Tofu Sukiyaki - yum!

Serve this in bowls over rice. Be sure to include lots of the broth in each bowl.

Make rice.

1 package firm tofu
1.5 cups mirin
3/4 cup soy sauce
2 cups water
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tbs. minced fresh ginger
2 oz. uncooked saifun (or bean thread) noodles
1 cup sliced onion
6 leaves napa/savoy cabbage, cut into thin strips
1 stalk celery, cut in thin diagonal strips
handful of slender green beans, trimmed and cut in half
6 mushrooms, sliced
2 handfuls mung bean sprouts
2 handfuls snow peas, trimmed, cut in half
6 scallions, cut into thin strips (the whites and the greens)

-Cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes, and boil them in a saucepan full of water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
-Combine mirin, soy sauce, water, garlic, and ginger in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and add the boiled tofu. Simmer covered for 15 minutes.
-Add the uncooked noodles and cover again. Turn off the heat, and let it sit for 10 minutes or until the noodles are edibly tender. At this point, it can sit for up to several hours before serving time.
-Return to the heat shortly before serving. LEt it reach a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer. Add onion, cabbage, celery, green beans, and mushrooms, and cover. Five minutes later, add the remaining vegetables, cover again, and remove from heat. Wait another 5 minutes, then serve.

Vermicelli Noodles with Thai Sauce

1 lb dried rice vermicelli
4 oz tofu
1 Tbspn Red Curry Paste
2 oz fresh galangal or gingerroot, peeled and chopped
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 tspn salt
1 1/4 cup hot water
2 tspn palm sugar or light brown sugar

To garnish:
cilantro
red chili, finely sliced
Snow Peas

- Soak the vermicelli in a bowl of hot water for 15-20 minutes
-fry up the tofu. Add curry paste, galangal or ginger, coconut milk, and salt in a food processor and smooth. Add the hot water and mix again.
-Pour mixture from blender into a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the sugar. Cook another 3-4 minutes.
-drain the vermicelli and transfer to a bowl, pour over the sauce, garnish with chopped cilantro, tofu Snow Peas and red chili. Serve

Buddha's Delight

In keeping with the Buddhist tradition of cleansing the body with only vegetables, Jai must be eaten on New Year's Day. The dish has been eaten in one form or another for hundreds of years. It contains 18 different ingredients, including dried black moss, dried bean curd and ginkgo nuts, but this simplified version is just as good and much easier to prepare.

* 2 tsp. dark sesame oil
* 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
* 8 Chinese dried mushrooms
* 2 oz. dried bean thread noodles, broken into 4-inch pieces
* 1 1/2 Tbs. vegetable oil
* 3 scallions (white and light green parts), cut into 1-inch pieces
* 1 small clove garlic, minced
* 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
* 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced on diagonal
* 1/2 cup canned sliced water chestnuts
* 1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots, julienned
* 15-oz. can baby corn, drained
* 8 oz. snow peas, strings removed
* 8 oz. Chinese (Napa) cabbage (1/4 small head), cut into 2 x 1-inch pieces
* 8 oz. firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
* 2 Tbs. soy sauce
* 2/3 cup vegetable broth

Sauce

1. Make sauce: In small bowl, mix all sauce ingredients. Set aside.
2. In medium bowl, soak mushrooms in 1/2 cup cold water until softened, about 30 minutes. In another bowl, soak noodles in hot (not boiling) water to cover 5 minutes.
3. Drain mushrooms and squeeze dry (reserve soaking water to use in soups). Cut off and discard stems; thinly slice caps and set aside. Drain noodles and set aside.
4. In wok or large deep skillet, heat vegetable oil over high heat. Add mushrooms, scallions, garlic and ginger and stir-fry 1 minute. Add carrot, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, baby corn, snow peas and cabbage and stir-fry 2 minutes.
5. Add sauce, cover and cook 5 minutes. Gently stir in noodles and tofu until well coated. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until most of the sauce is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Serve at once.