Shrimp and Tofu (虾仁豆腐)

I apologize for the… not-so-appetizing picture. I really need to get one of those spiffy big black cameras that give great depth of field… I currently use a digital camera, which isn’t so bad for creating memories on the go, but food blogging definitely requires better pictures than a digital camera can give. I’m so jealous! My friend Jono has a wonderful camera (but then again, he’s crazy about cameras, so he deserves it). He really does take nice pictures though. If you can, you should take a look at his photo album on Picasa! He does some pretty crazy stuff with light sticks and whatnot… I’m not really sure how it works. But it’s still cool. :D

On a different note, it’s another dish featuring tofu! As you know, tofu is by far my favorite thing… ever. That and ribbons. I love ribbons. But you can’t really eat ribbons, so… tofu it is!

And… it’s April already! I can’t believe it. My first year at UCLA is almost over, and I’m super excited for what’s coming up ahead. This past week I’ve been rushing for a pre-medical fraternity called PhiDE, and it’s been really fun. From the BBQ to the bonfire (my first ever!), I fell more and more in love with the actives, my fellow rushees, and the atmosphere in general. I actually just had my interview this morning… I was a little nervous, so I probably didn’t do as well as I could have, but I guess interviewing is just going to be a skill I need to practice. After all… practice makes perfect! Just like cooking. On to the recipe!

Shrimp and Tofu

½ pound shrimp

2 tsp rice wine

1 tbs tapioca starch

3 (12-ounce) cartons of tofu

2 bunch scallions

3-4 thin slices of ginger

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs oil

Salt

Pepper

1. Peel and devein the shrimp, if it’s not already peeled and deveined.

2. Rinse the shrimp in saltwater, then pat dry with a paper towel.

3. Pour the rice wine on the shrimp, mix a little, then add the tapioca starch. Stir until fully incorporated.

4. Let the shrimp sit. Meanwhile, chop up the scallions and slice the ginger.

5. Heat a wok on high heat with the oil. When heated, toss in the scallions and ginger and stir-fry for a minute (爆香*).

6. Throw in the shrimp, and continue stirring until the shrimp are cooked (when they turn orange in color).

7. Meanwhile, cut the blocks of tofu into smaller chunks (but not too small, or else they’ll disintegrate into a blobby mass of tofu, which doesn’t look good… but still tastes good!)

8. Take out the shrimp, and gently place the tofu blocks in. Stir around as gently as possible (so you don’t break up the tofu) until the tofu is well heated. Add in the soy sauce and continue stirring for another minute or so.

9. Add the shrimp back in with the tofu, and stir-fry everything (gently!) for another 2-3 minutes. During this time add in salt and pepper to taste.

10. Serve and eat with rice! (:

*爆香, or "baoxiang" is a phrase that describes stir-frying aromatic vegetables (garlic, onions, scallions, ginger, etc) in oil.

Ashley's Silken Chocolate Mousse Cake

Let me start off by introducing my very best friend, Ashley. This Saturday will be her 18th birthday! SHE'LL BE LEGAL! OMG. So, this post (and recipe) is dedicated to Ashley. She is totally amazing. She's smart, beautiful, and is kind to all children and animals. Makes her sound like a princess, right? WELL SHE IS. She must have been born in the wrong time or something, because somehow I feel as if people should be bowing and saying "your majesty" whenever she walks past. That's how awesome she is.

And despite how frickin' amazing she is, and how talented she is at ballet, she never boasts or acts like she's better than others. That in itself is a great accomplishment, and I only wish I can someday be like her. Ashley is truly a selfless and wonderful person, and I am SO blessed to have a best friend like her. I would never trade her for anyone, because after all, she is the best!

One more thing. We both love to cook. And we both love to cook healthy! It's really wonderful to have a best friend who shares the same interests you do. Therefore, you'll notice an interesting thing about the ingredients list: the mousse is made of tofu! Fits with the theme of the blog, right? And of course Ashley's (and my) love for healthy things.

Happy birthday, Ashley. You're the best :]

Ashley's Chocolate Mousse Cake

Chocolate Mousse

• 1 12-ounce box of silky firm tofu
• 10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  
• 2 tbs chocolate syrup
• 4 tsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Cake

• 1 cup sugar
  
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
  
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
  
• 1 1/3 cup milk

Ganache

• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tbs unsalted butter

Writing

• 2 ounces white chocolate
  
  

1. To make the mousse: Melt the chocolate chips over the stove or in a microwave.
   
2. Place the two blocks of tofu in a blender or food processor, and blend slightly, until no large chunks remain.
3. Pour the chocolate syrup, milk, and vanilla extract on top of the tofu. Alternate the pulse and whip functions on your blender until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and do the same until the mixture has no streaks of tofu or chocolate left. You may need to use a spatula for this.
4. Place the mousse into a container and refrigerate for at least one hour (make the cake during this time).
5. To make the cake: Beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixter in a large bowl until it becomes creamy, white, and fluffy (about 10 minutes).
6. Add the eggs and vanilla, continue beating until well mixed. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa together in a separate bowl.
7. Alternate adding the milk and flour into the butter/egg mixture.
8. When completely mixed, pour 2/3 of the batter into an 8-inch cake pan and the remaining 1/2 batter onto a jelly roll pan or whatever else you want to use (to make mini mousse cakes). Or, you can divide the batter however you want, depending on how thick you want the cake/mousse to be.
9. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Bake for 25-27 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.
10. When the cake is done baking, let the cake completely cool before you begin working with it (I was in a rush, and I cooled the cake by putting it in the freezer for 15 minutes after letting it cool on the countertop for 10 minutes).
11. To make the ganache: Place the chocolate chips in a large bowl.
12. Heat the butter and heavy whipping cream on medium heat in a saucepan until almost boiling.
13. Immediately pour the hot cream onto the chocolate chips and slowly stir with a whisk. Keep stirring slowly until it is a smooth and shiny chocolate mixture.
14. To make a large mousse cake: Take the 8-inch cake and shave off the mound in the middle, until it is flat on both sides. Don't worry if it isn't perfect, you'll be covering it with mousse anyways. Place into an 8-inch springform pan (I used an 8 1/2 inch springform pan, and it still worked).
15. Spoon about half of the mousse onto the cake, and spread evenly, making sure to fill out any air bubbles in the mousse.
16. Pour the ganache onto the cake, then tilt the springform pan until all sides of the mousse are covered. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes before writing on it.
17. To make a mini mousse cake: Take the cooled sheet of cake and use a cookie cutter to cut out desired shapes. (Two cake-shapes for one mini mousse cake). So, if you want to make 5 mini mousse cakes, you would cut out 10 cake-shapes.
18. Place a cookie cutter on the top 1/3 of a cake-shape (so that the cookie cutter is higher than the actual cake). You will be using the extra space to fill in the mousse. Spoon the mousse and use a spatula to fill in the mousse into the cookie cutter. Then, lift the cookie cutter slowly from the cake-shape and the mousse so that it all remains intact.
19. Place a second cake-shape on top of the mousse. (It will look like an ice cream sandwich, with chocolate mousse in the middle).
20. Spoon the ganache onto the top layer of cake, and then use a mini spatula to spread it around. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes before writing on it.
21. To make the writing: Melt the white chocolate in the microwave. Using a spatula, push the white chocolate into a plastic sandwich bag with a corner snipped off (or into a piping bag). Hold the bag firmly and slowly squeeze out the chocolate while writing the words onto the ganache.
22. Refrigerate for at least another 15 minutes and then present it to your best friend Ashley. :] Then sing happy birthday at the top of your lungs and dance in a silly manner.

Happy birthday, Ashley~!