My Rice and Beans

I finally made my first meal in my new kitchen and I am pretty happy with the way it turned out, especially considering that I didn't have all the ingredients that typically work in this dish. I made a faux-rice and beans dish which took only 20 minutes to make and had enough to feed me for days.

Rice and Beans

1 red onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 can (16 oz) black beans, washed
3 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tsp garlic, chopped
salt to taste
1 cup chopped rice (I used Basmati, because that's all I had in my pantry)
cheese (optional)
salsa (optional)

Basically I just boiled the vegetables and tomato sauce, then added the washed black beans after the vegetables softened. This is a really easy and friendly dish to make, because any and all veggies work. It is also very quick to prep for because all the vegetables can be roughly chopped to any shape. I used tomatoes and tomato sauce to make the "broth," but canned tomatoes of any shape would work as well. Also, the spice level can be adjusted by adding jalapeno peppers or crushed red peppers, which ever you prefer. I cannot emphasize enough how easy and versatile this dish is. To serve, sprinkle cheese and salsa on top on the rice and beans. If you have cilantro, garnish with chopped cilantro. This dish can also be incorporated into a quesadilla by filling a tortilla shell with the rice and beans mixture, adding cheese, and toasting either on the stovetop in a frying pan, or in a panino press, or even by wrapping the shell in foil and placing in the toaster oven. Whatever works for you!
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A Williams-Sonoma inspired medical student's kitchen...

I just moved into my new suite and I was a bit disappointed by the kitchen. Not by the ancient stove whose knobs are so worn out that we are forced to guess which knob correlates with each burner, not by the tiny sink, nor by the negligible counter space, rather, by the utter lack of storage space. It's a rather inconvenient setup. There was one set of cabinets for 4 girls to hold all of our pots, pans, food utensils, etc. Problem! Well, luckily, we thought of a solution, which I think is very exciting and fabulous! We lined part of our living room wall, which is adjacent to the kitchen, with our pots, pans, strainers, and baking-ware, and we hung our utensils and cooks' tools in the kitchen! It freed up space in our cabinets and makes our apartment feel so cozy!

Martha Stewart would be so proud!

NYC Destination Review: Kyotofu

Upon my sister's recommendation, my friends and I went to a really cute dessert bar in Hell's Kitchen last week called Kyotofu. The vibe of this place was Sunday morning dim sum sweets meet chic Upper West Side wine bar. Since I have this never-ending obsession with all things East Asian, and since I can't imagine a more perfect girls' night out than a night filled with girlie drinks and dessert, this place was definitely a hit with me. Very cute, very fun. The ambiance was just right for a relaxing night with my ladies, who I definitely do not get to spend enough time with! Kyotofu, on 9th Ave between 48th and 49th, offers entrees as well as a short and simple list of desserts and cocktails, which Divya, Kate, Liz, and I happily chose from. We had heard this restaurant is known for their tofu desserts which I was highly skeptical of, but the girls and I decided to be adventurous and try one of their tofu creations. I am SO glad we did! We ended up splitting a dessert called "black sesame sweet tofu," which I LOVED because it is the gourmet version of the tofu pudding Dim Sum restaurants typically serve.

(Right: Liz pouring the ginger flavor-infused syrup over the the lovely black sesame sweet tofu dessert. Note the prettily designed burnt sugar stick which, I thought, was a really nice touch!)

Now, I think this dessert might be one of my favorite things to eat EVER, so I was determined to figure out what it is called and how to make it. According to Wikipedia, this tofu pudding dessert is called "tou foo fa" or "douhua," which makes sense since tofu is often referred to as "dohu" or "bean curd." The Kyotofu pudding was made according to Hong Kong style because it was mixed with black sesame paste and served with ginger syrup. This versatile dessert can be sweet or savory, and garnished with a plethora of sides, including peanuts, tapioca, mung beans, and ginger or almond syrup to make a sweet dish, or chillies and soy sauce for a savory dish. It can also be served hot or cold, depending on the season.

To make the sweet version of this dish, refer to the following recipe from chowhound.com (4 servings):

1 Litre sweetened soy milk
1.5 tsp gypsum powder*
1.5 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp hot water

1. Boil the soy milk. Be careful about not burning the milk.
2. In a small bowl, dissolve the gypsum powder in the hot water. It should be pasty and thick.
3. Add cornstarch to the small bowl. Mix well. Consistency should be that of a paste.
4. Transfer the paste to the bowl into the final dish that the soy milk will be added.
5. When soy milk is "rolling boiling," which means when the soy milk is boiling at a steady pace, quickly pour the milk into the final dish with the paste. Quickly stir once or twice, no more than that. Leave dish alone for an hour to set. If the tofu does not coagulate properly, try increasing the gypsum powder and corn starch quantities to 1.5 tsps each.
6. To prepare the simple brown sugar syrup: boil a brown sugar slab (found in chinese grocery stores) in 1 cup boiling water. Dissolve. Add ginger if you like. This syrup can be stored in a the fridge.

*can be purchased at a chinese grocery store. gypsum powder is called "sook sek ko fun" in cantonese, if that helps you interpret the package label!

Just a warning, I've never tried to make this before, so I cannot personally vouch for the authenticity of this recipe, but I tend to trust the foodies on chowhound.com. They know what's up : ) But for the non-foodie types, or for those who do not have the luxury of abundant free time to peruse Chinese grocery stores for obscure coagulating agents, douhua can also be made from a instant pudding mix that can found in Asian grocery stores. The tofu pudding is often labeled as "soybean cheese." However, if you are buying this soft tofu at a grocery store, be sure to check if there is sugar or salt added and choose according to your flavor preference!