January 14, 2010

daring cooks january 2010 challenge | thai satay

so much going on in the new year and so little time to actually update my blog as much as i'd like. with a couple of projects in the works, maid of honor duties for my best friend’s wedding and the general "new year, new life" program, things have been a bit hectic...but this is good!! i thrive during times like these :)

2009 was a hard year for many people i know, and most certainly for me. but i also learned a lot about myself in the process and discovered many new goals and passions in my life, so i can at least say that all was not lost. as for 2010...so far so good!! things have started off on the right foot and i'm hoping the momentum continues...

now on to the challenge:


the january 2010 dc challenge was hosted by cuppy of cuppylicious and she chose a delicious thai-inspired recipe for pork satay from the book 1000 recipes by martha day.

it was such a relief to get an easy challenge after all the holiday cooking and, with that in mind, i settled on tofu as my protein of choice.

first step, marinating the tofu. the marinade consisted of scallions, ginger, lemon juice, ground coriander, cumin, garlic and soy sauce.

















after all ingredients were blended in the food processor, everything was poured over pressed firm tofu...




















while the tofu sat in the fridge marinating, i made my peanut sauce which consisted of soy creamer, soy sauce, lemon juice, dried red chilies, brown sugar, peanut butter, cumin and coriander.











because i substituted soy creamer for coconut milk, i found my sauce to be on the thin side. i bit of cornstarch dissolved in water, added while the peanut sauce melted over the stove, quickly solved the problem.

i also decided to make a pepper dip on the side....so good, but definitely better on it's own and separate from the peanut sauce. i served my tofu over trader joe's vegetarian fried rice and a side of steamed green beans tossed with soy sauce and salt & pepper. a simple dinner with AMAZING flavor!!


















thai satay with peanut sauce

for the marinade:
  • 1/2 small onion, chopped (i used 3 scallions instead because it was all i had)
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tbsp ginger, chopped
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric (only for color, so i ended up omitting from my recipe)
  • 1 lb of extra firm tofu (i used firm, but extra firm would have been better)
press tofu for at least 30 minutes before marinating.

place all other ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. cut tofu block into strips of desired size. cover tofu with marinade in a glass bowl or zip lock bag. seal and chill for at least 2 hours.

heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan over high heat. pan fry tofu strips until golden brown on both sides. serve over rice with peanut or pepper dip (recipes follow).

for peanut sauce:
  • 3/4 cup coconut milk (i substituted soy creamer)
  • 4 tbsp peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1-2 dried chilies, chopped (remove the seeds, but set aside for added heat)
mix dry ingredients in a small bowl. add soy sauce and lemon juice, mix well. over low heat, combine coconut milk, peanut butter and your soy-lemon-seasoning mix. mix well, stir often. once peanut butter is melted and all ingredients are mixed well, remove from heat. reheat if necessary when ready to serve. optional: add chili seeds to sauce until desired heat is achieved.

for pepper dip:
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1-2 dried chilies, chopped
  • 1 finely chopped scallion
mix well. serve chilled.

5 comments:

  1. it looks absolutely delicious. and I love the combinations you used.

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  2. Wow you can make tofu sound great (in fact I love it also) and your pixs are wonderful so clear. Wonderful you liked it so much. Cheers from Audax in Australia.

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  3. I like that you left the tofu in whole strips instead of cubes! I bet it was easier to work with like that and looks great :)

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  4. You have managed to make tofu look tasty.

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  5. I always eyeball that fried rice, but I've never tried it. But your picture convinces me; I must pick some up next time I go by!! :D

    What a great layout and a beautiful looking satay!

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