Our youngest is in town. She cooks, too, and when she saw my bottles of sweet soy sauce (yes — plural), she remarked that she uses the same to make tofu and vegetable stir-fry. Seizing the chance to take a break from kitchen duty, I dared her to put her money where her mouth was, because, well, that’s what big brothers do, right?
Big Bro doesn’t deep-fry, however. Or at least avoids it whenever he can. And tofu isn’t something that bestirs my imagination (or taste buds). That’s two strikes against the recipe. I did not say “dish,” okay? The dish itself was good. It went well with salay-salay/lambiyaw (yellowstripe scad, likewise deep-fried) that my father bought from a roving vendor. Light, but filling: appropriate Lenten fare.
How’s your Holy Week going, by the way? The weather bureau says that the dry season has officially arrived. Oh? Has it now? And I thought it’s just unseasonably hellish. From brutally scorching days we proceed to bitterly cold nights. And now a super-typhoon is barrelling in our direction, if it’s not here already. On this week, of all weeks! Can I say “bummer” for you? Let’s face it: you have plans, probably months in the making. I have plans, too, and they don’t include deep-frying tofu.
I wasn’t paying much attention, so if you want to make this dish (and you should really try it), you will just have to tweak the condiment portions to your taste. To start, deep-fry the tofu (the firm kind, sliced into cubes). Eh, those things took longer to brown than I imagined. And the hot oil spatter! Ugh. Don’t slice your cubes too small because they will shrink as the water in the tofu evaporates. Once done, transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel and set aside.
Next, slice the pechay stalks into strips and sauté them in a little oil for 2 to 3 minutes before adding half a tablespoon of grated ginger, a medium red onion (sliced), 3 cloves of garlic (minced), red finger chili (minced; as much or as little as you want), and a handful of sliced green bell pepper. Sauté for 2 to 3 more minutes, then add a mixture of fish sauce (1 tablespoon), kecap manis (2 tablespoons), and water (2 to 3 tablespoons). When pechay stalks turn tender (half-cooked, as we call it), throw in the sliced leaves and cook until wilted. Return the fried tofu to the pan and mix well. Season to taste (salt, black pepper, and/or more fish sauce and sweet soy sauce). To finish, drizzle the dish with sesame oil and garnish with cilantro, basil, or chopped spring onion greens. Enjoy.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some packing to do. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let PAGASA run my vacation. Have fun with yours.
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