Friday Lunch?!

This Asian stew has a kick of heat to it but the sweetness balances the combination beautifully, giving the dark broth some hearty flavour. This dish is simple and quick to make and you can purchase the ingredients from a good basic Asian market. It is suitable for a vegan diet and if you prefer a more fulfilling outcome, add some glass noodles, mushrooms, chicken, tiger prawns or beef to the mix. However, I like the simplicity of this combination, no fuss, light and full of greens that works well for lunch or dinner.

This healthy recipe sort of built upon itself and around my love for spinach-like leaves and ebamame beans. Pat chun vinegar is a great sauce to have in your pantry, I believe it is that ingredient that gives the broth its flavour. It has a unique sweet taste to it and it works in a variety of dishes. I often add it to sauces, stews, marinades, cold dressings for salads/burgers or a dip for dim sum and has become a staple vinegar in my cooking. The perfectly boiled egg is a must in this dish, it just works well with the soft chunky tofu and hotness from the shiracha.

ingredients

• Long leaf spinach
• small paksoi or tatsoi
• Ebamame beans
• Soy rich tofu (lovely and soft in texture)
• 1 egg (7 minutes boiled for soft yolk)
• 3 large garlic grated
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• butter for cooking
• About 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• About 1 tablespoon extra hot shiracha sauce
• About 1 tablespoon Pat chun sweetened black vinegar sauce
• 1 cup water
• Black pepper
• Lime juice

Directions

In a sauce pan add a dollop of butter and gently cook the garlic and ginger. Add in the ebamame beans, chopped spinach and tatsoi. Stir around until slightly golden. Add in the water, the sauces (soy sauce, shiracha, pat chun vinegar) and mix well. Add in the cubed tofu, be gentle as it breaks easily. let it simmer slowly until the sauce reduces. Check for flavour.  Serve with a 7 minute boiled (refrigerated) egg so it is soft in the center but the white is solid. Garnish with ground black pepper and a squeeze of lime juice.