Wednesday 2 December 2015

Most Boring Dish Ever


Aiya...why wanna blog about taugeh and taukwa? tsk...tsk...tsk... For nostalgia lah, OK? I want to tell you my grandmother story from 37 years ago. So for illustration purposes I have to fry up a batch of Beansprouts with Tofu and Chives. 

You may have recalled my phobia for beansprouts when I was a kid. And at the time, I also did not like tofu. I used to spend Fridays at my uncle's house. Friday is a weekend in Terengganu and I used to attend art class with my cousins. After class, my uncle and auntie would fetch us and take us to lunch in town. Thereafter, I would spend the afternoon at their house before being sent home to my grandparents after dinner.


I enjoy my beansprouts, tails and all.

One Friday, my uncle and auntie had something on and we kids had to have lunch at home. My uncle's helper did the cooking and when lunch was served, lo and behold, there was a plate of beansprouts fried with tofu and chives. 



Needless to say, I was not too thrilled with the menu of the day. I cannot remember what the other dish was (omelette?) as the horrible beansprouts made a big impression in my little head. Not one to be rude, I sat down and finished my small helping of rice.



My uncle sent me home at around 3pm and the first thing I did was regale my grandma with what I had for lunch. I was still hungry and grandma being grandma, whipped out the dishes she had cooked for lunch. Grandma cooked duck soup with salted mustard greens and though I was not a duck fan then, I ate with gusto! Anything is better than beansprouts and tofu.



For many years, I could not get over that dish of beansprouts with tofu. But of course, I am now a changed person. Serve me a big plate of beansprouts and I will polish it off with gusto, tofu and all!










Beansprouts with Tofu and Chives
Recipe source : Phong Hong

Ingredients :
- Beansprouts, washed and drained (if you are like me, you will leave the tails intact hah!)
- 1 whole bulb of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 cakes of hard tofu, cut into cubes and pan fried till brown
- some salt
- 1 tbsp fish sauce or to taste
- A small bunch of chives, chopped

Method :
1. Heat oil in wok.
2. When oil is hot, throw in garlic and salt and stir fry till fragrant and slightly brown.
3. Add beansprouts and stir fry until just cooked but still crunchy.
4. Add pan-fried tofu cubes, chives and fish sauce. Toss to mix.
5. Serve immediately.


38 comments:

  1. I love this dish! There is beauty in simplicity. Ummm...you did not remove the tails kah? :D They did say there's a lot of nutrition there but I still will get rid of them, old habits die hard.

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    Replies
    1. I find it so tedious to remove the tails - had to do it for grandma back in those days. So now that I cook for myself, I leave the tails on hee..hee,,,

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  2. Whenever I ordered roasted chicken rice, these platefuls of fried taugeh is a must. They blend so well with too much meat. If the taugeh has salted fish added, lagi best and yum!
    Your grandma is a great chef too and you took after her good genes. My 4 grandmas never cooked anything for me to eat. Sobs!

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    Replies
    1. How come you have 4 grandmas? Most people have only two grandmas.

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    2. Yeah, I wanted to ask the same questions as Mun. So that means 4X pampering but no food?

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    3. Simple.... One grandpa had 3 wives!

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  3. When I was young, I was also very picky on food.. no meat ah? Less rice.. Kids.. they don't like greens... but as we grow old and more matured.. we know the goodness of greens and we eat them more than meat now... I mean myself la... some are prefer meaty stuff more than greens.. hahaha...

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    Replies
    1. I am the same too. Could not stand vegetables back then but now, they are my best friends hah..hah,,,

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  4. Hi Phong Hong, this is a simple dish but not boring. Always available at the economy food stalls. It is no longer a cheap dish cos' price of beansprouts has shot up substantially since September compared to the original price. My Taiping auntie grows beansprouts for sale. During my childhood days, we used to each fried beansprouts and steamed Chinese sausages for lunch and dinner.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Kimmy! Now, even the simplest dishes is so costly when we eat out. Best to fry up our own at home and enjoy to the max!

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  5. I see you cooked a real big pot of it....I enjoy this simple dish....if got those big fat ones from Ipoh, lagi best! It may look simple....but it's not that simple to execute. You have to fry the tofu and that's not easy coz they splatter everywhere. Then, you have to get your wok fired up at the right temperature, otherwise water comes out from your taugeh and you get not crunchy but soggy taugeh! ;D That's what usually happens to mine! :(

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    Replies
    1. I bought a whole packet from Aeon and just fried up the whole lot. Since I love taugeh these days, it was finished up in two sittings.

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  6. I used to hate taugeh and the taugeh with tofu dish.

    But now, I love it! Must be age catching up. LOL

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    Replies
    1. Seems like everyone is like that too hah..hah...

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  7. When i was a kid, i don't any kind of veg... But now, u might find me funny, i prefer taugeh on it's own, instead of mixing into kway teow mee, etc...

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    Replies
    1. I like lots of taugeh in fried koay teow or mee. I like the smell hee..hee,,,

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  8. why boring?? I actually like this dish, haha.. you have even got taukwa in the dish, and oh, chives too!! that is considered the "luxury version" to me.. usually at home, I'll just have plain beansprouts with garlic..

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    Replies
    1. I thought it was so plain but everyone seem to love their taugeh, which is good :)

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  9. It needs skill to cook bean sprouts. Too long in the wok and it gets limp. On the other hand, undercooking it gives it a grassy taste. So a good plate of tofu sprout is no small matter.

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    Replies
    1. Oh really? I just simply chucked it in and stir, stir, stir. Ignorance is bliss, eh?

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  10. My favourite dish since young. Now I can just eat this dish for lunch without any rice. I love taugeh!

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  11. I like this dish very much. The combination of taugeh and chives give a very nice natural sweet taste to the dish. So you grew up in your grandmother's house, no wonder you are so close to her.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I was brought up by my grandparents :)

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  12. hi phong hong, not boring at all . Even restaurants serve this but with salted fish instead of tofu. They charge RM5 or RM8 i cant remember. so it's good u are also reminding us that hey, we can also cook this at home ! :D

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    Replies
    1. Hi Lena! Yes, we can cook this at home and save some money.

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  13. Tauge and tofu I can handle, but chives in such long cuts.... No!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wah, so fussy ahh?? I was in a hurry, so I simply hentam long strips. Luckily didn't choke >.<

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  14. add some chicken, gravy and a fried egg - I'm all over that :)

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  15. Hi Phong Hong, I love this dish too but with fried salted fish, very appetizing. One dish with rice,settle. hahaha....

    Have a nice day, regards
    Amelia

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    Replies
    1. Hi Amelia! Eat like that can save a lot of money :D

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  16. Hi Phong Hong , I miss this dish that my mama use to cook . I like this easy dish & it looks so sedap ! YUM -yum

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    Replies
    1. Hi Kit! Everyone seems to like this dish and I am happy to note :)

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  17. Hi Phong Hong...
    Really .... I dont think taugeh is a boring post. Do you know some of us who stay other part of the world, would not be that easy to get taugeh? So looking at your delicious taugeh dish would definitely bring back some memories to us.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Mel! I guess so. We are lucky to have taugeh in abundance over here.

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  18. Ok la , folks love plain taugeh! Add some
    Soya sauce and it's great !

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    Replies
    1. Glad to know that taugeh is so popular :)

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