I entered parenthood later in life than most of my friends.  I recall my friends with kids complaining how little time they have to cook, or how they struggle with feeding their kids right, and I naively thought to myself then, hmmm, that sounded a bit exaggerated.  But now that I have two two year old toddlers tugging at me while I am trying to put together a simple sandwich, I finally understood what those mom friends of mine were saying.  And from what I can see from the mothers’ group forum I subscribe to, feeding toddler seems to be a passionate hot topic.  It’s not just the time it takes to cook, but also the shopping, schlepping, prepping, cleaning, scrubbing the food scraps off the floor, and worst, your toddler rejecting the meal you had just spent precious time to prepare.  The routine does get old fast and you longingly look at those fruit puree pouches with the twist off caps they love so much….then your guilty conscience takes over, and you think about how you need to offer a complete and nutritious, organic meal choc full of whole grains, high ANDI, low sodium, fiber, omega-3 etc,. etc…the good stuff to develop those little brains and body.

I know the experts say to serve the colors of the rainbow, and to introduce different types of fruits and veggies early on, don’t offer options, offer but not feed -  we all have heard them before. Perhaps it is my cultural background – fearing the kid would starve that I quietly give in and bring out his favorite food in desperation so that the kid won’t go to bed on an empty stomach (even if he gleefully tells me that would be a trip to where the wild things are.)  I have friends that serve their toddlers brussel sprouts and roasted beets….heck, I can’t even get my vegetarian husband to like them.

Even as a chef, it’s been a huge challenge catering to the needs of my fussy eaters with two very different palates!  How they came out that way when they both started on the same path baffles me.  One likes veggies, not fruits, the other is a fruitman and hates veggies.  One likes Asian flavors, the other likes stuff with cheese.  I was so excited when they started really eating thinking of all the yummy foods they may like – quiche, roasted sweet potatoes, beans but alas, these days, to keep my sanity and the power struggles at bay, I practically only make a handful of items – avocado sandwiches, bolognese sauce or soy ginger pork with pasta or quinoa, zucchini patties, and lasagna.  And of course, pizza!

Now about the pizza, I finally found something that they both love and easy to prepare!   I wouldn’t say this is the healthiest of meals, but at least my boys are eating it!  I use whole wheat lavash bread as the base, and top it with a low sodium pasta sauce, and shredded organic cheese.  Takes 2 minutes to assemble, pop it into your toaster oven for 1o minutes, and viola, dinner is ready.  I have been doing this thin crust “pizza” for years, but always threw in fancy toppings, but now scaling down to basic is a life saver!  Pizza purists would probably pooh pooh over the crust, but hey, with 2 minutes of prep, I am not going to complain.

Here is a recipe for the basic pizza followed by variations for fancier pizza to please the adults.

Chef’s tip: Dave’s Gourmet is significantly lower sodium pasta sauce than most other organic brands, and unlike TJ’s no-salt marinara, it does taste quite good and not too watery.  Of course, you can use that leftover bolognese sauce from dinner, too.  If you make your own sauce and looking for a glass-bottled option, Bio Nature and Middle Kingdom (or something like that) has a no sugar nor salt added tomato sauce that is wonderful.

THIN-CRUSTED QUICK BUT GOURMET “PIZZA”

Basic Ingredients:
Whole wheat Lavash bread – Whole Foods and TJ sell rectangular letter-size lavash bread
1 cup Shredded Monterey Jack (or other cheeses like Mozarella, fontina, cheddar, quattro formaggi mix)

Basic Directions:

Preheat oven: 400F

1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Place lavash on baking tray
3. For simple cheese pizza only: Smear on a very thin layer of pasta sauce
4. Sprinkle a layer of cheese
5. For fancier versions, omit tomato sauce:  Top with filling of choice (except green herbs/vege or infused oils)
6. Bake until cheese bubbles and is slightly golden, about 10 mins
7. Let cool for 5 mins.  Cut and serve.

Note:
If using green herbs or leafy vegetables, add immediately upon removal of pizza from oven
If using infused oils, such as truffle oil, drizzle just before serving

Fancier variation: Choice of remaining ingredients:

All recipes below is for one pizza

Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced length-wise
A sprinkle of oregano (optional)
½ cup of basil, coarsely shredded

Top lavash with cheese, tomatoes and garlic.  Bake.  When done, add basil.

Potato, Taleggio and Rosemary
1 medium sized red potato, with skin.  Thinly sliced.
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 oz of taleggio cheese
¼ red onion, thinly sliced

Top lavash with cheese, potato and onion.  Dot with chunks of  tallegio, sprinkle rosemary.  Bake.

Wild mushroom and truffle oil
1 cup wild mushroom* – sliced ¼ inch thick (shiitake, hens of the wood/maitake, chanterelle, morels)
1 sprig thyme, leaves only
Drizzle of truffle oil

Top lavash with cheese, mushroom, thyme.  Bake.  Drizzle with truffle oil before serving.

Pecan, Gorgonzla and Caramelized Onion
2 oz of gorgonzola cheese
¼  cup honey roasted pecan
½ red onion, caramelized

To caramelized onion, sauté sliced onion with a little oil and water till golden, about 20 minutes.
Top lavash with cheese and caramelized onion.  Dot with small teaspoons chunks of gorgonzola. Bake.

