Serrano pepper | 222 million tons

We never finish a block of tofu in one meal, so often have a bit of frozen tofu on hand. As I mentioned in a previous post, tofu keeps well in the freezer – and after you thaw it, squeeze the water out of it, and crumble it, you’re left with a chewy, porous protein that absorbs flavors well.

One thing I’ve been meaning to try with it for a while is something similar to Thai fish cakes, and I made my first attempt at that this weekend.

The result was a bit too bready, and the flavors were less strong than I like them, so this recipe isn’t quite ready for company yet – but it did make for a tasty, hearty lunch, and went well with sliced cucumber (tossed in rice vinegar, honey, red pepper & cilantro dressing with a pinch of salt).

Thai tofu cakes - attempt #1

Thai tofu cakes (serves 2)

Ingredients

8 oz tofu, frozen, thawed, squeezed then crumbled (see image below)
1 Tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)
2 Tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp red curry paste
2 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
1 Serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 scallion, finely sliced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
About 12 Tbsp panko or fine breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 lime
4 Tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce

Directions

Toss tofu with fish sauce, grated ginger, and red curry paste.
Add in the cilantro, Serrano pepper, scallion and eggs, and mix well.
Mix in the breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is sticky enough to form patties.
Make 4 patties, and place them in the fridge for 10 minutes, to allow them to set.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Cook patties until they are golden brown – about three minutes per side.
Serve hot, with Thai sweet chili sauce.

Tofu: frozen, thawed, squeezed and crumbled

Watermelon rind has it tough. It lives next to sweet, pink, refreshing fruit that can be eaten as is, or easily become the base of colorful drinks, salsas, granitas and soups. How many of us even acknowledge rind as food? How many of us stop eating when we reach the unsexy, white, flavorless stuff? How many rinds end their lives needlessly in landfill?

Too many to contemplate.

But watermelon rind is food too, and there’s no reason to throw it away, or even compost anything but the hard, dark green skin (less than a millimeter thick). Although the rind is not as flavorful as the rest of the fruit, it is slightly sweet and has a firm, crisp texture that holds up well to cooking. It can be incorporated into the aforementioned drinks, salsas, granitas and soups — but also does well on it’s own in both sweet and savory concoctions.

Take that, sexy, pink, attention-grabbing watermelon flesh

I’ve been in the mood for Indian food lately, so when I found myself with 10 cups of watermelon rind earlier this week (harvested from a 7 pound watermelon), I decided to use it to make chutney. The recipe is below, and the result is a spicy, sweet, sour, aromatic condiment that makes a perfect accompaniment to Indian food, meat dishes or strong cheeses.

Watermelon Rind Chutney

Ingredients

Cubed watermelon rind

10 cups watermelon rind, diced in ¾ inch cubes with dark green skin removed
2 cups raisins
2 serrano peppers with seeds, minced
½ cup ginger, skinned and coarsely chopped
1½ Tbsp garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tsp red pepper
¾ tsp cinnamon powder
 ½ tsp cardamom
½ tsp ginger powder
¼ tsp powdered cloves
1 tsp salt
2 cups cider vinegar
¼ cup lime juice
1½ cups sugar

Directions

Place watermelon rind, raisins, serrano peppers, ginger, garlic, red pepper, cinnamon powder, cardamom, ginger powder, powdered cloves, salt and half of the vinegar in a large pot.
Add enough water to just cover the fruit, and give everything a good stir.
Bring the liquid to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to low.
Cook on low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the rinds take on a translucent quality.
Add in the rest of the vinegar, the lime juice and the sugar, and stir until sugar dissolves.
Bring the liquid to a gentle boil, and, stirring frequently, continue to boil until the liquid has the consistency of jam.
Put the chutney in a sterilized jar.

This chutney will stay fresh for several months in the refrigerator.

*Fun facts*
Reduction in food waste per batch of chutney	10 cups
… and if every household in the US makes 1 batch	Over 9.6 million cubic feet
Volume of the Washington Monument	About 1 million cubic feet