"Ginisang Pechay At Tokwa" (Chinese White Cabbage & Bean Curd Stir-fry)

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsps vegetable oil
• 2 pcs (80 grams each) bean curd (tokwa)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, pounded finely
• 1 large (50 grams) red onion, halved & thinly sliced
• 1 large (50 grams) red ripe plump tomato, halved & thinly sliced
• 100 grams lean ground pork
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 275 grams Chinese white cabbage (petsay tagalog/ bok choy), cut at 1/2" thick
• 2 tbsps oyster sauce

Procedure:

In a wok, place over medium fire, heat thoroughly. Put oil, heat again ( never skip this step, it's a technique so that your bean curd will not stick to the pan while frying it).

Fry bean curd on both sides until golden brown. Set aside. Retain oil in the pan. Let the fried bean curd cool, then, cut into cubes.

Back to the pan, saute garlic until rich golden brown. Follow with onion and tomatoes. Saute and mash until soft. Add ground pork, pepper and fish sauce. Stir-fry until fragrant or until liquid evaporates.

Put the Chinese white cabbage, water and oyster sauce. Mix. Cover. Cook until veggie is done. Remove pan from fire. Add in the cubed bean curd. Mix.

Serve.

"St. Peter's Fish and Bean Curd in Oriental Sauce"

Ingredients:

• cooking oil for frying
• 2 small squares of bean curd (tokwa)
• 4 small pcs, about a kilo in weight, of St. Peter's fish (tilapia)
• salt
• flour, for dusting the fish
• a thumb size ginger
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 large (100 grams) red onion
• 2 tbsps salted black beans, drained
• 2-3 stalks leeks
• 1 small (100 grams) carrot
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 4 tbsps of oyster sauce
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1-1/2 cup of water
• 2 tbsps flour or cornstarch

Procedure:

Clean the fish. Drain well. Rub with salt. Stand for several minutes.

Heat thoroughly the oil in a pan. Cut bean curd into four. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Cut into small chunks. Set aside.

Meanwhile, Diagonally cut the leeks into half-inch length. Slice the carrot into sticks. Chop the onion and salted black beans. Mince finely the ginger and garlic.

Sprinkle lightly the fish with flour. Fry. Set aside.

Meanwhile, combine the last-five ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well. Set aside.

In a separate pan, I used a wok, put oil from frying the fish about 2-3 tablespoons. Saute garlic and ginger until fragrant only (do not brown). Follow with onion and salted black beans. Saute for 30 seconds. Add carrot. Stir-fry for a few seconds. Put back the fried tilapia and tokwa. Pour the mixture. Bring to boil (add a little water if the sauce becomes too thick). Sprinkle the leeks on top. Cover. Let it sit for a minute.

Serve immediately.

"Togue at Tokwa Guisado" (Mung Bean Sprouts & Tofu Saute)

A variation of my recipe, "Mung Bean Sprouts Easy Saute". I just added fried and cubed tofu at the end of the cooking.

"Ground Pork and Bean Curd with Salted Black Beans"

Earlier today, I prepared this dish for our baon. We'll be going to the rink later for my kiddo's ice skating lesson and practice plus his gymnastics work-out.

Salted black beans or also known as fermented black beans are small soy beans preserved by fermentation with salt and spices which gives them their rich salty taste and distinctive smell.


Good for 4-6 servings.


You'll need:

• 1/4 cup of palm or vegetable oil
• 3 pcs. hard tofu or bean curd (tokwa)
• 4 cloves of finely pounded garlic
• 1 large red onion (50 grams), chopped
• 2 red ripe tomatoes (70-75 grams), coarsely chopped
• 400 grams lean ground pork
• 1 can (180 grams) salted black beans
• 1/2 tbsp of ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• 25 grams of Chinese celery (kinchay), remove roots and chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, julienne

Here's how:

Wash salted black beans with running water. Drain. Set aside.

Using a skillet, place over high fire, heat 2/3 of oil. Fry bean curd until golden brown on both sides. Drain in lots of paper towels. Cut into cubes. Set aside.

Back to the pan, add the rest of oil. Heat again. Saute garlic until rich golden brown. Add onion and tomatoes. Cook until soft. Put the ground pork, salted black beans, ground black pepper and soy sauce. Keep stirring until pork separates. Cook until liquid evaporates or oil sizzles.

Add water, Chinese celery, bell pepper and tofu. Mix well. Cover. Bring to boil.

Serve over white cooked rice.

