Quote:
Originally Posted by kindlekitten
oh that looks very yum! do you serve it with rice or is the tofu such a presence you do not need it?
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Absolutely WITH rice. I like to go heavy on the spicy bean paste to really heat it up, so the rice makes a perfect foil for that. Actually, rice is served with EVERY meal, regardless. With noodle dishes, with potato dishes. For Asians, it replaces the 'bread' found on American tables. We always have warm rice in the rice cooker. We usually make enough for 2-3 days at a time. The cooker keeps it fresh.
Most large supermarkets now have Asian sections, so you can find spicy bean paste sold as 'Tobanjan' or 'Kochijan' Each has a slightly different tastes with the Tobanjan being more authentic (Kochijan is Korean rather than Chinese).
The Fermented Black beans are a staple in my kitchen as they are an very important ingredient in many Chinese dishes. You only use one or two tablespoons of them in a dish as the flavor is very intense.
Chinese soy soy sauce has a VERY different flavor from Japanese, and using one instead of the other will have a dramatic effect on the flavor in a dish.
Stitchawl