Soybean and Pumpkin.

It's been a while between posts, firstly because I was travelling and then because Blogger decided to eat a restaurant review post that I was working on. It had a lot of photos, so needless to say, I had a vendetta against Blogger recently, and decided that I couldn't be bothered re-writing it. I suppose I'll get around to it one day... albeit with less photos, just in case. So, what have I been eating lately? Well, after getting back on Sunday, and going back to uni the next day, I've been living off of a lot of pantry staples. And freezer staples, in this case. Because I know that all of you keep frozen soyabeans on hand, stocked up from when the Asian grocery has them... ;)

Frozen soyabeans are fantastic. Edamame aside, (there's a phrase I never thought I'd say! I could live on edamame), these beans don't suffer at all for their time in a freezer. They have a firm texture, a light and almost nutty flavour, and they go nicely with some other household staples - rice, pumpkin (yes, these sit in my pantry for months), garlic, ginger, pickled cabbage (you mean you don't keep a small tin of pickled asian cabbage in your pantry?!) and thai birdseye chillies, which are another favourite that get kept in the freezer.

Mmm, steamy goodness. Can you tell that I was impatient to eat? I certainly couldn't be bothered taking a proper photo. Can I ever? Hm, debatable! Anyway, this dish is a variation on the beloved BBC - Broadbean Bean Curd, served at a couple of great Chinese restaurants in Adelaide. I recommend the one from Wah Hing - they have great service (especially if you have Susannah, who owns the place - she's a dynamo!) and large portions for a very moderate price. East Taste make the same dish, but you'll pay for the tiniest portion, and the service is lacking. I won't go back there since the occasion when my dining partner and I left, still quite hungry, after ordering entrees, three main courses, and rice. We were brutally ripped off - we should have been carrying home leftovers, and instead we were too depressed to bother going to eat at another restaurant. So, restaurant-bashing aside, the original dish has thin strips of marinated tofu - impossible to find here. It also doesn't have pumpkin, but there's something about the sweetness, contrasting the chilli and pickle, that I like here - it also binds the dish together just a little, which makes it easier to eat. ;) I added mushrooms, simply because I had some in the fridge, but they added a nice textural contrast to replace the missing tofu.

Too hungry to even tidy up the plate.

BBP - Broad bean Pumpkin ;)
500g bag frozen soybeans (not edamame - buy the ones with the pods removed!)

200g (?) can of asian-style pickled cabbage/wombok, drained, rinsed and chopped*

250g mushrooms, sliced OR 1 packet marinated tofu, thinly sliced*

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped / crushed

5cm piece ginger, finely chopped

5 brutally hot chillies, finely sliced (ok, they don't need to be brutal, but it makes it better!)

1 & 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin, cut into cm cubes.*

3-4 Tbsp soy sauce

siracha, to taste

Start by sauteeing ginger, chilli and garlic in a little oil, until fragrant. If you're not choking from the chilli fumes, add more chilli.

Add the mushrooms (if using) to the mix, stirring well, and allow to sautee for a minute, until it no longer looks raw.

Add the soybeans, breaking up any frozen chunks. You don't want cold soybeans in your dinner! You'll know when they're nearly cooked because the skins start to wrinkle.

When the skins are looking a little wrinkly, add the cooked pumpkin, soy sauce (add more if you like extra-salty) and chinese pickle. Stir to combine - you want to continue cooking this on a high heat to allow the moisture from the soy to evaporate, and you want to just heat up the pumpkin and pickle.

When it's thoroughly warm, serve over rice, and drizzle with siracha - if you dare.

* Quite different to European-style pickled cabbage. You'll need to obtain this, and most likely the soyabeans, from an Asian Supermarket.
* The marinated tofu should be the square pieces that get used as burgers, etc. They're also available in Asian supermarkets - I recommend the 'spicy' flavour. They come in a small packet with three square sheets of tofu.

* I cheated and used hokkaido, which doesn't need to be peeled. Plus the colour is pretty! Mine was leftover from making another dish, but if yours isn't cooked, just add it when you add the mushrooms.