Silken Tofu with Pickled Mustard Greens

This is really a simple soup, with two ingredients, silken tofu and pickled mustard greens. Make sure to use good quality chicken stock, that is what makes this soup. I've used my own homemade chicken stock which I kept a few containers in the freezer, very handy for recipes such as this.

For the pickled mustard greens, I have used pickled mustard tubers, sold in packs, sliced and ready to eat. It is one of my favourite pickles to use in cooking and especially good as a condiment to a bowl of plain congee, as it can be eaten as it is. To make this soup, heat some oil, and stir-fry the mustard greens/tubers till fragrant, add the stock and bring to a boil. Add some salt and pepper to taste, the mustard tubers will be salty, so go easy on the salt, you might not need the salt if the stock is already salty. Once the soup is boiling, scoop the tofu in large pieces using a spoon, into the soup. Let the tofu warm gently and absorb the flavours. Dissolve a teaspoon or so of potato flour into cold water, stir to combine and add to the soup to thicken it slightly. Stir gently so as not to break up the tofu pieces, ladle into serving bowl and garnish with chopped spring onion, serve immediately.

I have made this soup twice, once with the added potato flour and this time without. I like both versions. If you love a luscious smooth soup then go ahead with the potato flour. For a more soupy soup, omit the potato flour. We really like this soup, yum!

The recipe can be found here.
Or from this fabulous book Every Grain Of Rice, by Fuchsia Dunlop

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #23 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Stir-Fried Tofu with Black Bean and Chilli

This colourful stir-fry dish tastes as good as it looks (from the photo in the book, that is!). The main flavouring comes from Laoganma black bean sauce, a rich oily black bean relish made from fermented black soy beans, chilli oil and other seasonings. I thought that this sauce is delicious! It is not the same as the regular black bean sauce. It has chilli oil and other seasoning, which makes it really tasty. 

To make this dish, I've used spiced firm tofu, which is sliced to strips. The veggies; celery, red pepper, onion, spring onions are all to be cut to similar size as the tofu. For the Laoganma black bean sauce, I have added an extra tablespoon. Get everything sliced up and all the other ingredients ready before you start with the stir-fry. 

This dish is a delicious way of cooking tofu, a tasty dish with hot fluffy rice, though I could settle down with a pair of chopsticks and enjoy this dish alone!

Laoganma black bean sauce

The recipe can be found here.

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #17 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Tofu with Sauteed Kimchi

My selected cookbook for November's Cookbook Countdown #11 is Seoul Food Korean Cookbook by Naomi Imatome-Yun. The next recipe I've made is Tofu with Sauteed Kimchi.

A simple dish but nevertheless quite delicious. Here I have used my Homemade Napa Cabbage Kimchi. The kimchi is chopped into 1-inch pieces which is sauteed with some thin slices of soft pork fillet, chopped garlic and is seasoned with soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Firm white tofu is simmered in boiling water for just a few minutes until cooked, then drain, and sliced to rectangles or cubes. Place the sauteed kimchi in the centre of the serving plate and place the sliced tofu all around.

Really easy and simple, we enjoyed it with rice, along with other dishes.


Tofu with Sauteed Kimchi (Dubu Kimchi)
(Seoul Food Korean Cookbook by Naomi Imatome-Yun)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced pork (or bacon), cut into1-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Napa Cabbage Kimchi, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 block (12 to 14-ounce package) firm tofu

1. Coat a large skillet or wok with the vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the pork and saute until almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain off excess oil if necessary.
2. Add the garlic and saute for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the kimchi and saute for about 5 minutes, or until it becomes a darker reddish brown. Add the sugar, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and sesame oil to the pan and cook, stirring, for about 1 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Add the whole tofu block and boil for 3 minutes. Drain the tofu well and pat it dry with a paper towel.
4. Gently cut the tofu into rectangles or squares.
5. To serve, arrange the tofu on a serving platter and top with the sauteed kimchi. Alternatively, you can place the sauteed kimchi in the center of serving plate and arrange the tofu around it.

********************************

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #11 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Grab a  cookbook and join us!

