Foodie Goodie | Crispy Tofu Bites.

Tofu is love!
You all know how fond I am of tofu, having professed my undying love for this ingredient in some of my previous food posts.

If you love tofu as much as I do, I'm pretty sure you'll love this dish as well. It's easy to prepare, and kid-friendly, too. My six-year-old claims this is his new favorite dish - next to chicken curry. Haha! :)

Crispy Tofu Bites

Ingredients:
1 package tofu, drained and cut into bite-size squares
Potato flour or cornstarch for coating
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon green onions, finely chopped
Oil for frying

Procedure:
1. Coat the tofu generously with potato flour/cornstarch. Fry it until all sides are brown. Place it in a paper-towel lined plate, let drain, then set aside.
2. In the same pan, add the ginger, soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, and sesame oil. Cook for a minute.
3. Pour the sauce over the tofu.
4. Garnish with green onions and serve.

Happy weekend eating! :)

Foodie Goodie | Sauteed Bokchoy with Tofu.

That I love tofu is no secret. I've mentioned it in this blog several times before, and if you're following me on Instagram, you've probably seen photos of tofu dishes that I cook/eat. Today, I tried something new with tofu. It's a recipe I learned from my sister-in-law, which I tweaked a bit. :)

Sauteed Bokchoy with Tofu

Ingredients:
1 package tofu, drained and cubed
2 bundles of bokchoy, trimmed
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, sliced
1 cup of chicken broth
1/2 cup of water
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
Salt and pepper

Procedure:
1. Fry the diced tofu until brown and crisp. Drain and set aside.
2. In the same pan, saute the garlic and onion.
3. Put back the tofu, then add the oyster sauce and half-cup of water. Simmer for a minute or two.
4. Put the bockhoy, then add the chicken broth. Simmer for a few minutes or until the bokchoy has softened.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve with steamed rice.

Foodie Goodie | Hap Chan Restaurant.

It's our anniversary today! Can't believe my husband and I have been together for 11 long years already. And to celebrate the occasion (despite the husband's physical absence since he's still working overseas), we decided (and by we I mean my son and I) to have lunch at Hap Chan Restaurant. Oh yes, we actually have Hap Chan in San Pablo City. The branch is located at Ultimart, the very first mall here in my hometown.

Hap Chan San Pablo.

The little man and I arrived at the restaurant around 2 pm. A crowd of ten people had just finished eating and was about to leave the restaurant as we stepped in. And within minutes, Yue and I had the place all to ourselves.

Inside Hap Chan.

You get an Asian vibe from the lighting and fixtures - after all, this is a Chinese restaurant.

Bamboo mural and red lanterns.

And like most Chinese restaurants, they served us a complimentary pot of their house tea before our meal.

Jasmine tea.

The little man asking for his cup to be filled with tea, too. :)

Hap Chan has extensive food choices on their menu - dimsum, congee, soup, noodles, vegetables, and classic Chinese dishes. They also have a variety of drinks and desserts, set menus, and rice toppings. I ordered two bowls of rice toppings - one for the little man, one for me - instead of ordering rice and viand platters separately.

Buttered Chicken, Php 130.

The little man had Buttered Chicken - chicken pieces fried in butter, served with vegetables on the side. Yue likes anything chicken, so this dish passed his taste. 

Fish Fillet with Corn Sauce, Php 130.

I, on the other hand, had Fish Fillet with Corn Sauce. While I do appreciate the melt-in-your-mouth tenderness of the fish fillet, I can't seem to fathom the taste of the corn sauce. I was expecting it to taste like creamed corn, but this seemed like it was simply drizzled with Knorr's Crab and Corn soup. 

Hong Kong Lemon Iced Tea.

Good thing I made the right choice of ordering a separate plate of Soyed Tofu. Soft tofu soaked in light soy sauce, this simple yet flavorful dish made up for the somewhat bland taste of my fish fillet. 

Soyed Tofu, Php 80.

By the way, rice toppings come with a free glass of Lemon Iced Tea and a small bowl of Ho To Tay soup. Not bad for Php 130 per order, eh?

Ho To Tay soup.

 The little man loved the soup a lot. He even asked for a refill, much to my surprise. Haha!

Enjoying every slurp. :)

For dessert, the little man ordered Chilled Taho with Sago. He loves 'taho' (silken tofu) just as much as I love regular tofu. Well you know what they say, the apple doesn't fall from the tree. :)

Chilled Taho with Sago, Php 45.

I ordered Butchi, but here's what they served me instead - Bichu ala Mode. Their Butchi is one of the reasons why I wanted to eat at Hap Chan today (I've been craving for Butchi since last week), but alas, our waiter wasn't paying attention and mistook butchi for bichu. 

Bichu ala Mode, Php 75.

I could have refused this bichu and demanded for my butchi, but since the waiter was very apologetic, I let it pass. I shared the ice cream with Yue, and had the bichu wrapped for take-away.  

Selca after our tummy-fill. :)

Despite the order mix-up and my issue with the corn sauce, I can't say the dining experience was bad. Mostly because the little man enjoyed his food at Hap Chan. Halfway through our meal, he was telling me that he'd like to eat at this restaurant again and try the other chicken dishes. Haha! Here's hoping there won't be an order mix-up next time we visit!

Hap Chan San Pablo

Ultimart Plaza, M. Paulino St.,

San Pablo City

(049) 572 3300

Foodie Goodie | Tofu Ginger Stir-fry.

I love tofu. And I love it for so many reasons.

For one, it's a very healthy food. In fact, it's listed as one of the world's healthiest food. It's low in calories, low in fat, contains no cholesterol, but packed with a variety of nutrients.

Studies show that regular tofu consumption helps lower bad cholesterol, alleviates symptoms associated with menopause, and even lowers the risk of cancer. It also helps in making the bones stronger, and delaying the signs of aging.

As an ingredient, tofu is one of the cheapest yet the most versatile. It adapts to any flavor profile and can be cooked in a variety of ways. It's a staple in Korea, and a popular component in Asian dishes.

Speaking of cooking, here's one of my favorite ways to cook tofu (aside from the usual deep-fried crunchy tofu which I swear I can eat everyday without even getting sick of, lol).

Tofu Ginger Stir-fry

Ingredients:
1 package tofu, drained and cubed
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 bunch green onions, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Procedure:
1. In a bowl, combine brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic powder, ginger, salt, and pepper. Mix well, then set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add olive oil.
3. Add tofu to the pan and stir-fry until the sides turn slightly brown.
4. Add in the brown sugar mixture.
5. Simmer for at least minutes, then add the green onions. Let it simmer for another minute before turning off the heat.
6. Serve over steamed rice.

Shared with Food Friday and Food Trip Friday.