Honey Archives • Mushroompride

Crispy Honey Soy Tofu – Delishar

Made this one afternoon for the helper and myself because she bought 3 pieces of firm tofu what was on offer. Nobody else at home consumes soy beancurd except for myself and the helper, so I felt sorry to see it sit sadly in the fridge without a purpose. Don’t get me wrong, I love my tofu and will eat tofu everyday if I can. But unfortunately too much soy is not good for my thyroid condition. Plus, it’s a little lonely eating tofu alone while the whole family neglects it.

Since I don’t get to make much tofu at home, I took the opportunity to whip up something that I know we’ll truly enjoy, and I don’t have to feel guilty or lonely about eating it. I love how the tofu transform from a white block of nothing (that’s what the husband calls it) into this gorgeous golden pillow with soft fluffy interior. What a play of texture!

black sweet tofu 5

And the sauce… omg don’t even get me started… that delicious sticky glaze was THE sauce for the pan-fried golden puffs! It was the perfect balance between sweet, salty, tang, and spice! I served it with plain steamed white rice, and may I say that it was one of my most satisfying meals. So simple, but so good. If you are a tofu lover, you are going to love this one. I promise.

black sweet tofu process

Crispy Honey Soy Tofu

Delishar

(Serves 4 in a multi-dish meal)

2 firm / extra firm tofu sliced to 1/4 inch thickness (about 350g)
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp white/rice vinegar
1 tsp sambal chilli optional or to taste
2 cloves garlic minced
1 lemongrass ends only and sliced
1 to 2 tbsp oil
Another 1 tsp oil
Chopped cilantro and fried shallot to garnish

Dry tofu with kitchen towel.
Pan fry over medium high heat until golden brown on both sides.
Set aside.
In a saucepan, add 1 tsp oil and saute lemongrass and garlic until it starts to turn golden.
Pour in dark soy, honey, vinegar, and chilli.
Give it a stir, and lower heat to simmer.
Allow sauce to thicken. (sauce will thicken further when cooled)
Drizzle sauce over golden tofu just before serving.
Garnish with cilantro and fried shallot.

black sweet tofu

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Hoisin Honey Sticky Ribs – Delishar

Okay, I’ll come clean. Besides Milo, I have a weakness for ribs too. Give this girl some ribs, a glass of hot or iced Milo, and I’ll be the happiest foodie in the whole entire world (as my eldest, Melody likes to put it)! The same goes for the husband. He walked into the kitchen, saw me cutting up the ribs, and said, “Wait, what kind of sorcery did you do there?! Have you taken your pictures yet?” and a huge smile was plastered across his face. I brushed on some honey on the savoury baby back ribs, and it totally transforms the product to a whole new dimension. A darn good one!

Although, this recipe is not as tender as my fall-off-the-bone and melt-in-the-mouth BBQ Slow Roasted Ribs, it sure makes up for in stronger flavours, and a much MUCH shorter cooking time. The preparation for this dish is extremely simple. Just marinate, then bake, basting it 2-3 times along the way. Quite effort free if you ask me.

hoisin honey ribs

While the oven does the cooking for me, I kept myself busy with my Caixin with Fishcake, and Watercress Chicken Soup. That’s what I love about oven cooking. I get to multi-task without having to worry much. By the time the ribs are done, I was done with all the other dishes too, including most of the washing up. I like to wash up while I cook, and try my best to keep the kitchen clutter free. Well, maybe because my kitchen is super small. I know friends who only wash up after dinner is completed. Pots, pans, plates… etc. What about you? Do you clean up while you cook or do you wait till dinner has concluded?

Don’t forget to take part in the current giveaway! Win 1kg of wild caught Alaskan Halibut valued at $82! Click here to go to giveaway page.

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Hoisin Honey Sticky Ribs

Delishar

1 kg baby back ribs
1/2 tsp 5 spice powder
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp dark soy sauce
White pepper to taste
1 tbsp honey to glaze

Clean ribs by removing tough membrane at the bone side of ribs.
Add all the ingredients except ribs and 1 tbsp honey into large zip lock bag.
Mix to combine, then add ribs, cut if needed to fit into ziplock bag.
Marinate for 1 hour to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 180C.
Remove ribs from bag, and bake on greased baking tray for 40-60 minutes.
Reserve marinade, and baste every 20 minutes.
When done, brush on the remaining 1 tbsp honey, and serve immediately.

Adapted from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook

hoisin honey ribs 3

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Honey Sriracha Salmon with Baby Beans – Delishar

When we were in Wisconsin last month, we met up with a wonderful family at this rain-forest themed restaurant. It’s a pretty cool place with moving ‘animals’, the sounds they make, and thunderstorms too. It does feel like we were dining in the rain-forest. Because there were so many things going on in the restaurant, it pretty much kept the kids occupied while the adults visited.

It wasn’t our first visit to the restaurant. I usually order myself the spiciest entree I can find on the menu, which is a jambalaya pasta. But maybe because it was the festive season, the restaurant had a special menu. So when I saw Honey Sriracha Salmon on Rice, I had to restrain myself from jumping for joy. I mean, that combination can never go wrong! And I wonder why I’ve never though of making it for the blog before!

Better late than never right? So here is my version of Honey Sriracha Salmon, inspired by what I had at the Rainforest Cafe. I made the girls’ portion separately without the Sriracha. All of us at home could not get enough of that delicious piece of fish! The whole dish took me about 10 minutes to prep, and another 10 minutes to cook. Super quick and delicious weeknight meal that you will want to put on your rotation list.

Honey Sriracha Salmon with Baby Beans

Delishar

Salmon marinade

600 g salmon cut into 4 pieces (I used Wild salmon from The Alaska Guys)
3 tbsp honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sriracha sauce or to taste
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
Black pepper to taste

Baby beans

200 g baby beans ends removed
1/2 red pepper sliced
3 fresh shiitake mushrooms sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

Garnish

Chopped spring onions
Toasted sesame seeds

Salmon

In a large ziplock bag, place all the ingredients listed under salmon marinade. Toss to coat evenly, and chill for an hour or overnight.
Heat pan on medium-high heat with olive oil.
Remove fish from bag, and allow all the excess marinade to drip off. Reserve marinade.
Pan fry salmon flesh side down for 2 minutes, flip and cook for another 2 minutes.
Then pour reserved marinate into pan, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for another 4 minutes.
Transfer salmon to serving plates over steamed white rice. Spoon sauce over salmon.

Baby beans

In a clean pan, heat oil over medium high heat.
Stir-fry garlic until fragrant.
Add all the other ingredients, and season with salt and pepper.
Stir-fry until desired done-ness of vegetables.
Serve on the sides of Honey sriracha salmon.
Garnish dish with chopped spring onions and toasted sesame seeds.

Sriracha is a type of Thai/Vietnamese hot sauce / chili sauce made from a chilli, vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. If you live in SG, you can find Lingham Sriracha from major supermarket. You can also substitute it with your favourite garlic chilli sauce.