Cookbook Countdown is a monthly cooking/baking event, which I'm co-hosting with Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray.  Everyone is welcome to join us. How does it work? To summarize, you may select a cookbook from your own cookbook collection, to cook or bake from each month. That selected book shall be your cookbook of the month. You may cook any recipes and as many recipes as you want from your selected book of the month. This is a fabulous way of using your cookbooks at least once! For more information on how to join Cookbook Countdown, please click here. 

Salted Pork with Silken Bean Curd

Cookbook Countdown is a monthly cooking/baking event, which I'm co-hosting with Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray.  Everyone is welcome to join us. How does it work? To summarize, you may select a cookbook from your own cookbook collection, to cook or bake from each month. That selected book shall be your cookbook of the month. You may cook any recipes and as many recipes as you want from your selected book of the month. This is a fabulous way of using your cookbooks at least once! For more information on how to join Cookbook Countdown, please click here. 

To link to Cookbook Countdown #8, click here
To link to Cookbook Countdown Specials : BAKE, click here

************************

My selected cookbook for this month at Cookbook Countdown #8 is My Grandmother's Chinese Kitchen by Eileen Yin Fei-Lo. 

This simple, quick and easy tofu dish uses the salted pork which I've made a few days earlier.



A few slices of the Salted pork, cut into small pieces.

This dish comes together very quickly, get everything ready beforehand. The ingredients for the sauce is mixed and keep aside. Ginger, garlic and white portion of scallions are first sauteed until the onions are soften. Add the salted pork, stir and cook for 2 minutes, then pour in the sauce, stir and bring to a boil. Add the chopped bean curd, mix and return to a boil. Turn off heat and stir in the green portions of the scallions. Transfer to a dish and serve immediately.

A quick dish to cook for a busy weekday dinner, very nice eaten with white rice. The family loves it.

Salted Pork with Silken Bean Curd

(adapted from "My Grandmother's Chinese Kitchen", by Eileen Yin Fei-Lo)

Sauce :
2 tablespoons hot bean sauce
1-1/2 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1-1/2 tablespoons Shao-Hsing wine, or sherry
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
pinch white pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock
1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup scallions, white portions only, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup Salted Pork, cut into 1/8-inch dice
1 19-oz container soft bean curd, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
1/2 cup scallions, green portions only, finely sliced

Mix all ingredients for sauce, reserve.
Heat wok over high heat 30 seconds. Add peanut oil and coat wok with spatula. When a wisp of white smoke appears, add ginger and garlic, stir and cook 10 seconds. Add onions and white portions of scallions, mix and cook 3 minutes, until onions soften. Add pork, stir, cook for 2 minutes more. Make well in the mix, stir sauce, pour in, stir to mix, bring to a boil. Add bean curd, mix and return to a boil. Turn off heat immediately. Sprinkle with sliced green portions of scallions, mix well. Transfer to a heating dish and serve with cooked rice.

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #8 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Easy Homemade Egg Tofu

Egg tofu is one of my kids favourite tofu. In fact, they love all kinds of tofu, as most kids do. As for myself, I prefer the soft local white tofu over egg tofu.
I have been wanting to give this recipe a try for years ever since I bought this local cookbook years ago. Haha! Thanks to Little Thumbs Up event, where the ingredient for this month is Soy Beans, and hosted by Mich from Piece of Cake, this is just the push I needed to finally try my hands at making some egg tofu, though this is a quick version, as I've used store-bought soy bean milk, direct from the carton. Did not want to make my own soy bean milk, just in case the tofu fails. Making soy bean milk is lot of work, if you are doing it manually. I used to make it all the time, years ago, and have not made any in ages.

Let's see how this Homemade Egg Tofu is made :

(note : this recipe is taken from a local recipe book, and there are only three brief sentences in the instructions. I'm giving the actual recipe instructions from the book, refer recipe below. And I've included my own step-by-step photos).

