Dofu Gan & Chinese Sausage

I always keep a package of Chinese sausage in the refrigerator. It has a long shelf life and just a little bit can add dimension to a stir fry. I also stock packages of dofu gan in the freezer and keep one pack in the refrigerator at all times. Dofu gan is dofu (tofu) that's been marinated, pressed and baked. It can be homemade, but most people buy it from the store. On days when I need to make a quick meal, I can rely on these staples to stir fry something the whole family loves.

On this day, when the refrigerator was an "empty" reminder that I needed to go grocery shopping, I julienned the two remaining skinny carrots, a few stalks of celery heart, two mini sweet peppers to stir fry with the dofu gan and sausage.

DOFU GAN & CHINESE SAUSAGE

3-4 Chinese sausages, sliced thinly on the bias

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3-4 squares of dofu gan, sliced (about 2 cups sliced)

1/2 red or yellow bell pepper, julienned (or 1 small)

1 medium carrot, julienned

2 stalks celery, sliced thinly on the bias

1 jalapeno chile, sliced (optional)

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup water

Sesame oil

In a wok over medium-low heat, render the sausage. Be sure to stir and turn the sausage frequently to prevent it from burning. You will get some char around the edges, but that's ok. Once the sausage has turned to a darker shade of maroon, remove from heat. Scoop out the sausage pieces and drain on a paper towel.

In the same wok – no need to rinse – heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced dofu gan and spread out in a single layer. Let the dofu sear for about 10 seconds seconds. Stir the tofu to let sear on other sides for a few seconds. Remove the dofu and set set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and let heat. Add the jalapeno slices, if using. Stir fry for a few seconds. Add the bell pepper, celery and carrots. Stir fry for about 1 minute or until vegetables start to soften. Add the dofu and sausage. Stir to combine. Add the soy sauce and water, and continue to stir fry for 1-2 minutes, adjust the heat as needed. Add a light drizzle of sesame oil and stir fry to combine. Taste for seasoning. If needed, you can add a splash of soy sauce or a pinch of salt, if needed. Serve right away.

INGREDIENT NOTES:

This is the Chinese sausage I used for this dish.

This is the dofu gan I used for this dish. If you live where there is a local dofu maker, that would be a great place to look for fresh dofu gan.

Vegetarian Filling for Dumplings

This vegetarian dumpling was the one I served during Guest Chef Night at FareStart when I was one of three food bloggers featured. (Normally, the guest chefs are from restaurants.) The composition of the filling is flexible. On this day, I happened to have leeks to mix with the yu-choy, carrots, shiitakes and tofu. You can substitute vegetables according to your taste.

VEGETARIAN POTSTICKER FILLING

This is a stir fry that can be used as a filling for potstickers or it can be served as a dish with rice. Feel free to spice it up by adding a spoonful of your favorite chili sauce.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced leek, or 2 stalks finely chopped green onions
1 clove garlic, minced or crushed with a garlic press
1 cup diced shiitake mushrooms
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup five-spice pressed tofu, cut into small dice (see Note)
4 cups chopped yu-choy (or baby bok choy, Chinese cabbage or hearty greens of choice)
1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus extra to taste
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1. Heat the oil in the wok over high heat. (Alternatively, you can make this in a large saute pan.)
2. Add the leeks (or green onions) and garlic, and stir fry (use a spatula to stir, scoop and flip the ingredients) for about 20 seconds. Do so quickly to keep the garlic from burning. Resist the urge to turn down the heat. Just move quickly through the next steps.
3. Add the mushrooms and stir fry again continuously to keep the ingredients from burning, but also to help everything release their moisture. Do this for 10-15 seconds.
4. Add the greens, carrots and tofu (if using). Repeat the scooping and flipping again for a few seconds to combine all the ingredients.
5. Add the water and soy sauce. Stir fry for about 2 minutes, or until the greens have cooked down and the tofu has heated through.
6. Drizzle with sesame oil. Stir to combine. Turn off the heat.
7. Taste the vegetables. If it feels like you need to adjust for seasoning, you can add a splash of soy sauce or you can add a pinch of salt to taste. Because soy sauces differ in saltiness, you may have to adjust as needed.
8. Set aside to cool to room temperature before using in potstickers. As a filling, it will be too "saucy" so you will have to strain it. But as a stir fry over rice, you will need the sauce.

