Sesame Noodles and Tofu

I found this on mothering. It has a nice Thai taste to it. I use it with chicken, any veggies, and rice, also. I do think it tastes best with yummy fried tofu, especially the packaged already fried tofu from Jay International. I ALWAYS use less peanut butter than this. I think peanut butter can be really variable in texture so it's hard to give exact amounts. I start with about 1/2 cup and add more if I think it needs it. Also, I use garlic/ginger paste instead of them separately. It just takes too long to mince those things, I think. The dressing is the important part and could probably be used in countless creative ways.

Serves 3-4
Dressing
Smooth Peanut Butter (organic, without sugar); 1 Cups
Soy Sauce; 1/2 Cups
Water; 2/3 Cups
Fresh Ginger; 4 Tablespoon, peeled and grated
Medium Cloves Garlic; 4, minced
Red Wine Vinegar; 4 Tablespoon
Asian Sesame Oil; 3 Tablespoon
Honey; 4 Teaspoon
Red Pepper Flakes; 2 Teaspoon
Noodles
Dried Thin Linguine; 1/2 Pounds
Scallion; 8, chopped
Red Bell Peppers; 1, thin sliced
Yellow Bell Peppers; 1, thin sliced
Sesame Seeds; 6 Tablespoon
Tofu
Block of tofu, cut into 3 slices horizontally and then cut into triangles
2 tbsp peanut oil

Make the dressing: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Make the noodles: Cook pasta in a 6 to 8 quart pot of boiling salted water until tender. Drain in a colander, then rinse well under cool water.

Pan fry the tofu with the 2 tbsp peanut oil over medium high heat.

*Add pasta, scallions, bell peppers, and sesame seeds to dressing, tossing with tofu to combine. Serve immediately.

Balti Butter Chicken with Pullao Rice

I made this last night and oh my goodness, is it amazing! Al said it was the best he's had. I hope that you like it too! I made the rice first because the chicken didn't take that long to assemble.

Pullao Rice:
1C Basmati rice, rinsed until water runs clear
2T butter
4 cloves
4 cardamom pods
1 bay leaf
1t salt
2C water

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add spices. After 2 minutes add rice and fry for 1 minute. Add water, bring it to boil, cover pan and reduce heat. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Fluff with fork.


Balti Butter Chicken:

2/3C plain yogurt
1/2C ground almonds
1.5 t of cayenne pepper
3 bay leaves
1/4t ground cloves
1/4t ground cinnamon
1 t garam masala
4 cardamom pods
1t grated ginger
1t grated garlic
1.25t salt
2 C canned crushed tomatoes
2 lbs (roughly 6.5C) boneless chicken breast, cubed
3T butter
2T olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
2T chopped cilantro
3T heavy cream

Mix yogurt, almonds, spices, tomatoes, add chicken, set aside.
Melt butter and oil in a deep skillet, saute onions until they are transparent, about 3 min.
Add the chicken mixture and saute for about 10-12 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.
Add cilantro, cook for 2 minutes. Add cream, stir and bring to a boil for only 1 minute.
Serve with pullao rice. Enjoy!