The recipe does not indicate how long it would take for the tofu to cool, or whether it needs refrigeration overnight, and the steps of unmoulding the tofu, as it is very soft and fragile.  For a novice at making tofu for the first time, it was really confusing, I was at a loss when it comes to unmoulding it! Refer to my step-by-step photos below, hopefully it would be of help, if you want to give it a try. Should you have a better way of unmoulding the tofu, please do share!

Plain Soy Bean milk, no sugar added.

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the soya bean milk, egg whites, egg yolks and salt, until combined (I have omitted both the pepper and chicken stock granules as calls for in the recipe). And have reduced the amount of salt, as I've wanted to use it for savory dishes later and do not want it to be too salty. Adjust to your own preference, though I think my measurement of scant 1/2 teaspoon is just right, with just a light hint of saltiness.
2. Get ready a 8" square tray, lined with a plastic, make sure it is food-grade plastic, or use a cling wrap. Either grease the insides of the pan or brush with some water, so that the plastic would stick to the pan. Strain the mixture into the tray. (If you are worried about using plastic, like I am at first, but this is over a low simmer and for a short period of time, so I decided to go ahead with it, just make sure it is food-grade plastic).
3. The strained soya bean milk mixture. Prepare the steamer, as soon as the water comes to a boil, reduce heat to low, let water come to a simmer.
4. Place filled tray in steamer, cover and steam for 20 minutes over low simmer, though mine took about 40 minutes, until the tofu is set. Increase water in the steamer pot if water level is low. You may notice a layer of water over the tofu, check the layer underneath by tilting the tray, if the water flows to the side, and the tofu underneath are set (though it will be whobbly, but not in liquid form), then it is ready, my method! But be careful the steamer is hot, best remove the tray first.

Now, comes the tricky part : unmoulding the very soft, fragile tofu! Needs some thinking and adaptation from my stuffs in my kitchen!

5. The tofu took a few hours to cool, and it was still very soft. So when the tofu is no longer hot, I placed the tray in the refrigerator overnight, hopefully it will set further.
6. On the next day, remove tray from refrigerator, place a plastic sheet over the tofu, and another tray of the same size so that the base of the second tray fits on the surface of the tofu, this is to minimize the break-up of the very soft tofu when turning it upside down later. (Removing the tofu by holding the two sides of the plastic wrap and lifting it up, will break the soft tofu, I've tried, and it looks like the tofu is going to break up, so I gave up!).
7. Very gently but swiftly, hold the two trays together and turn them upside down, now the bottom tray is up, and the second tray is at the bottom, with the top facing down.
8. Remove the top tray (see ** below), and place a large cutting board over the tofu (still with the plastic on top of the tofu).
9. Holding the shorter two sides of the cutting board and the tray together, slowly turn them upside down, with the cutting board now at the bottom. Remove the tray, the tofu is now on the piece of plastic, on top of the cutting board.
10. Cut the tofu to size required.
11. Use a pastry scraper to gently lift tofu pieces and place on serving plate.

** You can acutally stop at step 8, and cut the tofu on the tray itself, if you want to. I just prefer to use a bigger cutting board so that I have some work space to slide the tofu onto the pastry scraper.

A piece of cut tofu. We had two pieces for our dinner that night. 

Store the balance in individual containers for easier transferring to a plate later on, simply by placing the plate on the container and turn the container upside down. It is impossible to lift the tofu by hand without breaking it up! Store the tofu in the refrigerator.

Homemade Egg Bean Curd

(source from : Hawkers' Fair Simplified)

1000 ml plain soya bean milk 

5 egg whites

3 egg yolks

1-1/2 tsp salt (I used scant 1/2 tsp)

dash of pepper and chicken stock granules to taste (Omitted these two ingredients)

1. Combine all ingredients, mix well and strain.
2. Line a 8"/20cm square tray with plastic wrapper and pour in mixture
3. Bring water to boil, lower the heat and steam for 20 minutes or until set. Remove.

Homemade Egg Tofu with Oyster Sauce and Crispy Fried Shallots, for our dinner, my kids favourite tofu dish. I'm sure my Asian blogger friends, each has their own family recipe for this dish, it really is an evergreen old-time favourite! I'm giving my recipe below, the way I always make at home, with store-bought tofu. I would still buy ready-made tofu, as it is really convenient to keep a pack or two in the fridge, but now that I have made it myself, I do not mind making this again, when I have the mood, that is! Haha! 