"Bistek con Tokwa" (Beefsteak with Tofu)

In Filipino cuisine, Bistek means any meat marinated in soy sauce (toyo) and Philippine lemon (kalamansi) juice cooked with lots of onion. That’s according to my mother!!! It’s one of the dishes, I grew up fondly eating.

Soy sauce or Soya sauce is a fermented sauce made from soy beans, roasted grain, water and salt. It originated in China, commonly used in East and South Eastern Asian cuisines. There are many types of soy sauce, all are salty and earthy-tasting brownish liquids used to season food while cooking or at the table. Here in the Philippines, soy sauce and kalamansi juice goes well together, oftentimes as dip, sometimes as marinade.

I tweaked the dish, putting fried tofu as an extender. I have this thing nowadays with tofu, always craving for it!

Good for 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 250 grams pork shoulder (kasim) or beef tenderloin
• 1 tbsp fish sauce (patis)
• ¾ tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ cup SILVER SWAN soy sauce
• 4 pcs kalamansi, juice extracted, removed seeds
• 1 medium (150 g) potato
• Fine salt and white pepper
• Tapioca starch, for dusting
• 3 pcs tofu (tokwa), each cut into 6 parts, 2x1x1/4”
• 1 tbsp + 3 tbsps cooking oil
• 2 pcs. (150 g) white onion, cut into rings
• 3 cloves garlic, finely crushed
• 1 cup water
• Salt (optional)

Here’s how:

1. Cut meat tapa-style (thin slices of meat across the grain). Using the back of a knife, pound meat lightly. In a bowl, combine the first-two ingredients. Put two-thirds of ground black pepper, soy sauce and kalamansi juice. Add the fish sauce. Mix. Sprinkle with a little tapioca starch. Set aside.


2. Scrub skin of potato under running water until dirt is gone. Slice thinly. Pat-dry. Sprinkle with fine salt and white pepper. Dust with tapioca starch. Set aside.


3. In a wok, put a tablespoon of cooking oil. Place over high-fire. Heat thoroughly but not smoking. Stir- fry onion until soft. Remove from pan. Set aside in a bowl.


4. In the same pan, add the rest of cooking oil. Heat again. Fry tofu until golden brown. Remove from pan. Combine tofu with onions.


5. Fry potato slices in the same pan until light golden brown on both sides. Drain in paper towels. Place potato around the serving platter. Set aside.


6. Back to the wok, sauté garlic until golden brown. Place marinated meat. Stir-fry until liquid evaporates. Add water. Cover. Bring to boil. Put tofu, onions and the rest of ground black pepper, soy sauce and kalamansi juice. Mix. Adjust taste, put salt if necessary. Cook for another minute. Put in a serving platter with the potatoes.


7. Serve with warm cooked rice.

"Pork and Tofu in Oyster Sauce"

Tofu is a soft cheese-like food made by curdling soya milk with a coagulant. In the Philippines, it’s called “tokwa”. It is sold in water-filled packs or in aseptic cartons, can be found in supermarkets and natural health food stores.

Tofu is a bland tasting product that easily absorbs the flavors of other ingredients. Often used as a meat substitute in vegetarian dishes. It is an exceptional food, not only because it is highly nutritious but because it can be prepared in such a remarkably wide variety of ways. It is a good source of soy protein and isoflavones, both of which confer promising health benefits. The uses for tofu are limited only by one's imagination.

Try this trick: chill or freeze tofu before use to give it a chewier and meatier texture, making it more absorbent.

Good for 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 250-300 grams pork belly (liempo)
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp rock salt
• 3 tbsps cooking oil
• 4 pcs tofu (tokwa)
• 4 cloves garlic, finely crushed
• 1 large (50g) finely minced red onion
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tbsps finely minced Chinese celery (kinchay) or fresh cilantro (wansuy)
• 2 tbsps MAMA SITA’S oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp SILVER SWAN soy sauce
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour or cornstarch

Here’s how:

1. Wash tofu in running water. Drain well. Cut into four. Fry until light golden brown. Cut each fried tofu into 3 strips. Set aside.


2. While frying the tofu, combine the first-three ingredients in a casserole. Cover. Bring to boil. Lower heat to low, then, simmer for 20 minutes or until pork is fork-tender. Remove pork. Reserve pork stock. Cut into thin long strips. Set aside.


3. Mix the last three ingredients and pork stock. Set aside.


4. Back to the pan with cooking oil, sauté garlic until golden brown. Add onion, cook until limp. Put pork and pepper. Sauté for 30 seconds. Place Chinese celery, tofu and pork stock mixture. Cook until sauce thickens.


5. Serve over hot cooked rice.