It's Winter time or probably just Fall. Whatever season it is, when December comes you'll see a lot of greens at the market. Whether it's collard greens or kale, it becomes part of our diet during this holiday season. I adapted this recipe here:
http://savorysweetlife.com/2012/05/kale-mabo-tofu/. It looked good so I decided to try it and give my own interpretation of it. I added some porkyness to the dish by browning some Italian sausage. I think it worked well. You can probably substitute it with the sausage of your choice. Maybe Longganisa?
I think this is a pretty basic and simple recipe. It's all about just cooking the tofu and sausage and mixing them all together with kale. The only tip I would give is that when you brown the sausage, there is a time where you don't want to touch it so that it devlops that crispy caramel flavor. I would say leave it for 3 minutes on medium heat without touching it that way there would be those crispy parts.
Ingredients:
· 2 tbsp. vegetable/olive oil
· 1 tbsp. minced ginger
· 1 tbsp. minced garlic
· 1 tsp. red chili flakes (optional)
· half of a medium red onion, diced
· 1 pound Italian Pork sausage
· 1 package firm tofu, cut in 3/4-inch cubes
· 2 tbsp. oyster flavor sauce
· 1 tbsp. soy sauce
· 1 cup chicken broth
· 4 cups baby kale leaves (chopped)
· 2 tbsp. chopped scallions/green onions
Instructions:
1. Add 1 tbsp. vegetable oil to a large skillet heat on medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned. (Make sure to remove the casing of the sausage and break it down while cooking it. I also leave it about 2-3 minutes without touching it so that there will be some crispy parts – The best part J). Set aside
2. Cook Tofu. What I did was to bake it until crispy. 400 degrees for 30 minutes, flipping it halfway through. You can also fry it if you want. Set aside.
3. Using the same pan where you cooked the sausage, heat it on medium heat and add remaining oil. Add ginger and garlic and sauté for about a minute, just enough to soften the garlic and for it to be aromatic. Add chili flakes and onions. Sauté for about 5 minutes until onions are soft.
4. Add Pork, mix. Add Tofu, mix well.
5. Add soy sauce and oyster sauce. Mix and cook for about 2 minutes.
6. Stir in the chicken broth.
7. When the broth begins to bubble in a light simmer, add the kale. You may want to add kale in batches so your pan is not crowded.
8. Once, wilted. Turn off heat. Serve with steamed rice, brown rice or quinoa. I did mine with Red quinoa! Garnish with scallions J
