I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: baking bread is not my strong suit. But this recipe? I couldn’t stop eating it. Adapted from my well-worn Baladi cookbook, this Palestinian bread is full of herby za’atar and is perfect dunked in tart, thick labneh. Serve this as a breakfast or even an appetizer. It’s well worth the effort.
Ingredients:
2 envelopes of instant yeast (1/4 oz each)
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup avocado oil
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup za’atar
labneh, to serve
Mix the yeast with the warm water and sugar until it bubbles, 5-10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
Sift the flour into a bowl and add the salt. Add the yeast mixture to the flour and slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil and 1/2 cup of the olive oil. Mix the dough until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl, adding a little more water if needed. Knead for 5-7 minutes; it won’t be as bouncy as regular bread dough because of the oil content. Leave to rest for 40 minutes.
Make golf-ball-sized pieces of dough and set aside.
Mix the za’atar with the remaining 1/4 of olive oil and rub each dough ball in the mixture until coated. Arrange the dough balls in a bundt pan, cover with a dish towel, and leave to rise for another 20 minutes. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden and puffy. Serve with labneh.
This is one of my favorite things I made this summer, hands down. Think poke bowl vibes but with the flavor amped up to 1000%. A spicy, garlicy sauce brings everything together, from the bracing perilla leaves to the crunchy tobiko. Don’t let the long ingredient list put you off — this is unequivocally worth it.
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1/3 cup gochujang
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons minced peeled ginger
For the mixed rice:
4 cups mixed salad greens
2 green Korean chili peppers (or similar), chopped
10-12 perilla (shiso) leaves, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup thinly sliced onion
2 cups peeled Persian or English cucumber matchsticks
1 cup radish sprouts
1 avocado, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 cups freshly cooked white rice
1 1/2 pounds sushi grade fish, such as tuna, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
1/2 cup flying fish roe (tobiko)
Toasted sesame seeds, for serving
2 sheets nori, sliced into thin strips
Toasted sesame oil, for serving
Make the sauce: combine all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
Assemble the mixed rice: Arrange the greens, chili peppers, perilla leaves, onion, cucumber, sprouts, and avocado in the bottom of a large shallow bowl. Spoon the rice on top. Arrange the fish and roe on top of the rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and seaweed. Serve with the sauce and sesame oil on the side.
I know I’m basic but I cannot get enough of chili crisp. I slather it on everything these days — eggs, avocado toast, soup, and my favorite addition: noodles. Adapted from Bon Appetit, these ramen noodles have all of my favorite additions: crispy-chewy tofu and shiitakes, nutty tahini, lots of garlic, and a generous drizzle of chili crisp, ofc.
Ingredients:
1/4 soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark sugar
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons black (Chinkiang) vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon chili crisp, plus more for serving
4 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
1 14-ounce block extra firm tofu, drained
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons avocado oil, divided
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
10 ounces fresh ramen noodles or similar
Whisk soy sauce, brown sugar, tahini, sesame oil, black vinegar, 1 tablespoon chili crisp, and 1/2 cup water in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
Mix cucumbers, rice vinegar, and salt in a medium bowl to coat. Let sit, mixing once or twice, until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain and set pickled cucumbers aside.
Wrap tofu in a clean thin kitchen towel or cheesecloth. Gather ends of towel together and squeeze with your hands over sink to extract as much liquid as possible. (It’s fine if the tofu breaks apart.)
Crumble tofu into a medium bowl (it should look like ground meat with some larger pieces). Sprinkle with cornstarch and 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss with your hands to evenly coat tofu.
Heat 2 teaspoons avocado oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Arrange tofu crumbles in a single layer in pan; reserve bowl. Cook tofu, undisturbed, until golden brown underneath, about 5 minutes. Toss and continue cooking, tossing occasionally, until tofu is golden brown and crisp all over, about 4 minutes more. Transfer tofu to reserved bowl.
Add remaining 2 teaspoons avocado oil to same skillet and reduce heat to medium-high. Add mushrooms and shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are browned and shallot is translucent, about 5 minutes; season with salt. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Return tofu to pan and add reserved sauce; bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce is slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions. Drain and place in a large serving bowl. Ladle saucy tofu over noodles and top with reserved pickled cucumbers and more chili crisp.
Have a rice cooker? This easy summer dish couldn’t possibly be easier. Adapted from Donabe, a little bit of quinoa adds extra nutrition to this sweet and savory side.
Ingredients:
2 rice cups jasmine rice, rinsed
1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 3/4 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sake
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
7 ounces firm tofu, drained and pressed
Kernels from 1 ear of corn
1/2 cup rehydrated wood ear mushrooms, sliced into small pieces
Place the rice, quinoa, and water in a rice cooker and cook according to rice cooker instructions.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: in a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sake, chicken bouillon, salt, and pepper, and set aside.
Heat the sesame oil in a saute pan and saute the garlic for 1 minute over medium heat. Crumble the tofu into small pieces and add to the pan. Stir, continuing to break up the tofu with a wooden spoon and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the tofu is lightly browned. Add the corn and wood ear mushrooms and saute for 3 more minutes, until cooked through.
Add the sauce to the pan and turn the heat to medium-high. Saute until the liquid is almost absorbed, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Once the rice has finished cooking, uncover and gently fold in the corn and tofu mixture. Serve warm.
The first time I made this dish I accidentally fooled everyone into thinking they were eating ground meat. I didn’t mean to — I love tofu, for what it’s worth. It’s just that’s how inconspicuous the tofu is here. It absorbs all the umami-laden flavor of the seasonings, including the chili crisp, which does a lot of heavy lifting. (No such thing as too much chili crisp, amirite?) Fragrant, slightly sweet coconut rice and crunchy cucumbers round out this heavy hitter of a one-dish meal.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed
3 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 pound firm tofu, rinsed and drained well
2 tablespoons avocado oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chili crisp (I recommend Big Spoon Chili Crisp)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Torn basil leaves, for serving
Whisk coconut milk, salt, and 1 cup water in a cold medium saucepan to combine. Add rice and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover pan and reduce heat to low; cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; let sit covered 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.
Toss cucumbers, vinegar, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl to combine and let sit until ready to serve.
Crumble tofu into small pieces (about the size of a pea). Heat avocado oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add tofu, shallots, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and tofu is crisped, 11–13 minutes. Add chili crisp, soy sauce, and sesame oil and cook, stirring often, until well coated, about 1 minute. Stir in peanuts.
Divide coconut rice and tofu among plates and top with marinated cucumbers and basil.