Maybe now is a good idea to invest in one of those soya bean milk maker!

The family loves it! The tofu is very soft and really smooth, yummy! You can see how smooth it is from the picture above. You can pour the sauce over the cold tofu straight from the fridge or, if you like, remove the tofu ealier from the fridge and have it at room temperature later. Either way, both are good!

Tofu with Oyster Sauce and Crispy Fried Shallots
(by kitchen flavours)
1 piece tofu
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/4 tsp light soy sauce, or to taste
1 tbsp warm water
1/2 tsp sugar, or to taste
1 tbsp shallots oil
2 tbsps crispy fried shallots
2-3 tbsps chopped spring onions

Place tofu on serving plate.

In a small bowl, mix oyster sauce, light soy sauce, warm water, sugar to taste, stir until sugar dissolves. Adjust seasoning accordingly. (Sometimes I placed this small bowl of mixture in my rice cooker, over the hot cooked rice, for about 10 minutes, just to make sure the sugar is dissolved, remove and use as follows). Add shallots oil, stir and pour over tofu. Sprinkle with chopped spring onions, and then the crispy fried shallots over, generously. Enjoy!

#98/100


This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Mich of Piece of Cake at this post.

Ingredient for this month is Soy Beans

I'm linking this post with :

Cook-Your-Books #5 hosted by Kitchen Flavours

Spicy Tofu and Edamame Beans

This is a lovely and tasty tofu dish. It is the first time that I'm cooking with Edamame Beans (soy beans), which I usually have  at restaurants, but never at home. I use the frozen ones for this dish, and I love it! It's healthy  and delicious. This recipe for Spicy Tofu and Edamame Beans is from Ching-He Huang, ever heard of her? She's a young and talented chef specializing in Chinese cooking. Her recipes are simple, quick and looks delicious. Most of the ingredients used are the basics which you can find in any Chinese kitchen, and that works for me.  

Ever wonder how tofu are made? Well, there's an interesting video here, where it shows exactly that and features Ching-He Huang cooking up this lovely tofu dish.

Rinse and pat dry firm tofu, cut to  1/2 inch thick rectangles.

Frozen Edamame Beans 

 The lovely sweet beans

Tofu are fried and braised for a short while to absorb the flavours 

A delicious plate of tofu is ready ! I love everything about this dish. The tofu has absorbed all the flavours from the soy sauce and balsamic vinegar,  the sweet Edamame beans together with  the aroma and lovely taste of the corianders are just great. Get a good generous bunch of young tender corianders.  This dish is not spicy at all, of course it depends from the heat of the red chillies, for a spicier dish, use chilies with more heat, if you like.

Really good with steamed rice. Perfect for vegetarians.  Enjoy! 

I'm sharing this with Hearth and Soul Hop over at Mom's Sunday Cafe.


Spicy Tofu and Edamame Beans
(recipe courtesy : Ching-He Huang, source from Cooking Channel)
Ingredients
Bean Curd Stir-Fry
2 tablespoons groundnut oil (peanut oil)
14 ounces firm fresh bean curd (firm tofu), drained and cut into 1/2 inch thick rectangles
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoons black rice vinegar (recommended : Chinkiang) or balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried chili flakes


Edamame Beans
1 tablespoon groundnut oil (peanut oil)
1 red chili, seeded and finely chopped
water, as needed
3 ounces fresh or frozen edamame beans, thawed
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon black rice vinegar (recommended : Chinkiang) or balsamic vinegar
Handful fresh cilantro leaves and stalks, finely chopped
Serving suggestions : serve with steamed rice


Directions :

To make the bean curd : Heat the groundnut oil in a large flat-bottomed pan over a medium heat. Add the bean curd, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the light soy sauce and cook until the sauce has reduced and the bean curd is browned on one side. Using a small palette knife or fork, lift and turn each piece, careful not to break the bean curd. Cook just to colour the second side.