Asparagus, Chevre Goat Cheese and Garlic Green
1 cup of peeled aspagarus, sliced 1/8^th inch diagonally
3 oz of goat cheese
¼ cup garlic green (or a mix o chives and 1 clove garlic)

Top lavash with cheese, asparagus, and garlic green.  Dot with chunks of chevre.  Bake.

Zuchinni, Ricotta Salata and Pinenuts
1 cup of zucchini. Sliced into ¼ inch rounds
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of shaved ricotta salata
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
¼ cup of toasted pinenuts

Top lavash with cheese, zucchini, dill, and pinenuts. Drizzle with EVOO. Bake.

Zuchinni blossoms, ricotta and tomato
8 squash blossoms
½ cup ricotta
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup of cherry tomatoes
½ cup basil, shredded

Stuff blossoms with ricotta mixed with salt.  Top lavash with cheese, stuffed blossoms, tomatoes.  Bake. When done, add basil. 

Butternut Squash, Teleme and Sage
1 medium sized butternut squash. Sliced very thinly.  Microwave 1 minute to soften.
2 sprigs of sage, chopped
2 oz of teleme cheese
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ red onion, caramelized
4 amaretti cookie, crushed

To caramelized onion, sauté sliced onion with a little oil and water till golden, about 20 minutes.
Top lavash with cheese, squash, onion and sage.  Sprinkle with brown sugar.  Dot with chunks of teleme.  Bake.  When done sprinkle with amaretti cookie.

Prosciutto, Arugula and Pecorino
½ cup of thinly sliced prosciutto
1 ½ cup of baby arugula
1 cup of shaved pecorino cheese

Top lavash with cheese and prosciuto.  Bake.  Add arugula and shaved pecorino.

Chicken Pesto
1 cup of cooked / grilled chicken breast
3 tablespoon basil pesto
1 cup of baby arugula

To make pesto, in a food processor, puree 2 cups of basil leaves with 1 clove garlic, ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup parmesan, ¼ cup of pine nuts and salt and pepper
Spread pesto on lavash.  Top with cheese and chicken.  Bake. Add arugula.

Shrimp and cilantro
1 cup of rock shrimp
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 cup of cherry tomatoes
1 jalapeno
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced lengthwise

Top lavash with cheese, shrimp, tomatoes, jalapeno and garlic.  Bake until shrimp is bright red.  Add cilantro.

Littleneck clams, oregano, parmigiano & pecorino
1 cup of clams
1 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
½ cup shaved parmesan cheese
½  cup of shaved pecorino cheese

Top lavash with cheese, clams and oregano.  Bake.  Add shaved pecorino and parmesan.

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Ever wonder why the neighborhood Thai take out place always give you pad thai as the complimentary item if you exceed a certain ticket amount?  Because pad thai is so easy to make and the cost of the ingredients pretty darn low.  This is what they call it in business schools term, highly leverage items.  Low cost, low work, high flavor, high rewards.  The secret is really in the sauce.  Once you boil a vat of it, place it in jars and it will last forever, or at least till you run out. Everytime you feel like a pad thai, it will take you literally a few minutes to whip out the yummy dish.

Chef’s tip: Make it in small batches – no more than 2 servings at a time. You can sub the shrimp with meat of your choice.

Sauce:
2/3 cup tamarind concentrate
2/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup fish sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup palm sugar
3 Tablespoons garlic powder
1/4 cup Sriracha chili sauce

Noodles:
1 lb dried rice flat noodles, soaked in warm water 30 mins, drained
½ cup canola oil
8 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ cup firm tofu, cut into small ¼ X ½  X 1 inch strips
1 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
12 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
6 Tablespoons pickled sweet radish, chopped finely
1 bunch Chinese chives, cut into 2 inch length (substitute with green onions if unavailable)
4 cups fresh bean sprouts
1 cup roasted and unsalted peanuts, finely chopped

2 Lime, cut into wedges, for garnish

Prepare the sauce:
1.     Combine tamarind, vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, palm sugar, garlic powder and Sriracha in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook until the sauce becomes thick, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Prep mise-en-place:
2.     Separate all ingredients into 4 batches, including sauce and placed mise-en-place.
Cook noodles in batches:
3.     Heat a wok over high heat until smoking. Add a Tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat the sides. Add the egg and fry for 1 minute, move it to the side.
4.     Next, add the tofu and fry till it is golden.  Move it to the side of the wok.
5.     Next add another Tablespoon of oil, then garlic and shrimp.   When the shrimp is pink, add in the radish.
6.     Next, stir in noodles, followed by the pad thai sauce. Toss back eggs and tofu. Toss to coat noodles.  Let the sauce boil and cook the noodles.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, until the sauce is absorbed.  Do not over stir or else the noodles will fall apart.  Check the noodles for doneness. If they are not completely cooked through, add more sauce or water. Immediately remove the wok from the heat.
7.     Stir in half the beansprouts and half the chives. Toss together and transfer noodles to a large serving platter. Scatter peanuts on top.  Place remaining bean sprouts, chives, and lime on the side. Serve immediately.
8.     Repeat for subsequent batches.

