Tofu with a Spicy dipping sauce

This recipe is based on a sample dish that we had at one of the Korean stores.My kids are always excited about the tiny sample dishes that they give out to taste at the stores and come home asking me to make it .This is one such recipe that was made up .


Ingredients:

1. Medium firm tofu - 1lb(16 oz box) washed drained and cut into cubes
2. Egg - 1 beaten
3. Salt -to taste
4. Oil - to shallow fry

For the dipping sauce

1. Spring onion - 2 stalks chopped fine
2. Shallots - 2 sliced fine
3. Green chillies - 2 chopped fine
4. sesame seeds - 1/2 tsp (optional)
5. vinegar - 1/2 tsp
6. Soy sauce - 4 tbsp
7. fish sauce - 1 tsp
8. Korean BBQ sauce - 2 tbsp(I found a sauce made up of molasses, pear,garlic, sesame seeds etc in the Korean store)

Method:

Marinate the cubed tofu in the beaten egg and salt to taste.Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and keep aside.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan and shallow fry the tofu dipped in egg until it is lightly brown.Drain on paper towel and serve with the dipping sauce.

Tofu with carrots and snowpeas in blackbean sauce

Ingredients:

1. Tofu - 16 oz block (use medium, I used soft and it was too hard to work with )
2. Soy sauce - 2 tbsp + 2 tsp for marinating tofu
3. Fermented black bean sauce - 2 tsp
4. yellow Onion - 1 sliced think
5. Tomato - 1 cubed ( remove the seeds and juice into the sauce mixture, this is only for visual appeal it doesn't change the taste or consistency)
6. Snow peas - 1 hand full
7. Carrots - 1 cut at a diagonal
8. Sugar - .5 tsp + .5 tsp for marinating tofu
9. Oil - 3 tbsp
10. Spring onion - 1 stalk sliced
11. Green chillies - 5 sliced
12. Garlic - 4 cloves chopped

Method:
Drain the tofu and slice into rectangular cubes and marinate in a mixture of soy sauce and 1/2 tsp sugar.
Shallow fry the tofu in 2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and keep aside.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and stir fry the garlic until light brown.
Add in the carrot slices and saute for a minute.
Add in the onions, tomatoes,snow peas, green chillies,spring onion and the mixture of soy sauce ,sugar and black bean sauce and stir well.
Add in 1/4 th cup of water and bring to a simmer.
Add in the fried tofu and taste for seasonings.