Add the dark soy sauce, and vinegar, and cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Season the dish with the dried chili flakes. Transfer the bean curd to a serving plate and set aside.

To make the edamame : Reheat the pan and add the groundnut oil. Stir-fry the chili for a few seconds, and then add the edamame beans. Add a sprinkle of water to help create steam, and cook for less than 1 minute. Season the edamame with the light soy sauce, and vinegar, then stir in the chopped cilantro.

To serve, pour the edamame beans over the bean curd and serve immediately. For a fuller meal, serve with steamed rice.

Notes from Ching-He Huang :

This is a tasty nutritious dish. Here soya beans that have been made into bean curd are introduced to fresh soya beans (edamame) and the contrast is fabulous, a vegetarian marriage made in culinary heaven. Simple to prepare in a matter of minutes.

******

Stir-Fry Flowering Chives with Prawns and Tofu

Flowering Chives (gow choy fah) are really popular among the Chinese. I love eating this veggie, it has the smell similar to chives but unlike chives where the stems are flat, these Flowering Chives has an almost triangle-liked shaped with hollow stems. They are great in stir-fries and goes well with prawns and meat. The flowers are edible and the stems are sweet. They are delicious in stir-fried noodles too. 

I cooked this really simple and tasty dish for dinner a couple of days ago. Flowering Chives are stir-fried along with Prawns and Tofu.

 Two pieces of firm tofu, rinsed and pat dry.

Slice each piece in half horizontally to get two slices from each  piece of tofu.

Fry with some oil over medium heat until light brown. Dish out and drain. 

Tofu are sliced to smaller pieces after frying, Flowering Chives are sectioned to about 1-1/2" to 2" lengths, and the prawns are marinated.

 A plate of Stir-Fry Flowering Chives with Prawns and Tofu

One of my family's favourite veggie dish. Give this a try, I'm sure that you will like it!

I'm sharing this with
Hearth and Soul Hop hosted by Mom's Sunday Cafe

Stir-Fry Flowering Chives with Prawns and Tofu
300gm flowering chives
2 pieces firm tofu
200gm medium-sized prawns
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
salt to taste
cooking oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil
dash of white pepper powder
2-3 tbsp water
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (optional)

1. Rinse and pat dry firm tofu. Slice horizontally in half. Heat about 2-3 tablespoon oil in wok or skillet. Fry tofu on both sides till light brown. Dish out and keep aside to cool. When cool, cut each slice in half and cut each half into four, making a total of eight pieces for each slice. Repeat with remaining slices of tofu. Keep aside.
2. Peel prawns, leaving the tail intact. Devein, rinse and drain prawns. Marinade prawns with oyster sauce, white pepper powder and sesame oil. Keep aside.
3. Wash and drain Flowering Chives. Cut about 2" from bottom stalk and discard (usually the bottom stalk will be hard and tough, if it is young and tender, then omit this step). Cut the Flowering Chives to about 1-1/2" to 2" sections. Keep aside.
4. Heat about 2 tbsp oil. Saute the chopped garlic until light brown and fragrant. Add in the prawns, stirring for about 2 - 3 minutes until prawns are almost cooked.
5. Add in the flowering chives and  2-3 tablespoons of water. Add salt to taste. Stir for another 2 - 3 minutes. Add in the tofu pieces and Chinese cooking wine (if using), stir for about 10 seconds. Dish out to a serving plate. Serve hot. Enjoy!

This dish is excellent with or without the Chinese cooking wine. The wine adds a light taste and aroma to this dish. 

Tofu with Preserved Szechuan Vegetable and Pork

Tofu, the old-time Chinese favourite! The tofu is first steamed, cooled and topped with preserved, pickled Szechuan vegetables and pork. Szechuan vegetables are preserved with salt, hot pepper powder and some spices. The Szechuan vegetable that I used for this dish is sold in packets and it can be eaten as it is, usually as an accompaniment in porridge. I like to stir-fry this preserved vegetable with shredded pork. This is a really simple and tasty dish that goes well with steamed white rice or plain white porridge.

