make again!

Ingredients:

1 can mixed beans
1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup quinoa
2 vine tomatoes, chopped

For the dressing:
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil (or thereabouts)
1 clove garlic, minced
1tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt ad pepper to taste

Directions:

1. To make dressing, mix garlic, balsamic and Dijon in a small bowl. Slowly pour olive oil into mixture while beating until it emulsified (thickens). Add salt and pepper.

2. Make quinoa according to pakage instructions. Allow to cool.

3. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing according to taste. (about 3/4 of the dressing worked for me)

Serves 2.

Hakka Stuffed Tofu (Niang Dou-kon)

Niang Dou-kon (pronounced nee-ang tay-o-con) is a specialty dish of the Hakka people of China. Tofu cubes are stuffed with minced pork and scallions, seared in oil, and then braised in stock. I'd say this is one of my favourite Hakka dishes that my mom or aunties sometimes make for special occasions.  I thought I'd give it a try. It turned out really yummy, and very simple to prepare. The only tricky part is stuffing the cubes, but once you get the hang of it, it will go quicker. 

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I got the recipe from the Toronto Hakka Conference 2012 Program booklet, courtesy of The World of Chinese website. I've adapted it slightly. Also, I didn't have dried mushrooms or shrimp and used minced turkey instead of pork. The dish still turned out tasty, suggesting it's a great candidate for further experimentation! Also, depending on your appetite, you may want to double the quantities below which should feed four hungry people.

 

Ingredients

  • 250 mL stock (chicken, beef or vegetable)
  • 1 package firm or medium-firm tofu
  • 1 tsp oyster sauce

Filling:

  • 4 dried mushrooms, soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes, then finely chopped
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 100g shrimp, peeled, cleaned and minced
  • 200g minced pork
  • 2 tsp starch
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cooking wine
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil

 

Instructions

  1. Mix the ingredients for the filling.
  2. Cut the tofu into even rectangles, about 4x3x2cm and hollow out a teaspoon-sized cavity into each one. Sprinkle a little corn starch into the cavity and fill with 1-2 tsp of filling.
  3. Add a small amount of vegetable oil to the wok and fry the tofu on low heat until it has turned a golden brown.
  4. Remove the tofu from the wok and discard all but one tablespoon of the remaining oil. Add stock, oyster sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Add tofu and braise for a few moments, then remove it and place on a serving dish.
  5. To thicken the sauce, mix a teaspoon of starch with a few tablepoons of cold water until all lumps are blended in, and add to the wok. Stir over low heat until thickend and pour over the tofu.

 

Tip: Leftover filling can be stir-fried and then thickened with cornstarch and water (similar to Step 5 above) to make an additional tasty dish. Serve with Chinese long grain rice.