When we moved to San Francisco’s Sunset neighborhood, our friends reacted as if we had moved to the ends of the Earth. To lure guests from far-off lands like Berkeley or the Mission District, we rely heavily on Chinese food.
This month Kingdom of Dumplings opened on 31st and Taraval. This frozen dumpling emporium boasts six giant hide-the-body–type freezers full of house-made dumplings. Whatever hour you walk in, you can watch women with lightening-quick fingers roll and stuff plump little bundles with fish or chicken and scallions. While not a kosher operation, kosher-style choices abound.
Needless to say, we are well set up for Christmas, when Jewish tradition dictates a gathering of chopsticks. If it wasn’t for our adorable but pesky children who have the restaurant patience of gnats, we would be joining the Jewish crowds converging around white tablecloths and Lazy Susans. Instead we are staying home and embracing a home-cooked Chinese Christmas of simple sesame noodles and tofu-laced broccoli stir-fry.
The secret behind excellent tofu outlined below comes from culinary genius Mark Bittman. Thanks to Kingdom of Dumplings, our feast will be supplemented with frozen dumplings, which turn out perfectly when prepared in a bamboo stacking steamer set in a pan of simmering water.
Simple Sesame Noodles with Cucumbers and Scallions
Serves 2-3
16 oz. Asian egg noodles or dry spaghetti
2⁄3 cup tehina
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. rice vinegar
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 tsp. lightly toasted sesame seeds
Cook noodles in lightly salted water according to package directions. In a small bowl whisk together tehina, stock, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, ginger and garlic. Mixture should be the thickness of cake batter and form ribbons when spooned. Toss cooked noodles with dressing. Garnish with diced cucumber, scallions, cilantro and sesame seeds.
Crisp Broccoli Stir-Fry with Crumbled Tofu
Serves 2
14 oz. container firm tofu
2 Tbs. peanut or vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
3 whole cloves garlic, peeled and pressed just to crack the skin
1 Tbs. peeled fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
1 lb. broccoli, separated in florets
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. rice vinegar
2 Tbs. cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
Freeze the unopened package of tofu. To defrost, leave in refrigerator 24-48 hours. Open tofu and drain water. Place tofu in a colander and gently press down to release liquid. Treat tofu like a fragile sponge that you are wringing out. The tofu may break apart slightly. That’s OK. When as much liquid as possible is drained, crumble tofu into large pieces.
Heat oil in a wok or large skillet until hot but not smoking. Add onion and stir-fry until it begins to soften. Add crumbled tofu, stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until it begins to turn lightly golden. Add garlic cloves and ginger. Stir-fry 30 seconds until fragrant. Add red pepper and broccoli florets. Stir-fry 2-3 minutes. Add soy sauce and rice vinegar and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 2-3 more minutes until broccoli is still bright green but crisp-tender. Serve garnished with cilantro.
Josie A.G. Shapiro won the 2013 Man-O Manischewitz Cook-Off, is the co-author of “The Lazy Gourmet” and works at the JCC of San Francisco. Her columns alternate with those of Faith Kramer. Her website is www.thechickencontests.com.