Posted by Wan Yan Ling, March 3, 2008 at 10:30 AM
The Grocery Ninja leaves no aisle unexplored, no jar unopened, no produce untasted. Creep along with her below, and read her past market missions here.
My housemates get visibly nervous when I offer them food—particularly if I’m bounding towards them, mystery item in hand, with a huge grin on my face. After the (well-intentioned) durian fudge cake of '06 and the Szechuan pepper-in-the-peppermill experiment of ’07, they’ve developed a cautiousness (rather unhealthy, to my mind, and completely un-fun) to the food I bring home.
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From novelty toys vendor Archie McPhee comes Mr. Bacon vs. Monsieur Tofu, bendable vinyl figurines modeled to look like a marginally menacing strip of bacon and the Monopoly Man if he were disgruntled and made of tofu. Together they have the potential to provide minutes of entertainment! [via Laughing Squid]
Posted by Wan Yan Ling, August 14, 2007 at 2:40 PM
Photograph by Shimin Wong
Smooth as a baby's bottom. That's how silken we want our tau foo fa (bean curd blossoms, also known as "jellied bean curd"). So incredibly delicate that a quivering spoonful will slide deliciously down your throat with the barest tilt of your head—no teeth required.
Made of soy milk that's been coagulated with a tiny amount of gypsum powder (calcium sulphate) and cornstarch to form curds, it is, at its most basic, served in a pool of simple syrup. Dressed up for company, it's been known to sport a crown of gingko nuts and lotus seeds, occasionally bobbing in a sweet, gingery broth. And yes, it's essentially sweetened tofu for dessert—and breakfast, and supper, and any time in between really (midday merienda, anyone?).
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Posted by Lia Bulaong, February 23, 2007 at 10:38 AM
The NYT's Mark Bittman makes a pudding promise: " You can make not only a credible but elegant and delicious chocolate or vanilla pudding in 20 minutes flat, not counting the time it takes to chill. That’s not much longer than it takes to start with a box of powdered mix, add milk and heat it." I have to admit that for some reason I've just always assumed pudding was fairly complicated to make and so had never so much as looked at a recipe for it before; Bittman is also sure to make the point that starting with quality ingredients (like with natural milk, not ultrapasteurized, and maybe purchased from a farm or farmer's market) is the best path to good pudding. He also demonstrates the art of pudding making in a short video, which is a nice touch and something I'd love to see more of in the online food sections of newspapers.
Maki Itoh's Righteous tofu pudding in under 5 minutes should do the trick for you quite nicely, if you're lactose intolerant or vegan. She says, "Now I do not pretend to you that this tastes like a proper pudding or mousse made with cream and such, and if anyone tries to convince you that a tofu based dish like this is ‘just as good/rich as the real thing’ they are either lying or have no taste buds. It’s different, but still good. It’s a lightly sweet, cool and creamy dish that will quiet a sudden urge for Something Sweet."
