I wanted to use my new packages of dishes I received on Wednesday, and I had this meal planned before they showed up on my doorstep. You are looking at Sweet Ginger Roasted Tofu, Chickpea Pollack, Seared Bok Choy, and Pan Seared Soba-Radicchio Stir Fry.
Yes, I got ambitious and made my own Soba Noodles today. Let me warn you though, do not plan it on a day when you wake up with allergy symptoms from spending the afternoon in someones house with pets you did not know they owned. So this meal was drug induced...sorry kids do not try to duplicate this at home...or take drugs without supervision...
Soba Noodles are originally from the Japanese food culture, but they are found in many Thai recipes using tofu, stir fry vegetables, and in many recipes. Unlike their wheat cousin, Udon, a thicker noodle, Soba is Japanese for Buckwheat and is a small noodle.
They are also high in sodium, so I try to look for low sodium, but they are hard to find in regular markets. I have decided to take a crack at them with my 'whip it up' skills (Alexis AKA Mom humor). I found recipes, but only one explaining how to make them, and with no pictures and very little instruction. I have made pasta years ago, and mine just will not be tiny round in shape like the store bought, but I will give it my best...
First we are going to marinate firm tofu in a sweet ginger sauce for an hour...
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce
1/2 teaspoon cilantro paste (cilantro & olive oil minced together)
Juice from a fresh lime
Blend together in morter or if you have a 'lil chopper that will work, and then cut tofu into 1/2 inch slices and place in dish and cover with sauce. Turn over in a 1/2 hour to marinate both sides well.
...add some thinly sliced onions just in case you want to have one in a wrap the next day, and for added flavor... Bake in 450 degree oven till brown...
Now to the Soba...
Here is the real Japanese way of making them...
Take 1 and 1/2 cups buckwheat flour and 1/2 cup quinoa flour (or regular if no gluten problems) and mix together in large bowl. Taking 1 cup of lukewarm water and slowly blend in with flour until it begins to form to a dough consistency, well they say a ball if using your mixer, but I have no cabinet space for mine, so I get that extra exercise using the old fashion way of a large fork and my muscular right arm!
Remove it from the bowl and begin to knead until all air bubbles are gone, and then roll it out on a floured cutting board or counter. Roll it out as thin as you can make it, and I read at least 1/8 inch, so I got a ruler for this one.
Tangled Noodle has posted a blog about a contest that involved using food ingredients to write a message, and here is my spur of the moment, and difficult recipe message (above)to my viewers...
Lets discuss kitchen tools...I for some reason do not like using a rolling pin...I grew up with a mom and grandmother that used a glass to roll out biscuits and stuff...but I did had this rather tall shot glass in the cabinet that has sat there for years, because my husband just had to buy it as a souvenir on a trip and no one ever uses it!
The pizza cutter gets used a lot, but I felt sorry for this shot glass and it worked perfect for my rolling pin!
Drop them into a tiny amount of hot stock for 3-5 minutes; then once liquid is about gone throw in a splash of oil and some chiffonade radicchio, scallions, garlic and lemon grass and saute on medium high. Remove to your platter and then saute some whole leaf bok choy...gotta have them greens in their somewhere...
Plate with the other sides we made today and garnish the tofu with some 'Green Chili Pesto' that I tweaked with some ginger and lemon grass to step it up for the Asian theme...which also reminds me of Gloria Chadwick to whom I owe the inspiration for a Green Chili Pesto I made...she has given me something on her Awards, Awards, Awards blog at Cookbook Cuisine!
Thank You Gloria! One day when I can get back down to Texas, and visit San Antonio we will have to meet Blonde Duck, other Texas bloggers and go out for some good Tex-Mex, or your place and we can all cook together!
...and doesn't this count for a post about writing with or in your food? This is what cold meds do to you when you take on a Soba Samari!
If you want to enter this contest with Tangled Noodle...
To participate:
1. 'Write or spell' using food or drink and create a blog post about it until midnight on Friday, March 6th. Any previous blog posts you already have where you've created a 'written'-inspired dish or drink will be accepted.
2. Blog about your creation, including photos, and add a link back to Savor the Thyme (http://savorthethyme.blogspot.com) and Tangled Noodle (http://tanglednoodle.blogspot.com).
3. Send an e-mail titled 'Eating Your Words' to eatingyourwords09@cox.net with the following information:
- Your name
- The name of your blog
- The name of your dish or drink
- Your food blog name and the link to your entry, including pictures, by midnight March 6, 2009
4. Please keep it clean! Appropriate humor is always welcome.
