Category: Vegetables and Salads

Caramelized Tofu with Soy-Braised Eggplant

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Crispy tofu and buttery eggplant are a textural match made in heaven. Adapted from Bon Appetit, the secret ingredient here is a dash of sugar, that serves to both caramelize the tofu and temper the savory, garlicky sauce. Serve this with rice for a perfect end-of-summer meal.

Ingredients:
  • 14 ounces extra-firm tofu
  • 4 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
  • Salt
  • 2 teaspoons sugar, divided
  • 1 pound Japanese eggplants (about 3), cut in half lengthwise, cut crosswise 3/4-inch thick
  • 4 green onions , white and pale green parts and dark green parts separated, thinly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
  • Sesame oil and steamed rice, for serving
  1. Sandwich tofu between several layers of clean kitchen towels and gently press to expel excess liquid. Pat dry, then cut into 1″ cubes.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons avocado oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Cook tofu, stirring and turning occasionally, until golden brown all over, 6–8 minutes. Generously season with salt, then sprinkle 2 teaspoons sugar over. Cook, stirring, until tofu is starting to brown, about 1 minute. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer tofu to a plate, leaving the oil.
  3. Heat remaining avocado oil in same pan. Add eggplants, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until brown and starting to soften, 5–7 minutes. Add white and pale green parts of the green onions, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until fragrant and starting to soften, about 1 minute. Add soy sauce, remaining 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and 2 tablespoons water. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until eggplant is starting to fall apart, about 2 minutes. Return tofu to pan; stir to coat. Remove from heat; stir in rice vinegar and fish sauce.
  4. Serve tofu mixture in a shallow bowl over steamed rice, topped with thinly sliced dark green onion parts and drizzled with sesame oil.

Okra Fries

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Six years ago, I tried the famed okra fries at Dishoom, London’s ode to Parsi cuisine. The entire meal was a revelation but it’s the okra fries that really stole my heart.

London may be eleven hours away from the Bay Area, but I bought the Dishoom cookbook so I can keep eating their okra fries on demand. Adapted from the cookbook, these okra fries make a salty-crunchy appetizer or side dish alongside any South Asian meal. Serve with tamarind chutney instead of ketchup, of course.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound okra, rinsed, patted dry, and trimmed
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • Avocado oil, for frying
  • 1/4 cup chickpea flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
  • Tamarind chutney, to serve
  1. Slice okra in half lengthwise. Mix the garlic, ginger, chili powder, and four teaspoons water. Add the okra and mix well to coat thoroughly.
  2. Heat the oil in a heavy, deep pan to medium-high.
  3. Mix the chickpea flour and cornstarch. Add the okra and toss gently to coat.
  4. Carefully shallow-fry the okra in the hot oil, in batches if necessary, until golden and crispy, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate, sprinkle with chaat masala, and serve immediately alongside tamarind chutney.

Avocado, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad

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Here’s the world’s easiest (and most satisfying) summer salad for when you’re short on time but need something to go with that barbecue or potluck. Use top-quality produce here for a salad that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

Ingredients:
  • 2 large heirloom tomatoes, washed and cored
  • 1 large avocado, halved, pit removed, and peeled
  • 3 Persian cucumbers
  • 1/2 small red onion
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Quarter the heirloom tomatoes and cut them into thin slices, then place in a large bowl. Thinly slice avocado halves and gently add to the bowl. Thinly slice cucmbers and red onion and add to the salad bowl.
  2. Top vegetables with grated garlic, vinegar, parsley, and olive oil, then gently toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Marinated Portobello Mushroom and Pesto Sandwich

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I’m not a huge sandwich person, and I rarely seek them out, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this flavor bomb of a sandwich I made recently. Garlicy pesto, meaty mushrooms, tangy sourdough, vinegary peppers, creamy mozzarella — this sandwich has it all.

Maybe I’m a sandwich person after all.

Ingredients:
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons prepared pesto
  • 1 pound portobello mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons avocado oil
  • Salt
  • 1 12-inch wide sourdough baguette or boule, halved lengthwise, toasted
  • 1 garlic clove, halved crosswise
  • 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup sliced pickled cherry peppers
  • 1/4 cup basil leaves
  1. Place pesto in a large bowl. Remove stems and gills from portobello mushrooms. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium heavy skillet over medium-high. Arrange half of mushrooms in a single layer in skilled and cook until they start to sizzle, then wrap the bottom of a second heavy skillet that is small enough to nestle into the first with foil and use it to press down on mushrooms evenly. Cook, pressing down, until mushrooms shrink and are deeply browned underneath, about 3 minutes. Remove top skillet; season mushrooms with salt. Turn mushrooms over, add 1 teaspoon oil to pan, and re-cover with foil-lined skillet. Cook, pressing, until second sides of mushrooms are well-browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to bowl with pesto. Repeat process with remaining mushrooms and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oil. Toss mushrooms in pesto to coat.
  2. Rub cut sides of baguette with garlic. Arrange mushrooms on bottom half of bread, then layer mozzarella on top. Top with cherry peppers and basil. Close and cut in quarters to make 4 sandwiches.

Loaded Avocado Toast

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I am the most basic millennial in that I will never, ever tire of avocado toast. Avocado toast with an egg? Check. Avocado toast with chili crisp? Yes. Loaded avocado toast? Always. This version uses sourdough bread topped with radishes, pepitas, and queso fresco, for a Cali-Mex-inspired version of our beloved avocado toast. This makes one toast, so double or triple your quantities depending on how many you’re making.

Ingredients:

  • 1 slice sourdough bread
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1/2 teaspoon Meyer lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower microgreens or similar sprouts
  • 1 radish, thinly sliced
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin seeds, toasted
  • 1 tablespoon crumbled queso fresco
  1. Toast the bread until lightly golden brown. Cut the garlic clove in half and rub it all over the toast.
  2. In a bowl, mash the avocado with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Spread the mashed avocado onto the toast. Top with the microgreens, radish, pumpkin seeds, and queso fresco.