Maggie Zhu’s vegetarian Chinese cookbook is filled with delicious and straightforward dishes, perfect for quick, nutritious and affordable meals
Salt and pepper tofu
Serves 4
This is one of my favorite tofu appetisers, especially when hosting a multicourse dinner, because it is easy to prepare and a crowd-pleaser. The brown sugar balances the savoury spices, giving the tofu a rich and irresistible taste and an extra-crispy crust. Once cooked, the tofu will keep its crispiness for quite a while, even after it cools down. If you have leftovers, use them to top noodle bowls.
Tofu
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp ginger powder
2 tsp brown sugar (or white sugar)
½ tsp salt
454g firm tofu, cut into 1cm cubes
1 Tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp Shaoxing wine
4-6 Tbsp cornstarch
¼ to ⅓ cup peanut oil
1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving (optional)
1 bird’s-eye chilli pepper, sliced, for garnishing (optional)
Spice mix
1 tsp white pepper powder
½ tsp brown sugar (or white sugar)
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1. To prepare the tofu: in a large bowl, combine the garlic powder, ginger powder, brown sugar, and salt and stir to mix well. Gently pat the tofu dry with paper towels. Add the tofu to the spice bowl and gently mix with a spatula. Pour in the peanut oil and wine. Stir again to mix well. Let marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. To make the spice mix: add the white pepper powder, sugar, salt, and five-spice powder to a small bowl and stir well.
3. Right before cooking, add the cornstarch to the tofu, 1 tablespoon at a time, gently mixing until the tofu has a thick and even coating.
4. To a medium skillet, add enough peanut oil to coat the bottom of the pan, then heat over medium-high heat until hot. Carefully add the tofu pieces to the skillet without overlapping. Let cook undisturbed until the bottoms turn golden brown, 3 minutes. Flip over and cook the other sides until golden brown. Reduce the heat to medium if the pan starts to smoke too much. You can stop cooking the tofu once most sides turn golden and there is no raw starch left on the surface, or you can brown the tofu a bit more if you like a crunchier texture. Transfer the cooked tofu to a large plate.
5. While the tofu is still hot, sprinkle about half of the spice mix on to it and gently toss with a pair of tongs. Taste a piece of tofu and add more spice mix if needed.
6. Serve hot or at room temperature with the remaining spice mix and lime wedges (if using) on the side. Garnish with the sliced pepper (if using).
Easy cucumber salad
Serves 4
For this light and refreshing appetiser, crisp cucumber is mixed with lots of garlic, drizzled with a blend of soy sauce, vinegar and sugar, and finished with a few drops of sesame oil. The sauce is light yet has a distinct sour flavour with a hint of sweetness, enhanced by the strong aroma of garlic. To give the salad an extra kick, I recommend drizzling it with chilli oil, which makes the dish addictively tasty. This is another family favourite that my mum would serve every week. It pairs especially well with noodles and savoury dumplings.
300g cucumber, partially peeled
3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 Tbsp Chinkiang vinegar
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp chilli oil, or to taste, for serving (optional)
1. Dry the cucumber with paper towels. Place it on a large cutting board and carefully use the flat side of a knife or cleaver to crush it; a meat pounder will work as well. Cut the cucumber into bite-size pieces and place the pieces in a medium bowl.
2. Add the garlic to the cucumber.
3. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, salt, and sesame oil for the sauce and mix well.
4. Right before serving, pour the sauce over the cucumber and garlic and mix well. (Do not add the sauce beforehand; it will cause the cucumber to lose water and dilute the sauce.)
5. Drizzle with chili oil (if using) and serve.
Baby bok choy with fried tofu
Serves 4
This is a dish I would always get super-excited about when my mum made it. It demonstrates how you can use fried tofu to make a vege dish so satisfying — the tofu soaks up the soy sauce and gets a little caramelised from the sugar. Store-bought fried tofu creates a better result for this dish, but homemade fried tofu will work too.
450g baby bok choy
1 Tbsp peanut oil
2 spring onions, sliced
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 cups deep-fried tofu puffs, cut in half
1. Separate the large leaves from the baby bok choy and remove and discard their tough ends; leave the smaller leaves attached to the cores. Carefully wash the bok choy in a colander.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the spring onions and stir a few times until fragrant. Add the bok choy and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are just softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the sugar and swirl in the soy sauce. Immediately stir a few times to mix well. Add the tofu and cook and stir to mix well, about 20 seconds.
3. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Let steam for 30 seconds. Uncover and stir a few times. If the bok choy has softened throughout, it's done; if not, cover and cook for another 10 to 20 seconds, until it is cooked through and slightly caramelised on the edges.
4. Transfer the contents of the pan to a large serving plate and serve hot.
A healthier coleslaw
Serves 4
If you’re not a fan of coleslaw that’s slathered in mayonnaise, try my Chinese coleslaw. This recipe creates a tangy, savoury sauce that is slightly sweet, with nuttiness from the sesame oil. Toss with the vegetables for a crisp, refreshing, and colorful result. If you make it ahead of time, the vegetables will soak up the flavours from the sauce and taste even better.
1 Tbsp peanut oil
2 Tbsp Chinkiang vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp maple syrup (or sugar)
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp salt
4 cups sliced purple cabbage (or coleslaw mix)
1 medium carrot, julienned
1 spring onion, sliced
⅓ cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp minced coriander
1. In a small bowl, whisk the peanut oil, vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup, sesame oil, garlic, and salt together for the dressing.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrot, spring onion, and peanuts. Pour on the dressing and toss with a pair of tongs to mix well.
3. Garnish with the coriander right before serving. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the frifor up to 2 days.
Edited extract from Chinese Homestyle by Maggie Zhu, published by Quarto, RRP: $39.99.
