Monday Dinner (Mar 09, 2026)

1. Press tofu
2. Once the tofu has drained, slice in half then into cubes and place into a large bowl.
Sprinkle cornstarch on top and gently toss with your hands to ensure all tofu pieces are
covered.
3. In a large skillet, add sesame oil and vegetable oil then bring up to medium-high heat.
4. Once oil is heated up, add the tofu to the skillet and let brown on all sides.
5. In the meantime, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce.
soy sauce
water
honey
sambal oelek (if you like it less spicy, put less)
garlic, minced
rice wine vinegar
cornstarch
6. Once the tofu has browned and crisped up on all sides, add the sauce to the skillet and it should start to thicken immediately. Toss the tofu around to coat then remove from heat.
7. Serve and enjoy

For chicken:
Preheat oven 425 degrees
Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder. Bake in oven until internal 165
Then using same sauce, glaze over chicken and cook for another 5-10 min basing the chicken with sauce

Adapted from https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/japchae

** Use Tamari for gluten free version aka during the mixing steps
** Can use any ingredient (cabbage, bell peppers, firm tofu work well)

1. Slice soaked shiitake into thin strips and marinate in 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil

2. Whisk and pan fry the eggs into a sheet and cut into 2 inch strips

3. Boil glass noodles by following instructions and lightly rinse in water. Place noodles in very large bowl or pot and mix with some sesame oil and soy sauce to prevent sticking.

4. Slice all vegetables (onions, carrots, green onions) into strips about 2 inches long

5. Put a small amount of oil in a pan and cook vegetables and mushrooms one by one, season with salt and pepper. After each ingredient is cooked, add it to the bowl with noodles.

6. Add black pepper, soy sauce, sugar, garlic (raw or powder), and sesame oil to the mix. Season additionally to taste. Garnish with additional green onions and sesame seeds if desired.

Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
water
soy sauce
vegetarian oyster sauce
sugar
ground black pepper
sesame oil

Add the slurry ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix well.
cornstarch
water

Wash vegetables, cut baby bok choy in halves or large bite size pieces, cut mushrooms in halves or quarters depending on size. Mince ginger and garlic and slice green onions

Heat 1/4 cup water in a large skillet over medium high heat until hot. When the water starts to boil, add the baby bok choy and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Cover the pan and let steam for 30 seconds. Uncover the pan and stir the bok choy. Cover again and cook for another 30 seconds, until the baby bok choy has softened. Transfer the bok choy into a big platter.

*** EASY STEAM VERSION
1. Steam everything together
Add ~1/2 cup water to a large pan or wok
Bring to a boil
Add bok choy, mushrooms, garlic + ginger
Cover and steam 10ish minutes, or until tender
2. Drain veggies and water from the pan. Then, move back to pan to do the sauce mixing (further down)

*** Normal version:

Wipe the pan clean with paper towels and add oil, turn to high heat. Add the mushrooms. Let sear for 1 minute without touching. Then flip the mushrooms, cook and stir occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mushrooms are browned and there’s no juice left in the pan.

Move the mushrooms to one side of the pan. Pour oil on the other side and add the chili peppers, garlic, ginger and green onion. Stir a few times until the chili pepper turns dark red. Then stir everything together.

*** BOTH VERSIONS

Pour in the sauce. Stir and cook for 30 seconds. Stir the slurry mixture again until the cornstarch is fully dissolved. Swirl into the pan. Cook and stir until the sauce thickens, then transfer everything to a big plate. Serve hot as a side or over steamed rice as a main dish.