Cooking Club
Part 1
As you have probably understood, I’m quite obsessed from Japan in this phase of my life and food is totally part of my obsession. Even if I’m definitely not a good cook, first I had to learn some basis to survive and then, getting older, I’ve tried to evolve a little because I really really love eating and I can’t stand for the same 5 recipes on repeat. My main goal is to not prepare anything that takes me more than 30 minutes from when I enter the kitchen to the moment I finally eat and that allows me to do something else in the meantime. Considering this prologue of excuses, I ask you to not keep this exercise too serious, but I hope anyway, it could help you to find some inspirations and start your ‘in the kitchen’ journey.
The first recipe I want to share with you, it’s something that I have totally invented and that I keep changing in some parts every time, it’s my Tofu and Pack-Choi Soba, that could become Chicken and Pack-Choi Soba if you prefer. All ingredients are easy to find in any supermarket, but if you prefer to stay authentic, go shopping at Kathay in China Town, already mentioned here.
Ingredients for 2 serves:
2 pack choi
180gr plain tofu or 200gr of chicken
150gr soba
2 garlic cloves
olive oil
Soy sauce
Wasabi
Ginger and black sesame, to serve
Instructions:
First move is always crush the garlic cloves, put them in a wok with olive oil and let them heat, when the garlic is roasted and the oil took some taste, remove the cloves and add the pack-choi, that we have previously rinsed and sliced in small pieces. Add some salt and cover with the lid. The heat should be medium, letting the pack-choi release some water.
Second step, heat a pot filled with some water (I would suggest no salt because of the soy sauce we’ll add later), meanwhile cut the tofu in little cubes (always rinse it before) and add them to the wok, let everything cook with without the lid, so the water could boil away. If you want to use the chicken, once cut in small pieces my trick for any recipes is stir it with some rice flour, the meat will cook inside and stay soft, without burning outside, and the flour will create a nice cream.
Third part would be, whisk the soy sauce and the wasabi, add it to the wok and let all the ingredients cook together. At this point, we need to add the soba to the boiling water and let it cook for max 5 mins.
Lastly, drain the soba in a colander and rinse it with cold water, add to the wok and stir carefully.
Serve the soba, adding some black sesame on top and ginger on side.
xx A.