stories : The Basics
From the store to the kitchen to the table: We outline the steps that get you from something raw to something cooked using simple ingredients, free of measurements and complicated techniques. A method that you can have in your back pocket and whip out whenever you like. We call it recipe-free cooking.
Illustrations by Bill Russell
Why does the sketch of cutting the tofu portray what is generally tought of as "bad" knife technique?
Perhaps it's over analysation.
Not perhaps-it's over the top analysation for sure! (note the 1st 4 letters of analysation) . I expect more from CHOW.
Trying to add some humor is anal?
Good recipe, I mean, "non-recipe." :)
Tried it tonight with firm tofu and a giant carrot that were in my fridge. Liked the flavor of the marinade, liked the ease of the recipe, but didn't like the texture of the cooked carrots. They had a slightly roasted quality which was incongruous with flavors that remind me of stir fry. You know how roasted carrots have that dried out outer texture?
I added one chopped garlic clove and a couple pinches of sugar to the marinade. The garlic clung to the tofu and carrots really nicely so there was no raw garlic taste.
I'll be using this again.
not bad. i also added garlic (2 cloves... but i can never have enough garlic) and sugar to the sauce, and threw chunks of leeks in with the carrots and tofu.
Yum! A great go-to recipe from now on. I'd only ever pan-fried tofu, and I'm so happy to have a new way to prepare it. I added some honey, chopped fresh garlic and ginger, and a touch of chili oil to the sauce. Also, I decided to lightly steam the carrots, since I was wary of too many broiled things in one dish - plus I think the fresh crispness of the carrots is a nice foil for the heavier, more intense flavors of the tofu. I love the idea of recipe-free cooking - keep the ideas coming!
Yes, these coking ideas are great. This is what a good recipe ultimately becomes for me--a comfortable, not-too-fussy way of doing.
As for knife technique: my son has always loved tofu. When he was 2, cutting tofu was a way I involved him in cooking. Talk about bad knife technique!--He liked to jab at the tofu with the pointy end of the knife so we had tofu mush instead of chunks. I didn't want to scold and chase him out of the kitchen, but I didn't like the status quo either. Eventually I borrowed terms from our Kindermusik classes and pointed out that he was making staccato movements. I suggested he make long, smooth legato strokes. He did, and we had much more uniform tofu pieces. We've been eating tofu legto eer since.