Serves 8

Tags: noodles, street fo, Thai.

My neighbor in the house I grew up in Old Town PJ sold “tow foo fah” on a bicycle-powered pushcart.  The dofuhua would be in a big wooden pot, and had a cover wrapped up in muslin cloth.  He would skim the water and bubby top off the dofuhua before layering out thin silky clouds of the dofuhua onto a bowl.  Smooth, creamy, and full of beany flavor.  Whenever it rained, and it rains a lot in Malaysia, he would not be able to sell his tofu for the day and would bring them over to us….sans syrup.  I always wondered why he didn’t check the weather forecast ahead of making the big pot of tofu, esp when he and his wife would hand grind the beans every night.  My family didn’t have much money either, so, instead of spending money on sugar for the syrup, we turned the “dessert” into a savory dish by adding fried shallots oil, dark soy sauce, some light soy and a sprinkle of chopped green onions.

Fast forward 30 years later, I tried making dofuhua, and omg, it is perhaps the most difficult thing I have ever made.  It’s so temperamental.  You’ve gottaa watch the temperature real closely, have a light quick touch and have loads of patience.  The soymilk part is easy, but waiting for the dofuhua to gel or not, is a different story.  And as hard as I try to be consistent, I made half a dozen batches and they all came out differently.  Some are perfect, some became a base for firm tofu.  Whenever it wouldn’t set nicely, I would place the curds into a cheesecloth, like as if I am making ricotta, and had nice sweet pressed tofu for dinner….see picture below.  Drizzle with fried shallots oil, dark soy sauce, some light soy and a sprinkle of chopped green onions.  Deja vu.

So when I ran into Minh of Hodo Soy last week and had a quick chat about making dofuhua and he said it was easy, and how he had taught chefs serving table-side dofuhua  the secret in making the dish, it dawned upon me he is the “dofuhua whisperer”.  Many years ago, when I asked him about his yuba, he went into a long discussion about soy protein brix concentration, and I suspect that might also explain how to achieve perfect dofuhua.  When I crack the code, I will share, but now, here is the recipe that most likely would work.  Good luck!

Chef’s tip: Nigari as the coagulant makes for a sweet tasting tofu.  And don’t move the dofuhua after it has set.  Frankly, I don’t know how my old neighbor is able to peddle all over town with the big vat of dofuhua and yet not make it break.

1  1/4 cups organic soy beans, soaked overnight, drained
5 cups water

1/2 teaspoon nigari
1/4 cup water

3 inches ginger, finely sliced
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Cheesecloth

Making the fresh soymilk:
1.     Pick over beans for impurities.  Rinse beans several times.  Cover beans with water, leaving at least 2 inches of water above the beans level.  Soak beans at least 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.  Remove skins off beans.  Drain.
2.     Place soybeans in a food processor.  Add 1 cup water.  Pulse till it becomes smoothie-like.
3.     Transfer puree into a big pot.  Rinse food processor with 3 cups water and add to  pot.  Bring to boil, stirring constantly.  When the foam begins to rise, remove from heat.   Transfer content into a conical sieve placed over a heat proof bowl.  Let the milk drain through the sieve.
4.     Transfer solids into a cheesecloth.  Add remaining 1 cups of water and gently knead into the soybean solids (okara).  Then squeeze as much milk and add to the earlier milk.
5.     Pass milk through a clean cheesecloth placed over a sieve.  Measure out the milk – you should have at least 4 cups of soymilk.  Otherwise, add a little more water to the okara and squeeze as much as you can to make up  the 4 cups.
6.     Bring milk to a boil and then gently simmer 10 minutes, stirring constantly so that milk does not burn.  At this point, the soymilk is ready as a beverage, or continue further to make dofu hua.

Making the Do Fu Hua:
7.     In a small bowl, mix nigari with water.
8.     Warm a deep bowl by swirling it with hot water.  Drain.  Wrap bowl bottom with some towels to keep warm.  Transfer the nigari mixture into the warm bowl.  Place bowl in a place where you don’t move it for the next 20 minutes.
9.     Cool the boiled soymilk slightly, about 5 minutes.  Remove any milk in excess of 4 cups. Check that the soymilk temperature is 185F, warm or cool further if needed.   Pour the 4-cups of milk in one big swish into the bowl containing the nigari, creating enough turbulence so that the nigari is thoroughly mixed with the soymilk.  Do not stir.  Lance off any bubbles on top with a toothpick.  Cover with a tea-towel wrapped lid. And do not move the bowl for 20 minutes.
10.  After 20 minutes, ladle off the whey and any parts that looked bubbly.  Ladle thin layers of dofu hua with a big flat spoon and transfer to individual serving bowl.  Ladle in two tablespoons of syrup or more, and serve hot.

Making the ginger syrup:

11.  Bring ginger, sugar and water to boil.  Simmer for 10 minutes, until thick.  Pass through a sieve to remove ginger bits.

Serves: 6

Tags: Chinese, dim sum.