豆腐蘿蔔湯

早兩天回家後，因為時差的關係，下午近傍晚的時間總是累累的無精力，提不起勁做飯，最後只叫外賣回家吃。加上上星期在日本和香港吃了不少油膩東西(天啊，已經開始懷念居酒屋、豚肉鍋、媽媽做的蒸鯇魚、上海菜...)，於是決定今天晚上清清腸胃，吃點簡單的。經過超市看到白蘿蔔，於是就只做了一鍋白蘿蔔豆腐湯，雖然沒有肉類，但吃後暖乎乎的，晚上睡覺也不會開暖氣啊。

材料: (四人份量)

• 豆腐  一盒, 約400克  (我買 Cauldron Foods 的豆腐)
• 白蘿蔔  半條, 約400克  (Mooli)
• 蘑菇  250克  (Forestiere mushrooms)
• 黃芽白(大白菜)  半條  (Chinese Leaf)
• 豆奶  1公升
• 麻油  兩湯匙
• 鼓油  兩湯匙
• 海鹽  適量

做法: 

1. 白蘿蔔削皮後切成1.5寸長的小條，豆腐、蘑菇和黃芽白也切成相若的長度。
2. 鍋上放兩湯匙麻油後以中火預熱數分鐘，放入用廚房紙抹乾的豆腐，煮大約五分鐘，再加入豆漿。記得豆腐很軟，不能急於翻轉。要等兩分鐘後才能轉面。
3. 豆腐煮至起泡差不多沸騰時加入蘿蔔。合蓋以中小火煮20分鐘。
4. 加入蘑菇，合蓋煮10分鐘。
5. 加入黃芽白，合蓋煮5分鐘。關火，完成。可加入適量海鹽調味。

我的小筆記:

• 所有材料除豆漿外，都能在英國一般超市買到。黃芽白在眾多能在普通洋人超市找到的東方菜中算是比較便宜的，一般£1就有一大株，能煮上兩餐。
• 今次用的是在泗和行買的楊協成原味豆奶，這豆奶本身已有糖，所以做出來的湯和豆腐有點甜，好像不太健康啊。下次會試用無糖豆奶或是維他奶的純豆漿。
• Forestiere Mushrooms 是一種新品種，暫時在英國只有在 Tesco 買到。這種菇類味道雖然跟中國香菇 (shiitake mushrooms) 不盡相同，但同樣香濃，而且煮過後仍能保持顏色，不會變得暗淡，很適合用來做湯或是意大利飯。而且它的價錢只是同份量的中國香菇的30%，所以若不是做一些很講究香菇味道的菜，這種Forestiere菇是不錯的代替品。
• 我用的是 Le Creuset 30cm 淺鍋 (英國叫 shallow casserole dish，美國叫 buffet dish)，這只鑄鐡鍋以中火去燒，大約要4-5分鐘才夠熱。檢查鍋子熱度的方法是隔著碗布以手背觸摸鍋子兩邊的手柄，若感到熱那就代表ok了(這方法其實是另一鑄鐵鍋牌子Staub的職員教我的)。
• 製作時間: 約1小時
• 主材料成本:  £6

Sukiyaki

I had been reading a lot about cookware in the last few months. After understanding the pros and cons of different materials (Cast iron, Anodized aluminium, Stainless steel and copper-core), I reckoned I want... Nah, I mean WE NEED a cast iron pot for braising and slow cooking. Last Saturday, we went to the Le Creuset outlet in Bicester Village in Oxfordshire and came home with a few cookware and stoneware. 

I felt so obliged to utilize my new acquisitions so I looked up in some cooking blogs written up especially for cast iron pots. After stuffing ourselves up with pizzas and KFC over the weekend, hubby and I were quite determined to have some Asian food tonight. Among a few recipes I found from Le Creuset blog in Taiwan, this sukiyaki is definitely the easiest and quickest. And Enoki mushroom just happens to be my hubby's favourite! I couldn't find any reason not to do it.

Sukiyaki is a Japanese dish in hot pot style. Sliced meat along with other vegetables are slowly cooked in a shallow iron pot. Traditionally it should be slowly simmered at the table, but we couldn't be bothered to take our portable butane stove out,  so I just finished cooking it in the kitchen and brought it out on the coffee table. It's just a perfect dish to warm our stomachs in cold winter's nights. :)

Adapted from:

"日式壽喜燒" from 幸福的味道.

My Ingredients: (Serves 2)

• 300g hampshire breed free range pork shoulder steak, sliced
• 160g enoki mushrooms (金菇)
• 250g portabellini mushrooms
• 1 small Pak Choi (小棠菜)
• 1 box (396g) tofu
• 1 salad onion (spring onion)
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 2 eggs

To make Sukiyaki Sauce:

• 60ml dark soy sauce
• 30ml mirin
• 200ml water, plus extra
• 2 tbsp of Oil
• a pinch of sugar

My Method: 

1. Add 2 tbsp of oil in the pan over medium high heat. When the oil is sizzling, add the chopped salad onion. Stir-fry for about 1 minute. Then add soy sauce, mirin, 200ml of water and a pinch of sugar to make the sukiyaki sauce.
2. When the sukiyaki sauce is boiling, stir in pork shoulder slices and fry for about 5 minutes or till the pork is half cooked and turns white. Move the pork to one side of the pan.
3. Add enoki mushrooms, portabellini mushrooms and tofu to cook for 5 minutes. Add more water if necessary to make sure the ingredients are all covered and soaked.
4. Add Pak Choi and tomatos into the pan. Turn the heat down to low. Cover the pan with the lid. Allow to cook for 5 minutes.
5. Serve immediately by taking the whole pot to the table. Remember to put a trivet to protect the table from heat damage. Crack an egg into each bowl, beat it briefly, pour a spoon or two of sukiyaki sauce from the pot and dig in!

One-line Verdict:

Easy peasey! Slightly more expensive than an average home-cooked meal but it's a perfect dish for cold winter nights.

My Note:

• I used a cast iron shallow casserole. A big flat fry pan can do too. Should NOT use wok or saucepan otherwise the ingredients would be mixed together.
• This is a totally flexible recipe. We can just change the amount and type of meat and vegetable as we wish. For additional carbohydrates, Udon or noodle can also be added together with the mushrooms.
• Pork shoulder is my favourite cut in UK. It's full of flavour and not as fatty as the equally flavoursome pork belly. Also it is very inexpensive. It usually costs 35-65p per 100 grams, which is a lot more affordable than other prime cuts.
• Mirin is a Japanese alcoholic staple ingredient made from glutinous rice. It has a distinct sweet flavour to give meat a sheen and tone down the fishy smell of seafood. I got mine from Tesco.
• Portabellini mushrooms are young specimen of Portabello mushrooms. It has a nutty flavour and tastes quite distinctly different from Shiitake mushrooms.
• The name Pak Choi can be a little bit confusing in UK are commonly known as Siu Tong Choi (小棠菜) in Hong Kong. or Little Pak Choi (小白菜) in China.
• Approximate cost of the main ingredients: £11