Month: December 2009

Tofu Satay

From here.

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 1 T. soy sauce
  • 1 T. sesame oil
  • 1 T. orange juice (frozen)
  • 1 T. Marsala (was out of sherry)
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • A few T. water (2-3)

Peanut Sauce

  • 1/2 c. coconut milk (I  used “lite”)
  • 1/4 c. chunky peanut butter (natural)
  • 1 heaping tsp red curry paste
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • zest of a lime
  • juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced
  • dash of cayenne pepper

Also

  • 1 16-oz brick extra firm tofu
  • 1 small bell pepper, cut into strips

Methodology

  1. Make marinade.  Cut tofu and pepper into bite-sized pieces and marinate for at least 30 minutes.  Tofu will absorb the liquid better if it has been frozen and thawed.
  2. Preheat oven to 450.
  3. Mix peanut sauce ingredients together.  Pour about 1/4 c. over the tofu and pepper and mix.  Spread on a pan large enough to create a single layer.  Bake 20-25 minutes, until tofu is dark golden brown.
  4. Serving suggestions: with rice, over spinach or lettuce if you want something green.  Spoon some of the remaining sauce over them.

This was good.  Easy too, since I didn’t have to stand over a pot and stir stuff.  I could get into this roasting thing.

Em oi! #290: Privacy

Fucking hosting website.

There you go.

I should add that the original purpose of this blog was for a school assignment relating to how much of ourselves we expose, metaphorically speaking, on the internet.  I found the result disconcerting, as though I was prepared to be read but not misread.

Em oi! #289: Conan the Librarian in: Book Challenges

Normally I post these over here, but for some reason adding new comics is turned off right now.  Le sigh.

Em is right – you’re supposed to form an investigative committee (your library will probably have some guidelines on this) to determine if the claim has merit.  Personally I’m with Conan though.  Censorship of any kind is inappropriate.

Peanut Stew

From the Burkina Faso-ian roommate of my best friend.  I guess you could also call this “African Peanut Stew” if you wanted to be specific.  Or rather, if you google “African Peanut Stew” you will get similar recipes.   My guess is that in Africa they just call it “Peanut Stew,” though.

Ingredients
(This was made to feed 8+.  If you want less, try using 2 sweet potatoes and 1/3 cabbage)

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • between 1/2 and 3 medium to hot peppers, minced (depending on how spicy you like it)
  • 3 big Idaho potatoes, chopped into small cubes
  • 1/2 small Acorn squash, peeled, seeded, cubed
  • 1/2 head green cabbage, chopped
  • 1/2 c. honey roasted peanuts (regular roasted peanuts are also okay)
  • 1 c. apple juice
  • 1 tin diced tomatoes (about 14 oz)
  • 1 knob ginger, grated (freeze and use a cheese grater)
  • 1/2 c. chunky peanut butter (we used the natural stuff because it’s better)

Methodology

  1. Throw the onion, garlic, and pepper into some heading peanut or vegetable oil.  Keep the heat about medium-high, and use a BIG pot.
  2. After a few minutes, add the potatoes and squash.  Mix from time to time.
  3. When the potatoes and squash are half done, add the cabbage and the peanuts.  Cover and let it cook some more, perhaps 5-10 minutes.
  4. When everything is almost done, add the tomatoes, apple juice, and ginger.  Let everything cook until done.
  5. Add the peanut butter and cook another 1-2 minutes.
  6. Serve with rice, flatbread, or fufu, if you are up to making fufu.  I am not up to it, so I used rice.  Garnish with fresh cilantro if you are the sort of person who garnishes things.  I am not.

Notes

  • Once everything is chopped, this comes together pretty quickly.  It took about an hour all together because peeling the squash took forever.  If you can peel squashes fast (or use a squash that doesn’t have ridges – butternut instead of acorn!) it could be ready to go in 30-40 minutes.
  • We served this for “Gamers’ Thanksgiving,” a little party we held for our friends.  It was well-received.  We actually had enough for the two people who had seconds, plus leftovers for two days!  Wow.
  • When making rice, 1/2 c. of dry rice per person is too much.
  • Good with Sri Racha if you have some people who like the spicy and some who don’t.