I just tried fried tofu for the first time. I bought firm tofu, cut into slices,
blotted it on towels for about an hour to remove most of the moisture, then fried
in small amount of oil. Then added a little fish, soy, and hot sauces and simmered
for a few minutes to boil down the excess liquid. Incredibly good, the texture was
very similar to meat and I really couldn't taste the difference between it and meat
with the sauce.

Peter Panda > wrote:
> I just tried fried tofu for the first time. I bought firm tofu, cut into
> slices, blotted it on towels for about an hour to remove most of the
> moisture, then fried in small amount of oil. Then added a little fish,
> soy, and hot sauces and simmered for a few minutes to boil down the
> excess liquid. Incredibly good, the texture was very similar to meat and
> I really couldn't taste the difference between it and meat with the
> sauce.

Try frying it in Chinese or Mongolian Hot Oil (or make your own).

Hot Chile Oil (from “The Chile Pepper Book”)

1-1/2 cups olive oil
1/2 cup dried or 2/3 cup fresh crushed chiles (or more!)

To prepare the oil, place the oil and chiles in a heavy noncorrodible
saucepan and heat over low heat for about 10 minutes. Low heat means not
smoking or bubbling. Cool and store in a dark, cool place for up to 6
months. It just keeps getting hotter!

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled War on Terror Veterans and
their families:
http://saluteheroes.org/ & http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !

On 22 Oct 2005 23:33:15 GMT, wrote:

>Peter Panda > wrote:
>> I just tried fried tofu for the first time. I bought firm tofu, cut into
>> slices, blotted it on towels for about an hour to remove most of the
>> moisture, then fried in small amount of oil. Then added a little fish,
>> soy, and hot sauces and simmered for a few minutes to boil down the
>> excess liquid. Incredibly good, the texture was very similar to meat and
>> I really couldn't taste the difference between it and meat with the
>> sauce.
>
>Try frying it in Chinese or Mongolian Hot Oil (or make your own).
>
>Hot Chile Oil (from “The Chile Pepper Book”)
>
>1-1/2 cups olive oil
>1/2 cup dried or 2/3 cup fresh crushed chiles (or more!)
>
>To prepare the oil, place the oil and chiles in a heavy noncorrodible
>saucepan and heat over low heat for about 10 minutes. Low heat means not
>smoking or bubbling. Cool and store in a dark, cool place for up to 6
>months. It just keeps getting hotter!

Hey Nick:
For a real treat add 1/4 cup fermented black bean, and I kid you not
1/4 cup orange zest.
Holy cow is that good.
Ed

At the risk of sounding like the food police, I've read many things
about flavoured oils (with the flavouring element stored in the oil)
being prime sources for botulinum or some other kind of bacterium. I
see a lot of chile oil, though--both in Asian and Italian restaurants
(my favourite Italian restaurant has chile oil ready for me whenever I
go for pizza). Is there something about the chiles that prevents
whatever bacteria from growing?

Dinner tonight: fake-Cantonese chow mein with chicken and some kind of
leafy green vegetable (long thin stems, huge dark green leaves). Not
bad, but I used a bit too much oyster sauce, and possibly a bit too
much fish sauce in it. I say "fake", by the way, because I have no
clue as to how to make Cantonese chow mein, but I make it the way my
dad used to make it.

In article .com>,
"Rona Y" > wrote:

> At the risk of sounding like the food police, I've read many things
> about flavoured oils (with the flavouring element stored in the oil)
> being prime sources for botulinum or some other kind of bacterium. I
> see a lot of chile oil, though--both in Asian and Italian restaurants


I'm no expert here, but what I've read is that there isn't a problem as
long as the flavoring is dried. Every chile oil I've seen uses dried,
not fresh.

--
Dan Abel

Petaluma, California, USA

Spooge Geeko > wrote:
> On 22 Oct 2005 23:33:15 GMT, wrote:
> >Peter Panda > wrote:
> >> I just tried fried tofu for the first time. I bought firm tofu, cut
> >> into slices, blotted it on towels for about an hour to remove most of
> >> the moisture, then fried in small amount of oil. Then added a little
> >> fish, soy, and hot sauces and simmered for a few minutes to boil down
> >> the excess liquid. Incredibly good, the texture was very similar to
> >> meat and I really couldn't taste the difference between it and meat
> >> with the sauce.
> >
> >Try frying it in Chinese or Mongolian Hot Oil (or make your own).
> >
> >Hot Chile Oil (from “The Chile Pepper Book”)
> >
> >1-1/2 cups olive oil
> >1/2 cup dried or 2/3 cup fresh crushed chiles (or more!)
> >
> >To prepare the oil, place the oil and chiles in a heavy noncorrodible
> >saucepan and heat over low heat for about 10 minutes. Low heat means not
> >smoking or bubbling. Cool and store in a dark, cool place for up to 6
> >months. It just keeps getting hotter!
>
> Hey Nick:
> For a real treat add 1/4 cup fermented black bean, and I kid you not
> 1/4 cup orange zest.
> Holy cow is that good.
>
Ed, are you talking about when you make the hot oil or the fried tofu?
Fermented bean paste is good stuff. We use it a lot.

