For some strange reason I have carried around this unrequited fear of Asian cooking. I have always had the attitude of well I only eat at restaurants where they serve food I can't make...so the list of restaurants I went to always included Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai...you get the picture. This fear was kind of strange as I normally have the attitude of eh I will try anything once, but when it came to Asian cooking I just wasn't as adventurous. I think some of it was a lack of knowledge, some of it was ignorance and some of it was laziness. I just felt like I didn't truly know the ingredients, didn't have the cooking accoutrement and I didn't have the desire to stop going to my favorite sushi restaurant every Friday.




However, over the last year I have slowly started to face this fear head on. And I have to say this last go at Asian cuisine made me pretty damn proud...ok let's be honest I pretty much rocked it. I tried some adventurous ingredients, used my wok and it actually had really good Asian flavors.

So I made Crisp Genmaicha Tofu with Shiitakes and Savoy Cabbage. Genmaicha is a tea. It is actually translated to mean brown rice tea, however it is a green tea that has brown rice added to it. It is also known as "popcorn tea" obviously based on the appearance, which is the brown rice and because it sometimes pops while it cooks...but I didn't hear that.

It is also known as the "people's tea" as it was a common drink of the poor population in Japan, however everyone drinks it now. The rice served as a filler which reduced the price. It is also used as a religious tea because supposedly the rice helps to act as a filler when you are fasting for religious purposes. However, I don't think I could ever fast and if I was I don't think this tea would keep me going for long...it definitely would not keep me from becoming a bitch which I often become when I am really hungry...just saying.

So the first thing you do is you steep the genmaicha in hot water and let it sit for 5 minutes and then strain it.

Next heat the oil in a pan or a wok and saute the sliced shiitake mushrooms and ginger. Let me just say on a side note...shiitakes are expensive. I think I spent like $12-15 on mushrooms alone for this recipe. I know you can buy them dried and that might have been cheaper, but I did opt to buy them fresh and they were really good. Cook until the mushrooms start to shrink and initially I was worried about being able to recognize when the mushrooms were "shrinking," however it is kind of like spinach...one minute your pan is full and the next minute there is less in the pan. Shrinkage has occurred!!

Then you add the tea and cook with the mushrooms. Finally add the cabbage and cook until it has wilted and the liquid has started to evaporate.

With the tofu you slice it horizontally. I am so lame that whenever I read a recipe that says horizontally I have to think to myself...ahhh the horizon cut across not up and down....but it works. Then cut each of the horizons in an "X" forming 8 pieces. Blot tops with paper towels. I actually let them sit on the paper towels to absorb even more excess liquid.

The next step of the recipe called for a spice grinder, which I don't own. So I decided to try to make the spice mix in my food processor and it worked great. So grind peppercorns and polenta or cornmeal if you don't have polenta. Add genmaicha tea and salt and pulse until its combined.

Brush the tofu with oil and then sprinkle with the tea mixture, pressing it into the tofu with your fingers...kind of like a crust. Cook the tofu in a hot skillet with oil for approximately 8 minutes on one side and 3 minutes on another. The tofu came out perfectly!! It was still soft on the inside but it had a nice spicy crust on the exterior.

Serve the tofu over the cabbage/mushroom mixture. This recipe had great flavors!! The tea gave it a herbal taste that paired well with the spice of the peppercorns and the ginger in the mushrooms. The textures were also perfect as the mushrooms were soft and a little slimey (and I mean that in a good way) and the tofu was crisp due to the polenta. I felt that the flavors were truly very authentically Asian and to be honest I couldn't stop eating the mushroom/cabbage mixture while the tofu cooked so I must have really liked that part.

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 tsp. genmaicha (toasted-rice green tea) $
• About 4 tbsp. grapeseed or other vegetable oil, divided
• 1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sel gris or other coarse sea salt, divided
• 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced savoy or napa cabbage
• 1 block (about 1 lb.) medium-firm or firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons polenta
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons finely sliced green onions

Preparation

1. 1. Combine 2 tsp. genmaicha leaves and 1 1/2 cups boiling water; let steep 5 minutes, then strain into a bowl.
2. 2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp. oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add mush­rooms and ginger; sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt and cook until mushrooms begin to shrink. Add brewed tea; cook 5 minutes. Stir in cabbage and cook until slightly wilted but still green and most of liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Set aside, covered.
3. 3. Slice tofu in half horizontally and set on paper towels. Cut an X through each half, forming 4 triangles per half, or 8 total. Blot tops with paper towels.
4. 4. Pulverize polenta and peppercorns in a spice grinder. Add remaining 1 tbsp. tea and 1 tsp. salt and pulse just to combine.
5. 5. Brush tofu on both sides with some oil. Liberally sprinkle oiled sides with polenta mixture and press on with your fingers.
6. 6. Heat remaining 2 tbsp. oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook tofu until deeply golden brown on one side, about 8 minutes. Flip and brown other side lightly, about 3 minutes more.
7. 7. Arrange 2 tofu triangles on each of 4 warmed dinner plates. Reheat mushrooms and cabbage in pan, stir in green onions, and spoon mixture around tofu.

All and all I was pretty down right pleased with myself when it came to this recipe. The flavors were authentic, it was pretty and it tasted great!! Hmmm what kind of food fears should I tackle next? The world is my playground now!! Cheers!!