… but it makes me smile. Some mornings I walk into the bedroom and find the bed made (that’s normal and good). Other mornings, I find the bed made and a convention of teddy bears (or ‘stuffed animals’ in American English, which always seems a bit too close to taxidermy for my liking,) engrossed in conversation. That’s just one of several reasons I make his lunch to take to work. And yes, I’m on a tofu kick again.
Chinese broccoli, tofu and ginger for a cheerless day
Chinese broccoli
firm tofu, cut into cubes
ginger, finely diced
garlic, finely sliced
3 or 4 spring onions (scallions), sliced
a dribble of peanut or sesame oil
soy sauce
a teaspoon of peanut butter
hot water
You could obviously substitute pak (bok) choy, Chinese cabbage, spinach, or any other leafy green vegetable you like for broccoli. It’s just what I happened to have kicking round the fridge. Bring a pan of water to a fast boil, drop in the Chinese broccoli, and parboil for a minute or two till it turns vivid green. Drain and run under freezing cold water to stop it cooking any further. (Alternatively, go and treat yourself to dim sum, order far too much broccoli and bring it home, which will mean you can skip that last step.) Put the tofu on a couple of sheets of kitchen paper to get rid of the excess water, and cut into cubes. In a frying pan, with the peanut or sesame oil, ginger, garlic and spring onions, stir fry the tofu until it begins to turn golden brown. Add in the Chinese broccoli and heat through. Finally, mix together the soy, peanut butter, and sesame oil with a tablespoon of hot water. Dress the tofu and broccoli with this concoction. Boot the other half out of the house and off to work so you can get on with something much more important, like taking daft photos of a teddy bears’ picnic with your iPhone.
Munchies In Manhattan 