A Name Change and Two Tofu Recipes!

Have you eaten yet? Here's a garlicky tofu and celery noodle stir-fry and a peanut butter tofu pudding that doesn't takes like tofu!

Hello! You might have notice a little name change here. Welcome now to Have You Eaten Yet? (I can decide if I should keep the ? or not, it makes punctuations a little confusing…) This was the original name of my second cookbook when I first wrote my proposal, but over the course of working on it for 3+ years the book evolved and we eventually found a title that suited it better. But the sentiment of “Have You Eaten Yet?” is still very much part of the book and also my general cooking philosophy.

Rather than asking “How are you?”, my family begins most conversations with:  “Have you eaten yet?” Actually, what I hear is “sihk jó faahn meih a?” which translates to “Have you eaten rice yet?” in Cantonese. I remember overhearing my dad on phone calls to our family in Hong Kong (in an era before FaceTime). He would immediately dive into very detailed questions about what my aunt or uncle had made for dinner. “Have you eaten yet?” is a loaded question. Ultimately, it means, “I care about you and want to make sure you’re well fed and eating right.”

I first started this newsletter last year because I felt like it was a better and more intimate way to connect with you and share recipes, and it has been! But I’ll admit that the last few months I felt quite scattered brained. I struggled with finding a direction or distinction between what I should share here, in my books, and on my main website (which was abandoned up until a few days ago) because ultimately I have a lot of different culinary interests and want to share all of them with you without being annoying with multiple emails a week and/or trying to cram a whole recipe into an Instagram caption.

As for this newsletter, it will focus on more homestyle meals (which will include easy desserts because I always need a little sweet treat after dinner). Food I would make for family and friends (you!) for when they came over for to our house. I’ll also share weekly updates about my cookbook (will have a big newsletter dedicated to the book in 2 weeks), events, fun market finds, garden progress, and a round of recipes I shared in other corners of the internet just in case you missed it. Like a weekly check in to see how we are all doing. I also want to know if you’ve eaten yet and if you have, please tell me in great detail! On Eatchofood.com you’ll still find recipes that fall within the other disciplines I love so much, like baking and pastry, new dumpling recipes, handmade noodles, and more of my favorite foods. What connects all the recipes together is hopefully a sense of joy when you see, eat, or read about them!

A case for celery!

Today I have 2 very good tofu recipes to share! First up is a Garlicky Tofu and Celery Noodle Stir-fry that I’ve made once a week for the last month. I first made this out of a fit of hangry-ness and all there was left in the fridge after a weekend away was tofu, celery, and a old package of noodles. It was so tasty that I needed to make it again a few days later. I’m a reformed celery hater. I would only ever buy it to make chicken noodle soup or for recipes that called for mirepoix (diced carrots, onions, and celery). But one day, with no warning, my tastes buds changed and I found myself snack on straight stalks of celery when no one was watching. It has this wonderful natural salinity and refreshing crunch. The celery stays nice and crisp even after a few minutes in the pan and soaks up the flavor from the soy and sesame oil so well. Extra crispy pan-sear tofu adds a nice tender chew too!

Make it your own!

This noodle stir-fry could also be just a regular stir-fry to serve with steamed rice if you’re not in the mood for noodles. I would reduce the soy sauce to about 2 tbsp in that case. And if you’re still a celery hater, substitute it with sliced bell peppers or broccoli (utilize the stalks!) instead.

However you make it your own, this is such a comforting and flavorful meal that you’ll want to make on repeat!

how do we feel about celery?

Garlicky Tofu and Celery Noodle Stir-fry

serves 4

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16oz firm or extra firm tofu

16oz thick egg noodles

3 tbsp olive oil, divided

10oz celery, sliced on a bias (if you have leaves use them for garnish)

10 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp coarse salt, divided

1/2 tsp white pepper, divided

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1. Drain the tofu and cut into about 1” to 1 1/2” cubes. Line a cutting board of plate with paper towels and arrange the tofu on top. Place another layer of paper towels and another cutting board or plate on top. Press down on the tofu for a few seconds and then let the tofu drain for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook according to package directions, should be al dente. Fresh noodles only need a minute or 2 to cook. Drain the noodles and toss with a little bit of oil to prevent cooking. If you can multitask, you can boil the noodles while stir-frying the tofu and celery as well.

3. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat and swirl to coat the pan. Add the tofu in a single layer, watch out for splatter. And leave the tofu undisturbed. Season with 1/2 tsp of salt and sear until the bottom of the tofu is deeply golden brown and crispy, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip the tofu and cook the over side until also deeply golden brown and crispy, 5 to 6 minutes. Reduce the head to medium and transfer the tofu to a plate.

4. Add a little more oil to the pan if needed. Add the celery and garlic and stir fry until the garlic is starting to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp white pepper. Add the tofu back in a stir to combine. Add the noodles and another table of olive oil in the pan. Toss to combine with tongs. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, remaining 1/4 tsp white pepper, sugar, and sesame seeds. Toss to combine again and continue to stir-fry, tossing the noodles every 30 seconds or so, until the noodles are crisp in some areas, about 5 minutes.

5. Transfer the noodles to a platter and garnish with celery leaves if you have them!

You won’t believe it’s tofu!

Tofu for dessert is not a strange concept for me. Tofu (aka form of soy milk or byproduct of soy beans) is so mild that it can really lend it self to sweet or savory recipes. Fresh soy milk just slightly sweetened, chocolate soy milk, tofu ice cream, and dau fu fa (a silken tofu puffing with a ginger brown sugar syrup) are just some of my favorite ways to enjoy tofu sweet. I saw people making tofu chocolate mousse and thought that was such a great idea! When you blend up silken tofu you get this luscious, creamy, and airy texture that makes a great stand in for dairy in many recipes.

This pudding only requires 4 ingredients and is full of protein (if that’s something you care about). It really doesn’t taste like tofu at all! Peanut butter adds nuttiness of course but also helps stabilize the tofu and honey is my sweetener of choice but you can’t experiment with other sugars. The pudding is delicious straight out of the food processor but I couldn’t help but layer it in a cup with some blueberry jam for a fancy pb&j effect. The dusting of cocoa powder also make me thing that I could potentially make a tofu-misu… like a tiramisu but instead of mascapone and eggs there’s a sweet vanilla bean fleck tofu pudding/custard. What do we think?

Anyways, have a great weekend! Let me know if you’ve eaten any extra delicious lately : )

Peanut Butter Tofu Pudding

serves 2 to 4

notes: instead of peanut butter you can add any nut butter you love (cashew, almond, pistachio, tahini, or black sesame paste!)

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1 16oz package of silken tofu, drained

1/4 cup honey

3 tbsp creamy peanut butter

pinch of coarse salt

your favorite fruit jam (optional)

cocoa powder, for topping (optional)

1. In a food processor or blender, combine tofu, honey, peanut butter, and salt. Blender until very smooth, about 30 seconds. Taste and add more honey or salt if needed.

2. Spread a little jam into the bottom of a few small cups and spoon the peanut butter tofu pudding over top. Loosely cover and chill in the fridge until you’re ready to serve or enjoy immediately.

3. Serve with a dusting of cocoa powder over top.