Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Long Time No Post

Sorry I've not had a chance to blog in so long. Things have been quite busy at the work place. Hubs was gone the weekend before last taking a bit of a vacation in Buffalo with his Dad before he has to start his 6(!) class odyssey next week. This last weekend we were mostly busy with family stuff. We hit the St Petersburg aquarium (which sucks, there's a reason it only costs $5 to get in!), went to a barbecue birthday bash for Hubs' cousin, and, of course, hit the beach. Hubs and I also spent a night out on the town. We had dinner at the Melting Pot and then caught a show where the bassist was one of Hubs' old friend's sister. They were actually quite good, and we enjoyed the music immensely.

Food:

I realize I haven't blogged a recipe in a while, so here's one of my absolute favorite comfort foods: Mapo Doufu. I know that sounds a little odd, but this spicy pork and tofu dish is one I crave constantly. Most of my comfort foods are Asian, and I'm not exactly sure why that is. Maybe its that I've studied Chinese for so long or the copious amounts of time I've spent in the Pacific region, but I love all types of Asian food. Since I live in an area where there aren't really any Asian markets (I've heard a rumor that there may be one in Tampa, but I've yet to venture out to find it), I've had to learn to adapt my cooking to try and mirror the flavors I remember without the actual ingredients. In some cases this can be done quite easily (fried rice, yakisoba, bulgogi) in others it is not even worth trying (Tom Ka Gai, my all time favorite soup, just does not have the right flavor no matter what I try to substitute :( In the case of Mapo Doufu, I think this recipe is pretty darn close, and it certainly satisfies my craving. Be forewarned, this is not really a kid friendly recipe. C will eat it, but remember this is a kid who counts sushi and brussel sprouts among her favorite foods, i.e. not your typical eater.

Pu's Mapo Doufu:

1lb ground or diced pork
1 block soft tofu, drained and diced
2-3 tbsp peanut oil (you can use other oil if you don't have peanut oil)
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp fermented black beans (you can usually find this with garlic in your grocer's Asian food aisle)
1-2 tbsp hot chile sauce (I use Sriracha)
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
2-3 tbsp Sichuan spice mix (McCormick's sells bottles of this)
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar
1 cup chicken broth
3tbsp corn starch mixed in 6 tbsp water

Heat the oils over medium-high heat, add the onion and garlic and saute until softened. Add the pork and cook thoroughly. Add the hot chile sauce, black bean sauce, soy sauce, sichuan spice, red pepper flakes, and sugar and cook for another minute or so. Add in the chicken broth and mix well. Stir the corn starch into the water and add to the sauce to thicken it. Then add the diced tofu. Cook mixture on low to medium heat for about another 5 min so that the tofu can absorb all the flavor from the sauce. Serve over rice. And remember, you can always adjust the amounts of chili sauce and red pepper flakes to make the dish as spicy or mild as you like.

Things:

- Is there really anything more awesome than a toddler dancing? I love watching their little brows furrow in concentration as they run determinedly in a circle to the strains of the Go, Diego, Go theme song.
- Pre-schoolers are amazing creatures. J is basically teaching herself to swim. She enjoys spending time with his big sis in the pool, so we bought her a life jacket-type floaty vest and now she uses that to paddle and kick her way around the pool unassisted. She'll get actual swim lessons this summer when the step-kids are here
- Not sure if I have mentioned this before or not, but my company is paying for me to take more Chinese lessons (or at least reimbursing me for them anyway). I have a tutor who comes to my office once a week from the Longmen Chinese Center, and I can't tell you how much I have missed studying the language!

8 comments:

Susanne said...

I'm a little disappointed that in all of the time I've known you, I've never offered to cook you any Korean food : (

How awesome is that? That you get a Chinese tutor!!!

Do you watch Asian Dramas?? I've gotten really into watching Korean dramas....there are a lot of good Chinese ones too!!! Maybe you could watch them at work as a part of your studies : ) !!!! That would be ever better!!!!

alexis said...

wow, it sounds like everything is going really really well! I am happy everyone is learning, growing, and that dish sounds really good.

Anonymous said...

It's really cool that your company will sponsor the language lessons. I took some refresher German last year, and it was a real treat to study something different than my work all day long. The only disappointment for me was that my instructor mainly thought we should listen to her talk instead of talking ourselves...

stef said...

That is so cool about the Chinese lessons! Post more asian recipes please.

Laura said...

That's great about the Chinese lessons... do/will you get to use the language in your job? Possible TDY to China?

Glad to hear things are going well and I can't wait to see you in a couple weeks!!

Lakeview Coffee Joe said...

This statement is an oxymoron: "taking a bit of a vacation in Buffalo".

Pulisha said...

Susanne - I actually have a very vivid memory of your mom cooking us a big Korean meal. For some reason I think it was on a Thanksgiving or some other holiday. Do you remember that or am I just crazy, lol?

RM - That sucks! I am really loving my tutor. She's an actual credentialed teacher, and, since the company is paying for it, I can actually afford her rates! It is so awesome to be studying in a structured environment again. It is just completely different that studying on your own or with another student.

Laura - I wish! I may actually gt to use my Chinese a bit on different projects, but, like most my assignments, it will be ad hoc to my normal duties. No TDYs to China, I'm afraid :(

Dad said...

Oh come on there has to be a TDY to China somehow. Hubs would love to take care of the kids for you during your absence :)