The Ninja Baker - Steamy Kitchen Healthy Asian Favorites

Kung Pao Tofu, #SundaySupper

NinjaBaker — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 06:10:39 +0000

To bring families back together around the dinner table, Isabel of Family Foodie created the weekly #SundaySupper. Type in hashtag (#) SundaySupper at Twitter and take a seat at 7 p.m. ET. (on 07 April 2013.) This week’s topic of discussion is budget meals. The lovely Lane from Supper for a Steal will be hosting.

Cost-saving cuisine is synonymous with quick and easy for this Ninja Baker. Japanese chahan rice and ramen noodles are but two examples. Kung Pao Tofu is no exception. The recipe below is adapted from Steamy Kitchen’s Healthy Asian Favorites. Jaden Hair, the author of the cookbook, joined our SundaySupper one week - thanks to our Family Foodie founder. Isabel also arranged for Healthy Asian Favorites giveaways. I was over the moon when I won mine from Alice of Hip Foodie Mom.

I was quite happy, too, when the husband (my biggest critic) took one taste. Then another. “Very good,” he said. I started to take the dish away so I could take the photograph for the blog. “One more,” he said and reached for another bite. (Victory!)

Kung Pao Tofu & Pickled Plum Topped Rice

Kung Pao Tofu Tips

• As much of my pantry is prepared for Japanese cooking and budget is the theme this week, I made a few adjustments to Jaden’s awesome Kung Pao Chicken. (Page 146)
• Instead of chicken, I substituted cubed extra firm tofu.
• One tablespoon of Chinese black vinegar was reduced to a ½ tablespoon of the slightly sweeter Japanese rice vinegar (which is always in my refrigerator.)
• Also, to counteract the sweet, I employed full strength soy sauce instead of the suggested low sodium.
• The recommended red peppers were replaced with orange, yellow and green peppers. The orange ones were on sale. (Yea!)
• Grapeseed oil was a good choice for frying.
• To temper the spice, cutting the dried red chiles into skinny strips was a fine idea, too.
• Last and not least, slivered almonds (which I had on hand) provided a perfect crunch.

In addition to the Kung Pao Tofu recipe adapted from Healthy Asian Favorites, check out the budget saver faves of the following fabulous food bloggers. Also, if you’ve got a dish, which is easy on the pocketbook and pleasing to the palate, please share in the comments section. Of course, come and share at #SundaySupper. 7 p.m. ET at Twitter!

Soups and Salads

Lentil Soup {Linsensuppe} from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
Gado-gado from The Urban Mrs.
Pasta e Fagioli from Curious Cuisiniere
Ramping Up Instant Ramen from girlichef

Main

Salmon Lasagna from Blueberries and Blessings
Kadun Pika from The Foodie Army Wife
Mushroom and Artichoke Quiche with Red Pepper Puree from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Pasta Carbonara from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
San Francisco Special Breakfast Burritos from Gourmet Drizzles
Chicken Divan from Simply Gourmet
Chicken and Brown Rice with Veggies and Mushrooms from Daily Dish Recipes
The Cod Puffs War {Duelo de Buñuelos de Bacalao} from My Cute Bride
From the Pantry Peanut Noodles from Supper for a Steal
Pasta Puttanesca from Juanita’s Cocina
Hawaiian Grilled Cheese from Home Cooking Memories
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas from I Run For Wine
Browned Butter Pasta with Collards from Momma’s Meals
Turkey and Acini Di Pepe Skillet from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Golden State Gourmet from Crazy Foodie Stunts
Buffalo Chicken Dip Quesadillas from Chocolate Moosey
Tonkatsu {Pork Cutlet} from Damn Delicious
Tarka Dal {Spicy Curry Lentils} from Food Lust People Love
Kung Pao Tofu from Ninja Baking
Roasted Honey Mustard Chicken from Mama’s Blissful Bites
Four-Cheese Risotto with Turkey Italian Sausage from The Weekend Gourmet
Lemon Chicken and Vegetables from The Lovely Pantry
Salvage-Your-Vegetables Frittata from Daddy Knows Less

Sides

English Baked Beans from Small Wallet, Big Appetite
Southern-style Black-eyed Peas from Magnolia Days
Classic Macaroni and Cheese from The Skinny Chick Can Bake!!!
Baked Beans from What Smells So Good?
Hearts of Palm Mix Rice from Basic N Delicious

Drinks and Desserts

Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Frappe from Peanut Butter and Peppers
Portuguese Rice Pudding {Arroz Doce} from Family Foodie

Wishing you budget saving suppers that deliver big time taste!

