5 Spice Tofu & Bean sprouts Rice

Let’s go Chinese and enjoy simple but tasteful dishes that can be prepared with minimum of fuss and devoured with maximum of enjoyment

Today it shall be the 5 Spice Tofu & Bean Sprouts Rice.

The Chinese 5 Spice is made from star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, fennel, cinnamon and cloves. It is a dish that gets its flavor from this 5 spice masala and with Tofu, Bean sprouts and spring onions, it is delectable fare for a sumptuous meal.

Let’s get down to the business of preparation.

This is what we need:

Chinese masala – 5 spice powder

Firm Tofu ( bean curd / soy paneer) – ½ cup

Bean sprouts – ½ cup

Cooked Chinese rice – 3 cups

Oil – 2 tbsp

Sliced spring onion whites – ½ cup

Salt – to taste

Finely chopped spring onion greens – 2 tbsp for the garnish

How it is done:

1. Heat the oil in a broad non-stick pan. Add the spring onions. Saute on high flame for a minute.
2. Add the bean sprouts and the 5 spice powder, mix and sauté on high flame for a minute.
3. Add the rice, salt and a little sugar, mix well, sauté for 1 minute again on high flame. Stir now and then so that the rice does not stick at the bottom of the vessel.
4. Now add the tofu, mix it gently and while stirring keep it on high flame for a minute.
5. Garnish with spring onion greens. Serve hot.

So simple!

But the actual time would be much more considering that the rice is to be cooked beforehand and the 5 spice powder is kept ready in advance.

Let us briefly look into that also.

Chinese 5 spice powder

Ingredients:

schezuan peppercorns (triphal) –  4 tsp

star anise (chakri phool) – 16 whole ones

cloves (laung/ lavang) – 12

cinnamon sticks (dalchini) – 10 Nos.

fennel seeds – (saunf) – 2 tbsp

Making it:

1. In a dry pan, roast the schezuan peppercorns till you get the aroma. keep aside.
2. In another pan put together the rest of the ingredients. Roast on low flame for about three minutes. Aroma should be released by then.
3. Take all five ingredients together. grind them.
4. Sieve them using a fine sieve for the purpose.
5. Take the coarse granules left behind on the sieve and grind again.
6. Repeat till very little or none of the granules are left behind.
7. Store in air-tight bottle.

Chinese Rice

let us see how the Chinese prepare their rice.                                                                   

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice (long grained rice) – 1 cup

Oil – 2 tbsp

Salt – 1 tsp

Making it:

1. Wash the rice thoroughly. Soak in three cups of water for half an hour. Drain away the water and keep aside.
2. Take 6 to 8 cups of water in a vessel. Add salt and 1 tbsp oil to it. Boil.
3. When it reaches boiling temperature, add the rice.
4. Cook the rice till it is 85 % cooked.
5. Put this in a colander. The water will drain out. Pour some cold water on it to prevent further cooking.
6. When all the water has drained out and it is fairly dry, add the remaining tbsp oil in a pan and put the rice in it.
7. Spread the cooked rice on a flat surface till it cools.
8. Your rice is ready to be served.

Enjoy to your heart’s content and let others who join, sing your praises.

Courtesy – www.tarladalal.com