What Interns eat--Quick Vegan Meal: Tofu pancakes with rice noodles

My regular readers will already know of my love of Mark Bittman aka the Minimalist aka why did he leave the New York Times?  My most heavily used cookbook is Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.  I bought it in 2011, the year I started medical school. In 2010, the UN released a report stating what we eat, specifically the amount of animal products, significantly impacts our environment and is accelerating man made climate change. From the report: "Agricultural production accounts for a staggering 70% of the global freshwater consumption, 38% of the total land use, and 14% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions."  When I started medical school, I had this grand idea that I would start my crusade to help the environment by becoming vegetarian.

As you can tell from my blog, which documents my cooking and eating around the world, I am not vegetarian. However over the past few years, I have cut out a significant amount of meat from my diet--not in small part due to having vegetarian friends like Jess in medical school. Now when I cook for myself, it is primarily vegetarian, and in this mix I also try out interesting vegan recipes. I have not yet given up animal products. I haven't kicked my yogurt habit. It is difficult to control my lust for fancy cheeses, especially queso Manchego or drinking red wine and eating brie and french bread with my mother. I do my tiny part for the environment by abstaining from meat 5-6 days out of the week. It will only make a difference if more of us can at least be as good as American elementary schools and have a meatless Monday or several meatless days a week.

So that's my soap box--now on with the cooking. I was excited to try this tofu pancake recipe because I am such a fan of the greasy orange Kimchi pancake that is served at most Korean restaurants. The kimchi pancake is spicy, crispy, orange, greasy and served with a tangy dipping sauce. I always want to know--how do they get it so orange and crispy?? (the answer is kimchi, chili garlic sauce, and tons of oil)  Why do  I like something so orange and crispy? These tofu pancakes are like miniature kimchi pancakes. Tonight I made them without kimchi, but this tofu pancake recipe can be dressed up many ways to keep it interesting.

This recipe is truly quick and can be made easily from things that I always keep on hand like tofu, chili garlic sauce, kimchi, and rice noodles.

Asian Tofu Pancakes adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Ingredients

For the pancakes:
1 box of tofu-firm
1/2 cup of water
3 tbs of chili garlic sauce
4  green onions, washed and thinly sliced including the green part
2-3 small cloves of garlic, finely minced
** (you can also substitute 1/2 cup of chopped kimchi for the green onions and garlic)
soy sauce
1/2 cup of flour
sesame oil-optional to add to the frying oil for taste
vegetable oil for frying
rice noodles--I usually use the MaiFun Rice sticks

For the sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
3-4 green onions, thinly sliced including the green part
optional-ginger, more garlic, lime


1) In a large mixing bowl or a food processor, crumble the tofu. To the crumbled tofu add 2-3 tablespoons of chili garlic sauce (depending on your desire for spice) and the water. Option one, run the mixture in the food processor until smooth. OR if you're like me and do not have a food processor, you can use an immersion blender and grind the tofu until it is nice and smooth.

2)  If you used a food processor, transfer the processed tofu into a mixing bowl. To the pureed tofu mixture, add the sliced green onions, garlic,  3 tablespoons of soy sauce and the flour. Stir until incorporated. This makes a thick batter. If you want crispier, thinner pancakes (but harder to flip), you can add water little by little until it becomes the consistency closer to breakfast pancake batter. I like to keep the batter thick because it is easier to manipulate and flip.

thick batter 

3) In a large frying pan, add enough oil to coat the bottom. Heat the oil over medium heat. When the oil sizzles with a drop of water, you are ready to fry.

4) Using a tablespoon, drop about 2 tablespoons worth of batter into the oil to make small pancakes. Fry each side of about 4 minutes or until golden brown. Really--just let them sit for 4 minutes. I get very impatient and try to flip my pancakes early. But this tofu dough falls apart easily and the pancakes will break and get everywhere if you don't wait 4 minutes per side. Don't flip them until they are golden along the edges.

just starting to get golden on the edges 

5) Flip and cook the other side at least 4 minutes. Once done, set aside and let drain on a paper towel

Dipping sauce and Noodles

Noodles: While the pancakes are frying--or as you were making the dough, bring a pot of water to boil for the noodles. When you have 10 minutes left of cooking, drop the packet of rice sticks into the pot of water. Turn off the burner and let the noodles sit for 10 minutes. At the end of 10 minutes, try a noodle to make sure it is soft. Then drain into a sieve or colander and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking.

Dipping sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and sesame oil. Feel free to add a dash of Sriracha or some diced ginger or more garlic. Season the dipping sauce to your palette. Add the sliced green onions to the sauce. Now you are ready to serve the tofu pancakes.

If I want more vegetables, I will also quickly steam a bag of frozen broccoli to serve with the noodles and pancakes.

Broccoli encouraged