The Ninja Baker

© ™ Watkinson 2012

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

Tags:

Steamy Kitchen Healthy Asian Favorites

Kung Pao Tofu

#SundaySupper

Shrimp Curry, Steamy Kitchen #SundaySupper

NinjaBaker — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 10:30:05 +0000

According to Japanese food bloggers, curry is the new fad food or “boom” as they say. It’s a case of something old becoming new again. Ever since I can remember, going back to the 1960’s, curry rice and curry bread were staples in mom-and-pop restaurants and snack shops. And grocery stores have always had rows of hot to mild ready-made curry sauce.

Japanese curry enveloped inside soft white bread and fried was and is bliss for this Ninja Baker. The Japanese call this curry bread kah-ray-pan. The “pan” comes from the French word for bread - “pain.”

The curry bread in Asian markets in the US is bigger than those sold in Japan.
Perhaps they are catering to the bigger American appetite.

But I also love Japanese curry over sticky white rice. Thanks to Isabel of Family Foodie, I was able to try out yet another kind of curry: Steamy Kitchen’s Shrimp Curry. Family Foodie is hosting a #SundaySupper Twitter event on 10 March 2013 at 7 p.m. ET to celebrate the arrival of Steamy Kitchen’s Healthy Asian Favorites. (Jaden Hair is the dynamo behind the site and author of the anticipated cookbook.) Several Healthy Asian Favorites are being given away for free. All you need to do is participate in the conversation by typing in hashtag (#) before SundaySupper in the Twitter search bar.

For the online party, I fixed Steamy Kitchen’s Shrimp Curry. Click here for the recipe. Per the Steamy Kitchen recipe recommendation I used Thai curry paste and coconut milk. The coconut made the mixture creamy and the spice was mild. (Even with the extra ¼ teaspoon of curry paste I added.) Steamy Kitchen’s Shrimp Curry is lovely. My husband loved it. But it is different from the sharper Indian influenced taste of Japanese curry.

Shrimp Curry

Also, I added maitake mushrooms instead of the suggested shiitake. I wanted to create a Shrimp Curry “Pan.” So the mini mushrooms were perfect for the recipe I adapted from my bread-making lesson at the ABC Cooking School in Tokyo during my visit to Japan last week.

Shrimp Curry in Bread aka Shrimp Curry Pan
???????

Bread Cups
Yields 6 to 8 Bread Cups
Adapted from the ABC Cooking School, Japan

Ingredients:

Bowl 1:
100 grams bread flour (approximately 3/4 cup)
1 1/3 tsps. instant dry yeast
1 ½ to 2 tsps. sugar
½ beaten egg
110 cc water (a little less than ½ cup)

Bowl 2:
100 grams bread flour (approximately 3/4 cup)
2 pinches of salt
20 grams of slightly soft unsalted butter (little less than one ounce)

Method:

1. Mix the contents of bowl one thoroughly
2. Combine the ingredients in bowl two
3. After bowl one begins to bubble, add the contents of bowl two
4. Place into the bread machine and set to dough only
5. Once done, roll out the dough and cut out 3 ½” rounds
6. From those rounds cut out 2 ½ inch rounds
7. With the skinny outer edges of the circle, like a rope create an encasing to wrap around the 2 ½ inch rounds
8. Carefully paint the bread circles with a beaten egg.
9. Bake at 180 Celsius or 360 Fahrenheit for 18 to 20 minutes on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
10. To make proper bread cups, carefully carve out the centers.

Note: While working with the dough and bread cups, tuck the untouched dough under plastic wrap.

The Shrimp Curry Pan (in bread) are scrumptious.
But it’s pretty great over sticky Japanese white rice, too.

Either way the Steamy Kitchen Shrimp Curry is a winner. Scroll down to see other delectable recipes from the Steamy Kitchen and Jaden Hair’s Healthy Asian Favorites.

Here is the list of #SundaySupper Contributors who will be giving away a copy of Steamy Kitchen’s Healthy Asian Favorites Cookbook and the recipes they will be sharing:

Tofu-Mushroom Miso Soup

Crispy Rice Patties

Thai Larb Lettuce Chicken Cups

Miso Cod

Sake Steamed Mussels

Salmon Honey Teriyaki

Korean Beef Bites

Mapo Tofu

Mango Brulee

The following Sunday Supper Contributors will be joining us with some of their favorite recipes from the Steamy Kitchen blog:

Vegetable Spring Rolls by Mangoes and Chutney
Kung Pao Chicken by Cravings of a Lunatic
Prime Rib Roast with Miso au jus by The Urban Mrs.
Kickin’ Tequila Shrimp by Gourmet Drizzles
Korean Beef Rice Bowl by Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
Pan Fried Shrimp and Pork Fried Potstickers by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
Shrimp Curry by Ninja Baking

Wishing you Steamy Kitchen adventures.

The Ninja Baker

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

Tags:

Steamy Kitchen Healthy Asian Favorites

Curry Shrimp

#SundaySupper