Wednesday, June 13, 2012

bhutanese pineapple rice & red thai tofu


as i mentioned in my last post, i'm back to blogging! i really enjoyed my blog break. it was weird though because i had no idea what to look at on the internet. who knew there were other things out there aside from food blogs?! i had time for pinterest which i know has been around forever! i didn't have to take photos of everything i made (though i did often take photos for instagram, which is so much less stressful and i love the fun filters). i didn't worry about making sure i made new recipes so i'd have more to blog about (though i ended up making tons of new recipes anyway). i had so much free time!!

i don't want to give up so much of my free time again for blogging so i likely won't blog as often. but i'm going to try and blog about things i've made right after making them, rather than months later. that way it will be fresher in my mind and i'll be more excited to share them with you guys.

also, i hate writing with proper capitalization. so i'm not going to anymore! such a rebel.

okay i'll shutup about all that and talk about the food now. i love fried rice and fried noodles. i rarely use a recipe for fried rice but this one is different than what i usually do with the thai curry paste and pineapple. i don't usually like fruit in my meals but i did enjoy the pineapple for a change. and i was skeptical that only 2 teaspoons of curry paste would be enough but it was. the tofu was also amazing, super flavourful. both the rice and tofu have basically the same flavouring ingredients (thai curry paste, soy sauce, agave, garlic, ginger, onions/shallots).

both these recipes were delicious and highly recommended! one of my favourite meals we've had recently. and two of the best recipes that i've tried from appetite for reduction.

make sure you guys enter the giveaway for eat your books!

if this sounds good, you might also like:
greek basmati rice
fried rice with scallions, edamame and tofu
buddha's delight with tofu, broccoli and water chestnuts
soy-mirin tofu with snow peas and peanut sauce

bhutanese pineapple rice
adapted from appetite for reduction

serves 4

1 cup dry brown rice, prepared as per package directions
2 tsp thai red curry paste
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp agave
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced ginger
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 cups pineapple, 1/2" dice

if you haven't prepared the rice yet, do that first. the easiest would be to make the rice the day before so you don't have to wait for it.

in a small bowl, whisk together curry paste, water, soy sauce and agave. set aside.

heat a wok over medium heat, and add the oil. once hot, saute the onion, garlic and ginger for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. stir in the cilantro and cook until cilantro is wilted. add in the rice and curry mixture. stir and cook for a few minutes, until rice is warmed. add the pineapple and stir for another minute.

red thai tofu
adapted from appetite for reduction

serves 4

1 block extra firm tofu, cubed
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup shallots, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp thai red curry paste
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp low sodium soy suace
1 tbsp agave
15 fresh basil leaves

heat a skillet over medium heat. add the tofu and dry fry (without oil) for about 10 minutes, stirring every once in a while to ensure all sides are browned. remove the tofu from the pan.

meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the curry paste, water, soy sauce and agave.

add the olive oil to the pan. once heated, add the bell pepper, shallots, garlic and ginger. saute for about 5 minutes. add the tofu and the curry mixture. stir and cook for another 5 minutes. add the basil and stir until wilted.

11 comments:

Amy in Austin said...

Perfect timing- this in on tap for our dinner tonight, so I'm glad to know it has a good review so far.I love anything pineapple and have been excited to try it. I also love this cookbook- most everything I've made has been really tasty.

If you haven't made the Chimichurri Tofu yet from this book, try it. So easy, and so delicious!

Yogi Kitchen said...

Glad it was a short break Ashely, we were ready to miss you for a long time, nice to have you back, and this has inspired me.

Genevieve said...

I'm glad to see you're back to blogging! I've actually had my eye on both of those recipes from Appetite for Reduction, so its good to know they were a hit for you!

Joey said...

Swapping capitalisation for more time cooking? That sounds more than sensible to me!

I love the idea of fried rice that's healthy too. Can't think of anything I'd rather have with thai tofu either!

Joanne said...

I'm so glad you're back! Between you and Janet I've seen so many tasty things from this cookbook...and I really want it! This tofu dish looks so tasty!

And capitalization? Way overrated.

kerker said...

yummmmm!! everything on your blog is so delicious!!

janet @ the taste space said...

Welcome back, again! If I don't write a post right away, it can be hard to get the momentum going months later... so if I am super busy, I may just write my thoughts on each dish instead to remind me later. That's why I love vegweb reviews. :)

It doesn't mean that my post may still stay in my drafts for a while, though... I still have a major blog backlog! ;)

Anonymous said...

Weird, I made pineapple fried quinoa last night for dinner, t’was quite delicious.
I’m glad you’re back to blogging and that you’re going to keep it up while still enjoying you’re free time. I’ll have to try and hunt you down on instragram :)

Johanna GGG said...

nice to see you back - and glad you had a good break! I have just got into pinterest and love it (though am a bit wary and still learning about how it works) I think that is funny that you don't like capitals - have you ever read e e cummings who does use caps at all (I like minimal punctuation myself)

Nancy said...

Aww, it's too bad you don't want to blog that often (cause your recipes are so drool-inducing and i love your writing style). I'll look forward to whatever you do blog about, like this delicious fried rice! I have to try this recipe soon.

kickpleat said...

Glad you're back to blogging, if only for a bit! so glad that the time away from blogging was a good feeling. I just took a 3 week vacation and i was pretty happy with things - not worrying about anything! Anyway, I love this cookbook and will totally try this recipe. Yum.