1/4 cup of orange zest? My arms would fall off! (Actually Jun's job) ;-)

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled War on Terror Veterans and
their families:
http://saluteheroes.org/ & http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !

"Rona Y" > wrote:
> At the risk of sounding like the food police, I've read many things
> about flavoured oils (with the flavouring element stored in the oil)
> being prime sources for botulinum or some other kind of bacterium. I
> see a lot of chile oil, though--both in Asian and Italian restaurants
> (my favourite Italian restaurant has chile oil ready for me whenever I
> go for pizza). Is there something about the chiles that prevents
> whatever bacteria from growing?
>
> Dinner tonight: fake-Cantonese chow mein with chicken and some kind of
> leafy green vegetable (long thin stems, huge dark green leaves). Not
> bad, but I used a bit too much oyster sauce, and possibly a bit too
> much fish sauce in it. I say "fake", by the way, because I have no
> clue as to how to make Cantonese chow mein, but I make it the way my
> dad used to make it.

Utsakushi-o, I've been using hot oil like that for years and I'm not dead
yet! I just checked my current batch. It's half chiles. Even the chile
infused vinegar lasts forever (although that I do refrigerate).

From your description, I can't visualize the veggie. Was it bitter or mild?
Maybe you could post a pic on alt.binaries.food. Oyster sauce is great, but
can easily overpower a dish. Fish sauce is easy to overdo. Better too
little than too much. You can add more at the table (a small bowl of fish
sauce with minced chile), but it's hard to remove when excessive.

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled War on Terror Veterans and
their families:
http://saluteheroes.org/ & http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !

wrote...
>
> Ed, are you talking about when you make the hot oil or the fried tofu?
> Fermented bean paste is good stuff. We use it a lot.

Fermented black bean paste? I never tried it but I love cultured foods
and would like to try fermenting something one of these days but I want
the proper strains of bacteria to order.

Dan Abel wrote:

> In article .com>,
> "Rona Y" > wrote
>
>>At the risk of sounding like the food police, I've read many things
>>about flavoured oils (with the flavouring element stored in the oil)
>>being prime sources for botulinum or some other kind of bacterium. I
>>see a lot of chile oil, though--both in Asian and Italian restaurants
>
> I'm no expert here, but what I've read is that there isn't a problem as
> long as the flavoring is dried. Every chile oil I've seen uses dried,
> not fresh.

Exactly. The other way to avoid problems is to refrigerate the
oil and use it within a week or two. That's what restaurants do.
If you refrigerate it you can use whatever ingredients you want.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

wrote...
> Utsakushi-o, I've been using hot oil like that for years and I'm not dead
> yet! I just checked my current batch. It's half chiles. Even the chile
> infused vinegar lasts forever (although that I do refrigerate).

I was about to make some chile vinegar and I'm pretty sure you don't have
to refrigerate it, the vinegar pickles the chiles. I also noticed most
hot sauces don't have to be refrigerated because they contain a much
smaller amount of vinegar and even that is acidic enough to preserve it.

Rona Y wrote:
> Dinner tonight: fake-Cantonese chow mein with chicken and some kind of
> leafy green vegetable (long thin stems, huge dark green leaves). Not
> bad, but I used a bit too much oyster sauce, and possibly a bit too
> much fish sauce in it. I say "fake", by the way, because I have no
> clue as to how to make Cantonese chow mein, but I make it the way my
> dad used to make it.

Cantonese Chow Mein? The crap they serve with those dried noodles?
Yuck! I can't eat that stuff.. or am I thinking of Chop Suey.

--
Dan

Dan Logcher wrote:
>
> Cantonese Chow Mein? The crap they serve with those dried noodles?
> Yuck! I can't eat that stuff.. or am I thinking of Chop Suey.
>
> --
> Dan

Hmmm, terminology might depend on frame of reference. Where I'm from,
"chow mein" (without the "Cantonese")is usually the stuff served in
non-Chinese people's Chinese restaurants, which is mostly gloppy bean
sprouts with a few carrots and maybe some broccoli, and possibly some
kind of processed luncheon meat like chicken or ham, topped with a few
fried noodles that you usually get in a can or a bag. "Cantonese chow
mein", however, is made with fresh noodles (or rehydrated dried
noodles), which are fried, and served with some kind of
meat/vegetable/seafood combination that almost always has oyster sauce
in it. It usually ends up looking like the pictures here
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?...entry1 039017
.. Mine sort of looked like that, except it ended up being saucy-er,
and I didn't make the noodles as crispy as I would have liked.