Tofu with Preserved Szechuan Vegetable and Pork
Ingredients :
1 pack soft tofu
100gm lean pork or chicken
80gm preserved Szechuan  vegetable
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 slices ginger
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cornflour + 1/2 tsp water
1/2 cup water
1 tsp chinese cooking wine (optional)

Method :

1. Steam soft tofu for about 5 minutes. Drain, pat dry and put on serving plate.
2. Cut pork to thin shreds and marinate with cornflour and 1 tsp water. Keep aside.
   
3. Heat about 2 tbsp oil, saute chopped garlic and ginger slices till light brown and fragrant. Add in pork and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add in preserved Szechuan vegetables and water. Stir and let simmer for about 5 minutes until pork are cooked. Before adding salt, taste for saltiness, as the preserved vegetables are usually quite salty. Add in chinese cooking wine, if used, give a quick stir and dish out to the serving plate, on top of the steamed tofu. Serve hot.

The Bento Moment!

Bento. It was a nice change from the usual style of dinner. Actually the dishes are cooked the usual way, only the presentation is different, Bento sytle. But the kids don't know that, they think that mommy is so clever, mommy can prepare a delicious "japanese dinner", "mommy, can we bring bento to school for lunch?"LOL! It is fun actually, preparing it Bento sytle. I wanted it to be a surprise, so I told my kids not to come in to the dining area until I say so. When I gave the green light, they rushed in to the dining hall and exclaimed with delight when they saw their Bento dinner! In that instant, I was promoted from mommy to "clever mommy"! He! He! Such bliss!

This is the first bento style dinner that I made, looks like it won't be the last either! So, all you mommies out there, if you have not prepared dinner or lunch in bento style before, and to enjoy the few moments when your kids say "clever mommy", go ahead, with a little imagination, you will enjoy a short-term celebrity moment. They wanted me to surprise their father too, he came back later, and surprise.... yes, he was surprised! "Short-term celebrity home chef"! It's fun, seriously!

I did not plan on doing Bento for dinner, but I bought some chicken and tofu from the market and was wondering what to cook for dinner. Then, Bento came to mind and I started to "search for hidden treasures" in my fridge. There's a pack of miso paste which I bought about two months back and forgotten all about it. Great! Miso soup. We love miso soup. There's half a pumpkin and some french beans. That's it, Bento is on the way.

The miso paste (soybean paste) and the bonito stock

Looks like I have to get more utensils and ingredients for my future Bento meals! My kids are already planning that I should do this again when their cousins come over for visits! The next Bento meal is going to take some planning, complete with the green tea!

Here's my very simple, easy Bento menu and recipe :

Bento - Chicken Teriyaki
2 chicken breast fillet, sliced
3 tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp honey
some black pepper
Just mix them all together and marinate for about an hour.
Heat some oil or butter and pan-fried both sides till brown and cooked.


French Beans
Clean and cut to halves. Put in bowl, add some salt and drizzle some oil. Microwave on high for 2 - 3 minutes.


Pumpkin
Clean and cut pumpkin into wedges or bite-sized chunks. Put in bowl, add some salt and drizzle some oil. Steam for about 7-10 minutes or till soft.

Simple salad
1 green apple (shredded)
1 pear (shredded)
1 small carrot (shredded)
1 small cucumber (discard centre and shredded green part only)
Mix them all together with any salad dressing and refrigerate.

Miso Soup
1 sachet Bonito seasoning
8 cups of water
3-1/2 tbsps miso paste (or to taste)
some ready-to-eat natural flavoured seaweed, cut to small pieces
1 pc soft tofu (cut to small pieces)
some chopped spring onions

Boil 8 cups of water with Bonito seasoning (or as per instruction on packaging). Add in tofu pieces and seaweed. Let it boil for a few minutes. Place 3 tablespoons of miso paste in a bowl. Scoop about half a cup of the boiling soup into the miso paste bowl and stir till evenly mix. Pour this mixture into the boiling soup and turn off flame. Stir to combine. Do not allow soup to boil after the miso paste has been added in.
Serve hot or cold, garnish with some chopped spring onions.