On March 27th, Good Food was invited to conduct an online training session on healthy and sustainable cooking for the chefs of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University's cafeterias. More than 10 chefs from three school cafeterias participated. This event was one of the healthy meal series activities co-organized by GFF and IBSS. Chef Li Yan from GFF shared two recipes online: tofu boxes and pan-fried tofu with cauliflower salad, and exchanged menu design concepts with the chefs. The aim of this event was to help chefs enhance their understanding of plant-based ingredients, especially legumes, and to provide them with more inspiration for designing plant-based ingredient menus.
At the end of the article, there are two special legume recipes developed by Chef Li Yan for this workshop. Remember to check them and give a try!
Chef Li Yan video calls with chefs from Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Tofu inspiration
The creation of the tofu box draws inspiration from the Hakka-style pan-fried stuffed tofu, cleverly blending tradition with health concepts. By using tofu and mushrooms as a substitute for meat filling, not only is the texture greatly preserved, but the variety of ingredients is also enriched.
Through steaming, the outer shell of the tofu pouch is filled with rich broth, providing a satisfying experience with every bite. This dish not only ensures taste and flavour but also aligns with the concept of healthy eating, offering a dual satisfaction of taste buds and health needs.
Pan-fried Tofu with Cauliflower Salad Inspiration
The inspiration for the pan-fried tofu with cauliflower salad comes from Western-style salads, with the original menu using goat cheese as an ingredient. This improved version of cauliflower salad substitutes pan-fried tofu for goat cheese and adds nuts to enrich the texture while providing high-quality fats.
The essence of cauliflower lies in the unique aroma and crisp texture it emits after roasting. Chef Li Yan emphasizes the need to keep the cauliflower stem intact during preparation to make the most of the ingredients.
Before processing, the tofu should be soaked in salt water to remove any distinct flavours and achieve a texture similar to cheese. When pan-frying the tofu, it can be seasoned with Chinese five-spice powder and then fried with nuts to bring out the aroma.
After all the ingredients are assembled and prepared, drizzle them with a secret recipe ofbrown sugar sesame sauce. Additionally, you can add grains such as lentils and quinoa according to your preference to enrich the texture and balance the nutrition.
Healthy and Sustainable Cooking Tips from Chef Li Yan of GFF
1. Use plant decorations to enhance the colour and flavour of the dishes, providing a dual sensory experience of sight and taste. You can grow some potted plants, such as green leaves, fennel sprouts, and pea shoots, as the final garnish for dishes, while also enriching the texture.
2. How chefs can incorporate their own ideas into traditional dishes. The chef's profession actually has a lot of room for creativity, not sticking to a certain form, but incorporating their own ideas into traditional cooking, and focusing on innovation and development. For example, using plant-based ingredients instead of animal-based ingredients, which is both healthy and low-carbon.
Take the signature dessert tofu cheesecake from Xiaolou Restaurant as an example. It uses tofu as the main ingredient, along with plenty of nuts, coconut milk, and dairy products. The texture is dense and smooth, similar to cheesecake, but with a refreshing taste, less oil and sugar, breaking the customers' perception of desserts as “getting greasy as you eat more".
Simple cooking methods and seasonings can bring out a whole new vitality and deliciousness in common plant-based ingredients. This sharing is not only a transmission of healthy and sustainable cooking methods, but also an inspiration and exchange for the chefs in the cafeteria.
Healthy and Sustainable Recipes
please look here
【Pan-fried Tofu with Cauliflower Salad】
ingredients：
Cauliflower 200g
Firm tofu 100g
Chinese five-spice powder 1g
Crushed peanuts (nut crumbs) 50g
Sause:
sesame paste 1 tablespoon
brown sugar 3g
soy sauce 1 teaspoon
appropriate amount of water
Process:
1. Cut cauliflower (broccoli, kale) into pieces (with stems), wash and dry.
2. Mix with a little vegetable oil and salt, bake in a preheated oven at 220°C for 12-15 minutes, then remove and let cool.
3. Crumble the firm tofu by hand into uneven pieces, crush the nuts.
4. In a pan, heat a little oil and a pinch of salt, add the crumbled tofu, and stir-fry over medium heat until crispy. Turn off the heat, add the crushed nuts, and stir-fry briefly with the remaining heat. Set aside.
5. Mix the ingredients for the sauce together, stirring well. Adjust the thickness with water as needed and adjust the taste to personal preference.
6. Pour half of the sauce over the baked cauliflower, mix well, plate, then drizzle with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with the tofu and nut mixture.
【Tofu Box】
Ingredient:
10 pieces of tofu puffs
5 shiitake mushrooms
50g corn kernels
50g carrots
100g firm tofu
2g Chinese thirteen-spice blend
5g soy sauce
Process:
1. Rinse the tofu puffs and make a small incision, set aside.
2. Finely chop the other ingredients, add seasoning, and mix well.
3. Fill the prepared stuffing into the tofu puff, and steam for 10 minutes.
4. Heat a pan, pour the sauce from the steamed tofu box into the pan, season with salt, sugar, and sesame oil to taste, add a little starch slurry, and turn off the heat.
5. Pour the collected sauce over the tofu box and serve.