Dan Abel wrote:

> I'm no expert here, but what I've read is that there isn't a problem as
> long as the flavoring is dried. Every chile oil I've seen uses dried,
> not fresh.
>

Yes, and when I make it at home I heat the oil very,very hot, run
outside with it, throw in the dried chili, cover and run in without it,
for it is like the riot squad on the eyes.
blacksalt

wrote:
>
> Utsakushi-o, I've been using hot oil like that for years and I'm not dead
> yet! I just checked my current batch. It's half chiles. Even the chile
> infused vinegar lasts forever (although that I do refrigerate).
>

I'm going to make some soon! I need to have my own stash of chile oil,
because the last time I had take-out pizza from the Italian place, they
put so much on that it made me cry! I really like it, but not *that*
much. Plus, I'm only half Thai, so I'm really wimpy when it comes to
spicy foods!

> From your description, I can't visualize the veggie. Was it bitter or mild?
> Maybe you could post a pic on alt.binaries.food. Oyster sauce is great, but
> can easily overpower a dish. Fish sauce is easy to overdo. Better too
> little than too much. You can add more at the table (a small bowl of fish
> sauce with minced chile), but it's hard to remove when excessive.

I checked my receipt, and the vegetable was komatsuna, which is
"Japanese mustard spinach". It was very mild, and wilted away to
practically nothing. Next time, I'm going to use bok choy or something
a little more substantial.
http://www.evergreenseeds.com/evergr...japmusspi.html has
pics, but in real life, the stems are much longer--from the root up to
the leaf was probably 8-ish inches. Well, maybe 6+.

rona

"Rona Y" > wrote:
> wrote:
> >
> > Utsakushi-o, I've been using hot oil like that for years and I'm not
> > dead yet! I just checked my current batch. It's half chiles. Even the
> > chile infused vinegar lasts forever (although that I do refrigerate).
> >
> I'm going to make some soon! I need to have my own stash of chile oil,
> because the last time I had take-out pizza from the Italian place, they
> put so much on that it made me cry! I really like it, but not *that*
> much. Plus, I'm only half Thai, so I'm really wimpy when it comes to
> spicy foods!

Sawatdi khrap Nong Rona,

It's also good for making Dauhuu Pad Ped and other stir-fries.
>
> > From your description, I can't visualize the veggie. Was it bitter or
> > mild? Maybe you could post a pic on alt.binaries.food. Oyster sauce is
> > great, but can easily overpower a dish. Fish sauce is easy to overdo.
> > Better too little than too much. You can add more at the table (a small
> > bowl of fish sauce with minced chile), but it's hard to remove when
> > excessive.
>
> I checked my receipt, and the vegetable was komatsuna, which is
> "Japanese mustard spinach". It was very mild, and wilted away to
> practically nothing. Next time, I'm going to use bok choy or something
> a little more substantial.
> http://www.evergreenseeds.com/evergr...japmusspi.html has
> pics, but in real life, the stems are much longer--from the root up to
> the leaf was probably 8-ish inches. Well, maybe 6+.
>
I've found that greens; spinach, mustard, collard, and such, are much nicer
when they're just barely wilted and not cooked into mush. You might try
adding them nearer the end of the cooking.

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled War on Terror Veterans and
their families:
http://saluteheroes.org/ & http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !

On Sun, 23 Oct 2005 20:20:28 GMT, Peter Panda >
wrote:

wrote...
>>
>> Ed, are you talking about when you make the hot oil or the fried tofu?
>> Fermented bean paste is good stuff. We use it a lot.

Nick: The oil itself.
Ed
>
>Fermented black bean paste? I never tried it but I love cultured foods
>and would like to try fermenting something one of these days but I want
>the proper strains of bacteria to order.

kalanamak > writes:

>Dan Abel wrote:

>> I'm no expert here, but what I've read is that there isn't a problem as
>> long as the flavoring is dried. Every chile oil I've seen uses dried,
>> not fresh.
>>

>Yes, and when I make it at home I heat the oil very,very hot, run
>outside with it, throw in the dried chili, cover and run in without it,
>for it is like the riot squad on the eyes.


Brilliant! Except for the running-around-carrying-boiling-hot-oil part.


--
Joe Bay Leland Stanford Junior University
www.stanford.edu/~jmbay/ Program in Cancer Biology
The white zone is for loading and unloading only. If you have to load
or unload, go to the white zone. You'll love it. It's a way of life.