Note: When you buy tofu at an Asian market, you will find the a range of options (e.g. silken, soft, medium-firm, firm, extra-firm). You also will find the five-spice "dry" tofu, which is a pressed tofu. In Chinese, it's call dofu gan. Gan = dry. But the term gan is more about it being pressed versus dry-tasting. It's brown on the outside and the pieces are usually square and a half-inch or so thick. Different brands vary slightly in flavor, but get the one that's available to you.

Related content: If you need a reminder on how to make potsticker dough and how to pinch them, there's a recipe and video at this link: Potsticker Recipe

Refrigerator Stir-Fry

Even though I own more cookbooks than I can count, I still cook from my refrigerator, which is to say that I open the door, look at what I have and decide what to cook. (This is the opposite of how my husband cooks -- if he cooks. He opens a cookbook, decides on what looks good and then makes his shopping list. Seasonality, difficulty level and what we actually have available in the pantry are secondary.)

What often happens is that I will make "refrigerator soup" or "refrigerator stir-fry." These are dishes determined purely by what I have on hand. Today, I had tofu, fresh yellowfoot chanterelles from the farmers market, cremini mushrooms and some leftover wonton filling (ground chicken, green onions, seasonings) from earlier in the week. So I made a stir-fry of these ingredients, which I paired with udon noodles that we buy by the five-pack in the freezer aisle at Waji.

A couple of notes on technique: While you don't need a wok in order to make this recipe, the benefit is that after you cook the ground chicken, you can just push the meat up the side of the wok (see photo) and let it rest as you cook the mushrooms. There's no need for the extra step of removing the chicken as you would if you were to use a normal skillet. Also, while I give specific amounts for the ingredients, they are based on what I had. You can take the principles of the recipe and apply it to what you have on hand. If, for example, I had only a half cup of ground chicken instead of a cup, then the dish would have been made with that half cup of chicken.

I also chose to make a dark sauce. The dish would have worked as well with a light sauce made from a combination of chicken broth and white wine or simply water and white wine. Since I was serving this to my 2-year-old daughter, I didn't season the dish too boldly. I might have added some chili paste or started by

searing some sliced fresh jalapenos. Of course, you can serve this with hot sauce on the side and maybe some chopped fresh cilantro. Another option would have been to add some dried cellophane noodles directly to the sauce at the end, let it simmer until soft and serve. I probably would have increased the liquid a tad to turn it into a soup.

CHICKEN & TOFU REFRIGERATOR STIR-FRY

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup ground chicken (or pork)

1/2 block Chinese-style firm tofu (about 7 ounces), cut into 3/4-inch (approx.) cubes

1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

3/4 cup water

1 teaspoon sweet bean sauce

1-2 tablespoons soy sauce, to taste

Drizzle of sesame oil

Chili sauce and chopped cilantro, optional

Cooked rice or noodles to serve

Method: Heat wok or pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Once heated, add the ground chicken and cook, breaking up the meat as you go. Once the chicken is mostly cooked-through, about 3 minutes, push it up the side of the wok to rest or, if using a skillet, remove the meat from pan. Add the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry/saute the mushrooms until soft. Add the chicken back in. Then add the water, sweet bean sauce, soy sauce and combine. If you'd like to make this dish spicy, you can add the chili sauce at this point, too. Gently stir in the tofu and let everything simmer for 2-3 minutes, or just until the tofu has heated through. Drizzle with a touch of sesame oil. Garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired. Serve with rice or noodles.